Tarzanman
09-29-2005, 10:57 PM
I just typed this out in response to a thread on another forum... but thought that some of the cagers (cage = car in motorcycle speak) might appreciate information on what's involved in getting a motorcycle license. A mod might want to sticky this (if deemed worthy).
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In order to get a motorcycle endorsement on your license, in addition to a road test, you have to pass a 40 question multiple choice test (20 questions on road signs - freakin easy... 20 questions on motorcycle riding and safety - easy, but tricky if you haven't read the rider's manual (http://www.dds.ga.gov/docs/forms/MotorManual.pdf)). Not-so-coincidentally... this is the same test that you take in order to obtain your motorcycle learner's permit... so you could go in for your permit first and decide to road test later... or do it all in one shot. Getting the permit costs $10, which I guess you can save if you do it all at once. Either way, you *will* be charged money for your endorsement. It costs just as much as a normal driver's license, so make sure you bring cash (not all GA DMV's have credit card readers yet).
A few points:
-A motorcycle learner's permit is obtained by successfully completing two 20-question multiple choice tests. One test is on road signs (law) and the other is on riding safety (riding habits/alchohol... covered in the rider's manual).
-A motorcycle learner's permit permits has the following restrictions
.No riding at night
.No riding on highways
.No riding with a passenger
-The state of Georgia does *not* have tiered licensing for motorcycles. This means that you can test on a tiny 125cc dual sport and still be legal to ride a 1.3 Liter Hayabusa super crotch rocket (this however, is *not* reccomended if you are fond of not-dying)
-The motorcyle 'road test' is actually administered on a closed course (usually a parking lot), and does *not* involve riding in traffic.
-IMPORTANT!- When you are ready to take your road test... MAKE AN APPOINTMENT to do so by calling up the DMV Reservations phone number (listed on this page (http://www.dds.ga.gov/Contact/index.aspx)). This will allow you to arrive at the DMV and start getting processed within 5 minutes or less. The best time to reserve is 9AM on saturday because they usually let appointments/reservations in before they open the doors for the general public. The alternative is to wait in line for an hour and then wait for a DMV worker to become available to test you on the course. Few things suck worse than waiting in line at the DMV (...maybe waiting in line at the social security office is) Make sure that you bring proof of insurance, and some ID (like your GA driver's license).
As for the test itself, there are four sections
1. Bike inspection - You pull up to the test administrator and she/he checks to see if your blinkers, brake lights, and headlight function properly as well as look at your bike to make sure its roadworthy.
2.Starting and stopping - Basic linear control
You bring the bike up to ~12-18 mph in a 14 inch-wide lane, ride past a first green line (without braking) and then stop it as close to a second green line about 30-40yd away. You are NOT supposed to lock up the brake on *this* part of the test.
3.Turning and steering - lateral movment, balance, and control
First, you have to ride your bike through a tight 90 degree right hand turn marked off by 2 sets of lines on the pavement. You must keep the bike between two lines without letting either wheel roll over them. The initial part of the turn is about 3ft wide, but the second part that you turn into is about 2ft wide. This is probably the trickiest part of the test. You are NOT allowed to put your feet down, but you are allowed to take the turn at any speed you wish.
-The next task in this part of the test is riding the bike through 2 sweeping turns (meant to test leaning/balance). You accelerate and take the bike around 45 degree lane that arcs (first to the left and then back through in the opposite direction to the right). The lane is about 4 ft wide and you are encouraged to take the turns as fast as you safely can. This part is the easiest, but the closed course is so short that as soon as you get up to speed, you have to make sure that you don't lean the bike too hard cuz the arc isn't all that long.
4.Stopping and swerving - This is the part of the test where you should *forget* what you have learned about not locking the brakes up. They set up a light with 3 signals on it. One light is to the left, one is to the right and the one on top in the middle is red for stop. It is remotely controlled by the test administrator. You ride down the same 14 in wide lane from earlier in the test and watch the light to see which signal the instructor triggers. If the left or right lights come on then you are supposed to swerve as far as you can in those directions. Your performance on the swerves is measured by how far to the left/right your back wheel crosses a green line. Obviously, you are not to brake until AFTER you have swerved (lest you drop the bike).
If the middle/stop light comes on then LOCK the brake(s) as FAST as you can and stop immediately on a dime without losing control of the bike. I failed this part of the test the first time I took it because I'd been taught to not lock the rear wheel (which is what i thought they were looking for). The farther past the green line you stop, the worse. Most people pick up most of their points against them on that part of the road test.
You have to stop or swerve a cumulative four times to complete this portion of the test
...And that is the test in a nutshell. They give you points for performing badly on the different skills. If you get more than the allowable points for any of the sections then you automatically fail. They don't give you your points until after the test is over. Make sure that you show up with a helmet and decent gear if you have it (long sleeves, pants required). However, i would leave any gloves at home cuz you'll do better with just your barehands controlling the throttle.
Please note: You can avoid having to road test at the DMV by passing an MSF-approved Beginer's Riding Course (like the one they offer at Honda in Alpharetta... visit http://www.msf-usa.org to find one in your area. As I understand it, the MSF class test is almost identical to the GA DMV test except that at MSF they drill you with 'practice' on the exercises before you take the test. The only downside to MSF BRC (beginner's riding course) is that it costs about $250 and eats up most of your weekend (18 hours over 3 days). Still, the class is well worth it and highly regarded. If you pass the MSF test, you are mailed a certificate which you can bring to the DMV to obtain a class M (motorcycle) endorsement.
Links:
Georgia Motorcycle Rider's Manual (http://www.dds.ga.gov/docs/forms/MotorManual.pdf) (in order to pass mutliple choice written test)
Georgia DMV Contact Phone numbers (http://www.dds.ga.gov/Contact/index.aspx) (including appointments and reservations phone number)
Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) (http://www.msf-usa.org) - To find a Beginner's Riding Course in your area
http://riftwave.net/misc/gspix.jpg (My sweet first, and current bike, '89 Suzuki GS500 with '04 body mod)
--
In order to get a motorcycle endorsement on your license, in addition to a road test, you have to pass a 40 question multiple choice test (20 questions on road signs - freakin easy... 20 questions on motorcycle riding and safety - easy, but tricky if you haven't read the rider's manual (http://www.dds.ga.gov/docs/forms/MotorManual.pdf)). Not-so-coincidentally... this is the same test that you take in order to obtain your motorcycle learner's permit... so you could go in for your permit first and decide to road test later... or do it all in one shot. Getting the permit costs $10, which I guess you can save if you do it all at once. Either way, you *will* be charged money for your endorsement. It costs just as much as a normal driver's license, so make sure you bring cash (not all GA DMV's have credit card readers yet).
A few points:
-A motorcycle learner's permit is obtained by successfully completing two 20-question multiple choice tests. One test is on road signs (law) and the other is on riding safety (riding habits/alchohol... covered in the rider's manual).
-A motorcycle learner's permit permits has the following restrictions
.No riding at night
.No riding on highways
.No riding with a passenger
-The state of Georgia does *not* have tiered licensing for motorcycles. This means that you can test on a tiny 125cc dual sport and still be legal to ride a 1.3 Liter Hayabusa super crotch rocket (this however, is *not* reccomended if you are fond of not-dying)
-The motorcyle 'road test' is actually administered on a closed course (usually a parking lot), and does *not* involve riding in traffic.
-IMPORTANT!- When you are ready to take your road test... MAKE AN APPOINTMENT to do so by calling up the DMV Reservations phone number (listed on this page (http://www.dds.ga.gov/Contact/index.aspx)). This will allow you to arrive at the DMV and start getting processed within 5 minutes or less. The best time to reserve is 9AM on saturday because they usually let appointments/reservations in before they open the doors for the general public. The alternative is to wait in line for an hour and then wait for a DMV worker to become available to test you on the course. Few things suck worse than waiting in line at the DMV (...maybe waiting in line at the social security office is) Make sure that you bring proof of insurance, and some ID (like your GA driver's license).
As for the test itself, there are four sections
1. Bike inspection - You pull up to the test administrator and she/he checks to see if your blinkers, brake lights, and headlight function properly as well as look at your bike to make sure its roadworthy.
2.Starting and stopping - Basic linear control
You bring the bike up to ~12-18 mph in a 14 inch-wide lane, ride past a first green line (without braking) and then stop it as close to a second green line about 30-40yd away. You are NOT supposed to lock up the brake on *this* part of the test.
3.Turning and steering - lateral movment, balance, and control
First, you have to ride your bike through a tight 90 degree right hand turn marked off by 2 sets of lines on the pavement. You must keep the bike between two lines without letting either wheel roll over them. The initial part of the turn is about 3ft wide, but the second part that you turn into is about 2ft wide. This is probably the trickiest part of the test. You are NOT allowed to put your feet down, but you are allowed to take the turn at any speed you wish.
-The next task in this part of the test is riding the bike through 2 sweeping turns (meant to test leaning/balance). You accelerate and take the bike around 45 degree lane that arcs (first to the left and then back through in the opposite direction to the right). The lane is about 4 ft wide and you are encouraged to take the turns as fast as you safely can. This part is the easiest, but the closed course is so short that as soon as you get up to speed, you have to make sure that you don't lean the bike too hard cuz the arc isn't all that long.
4.Stopping and swerving - This is the part of the test where you should *forget* what you have learned about not locking the brakes up. They set up a light with 3 signals on it. One light is to the left, one is to the right and the one on top in the middle is red for stop. It is remotely controlled by the test administrator. You ride down the same 14 in wide lane from earlier in the test and watch the light to see which signal the instructor triggers. If the left or right lights come on then you are supposed to swerve as far as you can in those directions. Your performance on the swerves is measured by how far to the left/right your back wheel crosses a green line. Obviously, you are not to brake until AFTER you have swerved (lest you drop the bike).
If the middle/stop light comes on then LOCK the brake(s) as FAST as you can and stop immediately on a dime without losing control of the bike. I failed this part of the test the first time I took it because I'd been taught to not lock the rear wheel (which is what i thought they were looking for). The farther past the green line you stop, the worse. Most people pick up most of their points against them on that part of the road test.
You have to stop or swerve a cumulative four times to complete this portion of the test
...And that is the test in a nutshell. They give you points for performing badly on the different skills. If you get more than the allowable points for any of the sections then you automatically fail. They don't give you your points until after the test is over. Make sure that you show up with a helmet and decent gear if you have it (long sleeves, pants required). However, i would leave any gloves at home cuz you'll do better with just your barehands controlling the throttle.
Please note: You can avoid having to road test at the DMV by passing an MSF-approved Beginer's Riding Course (like the one they offer at Honda in Alpharetta... visit http://www.msf-usa.org to find one in your area. As I understand it, the MSF class test is almost identical to the GA DMV test except that at MSF they drill you with 'practice' on the exercises before you take the test. The only downside to MSF BRC (beginner's riding course) is that it costs about $250 and eats up most of your weekend (18 hours over 3 days). Still, the class is well worth it and highly regarded. If you pass the MSF test, you are mailed a certificate which you can bring to the DMV to obtain a class M (motorcycle) endorsement.
Links:
Georgia Motorcycle Rider's Manual (http://www.dds.ga.gov/docs/forms/MotorManual.pdf) (in order to pass mutliple choice written test)
Georgia DMV Contact Phone numbers (http://www.dds.ga.gov/Contact/index.aspx) (including appointments and reservations phone number)
Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) (http://www.msf-usa.org) - To find a Beginner's Riding Course in your area
http://riftwave.net/misc/gspix.jpg (My sweet first, and current bike, '89 Suzuki GS500 with '04 body mod)