Getting a motorcycle license takes 2 things... having a friend with a bike, and walking. That's all you gotta be able to do, and it's been that way forever.

How many remember the images of Cher, on a full dresser, laying the bike over numerous times while taking her driving test? She walked away with a license. That still goes on today.

My wife took a Motorcycle Safety Course. There was a woman who wrecked a bike (into golf cart and numerous other things) during the weekend course. Actually, she did not pass the course.

Now, for the what-if's...

• What if she had gone in and took her test (as Cher had) and passed?
• What if she left the course, and the following week, took the test at DMV and passed?
• What if she's riding in a pack you are in, with your old lady on the back of your bike?
• What if she crashed again, and was the cause of you or your loved ones death?

Anyone who can basically ride a bicycle, can  ride a Motorcycle (actually, riding a motorcycle is easier to me). Without manditory Rider education, more and more inexperienced rider are putting us at risk, every day.

Any kid can go to any Motorcycle dealership with a "license" and buy the most powerful crotch rocket they want. Any old man that has never sat on a bike before taking the riding test (and passing it) and go out and get a full dresser.

All this does is skew the statistics on motorcycle accidents, causes insurance and titling fees to rise, and puts our way of life deeper in jeopardy! It forces new laws that don't really address the real issues at hand, and give a false sense of security to all.

Too many times I've heard... "I passed the DMV riding test, I'm good to go". Yeah, and ZERO experience has killed many a rider because of it! 

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Doing my part to save a Bikers life!
www.SaveABiker.com

Although I agree with your sentiments, I think you may be overstating the situation slightly.  I do testing for MC endorsements using what is called the ALT-MOST test developed by MSF and which is used in some 32 states. 

The test is composed of 7 specific on bike skills and speaking only for my own observations typically 20-30% of people taking the test fail on the first attempt.  Also, under ALT-MOST dropping a bike is an automatic fail.  So sorry Cher but you wouldn't have made it past me.

People comment and rightly so that such testing does not indicate who should ride a bike.  The point is that the ALT-MOST and for that matter the MSF BRC are designed to indicate who shouldn't ride a bike.

I agree with you that the better option for any rider who is seeking an endorsement is to take the MSF course, but there are also issues with it.  The MSF and other programs like it just happen to be the better option. A rider coming out of a MSF course will have a higher degree of bike handling skills and better knowledge sets but in all reality all that is demostrated is the ability to competently ride a small motorcycle in a parking lot at speeds upwards of 20 mph.  Unfortunately alternatives are both costly and restrictive such as the tiered licensing system used in Europe.

 

  

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Rick

From watching and riding around most of the newbie rider out there, it still cannot be too hard to pass. They did it, and I stay as far away from them as I can!

The riding test I took 10 years ago to finally get my license (rode for years without one) was a piece of cake, and anyone that can hold the bike up, could pass.

I probably could have passed it on my chopper if the parking lot wasn't so small for me to turn around in.

Not blasting your job, or the test, I guess I'm just agreeing that it doesn't indicate who should ride a bike. Like I said, if you can hold it up, you can probably pass. 

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Doing my part to save a Bikers life!
www.SaveABiker.com

The greater danger is how easy it is to get a drivers licence in this country.