Requirements to ride in your country...

[Arkwright]

Just as a matter of interest, what are the requirements in your specific country to be able to jump on a bike over say 125cc and ride legally.

To kick things off, in the UK it's basically a 4 part test consisting of a 'Basic Training' element which takes place off road followed by 2 hours on road and taken using a bike of no more than 125cc.

Next is a theory test of 50 questions followed by a hazard perception test based on a series of videos where you must identify a variety of hazards.

Next is an off road Module 1 test where you have to pass a slow ride test, a weaving between cones element, an emergenct stop, a controlled swerve at a minimum speed of 32mph, two figure of 8's and manually moving your bike from one parking space to another. (I'm sure if I've missed anything, someone will let me know)

Finally a 35-40 minute on road test being followed by an approved examiner who will instruct you to carry out a series of manouvers to test your ability..

Simple really....

 

[B06Tang]

I have a good one for you that will make you say 'what the hell.' I am active duty military that is stationed in Japan right now. I just got done doing a fabulous four year tour in the UK where I was in heaven riding my Trumpet back in the "motherland." Anyways, the US military has established what is called the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) for us members stationed overseas. This was designed so that we have certain protections from having our hand cut off for an alleged violation that still occurs in some countries, to certain finance charges to licensing our vehicles. So with that said, I will give you a glimpse on what it is taking me to get my Creamsicle on the road so that the Japanese government will allow it to be licensed on the road.

#1. I had to take my title, along with my orders to this assignment, and my household shipping list that has the bike on it and send it off to the port of Yokohoma with two different governmental forms filled out. They in return will process this and give the infamous governmental stamp claiming that this bike was brought into the country in a legit way. It has been two weeks now and I am still waiting for the form to return.

#2. Once this form returns to me, I then have to contact Tokyo Triumph and send them a copy of this form. They will then send me the brake certificate stating that Triumph uses a brake system that complies with the Japanese laws. Without this certificate, then the cost for the brake inspection would be $3,000 USD.

#3. I get my brake cert. back and then have to arrange for a vehicle import test. There are no test centers for motorcycles in norther Japan so I will have to travel down to Tokyo for this test which will be about a 12 hour ride.

#4. I make the appointment at the test center and send them $1,000 USD. I have to bring my title, the customs form, and the brake certificate with me for this. The test is over two days: one day for a cold test and the second will be the hot test. The cold test will consist of the inspectors comparing the bike to the specs provided by Triumph. This even includes the amount of light emitted onto the license plate from the back brake. In other words, the bike has to be brought back to stock completely as they also do a weight analysis and you are allowed a 5% difference. The hot test consists of a decibel and emmission rating that sensors will be hooked up to the bike. Nothing but stock pipes will pass this test. Luckily I have a carb'd Bonnie so I can lean the bike out all day long until it passes. If the bike fails then you are allowed to come back for another test after one week. The bike fails again and you just pissed a grand down the toilet.

#5. Tolls one way down to the test center will be $130 USD and there is hotel and food for the three days down there.

#6. Once you get passed the vehicle import then it will be time to ride home and pay the $130 heading the other way. Now you take your test form that you passed and head to the motor vehicle department. There you have to get the Japanese Compulosry Insurance (JCI) done. This is similar to the MOT except it is done every two years. This will cost me another $500 USD to have done despite the fact the bike just passed the vehicle import test which is far more stringent. Once I get my JCI paperwork, then I will be able to get the license plate that will cost me about $200 USD.

#7. Now there is a service up around me that will trailer your bike and take it down to do the test in which they guarantee they will get it to pass. The charge for them to trailer your bike and perform this test is $3500 USD...hence the reason I am riding the bike down myself and leaning the carb on my own. I can get a 7 day temporary plate for the bike so I can do this which will cost me $100.

Then my bike will be legal. In another two years I will have the JCI to do again but the import test is a one time deal. Keep insurance up and the inspections and I will be rolling all over Japan. And this is our SOFA protecting us from erronous governmental charges...

 

[Sal Paradise]

Believe it or not, here in the U.S., most riders go to a "licensing school" where they ride around cones in a parking lot on 250cc bikes for 2 afternoons and then watch some videos. They take a 15 question multiple choice exam, which is mostly on road signs and how many beers can you drink. Thats it - , no road test at all. No road experience at all. Pay your fee.

You can now ride any bike anywhere.

 

[Texas94fs]

Believe it or not, here in the U.S., most riders go to a "licensing school" where they ride around cones in a parking lot on 250cc bikes for 2 afternoons and then watch some videos. They take a 15 question multiple choice exam, which is mostly on road signs and how many beers can you drink. Thats it - , no road test at all. No road experience at all. Pay your fee.

You can now ride any bike anywhere.

Yup, now you actually have to take the Motorcycle Safety Course here in texas to be liscensed, then pass an exam for the DPS that is a complete joke and then boom let darwinism take over.

 

[Baltobonneville]

And then you can ride anything you want with two wheels. :gsxr:

And many riders don't bother getting the motorcycle endorsement at all.

 

[DandyDoug]

I am a big suporter of restricted licensing and time in the seat/age requirements for all motor vehicle licensing.
I think some combination of the British system and the German system would be a big improvement here in the states.

The Japanese program that was described earlier is nothing more than a way to make money for the Japanese government. IMHO:hung::chair:

It's a slap in the face to our service people and I am frankly offended by it. If it were me I'd buy a push bike and take public transport , or just stay on base and never spend my money on the bastitches .:cya:

 

[Hamr Mark]

Here you need:

1)...write a beginners paper test with road signs, mostly common sense questions. You are not allowed on any 400 series hwys, drive after dark, drive with a passenger and NO beer/booze. From here, most people go to step 2, or you could technically go to the MTO, do your tests and if you pass you are licensed, but I may be wrong on this point.

2)...you sign up for a motorcycle course which lasts a fri eve, and a full sat and sun. We don't do videos here. It's all in a big lot where they give you a bike (under 250 if I remember correctly) and you learn and practice motorcycle manouvers. Emerg stops, cornering, etc. On the sunday, you are evaluated and if you pass, you are given your M1 licence with the only restrictions being NO booze. You have 5 years to do your M exit course.

3)...you sign up for your M exit course which again, is a 3 day affair. Fri and sat are refreshers, and sun you are on your bike in traffic. If you pass here you are given your full M licence with the alcohol restriction being lifted.

Pain in the ass, but hopefully it does help to weed out some idiots.

 

[B06Tang]

I am a big suporter of restricted licensing and time in the seat/age requirements for all motor vehicle licensing.
I think some combination of the British system and the German system would be a big improvement here in the states.

This might ignite something off but I agree with you. I have spent the last fifteen years bouncing around different countries overseas and from my experience, the US has the most relaxed licensing laws by a lot. England and Japan share very similar systems where your age bracket determines a certain cc level for the motorcycles. For example, USAF members have to go through a MSF course every three years just to keep our license even though this is a one time deal in the states and that is if it is required. I was in a class when stationed in the UK where this young guy (21 years old) was on a rented little Suzuki 250cc. He literally dumped his bike five times during the test and anyone that is familar with a MSF course knows this is nothing but frightening...getting your MSF card is not a challenging feet whatsoever. Anyways, he dumped his bike on the actual evaluation and snapped off the brake lever. The instructor said that he had to fail him because he did not have a working brake. Well the guy flipped because in less than a week his Softtail Custom Deluxe was arriving and he wanted to ride:eeek: Way too much bike for this guy especially seeing that he couldn't keep a 250cc up on two wheels. You would have to be a certain age in the UK and Japan to even be able to be considered for a bike like that.

The Japanese program that was described earlier is nothing more than a way to make money for the Japanese government. IMHO:hung::chair:

It's a slap in the face to our service people and I am frankly offended by it. If it were me I'd buy a push bike and take public transport , or just stay on base and never spend my money on the bastitches .:cya:

There are a few of us that are complaining about this but I do not know how far it will go...in other words, I am not optimisitc. I know I am not going to get out of this but it still needs to stop so that people coming here after me does not get soaked with this. Keep in mind that every single military member is over here on orders...in other words, we have a specific date range that we are allowed to be in this country; after those dates are over then we have to be out of this country and we no longer have the SOFA protections. This means that everything that we bring with us now has to leave with us...all of our housegoods items gets packed up and moved to the next location.

We were definitely treated better by the British government on this matter. I didn't have to do this import vehicle test in which they do have a version of this. I was able to bring my Bonnie in and get the MOT done it just like everyone else in the country. The only kicker is that IF I sold my bike to a British resident, THEN I would get soaked with the vehicle import taxing. If I kept my bike then there were no extra charges because I would be bringing my bike with me, out of the country when my tour was over. Hell...I could even sell my bike to another military member and still not get soaked because like me, that military member is there for a specific amount of time. This import test done by the Japanese is not protecting their economy but rather soaking us members for a source of revenue. Convenietly though, used bikes are insanely expensive over here so it is either this or not ride. I am going to be here four years and I have to ride so I taking the lesser of two evils and going through this process to get the Creamsicle on the road.

 

[DandyDoug]

When I was in the Army in Germany all through the 60's it was pretty common for us to get around the German licensing and vehicle laws by buying a car or a bike ( bikes were more difficult due to local post commanders) from someone who was rotating out and selling what ever vehicle we had to someone just before we left. Unless you had bought a new vehicle and were taking it home with you.
Licensing requirement were a lot less stringent for us than the Germans.

I did very well buying and selling during my time over there and brought a VW home with me , drove it here for a while and sold it with a bunch of miles on it for a profit of $1.00 more than I had paid for it 3 years before. Doubt tha's possible any longer.

 

[Sal Paradise]

If you pass here you are given your full M licence with the alcohol restriction being lifted.- Hamr

Yee haa!!!

Seriously, if a person is crazy/stupid enough to drink and ride, words fail me. I don't even understand the point of that, other than maybe a death wish.

 

[B06Tang]

When I was in the Army in Germany all through the 60's it was pretty common for us to get around the German licensing and vehicle laws by buying a car or a bike ( bikes were more difficult due to local post commanders) from someone who was rotating out and selling what ever vehicle we had to someone just before we left. Unless you had bought a new vehicle and were taking it home with you.
Licensing requirement were a lot less stringent for us than the Germans.

I did very well buying and selling during my time over there and brought a VW home with me , drove it here for a while and sold it with a bunch of miles on it for a profit of $1.00 more than I had paid for it 3 years before. Doubt tha's possible any longer.

The global economy has done a lot to do away with those kinds of deals today. There are still people bringing back the VWs and the Beamers but not at the substantial savings that there used to be. As far as bikes go; my experience in the Air Force has been if they could find a way to keep people off of them then they would. Most flight chiefs all the way up to squadron, group and wing commanders do not care for motorcycles whatsoever and continually tie the readiness aspect of the dangers of riding. So there isn't a lot of motivation on their part to help out when we get into a messy situation like what exists here in Japan. Ironic thing is that people with cars do not have this problem over here...the SOFA protects them very well. Us motorcyclists are a different story though and it does keep a lot of people off the road because of the cost of it so most commanders aren't really going to lose a lot sleep over that.

 

[TC_Dick]

If you pass here you are given your full M licence with the alcohol restriction being lifted.- Hamr

Yee haa!!!

Seriously, if a person is crazy/stupid enough to drink and ride, words fail me. I don't even understand the point of that, other than maybe a death wish.

Meh.. In my specific case, a couple of beers are not a big deal at all, and don't impair my riding/driving abilities whatsoever.

Don't get me wrong here.. I don't get shitfaced and go for a ride, but one or two is really nothing.

 

[Savantjk]

I have a good one for you guys. Here in Louisiana, you go to the Department of Motor Vehicles office in your town and take a 25 question test on a computer. You can miss 5 and still pass. Hello motorcycle endorsement.

 

[HepcatBob]

I'm such an old fart that I was grandfathered in when NC started requiring a motorcycle endorsement. If you were a certain age with previous riding experience, you just had to pass a written test and the usual vision and sign tests. These days, you have to take the above tests plus a riding test through the cones in the parking lot. If you've been through a state certified safety course, they'll waive the riding test.

 

[Kirkus51]

Took the Scooter test when I was 14 to get my 8hp restricted license in the early 60s. Written test and lot test consisting of weaving thru cones turning then accelerating and stopping with your feet inside a 5 foot circle.

Since then, the two times I moved to SoCal, a written test was all. The times I moved back to Colorado, a written test, but not for the bike endorsement. It's been grandfathered in like Hepcat.

Now for guys coming to the US I think all you need is your own license or to be safe you usually can get an international license at your version of the AAA and vice versa.

 

[ivar]

In Norway, 16-year olds can get licenced to drive 125cc/15HP, 18-21 year olds, bikes restricted to 34HP.
First one have to take a mandatory course , common for all vehicles. The course contains ~8 hours of theory.
Then more vehicle-specific theory, with a written test that must be passed. Can be quite hard from what I hear.
After that a practical program that starts with basic stuff like cones, braking, figure 8's etc before one is let out in traffic. These bike used has dual controls, see pic below.
This program consist of several goals that have to be met before going on. So a good rider may get away with less than 10 hours, a novice may need much more.

Then , a practical test, 45 minutes in city + highway traffic etc.

Looks like the program works, accident rates over here are sinking year for year, in spite of increasing numbers of 2-wheelers on the road.

One thing we find disconcerting is that it gets increasingly harder and more expensive for the youngsters - New suggested EU regulations , the worst one proposing that e.g a 16 year old will have to take 3 (almost) full programs to get his 125cc licence -> 33HP licence -> unlimited. This sport needs some new blood too...

 

[Stars&Bars]

As an freedom loving American, I am bothered by any restriction other than what is referred to as "Rules of the Road" and a "Road Signs Knowledge Test." I know there are many out there that want mandatory helmet laws and the All The Gear All The Time (ATGATT) laws and tier testing like they have in(fill in the blank) and I say fine if that what you personally feel like doing for YOUR OWN SELF but as far as getting the government to butt into my life any further, I say F U Jack!
The way it's getting with all these rules upon rules upon rules is getting mighty old and those that want more than what our US Constitution calls for can always freely move to a more governmentally regulated country to feel more secure in.
Frankly it appalls me that so many Americans would be willing to give up their freedom of choice.
Yeah, I do wear a helmet and leathers but not because some a-hole in the Gov. has made a rule requiring it. It's a personal choice which I would think all Americans would actually want to make for themselves, be it a newbie buying his first bike and it being a Speed Triple or whether or not to wear external protection. It their choice that's been freely made.
As an example of excessive government restrictions, How do our U. K. and Australian friends like their countries laws concerning the citizens right to own firearms?

 

[R.Hawks]

As an freedom loving American, I am bothered by any restriction other than what is referred to as "Rules of the Road" and a "Road Signs Knowledge Test." I know there are many out there that want mandatory helmet laws and the All The Gear All The Time (ATGATT) laws and tier testing like they have in(fill in the blank) and I say fine if that what you personally feel like doing for YOUR OWN SELF but as far as getting the government to butt into my life any further, I say F U Jack!
The way it's getting with all these rules upon rules upon rules is getting mighty old and those that want more than what our US Constitution calls for can always freely move to a more governmentally regulated country to feel more secure in.
Frankly it appalls me that so many Americans would be willing to give up their freedom of choice.
Yeah, I do wear a helmet and leathers but not because some a-hole in the Gov. has made a rule requiring it. It's a personal choice which I would think all Americans would actually want to make for themselves, be it a newbie buying his first bike and it being a Speed Triple or whether or not to wear external protection. It their choice that's been freely made.
As an example of excessive government restrictions, How do our U. K. and Australian friends like their countries laws concerning the citizens right to own firearms?

+1:worthy:

 

[Texas94fs]

I'm not gonna disagree but just point out politics are gonna get this thread shit canned. We've been down the laws and shit road before esp. concerning firearms.

I will comment on the more rigorous training they have to go through and say that its a good idea. Not the cost of it, but the idea behind it. It saves lives. The idiots you see in pastel polos, plaid shorts, flip flops on and the helmet strapped to the side of their rice rockets are peoples children, douchebags they may be, but who is to say their lives are any less valuable than yours or mine, or the dudes, or that guy, or that guys wife and children. Hell I would've loved to get more training on a motorcycle before i hit the road. Would've learned a few lessons then instead of the hard way.

 

[DIRK]

here in the golden state under 21 must take a rider ed course. if you pass you go to dmv take a written to show them how smart you are. you pass you can buy anything you want to. no other requirements. I would like to see some sort of staged licensing. to many "riders" buy a sport bike / road king that they cannot handle and end up off tarmac or the side of a car before a 2 weeks have passed. people look at you like you are an idiot when you suggest that perhaps they should take a course before they buy a bike. to many guys come in to look at the bmw s1000rr for a first bike because it looks cool with no clue.but oh well. it is their body right?