License or bike first?

[abacall]

I wish I could say I got the license first, but I didn't. I had to jump on the bike I wanted since they were extremely hard to find. I bought it, rode it home, then did several parking lot days while waiting for the MSF course. I got my license a week after that.
It's a little different here in Utah, 80% of the riders I know don't have one. Even if you get pulled over, it's only a $10 ticket. Most police won't even write the ticket unless they are really in a bad mood.

 

[Frostbite155]

I think it would be more practical to get your motorcycle before your license.... if you dont have a bike the normal road test would be unavailable and you would have to consort to alternative methods like the PAMPS basic ridercourse or something else... I myself as a 16yo got my bike last fall, and i still have my permit until i decide to go for the license...

..and you know, some people never get their license, just keep renewing their permit over and over again

 

[Brandon78]

In Oklahoma we don't have learner's permits, but if you pass the MSF course you can skip the riding portion of your liscense exam. I took the coarse first to see if I liked riding(I loved it), then passed the written state exam to get my liscense. Found my fz three weeks later. I highly recommend the MSF coarse first!

 

[damnpoor]

some people never get their license, just keep renewing their permit over and over again

In Cali the permit doesn't allow you to ride on highways, which probably isn't a problem if you go the limit or just ride on weekends, but as a commuter it was vital I could use the highway and I wasn't about to risk having my entire license yanked if I got caught.

 

[wolfc70]

I got my endorsement first. The main reason is that in the mid '90's in WI you could not register a bike unless you had a valid endorsement. You could go and buy a bike, but had no way of getting a title or plates. When I bought my FZ, the dealer told me that the law had changed, all you needed was a learners permit to get the registration. Considering the fines in WI for riding without an motorcycle endorsement ($230), I would get the learners permit first, then get the bike. Just in case temptation sets in.

 

[Got-boost?]

I bought mine before I had my license. I wanted the bike and figured how hard could it be to get your motorcycle license sine I first started out riding dirt-bikes when I was 8yrs.

 

[rbesr]

I had a bike for years before I got my endorsement. I've been riding so long, all you needed when I started was a drivers license.

 

[HowlFZ6]

I took the 3 day MSF class and got the license first. I was in the market for a used bike and figured that I wouldn't be allowed to test ride the bike without showing a motorcycle endorsement on my license first.

On a side note - There was one guy in our class that had been riding for 20 years by just renewing his permit every spring. He had a Kawi Vulcan 2000, which made sense because this dude was huge. He sure looked funny taking the test on a Honda 125.

 

[goker]

For those of you living in US, you might want to check with your state if you get a bike without license. In my MSF class, there were several people who received tickets at their home because they had bike registered with no “driver” at that address. Apparently, some states allow you to buy and register them without checking to see if you have a license, but when they find out you don’t have a license, they send you a ticket. Nice way to make money for the state. :Flash:

 

[Sawblade]

I bought the bike, took the MSF course a week later, got my license the next day, and did the 1600 mile trip to Maryland three days later.

 

[chau]

I am kind of newbie to bikes at least in US and I would strongly recommend one going through MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) course before venturing into wild.

I completed MSF over the weekend, it was worth the time and $125. On day1, I kind of gave up on the idea of buying the bike given the various things to be aware of and the requirement to stay precise on executing the steps every time each time (to stay alive)! But on day2, I just got over it as things were more involuntary

My take is, everyone should go through this self realization phase to be a safe rider and needless to say pick those key golden nuggets from the training.

Have fun!

PS: He he, now I am able to advice others after lurking around for info :rockon:

 

[sfcali86]

take a course MSF get your license then shop around so you have better knowledge

 

[granda080]

I got my rider's permit first, then got my bike. When I was looking, I figured there was no point buying a bike and not being able to ride it home. An additional upside of doing that was it gave me the opportunity to get used to this bike prior to taking the rider's test.
Cheers