You aren't required to take any training classes to get your car liscence. You simply go to the DMV, take a written test and you have your learners permit and start driving. The same can be accomplished with a motorcycle.

I never said they don't help people, I mearly stated that they aren't required and just because you can't make it to one doesn't mean you can't get a liscence. Granted, in this particuler case I was wrong as his state requires a class. AZ doesn't so I didn't know other states do.
To say everyone should be required is absurd in my opinion. Its like helmet laws. People can live their own lifes, we don't need government spoon feeding us what they think we want. There are many people who grew up riding motorcycles. A training class is nothing but going over what they already know. Heck, alot of them could teach the class themselfs. Thats the point of testing, to see if a person is at the required skill level to be allowed on the street. How someone gets to that skill level should be up to them [except for flying helicopters, those should require classes, lots of them]

 

I'd like to stop the arguing lol. But I must say, around here you need to take drivers ed if under 18 in order to get your license.

Now for the motorcycles, this was taken from : Motorcycle Safety Statistics: Crash, Fatal Bike Accidents

"The motorcycle riders involved in accidents are essentially without training; 92% were self-taught or learned from family or friends"

I learned a lot from the course, but I already knew a lot too. There was one guy there who thought he knew everything, but he asked about countersteering about 20 separate times (not joking), he didn't know what it was.

I felt great on the range, we were done around 10:50AM, it was great! There was a nice breeze so we stayed cool even though it was 95+ and humid.

From there I went home, showered and my girlfriend and I headed up to the DMV (1.5 hours away ugh). 15 minutes and $15 later I walked out with a motorcycle license.

I'm legally ready to ride, just need a bit more gear and some parts now!

 

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!

 

Congrats!!

 

OK. I can see where people deserve the choice on wether to get training and wear protective gear or not.... I should then have the choice of my tax and insurance dollars paying for the increased costs related to these decisions.

Ok, I can only speak from my experience on this one.....

I thought I was a good rider, then I decided to become a MSF instructor. During the training I realized I didn't know nearly as much as I thought I did (but I DID know what countersteering was).

Now as an instructor I see "experienced" riders all the time that don't have the basic skills needed to safely operate a motorcycle. And remember, this training is also about getting people into the mental skills that can help on the street, things like situational awareness and risk recognition and acceptance.

Here is a perfect example:

During one of my classes we had a woman who was in the class so she could get her license and ride with her husband. He was sitting on the sidelines during the range exercises and during breaks he would give her his opinion on how to ride. The best dialog I heard went like this:

Husband: You don't need to downshift to first gear when you come to a stop. Just pull in the clutch.

My Co-instructor: Sir, have you ever taken a rider course before?

Husband: Well, no.

Co-instructor: Maybe you should. (Then he turns and walks away)

It was all I could do to keep from laughing. This husband has been riding for 20 years. Now it is true you CAN just pull in the clutch and come to a stop, but if you do that and were in say, fourth gear. What happens when the minivan with the soccer mom who is yelling at her 8 kids in the back doesn't see you come to a stop? WTF can you do sitting at a complete stop still in fourth gear? MSF courses are about teaching physical and mental skills to help survive on the street. Do we send students out there as experts? NO! We give them the BASICS to continue learning.

 

The problem is, the number of people who "grew up doing it" or some other similar self-taught method is only a fraction compared to the number of people with zero experience. And if you have one noob teaching another noob, you're not going to get very far. And I'm thinking beyond motorcycles, also. How many of us have been pissed off at a 50 year old on a scooter because they don't know how to drive it properly?

Sure, a class might be inconvenient to 8% of the people taking it due to their previous experience. But the goal is to teach safety (for the sake of riders and people around them) to everyone, regardless of their knowledge coming info the class. Even the OP provided a first-hand experience of someone who needed to ask questions even though they claimed to be experienced. Allowing only a test just lowers standards.

 

Should be picking one of those up within the week. As well as all my other gear.

REALLY excited now!

 

Yay new stuff! Are you buying new or used? Used 250s hold their value so nicely these days.

 

There are NO used ones around here, so buying new from the dealer. Trying to get $4,500 out the door (no sales tax in NH will help) for the non ABS model. My local dealer has like 5 of them, so I should be able to get that.