Anyone got pulled over for riding a 125cc without a motorcyle license?

[Red Horn]

I have not been pulled over for driving without a motorcycle license.  That is because I have a license.
Why the need to cheat the system?  Are you weighing the cost of getting a license vs. getting a ticket for riding without a license?
Sign up for a motorcycle safety course and learn the proper way to handle a bike.
Most courses will take care of the motorcycle riding test and written test too.
They are a fun way to spend a weekend.
Be safe, be legal.

100% agreed.

After arriving in CA I found the licensing steps much more cumbersome than Mid-West. I did make sure to tackle the car and M classifications dually to avoid paying the issuance fee twice. Took the State Motorcycle Safety Course for a little over two hundred that allowed me to bypass the state motorcycle road test. This was worth it as I did not have two wheels available until my scooter purchase last Friday. IMHO the M class keeps you in insurance Co's good grace and safety course is good for reduced rates. Why not simply get the "M" and be safe and done with it?

[petertucky]

I posted this in the Xciting 250 area, but no one ever goes there, so I thought for posterity I better post here too.

I Passed my driving test today here in Indiana.  Scary really, as the test isn't just a pushover for a machine with any size.  One poor guy, with a Harley, while just parking the bikes awaiting instructions, had it fall over on him.  Caught his foot underneath and he couldn't get up.  The people with ABATE, who do the testing, had to pick the bike up off him.  Prior to my taking the test two guys with big Harleys failed the test.  One guy mentioned I could probably make $200 just loaning out the Xciting 250 to guys to take the test today.  Despite it being big for a scoot, it is still smaller than a Harley.

Further, many of the tests were timed for points, like being able to accelerate and stop at a given point.  Well, honestly that scoot is so quick with acceleration, I could leap from the line and stop in the box in good time.  Other guys were just getting their clutch fully engaged when it was time to stop.  So despite blowing the U-turn test, my other scores pulled me through.

I like to ride legal, and get the endorsement.  Besides, once you have it, I think it stays with you.  The smartest thing someone could do is pass the test on your small scooter, and then go buy the bigger bike when you are ready.

[axy]

I posted this in the Xciting 250 area, but no one ever goes there, so I thought for posterity I better post here too.

I Passed my driving test today here in Indiana.  Scary really, as the test isn't just a pushover for a machine with any size.  One poor guy, with a Harley, while just parking the bikes awaiting instructions, had it fall over on him.  Caught his foot underneath and he couldn't get up.  The people with ABATE, who do the testing, had to pick the bike up off him.  Prior to my taking the test two guys with big Harleys failed the test.  One guy mentioned I could probably make $200 just loaning out the Xciting 250 to guys to take the test today.  Despite it being big for a scoot, it is still smaller than a Harley.

Further, many of the tests were timed for points, like being able to accelerate and stop at a given point.  Well, honestly that scoot is so quick with acceleration, I could leap from the line and stop in the box in good time.  Other guys were just getting their clutch fully engaged when it was time to stop.  So despite blowing the U-turn test, my other scores pulled me through.

I like to ride legal, and get the endorsement.  Besides, once you have it, I think it stays with you.  The smartest thing someone could do is pass the test on your small scooter, and then go buy the bigger bike when you are ready.

I passed my exam on 30 year old Vespa with non functional front brake. My gf on Kymco Zing 125.
The guy with Harley was very optimistic...

[ts1]

I had a HD Sportster for driving school and test.
I've got the worst bike, because I was the last to join the course.
Japanese and European bikes had already been assigend to the first participants.

[Carol]

 Is it a requirement at the driving class and test to use the bikes available for the class or can a person use their own?  I don't plan on EVER riding anything other than *rosie*......and would hate to have to "learn" and test on a bike that 1. I had never driven before and 2. Shift a bike ......

[ScooterWolf]

I think another question to ask is not whether you want to spend time in jail, but if you want to make any family member an accidental caregiver?

By this I mean do you want to force any family member to take care of you - short or long term from any accident injury? I see too many scooter riders on their 50cc bikes riding in Philadelphia without a helmet, while wearing flip-flops, heels or clogs. Also, will your insurance cover you for riding an unlicensed scooter, especially if you injury another person or damage another vehicle?

A rider can be killed in a crash only going 30 mph. I'm in a scooter club of in Philly. A few years back another member lost her toe when she crashed her 50cc doing 35. A 125cc can go faster and is probably heavier.

It bears repeating. Learn to ride safely and get your license. The risk is too great, especially if you have a family.

[ts1]

Is it a requirement at the driving class and test to use the bikes available for the class or can a person use their own?

In Germany you can use your own bike, if it meets certain requirements (minimum power, displacement and top speed etc.).
But how do you move your own vehicle to the driving school and test center - still without driving license!?
And would you buy a bike without any experience (and of course without test drive)?

[mrpackerguy]

In Germany you can use your own bike, if it meets certain requirements (minimum power, displacement and top speed etc.).
But how do you move your own vehicle to the driving school and test center - still without driving license!?
And would you buy a bike without any experience (and of course without test drive)?

Easy.  You can take the learner permit test ahead of time and get your learner permit.  Then ride your own bike to the road course classes.

[DreamLeaner]

The only reason I would caution against using your own bike, is that fact that you might drop it during while doing the course.  If you use the bikes supplied by the school then if you drop it then it's no big deal.  The bikes that they have probably have been dropped numerous times.  I would not want to drop my own bike.

That being said...when I took the course in Calif they actually had a 50cc ruckus that they allowed me to use.

[axy]

Easy.  You can take the learner permit test ahead of time and get your learner permit.  Then ride your own bike to the road course classes.

Not every country is USA.
This is not possible in most European countries.

[petertucky]

In Indiana you get a permit good for 1 year.  I would assume most states are like that, but don't know.  On the permit you are not allowed to ride at night or with passengers, and you must take and pass your driving test within one year.

You are allowed to take the test using your own bike that you ride there, though they do have bikes there to use.  The day I tested, everyone brought their own bike.

Despite the risk of it falling over,  I would rather use my bike, because I know it.   Though the thought did occur to me that I sure wish I still had my 1969 Honda 50 or 1974 Yamaha 80 to take the test.

The best thing would be to borrow someone's Can Am Spyder or Ural.  Hard to knock those over at low speeds.

[Grimsby53]

I just completed my ME course on Sunday.  I passed the driving skills test with fairly little difficulty, riding one of their 250cc Suzuki baby-Harley knock-offs.  I tell you, one of those Can-am 3-wheelers would avoid the main reason for failure (dropping the bike), but it might be awfully difficult to make the 2 U-turns within the 20x40' box that the test required (that's 6x12 meters).  That was the only really difficult part of the test (and the only place where I lost points- for putting a foot down ).

Honestly, other than how to drive and shift a standard motorcycle, I didn't learn anything at the course that I hadn't already learned in 6-months of riding my 50cc out on the road (things like lane position, situational awareness, braking in a curve, proper cornering, etc.), OR learned from an internet forum (things like wearing proper gear, pre-ride inspections, basic maintenence).  I could see that others in the course (the true Newbs) were learning more, and if you want to jump straight from 4-wheels to 2 (especailly with a 150++ size motor), it could save your life.  But so can common sense and a healthy respect for the risks you're taking.

[mrpackerguy]

Not every country is USA.
This is not possible in most European countries.

That's one thing I wish this forum would do that most others do: post location (if you opt in) under the avatar.  So hard to know where everyone is from.

[axy]

That's one thing I wish this forum would do that most others do: post location (if you opt in) under the avatar.  So hard to know where everyone is from.

MarioG, Cortez and myself are from Croatia, ts1 seems to be Indian living in Germany and everybody else is from USA.
Thats it. 

[ts1]

That are our special driving tests.
Choose a subtest on the left side under "Grundfahraufgaben Kl. A" and look the video / draft.
http://www.fahrtipps.de/motorrad/grundfahraufgaben.php
1 minor mistake allowed.

And additional ~45 minutes in common traffic from urban over rural twisties and the highway, all must be included.

Imho the dynamic tests (Ausweichen - evasion manoeurvre) need some training on the motorcycle. Pushing the handlebar is quite different between a scoooter with 10" wheel and something much bigger.
The probably most difficult test is hard braking and then evasion. You must switch your mind and hand/foot fast, because if you still pull the brake while trying the evasion...