Modern Vespa

I took my Mass MC road test this morning and wanted to share my experience. Very bizarre, and you Brits will be shaking your heads. I got my GTS 300 a few years ago and at that time got my Mass Motorcycle Permit. All that was involved was answering about 20 multiple choice questions. I didn't study for it, but passed (common sense). The permit is good for a period of two years. So that means you can drive a motorcycle legally for two years without ANY training. I scheduled (online) my road test and went in this morning to RMV. The state trooper who conducted the test saw on my registration that I ride a Vespa and said "Oh, not a real motorcycle." He told me to go into the parking lot and meet him there. When I met him he asked me to show him hand signals, beep the horn, turn on the indicators, and use the hand brake. Then he said go to the parking lot next door and do a right figure 8 and a left figure 8. During that time he was talking to someone and didn't seem to be paying much attention. I came back to where he stood, he said I passed but that as I didn't ride a real motorcycle he didn't think I deserved a "real MC license". He pointed to a Ducati Monster parked nearby and said it was a shame that I could now legally drive one of those as I would surely kill myself on it. Amazing. And really effing sad in a way. As rigorous as it is, I think the UK system is better and safer in the long run. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to road safety in the USA.

Morning dude. Let me say one thing, people of that mentality have EGO issues. Then to top it off he's law enforcement, SUPER EGO(I've got sheriffs in the family). Don't let the small mind of one individual give you the sads. Ride it with pride and just know that when you pull up to the line and a fat hog, pocket rocket, or even a endure rev. at you, that you will surely beat them across the intersection. Then ultimately get over taken. haha. But honestly, brush it off and scooter happily.

I received my motorcycle endorsement in the early 1960s by proving that I had owned a Vespa for 2 or more years. Prior to then, NY did not require an endorsement to ride a motorscooter, and when it was decided to do so, people who could prove they had owned one for 2 years or more were "grandfathered".

I have also encountered serious attitude problems with MC riders about my scooter. Unlike you, I opted to take an MSF safety class at a well known school in the Boston area to get my license. So, even though I learned on a 'real' motorcycle, I made the mistake of mentioning to one of the instructors that I ride a scooter. He immediately scoffed and said "scooters aren't motorcycles, what the hell are you doing in this class? I would never be caught on a scooter." This was from an instructor for pete's sake! I couldn't believe how insulting and patronizing this person was despite the fact that I was paying good money to learn safety basis. So much for being responsible. Needless to say, I'm quite pissed about the whole experience and go out of my way to avoid motorcyclists if I can.

I also took the course in lieu of the RMV road test and the instructor couldn't have been nicer. I was able to take it on my LX150 and treated me and made be do all the same maneuvers as the guys on the "real" motorcycles

Here in Illinois, they will confiscate your bike if you ride it to the mobile test yourself. Their thought being, if we fail you, how are you going to get home.

I had to have a friend with a Motorcycle license ride my scooter to the DMV for me. I took my car.

I took the text, much of it being the same as yours, but, I did have to run the course. And without the attitude of course.

This is how it typically looks in illinois.

I passed with flying colors. However, if you set your foot down even once, you are marked down. Do it a couple times, and you are considered FAILED.

I haven't taken the California test, but from any indication the test is not one of motorcycle/scooter road ability, but instead a test of motorcycle parking ability.

They appear hard-pressed to come up with a test what will compactly fit at the DMV. though slow speed handling, and high speed handling are two different things. When was the last time you rode a two-wheeled vehicle twice in a circle?

Fortunately, the California test greatly favors vehicles such as scooters.

Perhaps for a DMV test, they should follow you on the road and observe.

Howdy Blackguard, neighbor..... I'm in Metrowest Boston, but close enough.

I took the MSF course 16 years ago..... much better experience than anything the RMV could come up with.

I have taken the CA m/c test - and recently (January this year).

It isn't that easy on a scooter - a small m/c would be better IMO, as you'd have direct clutch control rather than having to use the back brake continuously for slow speed manouvers - heating up the brake and centrifugal clutch in the process . It does demonstrate how you can operate a PTW at slow speeds though, and that's probably the best quick test for ability to control it - as anyone can ride at speed in a straight line.

It doesn't test for road sense, or for any on-road stuff, as it's assumed you have a car driving licence. However you don't have to have a car licence to get a m/c licence - but I'm pretty sure if you can do the CA lollipop test you are capable of riding and controlling your machine. Admittedly it's not nearly as comprehensive a test as you'd get in the EU, let alone the UK, but I reckon they've taken those to extremes.

Here in Texas it's; pass the motorcyle safety course and then the "M" license written exam. At my age I wanted to take it the same day as I passed the course so I wouldn't forget nuttin'.
Unfortunately, the course was on a Saturday and had to wait till Monday for the written.

I guess I took the wrong class. I asked about doing it on a scooter but they told me that if I did, I couldn't get the MC license. That shoulda been a clue...

I've ridden a motorcycle and a electric scooter each a few thousand miles, and I am not looking forward to taking the CA motorcycle test.

A vehicle that will do very well on the CA driving course will not do well on the highway.

With commercial companies making money training prospective motorcycle riders, and with major automakers with deeper pockets for lobbying, the CA test will never improve.

Motorcycles don't fit in well in the paradigm of driver-less cars, which both Darpa as well as multi-national corporations want. In 20 years time, there may not be anymore motorcycles on the road. Ride while you can.

Yeah I really enjoyed my MSF in MA. Although I will say they wouldn't let me use my Vespa and teased me a lot in the beginning. That being said... when I showed up I was "scooter boy" as a joke, but when I left I was "scooter boy" as an affectionate name - I was scraping guards on the turns and such like a pro and they really changed their attitude about me.

In 1971 I bought a Suzuki enduro and the dealer said, "Front brake, rear brake, gear shift, throttle, go ride around some." I did so, went to the DMV and they said, "You want a motorcycle license?" I said ,"Yeah." so I got it. I have had a MC license since then, three states, based on that.

All you guys out there, look out!

Frog, when did you move to CA??

HA!
I have been on 2 wheels since the 80's
went to the navy MA to Ill to FL to RI to MA with my Licence somewhere I lost my Motorcycle endorsement
had to get a permit and do the road course all over
RMV lady walked up and made a comment about the scooter so I mentioned that the motor was larger than the 250cc from the training school
helped also I was wearing a USCRA shirt and really cut a tight figure 8
her response was your really do know how to ride

I would have asked for his superviser myself and filed a complaint against him. Nothing in his job description says to insult a customer for what they choose to ride.

I got my motorcycle license in 1975 in Pennsylvania. Took a written test to get the permit on my birthday and then passed the riding test through obstacles in a parking lot the day after. Rode on the streets for the next decade or so and let my license lapse. Two years ago, I got a 50cc scooter in Texas and I was required to take a two day riding course on a full sized motorcycle and then pass a written test of some difficulty at the DMV. There were no MSF courses available near my home so I ended up going five hours away to stay in a hotel and take the course in Dallas. Even though I am a very experienced rider (especially if you include thousands of miles off-road), I still learned a few helpful things in the course. Unlike Massachusetts, Texas probably goes a little overboard....

Oh, almost 2 years ago now. Hope to move back some day, though!

I got my second MC license a couple years back here in Florida.

I rode my 50cc Chinese scooter to class the two days, but did all my testing on their 250 MCs.

No one commented on the scooter, that I heard. But I was like the oldest in the class. Maybe they knew I wouldn't care, hah.

If you still have the electric scooter I would highly recommend using that for the test. I often take my bikes to the local DMV to run the course just for fun and to stay sharp. I really have a much tougher time with the tight maneuvering on the BV compared to my electric motorcycle. It is far easier to modulate the throttle at low speeds on an electric vehicle then it is on a gas powered vehicle with a CVT. I find the throttle on the BV a bit snatchy anyway. My Zero is as smooth as silk.

You will be better off as soon as you realize, you need to send me your zero : )

Call me when the shuttle lands.

Uh, what? Failing the license exam doesn't invalidate your motorcycle learner's permit. And your permit should be enough for you to ride there on assuming you have a helmet and it's daylight.

I opted for the Safety Course instead of RMV road test. New law- driving for over a year, Advanced class (8 hours-one day). And I could use my scooter (LXV 150ie). Pass class , get license. Awesome class, instructors were great. Test in Massachusetts.

Kat - each state is different. Way back (1980) when I took my driving test (New York) I had to take my brother with me to drive the car home... they took your permit after the test and didn't tell you if you passed until later when they mailed it back to you. Three years later my sister was able to know her results immediately, which was a good thing as my Mom couldn't drive the Pinto home because she didn't know how to drive a stick shift.

I tried to remember my experience getting a Motorcycle Endorsement on my driver's license.

Unfortunately, it was so long ago, I can't remember anything, except that I needed a licensed operator to ride my bike to and from the road test.

Sucks getting old.

P.

In the mid 70's in AZ, in order to get my MC and commercial endorsements required a common sense multiple choice test and a current car license. I left the MVD able to ride an drive everything from a scooter to an 18-wheeler.

Can we really do this!?
That would be fantastic news for me because having to use a 'full-sized' motorcycle in a multi-day class is mostly what has been holding me back from trying to get my motorcycle endorsement/license.

I'm very surprised they would allow this but it makes me wonder...is there still just one 'grade' or 'level' of license? If I take this course and pass the test using my 50cc Vespa, will I still be given a license which would allow me to ride a 1000cc Harley? Or would I be restricted to only riding a 50cc?

Why is it that so many scooterists seem to be either afraid or apprehensive about using a motorcycle? It's not like it's going to turn you into an instant Hells Angel 1%er or anything.....

Sure, riding a motorcycle is a bit more complicated than a twist n go scooter, but the skills you learn in the class (other than clutch friction point and shifting stuff) is all applicable to a scooter. And the instructors (in the Basic Riders Course) all start the course assuming you've NEVER been astride a 2 wheeler before... so it all goes more than slow enough to not overwhelm almost everyone.

Heck, even if you never ride a motorcycle again, you can say you mastered the basics in just one weekend! And if you're ever faced with a vintage manual shift scooter you can feel confident that you can manage it.

I didn't mean to give the impression I was afraid, I just don't like walking into a class not knowing anything about what's going to be taught. In college, I'm the type of person who reads the first few chapters of the textbook before I show up for class on day one. Similarly, I didn't want to show up to a motorcycle class without having at least taken one out in first & second gear in a parking lot or something to get a clue about how the hell it works. An instructor may well teach the class as if we've all never seen a bike before but that doesn't mean I'm comfortable going in there that way. For me, it's simply been a matter of not having had the time to find a bike I could borrow for 5 minutes. A multi-day class is also next to impossible to fit into my schedule...but anyone can get 'sick' for one day!

At the moment, I'm about to see if the NJ MVC facility closest to me is finally refurbished and ready for me to go to for my road test. (It was under reconstruction for the last few months.) Unlike some other states, they now allow permit holders to drive/ride to the test facility without accompaniment - I guess they figured out that if you've been out on the road with a permit up to this point, you should be fine getting there and back, even if you somehow end up failing the road test.

I'd like to think that my experience on the road, since I got Melody in my hot little hands last September, would be worth a thing or two: my main restrictions are the usual - no riding a half-hour before sunrise or half-hour after sunset, and no riding on toll or "restricted-access" roads (i.e. where the posted limit is 50mph or higher, with some specific exceptions). That leaves quite a bit of two- and four-lane territory to get to grips with. And I'm not surprised at how people from other parts of the world look wide-eyed at the high-powered projectiles we Yanks are allowed to "learn" on with little supervision by contrast.

Even my experience with taking the written was skewed: Without my knowing, they had me taking - and filing, first time around - the automotive written test, and I didn't realize this until I took and passed it the second time 'round. I then had to take the MC written, which I did immediately before going home, and also passed (flying colors that time). Since everything at the facility was "under reconstruction", I knew I'd have to wait for the road test, or ride some ungodly distance to an alternative facility. Since I've been awfully good at gingerly dodging various and sundry road hazards on Melody (including some interesting post-snowstorm potholes - something I learned from my cycling years in Gotham), I'm looking forward to the obstacle course they'll have prepared in Eatontown. Here's hoping!

I'm surprised no one has yet commented that that assignment was certainly a waste of a state trooper not to mention tax dollars.

Like back when NJ had motorcycle inspections at the DMV staffed by state employees. (its now no inspection for motorcycles and outsourced for other vehicles.) I rode into the inspection station- there's only inspection lanes in the building for cars and trucks. I stop and hand them my paperwork. They say "Blow the horn, pull up 20 feet and stop." I accomplish that and they put a "passed" sticker on my front fork and I'm on my way. What a waste of time and resources.

All i can say is you have it easy to get your licence,

its quiet difficult to pass on two wheels over here in uk
and the test will be the same in any town in uk,plus its over a £100 may be closer to £300-

When I got my M/C license taking the MSF was optional but it allowed you to more or less skip the on the bike portion of the test at the DPS. I say more or less because technically the trooper could require you to take the on the bike test even if you had completed the 2-3 day MSF course.

Being 15 when he got his license my oldest son had to take the MSF course and had a restricted license (under 250cc, no passengers, no riding between midnight and 5 am unless to/from work) but didn't have to take the on the bike class.

Things have changed since then (he's 23 now) and my youngest not only had to take the MSF course but also the on the bike test. He also had to take the driving the car test even though he'd had the full 40 hour driver's ed course because he was under 18.

Everyone not grandfathered in by having had a m/c license before the law change is now required to take the MSF course.

Fortunately, there are several places that allow you to take it on a scooter. I took it on a scooter because I already knew how to shift and didn't plan on buying manual motorcycle. The class I took was taught by two former motorcycle officers. One of which was an owner of the school and the other spent half his time doing motorcycle testing. One thing I liked about the school is they had a variety of bikes available from Honda Rebels to Ninja 250s, dual sports and scooters so you could learn on the type of bike you intended to ride.

The instructors have been known on occasion to pick on students but not because they choose to ride a scooter but because they look down on any particular PTW rider. Their favorite is the macho guys who make comments about how "girls belong on the back" or make fun of those who choose a scooter. Often by pointing out how much better the "girl" or "scooter" rider is doing than they are.