I am only a stand in line away from haveing my MC license again.

Sometime between 93 when I sold the last bike and me getting a new bike last year the motorcylce endorsement disapeared from my license. I had to go thru the whole proccess again. I tried to go thru it as quickly as possible. Scheduleing a written test and driveing test is around 3 months each. They only schedule 5 riders for testing per week each friday. I got lucky and recieved a phone call asking if I wanted to take my test this saterday which is around 2 months earlier than originaly scheduled.

Are the DMV's back in the states as much bottleneck or is it just Guam?
I just barely passed the written test. I missed questions like what I should do when my last name changes(Like that will ever happen!) or what the minimum penalty for DUI is(I dont need to know the minimum penalty I just need to know that I REALLY dont want to get a DUI becuase the penalty sucks!)
I thought the road test was pretty easy on the KLX but can see how it would be hard on a large CC cruiser. The only thing that I thought was odd was the examiner recomended only using the rear brake for the brake test. I allways learned to use both brakes as most of your stopping power is with the front brake. I used both anyway.
Here is what we did
1 cone test Weave around 4 cones while staying inside of two boundry lines. then turn around and weave around them again entering from the other side.
2. Ride a white line while exicuting a hand left turn signal, then back exicuting a hand right turn signal.
3. Ride 100' in 20seconds This one was difficult for some. 2 people failed this one
4. Ride right hand then left hand circles inside a box. Easy on the KLX but bigger bikes had problems.
5. Brake on comand from speed of 30MPH

Are stateside tests simular?

Thank goodness the ordeal is finished(except for standing in line for the new license)
Cheers Jim

 

bet it nice to have that back. im not sure what they do for the test cus i had to take a course cus i was under 21 at the time. simple stuff and it gets me a discount on insurance. and yes, the dmvs here suck. last time i was there for almost 3 hours to get a new plate for my bike.

 

When I took the test it was similar, parallel cones leading up to a circle. You had to navigate the left & right side cones riding the circle in different directions. There was a knowledge test of the handlebar controls & I rented a 225 yamaha off craigslist so I had to quickly scan the symbols on the buttons- kill switch, hi lo beams, horn etc. The wife took the msf course so no riders test required!

 

Ah no MSF course here outside the military gate. I think even then the ride test is required. I did the the MSF course when I was in florida to get my original MC license. After seeing your posts I think I must not have taken a driveing test in florida.

It kind of defeats the purpose of the roat test when all the guys with big bikes have to resort to renting/borrowing a small bike becuase the test is not set up for what they will actually be rideing. But thats DMV logic for you.

Cheers Jim

 

From someone who can run a MX bike off a steel ramp and land with no hands like its nothing I found my test here in Pennsylvania to be very difficult................seriously.


The written test is just mumbo jumbo. It doesn't matter what is REALLY the best thing to do, or what you would do...but what THEY want you to do. So its basically just a memorizing game. I'm ashamed to admit, I actually failed the first time (written) because I didn't study because everyone said its "common sense stuff"...yeah right. So, I studied, went back and BARELY passed. I was sweating it. I passed on a few questions to come back to them later. Yeah, it was a pain.

Here in PA, the permit does all but riding at night, without a helmet, and with passenger. So, basically, all the license does is allow for a permanent license, since nothing of the previous applies to me. I don't ride at night, nor do I carry passengers, nor am I dumb enough to ride without a helmet. It use to be you could just buy a permit for $7 as long as you had a regular drivers license. It was good for one year and all the previous regulations applied. But they put a stop to that now. You have to take a written test, you can keep taking it all you want, but its just not a walk in, buy the permit, and your good for a year anymore.

So I go back to the performance test. I don't remember what it all was, but I did do everything asked of me, but again...just barely. The only thing I messed up on was doing the S between cones. i guess I clipped the last one. I couldn't tell because they really weren't cones. They were spray painted dots on the pavement. I had to do figure 8's in a square box until commanded to stop. You can't stop, nor touch your feet. I found it very hard on high sitting bike with tall gearing that's not jetted 100% on the bottom end. I basically let it chug on idle in 1st gear. If I had to go any longer, I would have failed because the bike would have stalled.

Then there was some other stuff that was easy, stop on a line. Start the bike up, operate all the controls. Stuff like that. I told the woman, I said,... I obviously operate this bike off road (hence all the mud) and I'm telling you, doing that is more challenging then going over rocks and logs and stuff. I think this is so simply because of the pressure. If you drop your foot out on the trial, which you will... no big deal. Here, you fail and have to reschedule. And if your permit expires, you have to take the written test again, which was barely passed. Its a pain. I motorcycle tests to be like hunting, fishing, target shooting, stories. Everyone talks bigger than what they can really do. Whether thats on purpose or not. Everyone says its common sense and they got 100%, but more likely than not, they barely passed as well.

As far as the scheduling goes... you can get right in. The written test is walk in and the performance was less than a week schedule.

 

i got mine back in 1976 (showing my age). the tester told you to leave the lot, and make 4 rights until i got back to the lot again (this was in the city of Providence, RI). They could not see you any time during the test. I guess if you made it back alive, you got your license. I have made sure that my license always maintained the Motorcycle designation ever since, even after a few different state, and about 20 years of no road legal motorcycles in between.

 

Failed the permit test the first time the Q's were about laws/penaltys. I'm not a cop thats there problem. Second time a newborn baby could have passed it. I waited to long and let it expire so I went for a third trip last week and got it again. I can't figure out why they make you wait for hours when nobody is in the testing room, can't they just bump you up the list and clear some people out of there?

I haven't taken the driving part but I've been told if you make it to the appointment in one piece they basicly give it to you.

 

That's the same "test" I had to pass. No blood, no damage to the bike, you're good to go. British Columbia, Canada, late 60's (must be gettin' old, just not growing up a whole lot). When renewing my license I always said I was using the motorcycle endorsement even when I was without a bike; didn't want to lose it just because of the stroke of a clerk's pen.

 

not to jump on the thread, but i couldn't send ol klxer a pm. Can you tell me if that moose part number for the sprocket is all that I need (do you need to order any other spacers or anything like that)?

back to the program...

 

No spacers required. The front side looks a bit different, but the back side (tranny/engine) has the proper shoulder.