What's it take to get licensed where you ride?

Hi Folks,
I'm interested in what you have to go through to get and maintain a motorcycle endorsement in your area.
Oregon allows a new resident to transfer their existing endorsement to their Oregon driver's license, for a fee.
If you don't have a valid motorcycle endorsement to transfer you must take and pass either Team Oregon's Basic or Intermediate rider training course. Tuition is in the mid 200s.
The fine for riding un-endorsed is $2,000.00.

What's it like where you ride?
Bill 
 

Last time I checked, no endorsement is required here, but some insurance companies give a small discount for it. I got mine about 104 years ago. There was a short written test and a simple driving test with a patrol car following. The officer would honk once for a right turn, twice for a left turn. I found it an unsettling way to conduct a test.

In the UK (and I believe a lot of Europe is the same) before you can ride on the road you have to complete a CBT course (basic training) you can then ride up to 125cc with "L" plates for I believe up to two years after which you must take the full "motorcycle riders licence test" (theory and practical) If you are under 21years old I believe you are limited to 40bhp for a 2 further years (removing the intake restrictor invalidates your insurance)

Wookie58 wrote:

In the UK (and I believe a lot of Europe is the same) before you can ride on the road you have to complete a CBT course (basic training) you can then ride up to 125cc with "L" plates for I believe up to two years after which you must take the full "motorcycle riders licence test" (theory and practical) If you are under 21years old I believe you are limited to 40bhp for a 2 further years (removing the intake restrictor invalidates your insurance)

You can ride a 125 on L plates continuously for as long as you like providing you renew the CBT every two years.
 

Copied from a googly search:

Age minimum: Must be at least 18 years old (or 16 with a valid intermediate license).
Written test: Pass the knowledge test ($15 standard / $18 REAL ID).
Permit rules: Valid for one year; no passengers allowed, and helmets are mandatory while riding on a permit.
Holding periods: Must hold the permit for 30 days if 21 or older, or 180 days if under 21, before taking the skills test.
KSP Testing: Pass the on-bike skills test with the Kentucky State Police after your holding period.
Training Course Waiver: Complete an approved rider training course through  RideSmartKY to waive the KSP skills test.
Costs: 4-year license is $21.50 ($24 for REAL ID); 8-year license is $43 ($48 for REAL ID).
Helmets: Required for anyone under 21, anyone on a permit, and anyone who has held an endorsement for less than one year.
Eye protection: Required for all riders and passengers at all times.

   Things have changed a lot since we got our MC endorsements;  slmjim in ~1968 or so, Z1BEBE in ~1990 or so.  We did a simple written test, and a too easy, nearly pointless stop behind a white line after doing a figure 8 and a slow weave around a few cones without putting a foot down.  That was it.

   We both did the (highly recommended) MSF Beginning Rider Course when Z1BEBE was early learning.  slmjim had been Ridin' for 18 yrs. at the time, and was pleasantly surprised to learn new things.  IDK if the MSF even existed when I (slmjim) first got my MC license.  Passing the MSF BRC automatically got Z1BEBE her beginner's permit and, qualified us both for insurance discounts.  IIRC, the beginner permit was required for 1 yr. before the full MC endorsement test could be taken.

   Popular opinion around here is there should also be 'squid detector' test for MC licensing.  If squid detection comes up positive, MC licensing should be withheld each year until the applicant tests negative for squid tendencies.

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

In British Columbia you must pass a knowledge test first, then pass a road test with an examiner.  He follows you in a car and gives instructions via radio.  Many people take a ride course before attempting the road test.  Courses are usually full and cost around $500 for a week of training on a small bike.  If you pass the course you can ride in daylight hours only, without a passenger until you do the above road test.

Not sure if things have changed or not, but in 1994 when I moved to Pennsylvania from New York, all I did was take a written test to transfer my motorcycle license. Can't remember how much I paid for the written test. 

So are you saying that a US drivers license isn’t National?

wrote:

So are you saying that a US drivers license isn’t National?


 

Every State has there own license and testing, its the same here in Canada between the Provinces.

Canadians have been arrested in USA if they present a Canadian drivers license even after they present a valid passport. Its rare but its happens, depending on what State your in and how much of a dick the cop is.

In Ontario we have graduated licensing for cars and motorcycles. It takes a lot of time and money to get a full license so there are now people cheating the system by paying off license examiners!
 

Wookie58 wrote:

So are you saying that a US drivers license isn’t National?


 

No, they're not issued nationally. Driver's licenses are issues by the individual states which have differing requirements. Here in Oregon a new resident is supposed to obtain an Oregon driver's license within two weeks of moving here.
I believe that any fifteen year old can take a 25 multiple choice examination, pay a fee and walk away with a motorcycle learner's permit that gives the rider the right to ride a motorcycle within a hundred yards of an endorsed rider. 
Bill

The rule here—and it feels like it’s been this way for 200 years—is as follows for anyone wishing to ride a motorcycle (larger than 125 cc) in Germany:
To obtain a motorcycle license (classes A1, A2, or A), the initial training requires 12 mandatory practical "special" lessons and 16 hours of theory classes. Mandatory practical lessons (special rides): Each of these practical sessions lasts exactly 45 minutes: 5 hours of riding on federal or country roads (cross-country rides), 4 hours of riding on the autobahn, and 3 hours of riding at dusk or in the dark (night rides).And of course, you need liability insurance if you want to ride the motorcycle on the road, and you have to pay vehicle tax for it... Everything here is heavily regulated and expensive   

Wookie58 in the UK : “L” plates and intake restrictors?
Hardrock in British Columbia :   A knowledge test then a road test followed by an examiner.
MFP-Joe in Germany :  Twelve special sessions and sixteen hours of classroom.

I’ve gotta wonder: Are these requirements for motorcycle licensure significantly more rigorous those for automobiles and light trucks in your jurisdictions?

I believe that Slmjim+Z1BEBE’s experience in Kentucky is pretty representative of motorcycling licensure in the USA.
That is:
Motorcycle endorsement required. Learner’s permits are available with varying restrictions.
Perfunctory riding test given by the Department of Motor Vehicles which, in most localities, can be avoided by taking an approved safety class.
Liability Insurance.
Varying equipment requirements, Helmets, Eye protection, etc.
Bill