an@hou2h.UUCP (A.NGUYEN) (06/05/84)
-- I was down at DMV to get a friend's bike inspected just now. The man said, "Drive up to the yellow line and hit the *REAR* brake hard." I didn't feel like fighting authority today, so I did. Then I asked, "Why the rear? The front brake is so much more powerful." To which he replied, "Well, if you hit the front brake too hard, you're gonna go over the handle bar." AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!! If Motor Vehicle Officialdom still believes in an old wives' tale like that, then it's no wonder that bikers aren't getting quality Rider's Ed. Au
darryl@ism780.UUCP (06/09/84)
#R:hou2h:-47900:ism780:15800014:000:529 ism780!darryl Jun 7 19:24:00 1984 Do you get American Motorcyclist (publication of the AMA)? They recently rated each state on what they do for/to motorcyclists. California rated in the middle, which is really quite sad because the DMV test here is pretty trivial: slalom around a circle without touching your feet down and you pass. (It was a lot of fun watching the guy on the *REALLY* chopped Harley do it. He said it was his friend's bike--he couldn't do it on his because it was chopped even more!). --Darryl Richman ...!cca!ima!ism780!darryl
faunt@saturn.UUCP (Doug Faunt) (06/11/84)
When did you take your test? For a while, at least, they were evaluating the MSF reccomended test, so that, depending on birthday, you either got the ride around in a circle test that you and I took, or the MSF test.
gam@proper.UUCP (Gordon Moffett) (06/13/84)
# I applied for an recieved my class 4 (motorcycle) license in March of this year. While I found the written test actually challenging (I failed the first try), the riding test was appallingly simple: ride inside two concentric circles, ride in a weaving pattern around some cones, and show you know how to shift. I passed and was stunned that it was so easy. I am VERY glad to have taken the MSF's rider training course, because without it, despite my license, I do not feel I would have been adequately prepared to ride in the streets and freeways of California (and live). (The DMV office from which I got my license is in Santa Clara, CA). It is also disturbing that one can get a class 4 license without knowing what any of the traffic laws or right-of-way rules are; the DMV's testing procedures do not cover those laws, and you are not required to apply for a class 3 (regular auto) license to get the class 4. (I think ALL licensees -- including car drivers -- should be required to pass BOTH tests!) [ do other states also classify motorcycle license as `class 4' and regular auto license as `class 3'? excuse my redunancies above if such classifications are universal ]
darryl@ism780.UUCP (06/15/84)
#R:hou2h:-47900:ism780:15800016:000:675 ism780!darryl Jun 14 06:40:00 1984 I must admit, I took the test about 3 years ago. But here in sunny California, so long as you keep your nose clean, once you pass a drivers test you need NEVER take the driving portion of that test again. At least this is true for class 3 & 4 (cars and bikes). I have heard that the DMV was evaluating MOST (motorcycle operator skills test), but I don't know that they are actually using it. I am hoping to try the MOST at a rally this summer. It is said that the people with the most experience fail the worst! I am also planning on taking the MSF Better Biker course again. If some was good, more is better! :-) --Darryl Richman ...!cca!ima!ism780!darryl
davidk@dartvax.UUCP (David C. Kovar) (06/16/84)
Hmm, the motorcycle driving test here in NH seems to be a lot harder.
I took it years ago but here is what I remember about it:
a) Accellerate to 20 and then stop inside a certain distance.
Non-trivial. I thin they may have required a shift in here,
if not then there was another section to prove that you
could shift smoothly.
b) Cone weave. They were rather close together if I remember
correctly.
c) S course with 90 degree turns and correct turn signals.
If I recall correctly, there were eight tests in all, so I'm missing
five. Bummer. What made it all the more fun, at least before they
moved the course, was that the whole area was surrounded by gravel.
If you left the course at all, you had problems getting back neatly.
My friend flunked for wiping out a new GPZ550 on the gravel.
There were eight people there to take the test when I was. I made
a reasonable score riding a V45 Sabre. Three other guys passed on
a Yamaha 400. One guy flunked on a 250 of some sort. I do not recall
the fate of the rest.
But anyhow, while this is still tougher than the CA tests I've heard
of it does not come anywhere close to a riding course. If you've got
the time and money, it's well worth it. Even if you don't, it's worth
it.
--
David C. Kovar
USNET: {linus|decvax|cornell|astrovax}!dartvax!davidk
ARPA: davidk%dartmouth@csnet-relay
CSNET: davidk@dartmouth
"The difficult we did yesterday, the impossible we are doing now."an@hou2h.UUCP (A.NGUYEN) (06/21/84)
Re: NH motorcycle license test. S course with 90 degree turns?! Zowie! Do I get extra points for dragging my knees?! ;-) Seriously though, I think everybody ought to pass a panic stop test. Accident statistics (Hurt, USC) show an appalling number of motorcyclists who did not even *ATTEMPT* to brake when faced with Larry Lefturn. Au