My 15-year old nephew just successfully gained his moped license today. Did you/do you own a motorcycle ?

[roguenuke]

My older daughter, 50, just bought a Can-Am Spyder. A three wheeler with two wheels in the front, one wheel in the rear. She loves it! May want to google, and check it out, if your interested in such a vehicle.

Oh I've seen them. There is someone here in my area who has a red one that is occasionally decorated like some sort of SpiderMan vehicle.

 

[Logician Man]

Oh I've seen them. There is someone here in my area who has a red one that is occasionally decorated like some sort of SpiderMan vehicle.

My daughter's is red also. Close to 30k, IIRC.

 

[Lloyd Christmas]

Hell no and I would never want to. People are worse at driving, they are easily distracted and looking at their stupid phones, its a death sentence. I wouldn't even want to ride my bike on the streets,e ven if a bike lane (which in most of US< a bike lane offers no protection from all the idiot drivers.

At least with a car you are buckled in and not free to fly if collide with something

 

[Overitall]

A four year license in NJ cost me under $50.

Ohio simply includes an MC endorsement on your drivers license. You just got to make sure they include it when renewing. They missed it one year on mine but corrected it at no cost to me.

 

[VanceMack]

Yeah, mopeds need a driver license on their own here in Austria and Europe. You can get it as a 15-year old, but need to pass a strict PC and practical driving test. The PC test was written until not long ago and IMO not as strict at all compared to what my nephew had to learn. I had like 100 questions to study 20 years ago and he had 400 traffic rules and situations to study for his online test.

BTW: what's the price in the US these days to get a car driving license ?

It's 2500$ or 2000€ here these days, no joke.

I probably will hand over some cash to my nephew and my two nieces if they are 18 so they can afford it ...

Driver License Fees	Amount
Learner permit	$19.00
Original Class D license (includes over 65)	$52.00
Original Class D provisional license (5-year)	$39.00
Original motorcycle endorsement	$18.00

 

[VanceMack]

A four year license in NJ cost me under $50.

Thats pretty normal I think.

2000€??? Sheesh!

 

[soylentgreen]

A motorbike should be everyone's first vehicle. because nothing teaches you how to be aware of your surroundings better than knowing you will lose every fight on the road you get into.

 

[Manc Skipper]

Best advice I can give is when on a bike, assume that no cars on the road see you, and when they do see you, they are looking past you and not registering you're there.

Approaching a car about to pull out from a side road watch the front wheel. You can see it start to rotate before you see the whole car move, it gives you an extra split second.

 

[mrjurrs]

He failed the theoretical computer test the first 2 times, today it worked out and he got the license (because the driving exam was no problem for him).

But the computer test was 45 questions out of 400 multiple choice questions about traffic rules etc. and 80% of the 45 questions have to be correct to get the license and you have to complete these 45 questions in 60 minutes too.

He already has a moped, it was registered today and will drive to some burger restaurant in the evening with some friends.

Question: do you also have a motorcycle ? Which kind ? How tough was it getting your license ?

I know that a (car) driver license in the US is very easy to get relative to here in Europe, where there are strict PC exams and driving lessons and the license itself and medical evaluation costs 2.500$ these days.

A moped license is just 60$ though.

I myself have the actual driver license for a motorcycle too, but except for a brief period, I never had one. I once had a Triumph motorcycle for a few months, which was pretty cool.

I quit riding when I felt too old to lay the bike down in an emergency. Lot's of cell phones on the road, have someone his own age remind him to be cautious.

 

[Mycroft]

He failed the theoretical computer test the first 2 times, today it worked out and he got the license (because the driving exam was no problem for him).

But the computer test was 45 questions out of 400 multiple choice questions about traffic rules etc. and 80% of the 45 questions have to be correct to get the license and you have to complete these 45 questions in 60 minutes too.

He already has a moped, it was registered today and will drive to some burger restaurant in the evening with some friends.

Question: do you also have a motorcycle ? Which kind ? How tough was it getting your license ?

I know that a (car) driver license in the US is very easy to get relative to here in Europe, where there are strict PC exams and driving lessons and the license itself and medical evaluation costs 2.500$ these days.

A moped license is just 60$ though.

I myself have the actual driver license for a motorcycle too, but except for a brief period, I never had one. I once had a Triumph motorcycle for a few months, which was pretty cool.

I've been riding motorcycles for decades. My last one was a Honda Goldwing, but I don't ride much anymore. I'll probably sell it in the near future.

Getting a motorcycle license in the US is nothing like getting one in Europe. Same for getting a car license. It's much easier and much cheaper in the US.

Back in the 80's, I was in the US Army and stationed in Germany. Getting a vehicle and a motorcycle license was easier for me than for Germans, but it was still tougher than getting a license in the US. For my motorcycle, I had to attend a driving instruction course and then take a written and driving test administered by Germans.

I don't know if it's still this way in Germany, but back then, the Germans had to pay for and take driving instruction and they weren't allowed to get a license until the instructor said they were ready. And yes...a couple thousand dollars was a common price.

Regarding your nephew's moped. Town and village roads in Austria are good places to ride a moped. Pretty much anywhere in the US...other than city centers...is a VERY dangerous place to ride a moped. Hell, I don't even like riding my Goldwing anywhere but on the highway anymore.

Oh...the only "medical evaluation" I've ever seen in the US for getting a license of any kind was for vision...and that was mainly peripheral vision.

 

[natman]

I've had about 20. Some Hondas, most notably a Rickman framed Honda 750, but mostly English classics, Triumph, Norton, BSA. I still miss my Norton Commando Fastback.

I drove daily for almost 20 years, then I got married / kids and I retired. Now that the kids are grown, I've been thinking of doing some neighborhood riding again.