Bike too big for DMV course? I don't suck, YOU suck

Yet another failure to yield to criticism. This guy claims he is a skilled rider, but can't navigate the course to earn a license... so obviously that's the fault of the course.

It goes on to say that a similar Harley navigated the course with ease, piloted by a police patrolman.

Is this guy just this dense? I mean that figuratively. It's hard to believe the course is the problem. Have you ever seen a Harley guy u-turn? It's like watching an Elephant crafting Faberge eggs.

http://www.islandpacket.com/2013/06/10/2536105/motorcyclists-say-dmv-course-too.html

I have been riding 25 years, started at age 12 on a minibike and went from there. I passed the course with ease on an XR250. Could I do it on my gf's softail slim? No. I don't ride bikes like that. Could I do it on a harley if I'd been riding one for the last 20 years? Of course.

I've always had mixed feelings on the test. I feel some parts of it are good (stopping fast) and some are silly (going as slow as possible on the line) but I don't think any of it actually measures a person's real world riding skill. Almost anyone can study to pass the test, just like any test. There's a lot of bad riders out there who have passed that test, and don't get me started on irresponsible riding like intoxicated or wheelies down the freeway. Not to mention people who have ridden on temps for 15 years. But, like anything else, it's not foolproof, but it's the best we've got.

BTW Not that people riding on their temps don't know how to ride, what I was implying that people do that and can be better riders than those with an endorsement. I should mention that I rode on temps for longer than 15 years... not that I couldn't pass the test, it was only offered one day a week, during the day, and work always got in the way. I finally took it a few years ago and I'm glad I don't have to worry about getting pulled over at night etc.

If you cant pass the test on the bike you own then you should not be able to ride said bike on the street.

Personally I think there should be a tiered system for bikes and cars.

SO I passed a road test at 17 in a sentra. That means I am qualified to drive and F350 or a Viper?
Im not saying that anyone should be barred from driving/riding what they want, but they should have to show competency.

If some lawyer wants to live out his easy rider fantasy that is fine. Let him drop $40K at the Harley shop. But he should have to take the test on that bike.
If not he should ride something small that he can actually handle for a while first.

Before you jump all over the guy profiled, there's something seriously wrong with the article itself, which really pisses me off.

They glance over one facet of the story - it suggests he was actually turned away from the test - not even allowed to attempt it. It says that at the beginning, and then again at the end.

"Pete Izzillo of Hilton Head Island said he was turned away from the DMV in Bluffton's Sheridan Park last April when he tried to take the skills test. He was told his Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic was too large, and he'd have to rent or borrow one to navigate the course."

"Izzillo agrees it's a good idea, and said he wants to follow the rules. But navigating a large bike at 15 mph around tight turns without putting his foot down -- an automatic failure -- could be difficult even if he is allowed on the course, he said."

Also this is from 2 years ago. Guy probably rode that tractor into the back of another tractor by now.

surffly makes a good point...

It amazes folks in other parts of the world that a 16yo American can simply ride a little scooter around some DMV cones in the morning ... then can go out and legally ride a Hayabusa on the street the same day.

We have three tiers here in IL <50cc = nothing more than a driver's license, then up to 149cc you need an "L" endorsement ( light motorcycle ) and 150cc and up requires a full M endorsement.

I really, really tried to teach my wife how to use a clutch and failed. I sent her to an MSF course with Buell Blasts and she came home crying after first day of on bike instruction. I bought her a LX150 Vespa. She took the written test, secured her permit, then got back in line, rode around the cones and left with a full 'M" motorcycle endorsement ! Amazing.

The reason I brought this up is that I managed to circumvent Texas' stupid Rider Safety Course requirement. $200 and a few days of my life in a class? Heh. I swore off idle hours of receiving rhetoric years ago and I'll never sit in a class again.

So as it turns out, in Wyoming, where I'm working for the next few months, they require no course. Simply a 20-question computer quiz and a four-step skills course. So I decided to take advantage of the opportunity, seeing as my original drivers license is nearing expiration anyway.

Completed the quiz and went to the course the next day. I was awe struck. The course was so eroded and littered with loose gravel, it would have been easier to try the test in the dirt. The instructor even mentioned, "we're a small town, and this is the best we got. Try not to go out of the boundaries, that's where all the gravel gets swept."

One of the guys complained that his bike is hard enough to handle as it is and suggested that if he screws up, it's the fault of the course not being maintained.

I didn't get to see this guy wipe out. I passed on the PC800 with a perfect score and went straight to work in the morning.

It's not the first time I've heard riders go on about something that is their own fault. One of my customers complained that he couldn't afford to keep buying new motorcycle boots as the soles grind down...

In Canada it's even worse. With ZERO road experience, you can walk into the Ministry office, do an electronic multiple choice test at a kiosk, which is based on the information in a small booklet you can buy for $10, and walk out with your M1 permit.

Allows you to ride any motorcycle on the planet during the day, on roads up to 80KPH (50 MPH). No riding after dusk, no passengers, and no alcohol. Those are the only limits.

Plus for $15 you can get a 1 week permit for a motorcycle that hasn't been inspected yet. Whenever a motorcycle changes hands, it needs a one-time safety inspection before getting plated. You can insure it no problem, and for $15 you get a paper plate you can use legally for a week or 10 days or something.

So Joe Blow can get a deathtrap, pay $15 for a plate, $10 for a book, $15 for the license test (I think) and be on the road that afternoon with plenty of time to kill himself and a few others.

Redliner said:

The reason I brought this up is that I managed to circumvent Texas' stupid Rider Safety Course requirement. $200 and a few days of my life in a class? Heh. I swore off idle hours of receiving rhetoric years ago and I'll never sit in a class again.

Click to expand...

$200 That sucks...Illinois Rider Safety Course is free. They hand you your "passed' card, then off to DMV, get your picture taken and walk out w an "M" on your license. Done.

I also find it weird that a bunch of places require an "inspection". Here, we walk in to DMV w a title and walk out w plates. They've never seen any vehicle I have ever owned. Thank god, it might difficult to convince them the 360 is a really rare bone stock Honda. :

I guess Wyoming is a taste of what regulation and government is like without the nutters and overgrown babies. If enough of them get wind of what it's like here, they might flood the state to take advantage of it and change that. But for now, anyway, it works and it keeps the people happy.

I agree that certified and qualified are never the same thing, though. Just because you managed to squeeze by doesn't mean you have the aptitude to avoid real hazards, hazardous conditions, and take a hairpin without landing in a ditch.

As an example, ask a tech at your local dealer a technical question and watch them thumb to the glossary in their diagnostics guide.

"Uh....it says to replace stuff, and if that doesn't fix it then...replace more stuff."

Tim to qualify "in Canada", that is ON. in NB it was different and is now similar. used to be you couldn't get a learners license, you take the skills test of figure 8's and circles and slaloms etc. pass and get either a 550 cc or less M2 or an unrestricted M1 depending on the CC of the bike you road, so most folks test on a 650 thumper, then go buy a 1800 cc cruiser or litre bike crotch rocket. Now you have to get a 1 year permit, restricted to day only, no passengers, 0 alcohol and can ride until the year is up then test for the full license. so now you can go get your bike and take it on the road without passing a skills test. So how is that better I wonder? most folks I know who do not have a license are planning to just get the learners and now keep renewing because they don't ride at night etc. That is just stupid. It was supposed to be a graduated license but now they put the skills test after, not up front so you can walk into a bike shop, buy one and ride it home without ever being on one? I may have some of this wrong as I only read a summary article, I will be looking up the actual rules as soon as The GNB website posts them.

Edit:

I had some miss information, looks like MSF is now Mandatory before the restrictions - Step in the right direction as long as they open more slots in the courses. Take the MSF which teaches you important stuff, then after a year restricted go take the test which you should now pass easily.
Participants must successfully pass an approved motorcycle driver training course.

· Participants will be required to pass a vision screening and their written, basic and sign tests.

· Participants must maintain zero Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) for the duration of the GDL program regardless of age.

· Participants cannot drive from sunset to sunrise.

· Participants will not be permitted to tow a “vehicle” as defined in the Motor Vehicle Act (i.e. trailer).

· Participants cannot have any passengers on their motorcycle for the duration of the GDL program.

· Participants must have their motorcycle GDL licence for 12 months without interruption.

· Participants must successfully pass an on-road test before becoming fully licensed.

I didn't read anything in this thread but redliner Im sure you earned all of it what ever it is.

Great, it's going to be impossible to remove all this glitter...

bradj said:

I didn't read anything in this thread but redliner Im surely you earned all of it what ever it is.

Click to expand...

shirly issat you ? ;D

I took my test years ago on my XS650. It was my only bike at the time and I had been riding it a lot. Aced the test easily.

I now have several bikes in the garage, ranging from a Z50 to CB550's to my ZRX. I've probably spent more time on a CB550 than any other bike.

Last year, a friend was taking the test and asked me to ride along for moral support. While she was waiting for the DMV officer, we were doing practice runs on the test course. I had a very difficult time doing it on my ZRX and on several occasions crossed the lines or put my foot down. That bike handles and stops WAY better than any of the CB's, but it's big and heavy at slow speeds. It was an eye opener for me.

I took a MSC just because I hadn't to see if I missed something, being self taught. Turns out the emergency stop in a turn was something new for me. My wheel base was 65" but the turns were a piece of cake. What was undoable is the 20mph second gear pass. My engine was lugging like crazy so they made an exception just for me. My first gear was set for 95mph @ 11K rpm.

I took mine in FL. It was a joke. Two girls were in mine, didn't know how to change gears, didn't know what the clutch was. Passed the written, scored just high enough to pass the riding, and off one went to hop on the new GSX-R600 the boyfriend got her. The other, said her dad told her if she passed, he'd get her a CBR250.

Anytime anyone brings up the MSF class, I wonder if she got herself killed trying to ride that bike around Tampa.

Here in Alabama, I walked into the dmv, paid $15, took a 20 question written test and walked back out with a license to ride any motorcycle, anytime...

I took my test on a buddies XS650 back in 88-89, had never ridden it before, never even sat on it before getting on to drive up to the tester's booth. I had rode a lot of miles on trails with my CT1 over the prior 8ish years, did very little street riding on my old man's CX500 and V45 Sabre before the test. Never actually rode with a licensed rider or any of the normal prep for the test. My old man would NEVER let me take his bikes out so I did a couple short trips while he was at work, hoping his buddies wouldn't spot me.

Anyway the bike had a real high idle (you could take off if you let the clutch out slowly without touching the throttle) and the rubber grommets that the handlebars mount to were shot to the point the bars moved a good 3/4" in all directions. I totally failed the course, my buddy was on the sideline with his licensed friend cheering and laughing loudly the 3 times my foot went down. I got up to the booth and asked the guy when could I try again and he looked at me funny and handed me the passed documents

South Carolina just passed a rule to put a stop to the endless learner permit cycle...you now have to at least attempt the full licence riding test before they will renew a beginner/restricted permit. If you pass then you get a full licenses. I have buddy that failed 2 times on his Huge Harley because the cones were too tight. He's been riding 20+ years, turns out there is a guy that will show up at the DMV and rent you his two speed runt of a bike to pass the test on. The guy gets like 200 a pop...what a racket...probably makes a grand a week in season.

I took mine on a little Suzuki 250. Super light, nimble as could be. I asked if I could do the class on my CBR, as that was what I was riding (rode it to the class), and was told no, for insurance reasons I had to do it on their bike.