When I got my hawk it was the largest bike I ever rode. If I had a 250 dirt bike this test would have been NOTHING. I also didn't want to pay the $300 for the class, so I took the cheap way. All in all my license cost me I think around $18.

I took the hawk out to Home Depot's parking lot and did figure 8's around all the planters, practiced hairpins as much as I could, as many low speed everything as I could think of. I put 100 miles on my hawk in the first week, all in 1st gear in that parking lot. As much slow stuff as I could do up to around 40mph.

In colorado I had to do a hairpin within narrow limits, very tight salomn (spelling?), emergency stop, and swerve a lane. It was all VERY low speed except the emergency stop, which was from about 30mph. I couldn't get off the seat, you lost points for putting your foot down, and dropping the bike was insta-fail. The hawk was hard to maneuver through that salomn, everything else was cake. The riding test grader just stood to the side and marked on his clipboard the necessary stuff.

Your state should have posted somewhere exactly what to expect, and you might check out the DMV where you take the test because odds are the "test" is chalked out in the parking lot on the asphalt. I didn't know this, but passed only putting my foot down once on the hairpin.

What's funny is there were 3 other people taking the test that day. A kid on a 600 from the '80's, and two guys using the same harley. Both riding the harley couldn't navigate the salomn and failed. Doht!

If you can, take a friend with you who has a really small bike. In CO, they let you take the test with any streetlegal bike, if I was on a 250 ninja I would have passed with EASE. The hawk was just harder due to really REALLY slow moving and it's weight. If you can take something smaller you should have no problems whatsoever!

 

If Az. is anything like Ca. was when I took the test way back when, I'd say borrow the smallest street legal bike you can find.

The test here was more suitable for licensing chimpanzees to ride minibikes around the inside of a circus tent.

I took the test on my '82 GPZ550. They had me doing figure eights and circles at or near full lock at about 2 mph. with feet staying on the pegs.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself! Many people take the safety course simply because they can't pass the DMV test. I doubt I could pass it on my Hawk and I've been riding for a year. I think this is a big reason that so many people are riding without a license too.

Some people rent out small bikes specifically for the test and will deliver it there for you ahead of time. Check craigslist.

 

Yeah. When I took the test on my 550 I'd already been riding for 8 years. Took everything I had to stay upright. Now after decades of riding and hundreds of thousands of miles, I'm not sure I could pass the same stupid useless test on the VTR.

If I had to take it again, I'd show up on a 50cc scooter.

 

I took the California written MC test before the helmet law. One of the questions? What's more important a helmet or eye protection?

Any halfwit knows it's the eye protection. While a helmet can save your life IF you crash, no eye protection can CAUSE a crash, right?

Not according to the political agenda driven shitbirds who wrote the test. That was the one question I got "wrong".

 

I took the test on my cb 450 which was a small bike but still rather heavy, anyway I passed everything except the emergency stop since I was still in the middle of rebuilding my front brake. Hahaha the stupid stuff I did back then... ah nostalgia

 

i took the test on the hawk in MA. had to do a figure 8 twice, switch direction with out putting a foot down, and do 2 more. then i had to drive in a straight line shift to second, brake, use the directional to turn around (no feet) and come back. then it was hand signals and we were done. figure 8's were done in a 30ft by 60ft box. i was at full lock the whole time to the point it was hard to twist the throttle but it can be done.

 

I think that the MSF course is great, I took it in 1999 when I started riding. I also took it again this year. I also took the ERC this year.

If you click on this link on the lower right hand side you will see "To view or download the BRC Student Workbook, click here"

http://www.dps.state.mn.us/mmsc/late...p?cid=3&mid=43

Hope this helps someone

 

all my friends and relatives that ride told me not even to consider the DMV course. i took a MSF class and i have to say, it was super informative as well as helpful. from what i gather about the DMV, they don't guide you whereas the MSF classes are learning environments.

the other nice part about the MSF classes is that there is typically a shorter waiting list to get into the classes. I took my class in NH but one of the guys there was from MA and told me that the reason he decided to take that particular course was due to the fact that the wait in his state was almost a year out.

MSF classes will make you a better, more heads up rider based on my experience and what i have heard from others.


those figure 8s do suck though...glad i had ample time to practice!

 

Well, you can also pass the test without knowing what a red octagon shaped sign means, so long as you can answer some other questions like how many DUIs you can get before losing your license. (A good driver shouldn't know the answer to that question!)

 

+1 on using a small bike or scooter for the test. I was fortunate enough to have started out on an old Honda SL100 way back when and the test was easy on that. My wife just did the test on our 650 Hawk and it took her several days of practice on the actual DMV course ( just go there after hours and use it) before she got it down. I wanted to rent her a scooter to do the test but could not find one nearby. I'd say rent a scoot if you can or borrow someone small dualsport if you know someone with one.

 

That level of control is nice to know, but not really critical for most riders. Any time you will be using those skills is in a tight parking lot, where you CAN use your feet.

As long as you are able to safely navigate a U-turn, I don't see the issue, and even that is sort of optional. My g/f avoided U-turns for the longest time before I forced her to finally practice it, because I got sick of getting separated when she wouldn't follow.

The only time I really use those low speed skills is when pulling out of my driveway or lane filtering up to a light on a tight street.

 

Moto Man, why would they let you get a M1 license on a scooter? That doesn't make sense.

In CA a scooter is either a class C vehicle, or M2, depending on displacement.

 

I rent out my ninja 250 for the road test out here in IL so far I have had over 20 passes...good little buiness check out craigslist in your area and rent a rebel 250 or ninja 250 usually will run you 75 bucks but if you can pass it with the SH props to you man its a heavy bike to do the test with.

 

The WV state test is a joke to me. I've grown up on two wheels, and have put thousands of miles on my superhawk, so at my peak I was easily capable of out manuvering a new rider on a supermoto with my superhawk. I can take my 'Hawk anywhere the pilot powers will get traction. When you ride, you shouldn't be uncomfortable. The bike should act as a mere extension of your body. Once you get reach that point, you will simply laugh at DMV tests. At mine, I saw a guy on a Harley with obvious thousands of seat hours breeze through on his full dresser, then some new squid on a 600 fail it.