get a motorcycle license

The learner’s permit is just about to run out. I need to renew my licenses anyway. Inshallah…

I totally blew the course.

I got off on the wrong foot because I didn’t go to the last class. I wrote down the wrong date. I wouldn’t have been able to go anyway, because I was night-flying to Hyannis and Provincetown. So the instructor asked me where I had been in that “You’re in trouble” way that I’ve hated since sixth grade. I knew I had a bad outlook as soon as I was told that I would be working for nothing.

So I did the practical course. I did okay, but for the evaluation I screwed up EVERYTHING. I put my foot down twice in a U-turn. I usually don’t. I didn’t see the obstacle for the swerve and I hit it. Quick stops were fine, though. In real life, I suck at quick stops. Pretty good at swerving and turning. Even the people who fell off the bikes passed.

The result? I didn’t “pass.” Which “means” that I “can’t” get a learner’s permit. But I’m from another state and already HAVE a learner’s permit. I’m legal. I was just taking the class to learn. I still have a year to pass the driving exam in my own state. Which I would have had to do even IF I had passed the course.

I feel bad. In part, because I hate evaluations. It’s also funny because it means so little. I have no idea what to make of this. At least I spent some time on a motorcycle and figured a fair amount of things out.

I can’t say it was very enjoyable. The two 5-hour courses were fun, but a little grueling. I’m not certain that’s the best way to learn. I think Indiana has a better perspective than Rhode Island. In Indiana, you have a year to get better. In Rhode Island, you have 14 hours and they never check you again.

Wednesday—first seminar class.
Tonight—first practical class. Essentially the first time I was ever even on a motorcycle. It went pretty well, I think. I can start and stop, shift and turn. I think the rest of it will just be experience.

My class is scheduled.
30 August is my first class. I’ll be done before 19 Sept.
I wonder what I will buy.

Okay. Here’s how it works: I can’t be a motorcyclist until I’m licensed. I can’t get a license until I pass a road test. I can’t practice for the road test until I have a Learner’s Permit. I can’t get a Learner’s Permit until I successfully complete a written test and an eye exam. Two days ago I got the manual for the written test. I studied, but I also saw fireworks and went to a big family party. (EVERYONE in my family has a motorcycle license.)
Today, I went in to take the test. There was a long line because the computers had broken. When I got to the front of the line, the lady asked me if I had studied. I told her some. She said it was a hard test and people usually don’t pass the first time. This made me nervous. I had to leave at 11:20, so I rushed through the exam. I passed—not a perfect score, but a pass. I came back after a haircut and a dentist visit. They made me take an eye exam. My eyesight has been a bit off lately because of stress (it started when I had to take my father to the hospital). I use the Bates Method, and after a blink and a stretch – I pass the eye exam.
So, now I have my permit (good for one year) and am enrolled in my safety course. I can ride a moto legally now – with a few exceptions. I am pretty happy that I got this far because it depended on tests and such. Those make me nervous.
Next step – safety course. (Maybe I will ride once or twice in the interim.)

In 8 to 10 weeks, I’ll have a date. I may move before then, but they said I could get a refund.

I called about the class. They sent me a mailing. It would be 8-10 weeks before I could be scheduled into a class. That’s about the time I hope to move. Plus, they would charge me double because I’m not a resident of the state.

... is sending me an application, a schedule and will put me on the waiting-list.

Now to cheer-bomb Kaishaku for having given me such a handy tip!

What if I took a safety course somewhere else, like another state or through the military? Can I still get the skills test waiver?

Indiana has a process in place for recognizing approved safety courses completed in other states and all five branches of the military. First, the one year rule applies across the board. You must have completed the course no more than one year prior to applying for a motorcycle endorsement.

Note: That includes the 30 day wait once you obtain a motorcycle permit. So if your course completion card turns a year old while you are waiting for the 30 day holding period on your permit to be completed, you can not use that card for a waiver of the skills test.

If you passed a motorcycle safety course in another state, or through the military anywhere in the world, make a copy of the course completion card(s) and send them to the Motorcycle Safety Program’s State Coordinator. You can fax the copy to (317) 233-0858 or mail it to: Motorcycle Safety Program, Indiana Department of Education, 151 W. Ohio St., Indianapolis, IN 46204. You MUST include your mailing address and phone number along with the copy of your course completion card(s).

If it is determined that the course you took meets the same criteria as the Indiana approved courses, you will be issued Indiana course completion cards (dated the same as your original course completion) which will be recognized at any Indiana license branch for waiver of the state skills test. Replacement cards are normally processed in one to three days plus mailing time. You will be notified if it is determined that the course you took does not meet Indiana standards.

So I’ll take the course here and hope that it works out once I return to renew my license.

I am expected home for a July 4 celebration of my cousin’s graduation. I also intend to renew my driver’s license because I may be out of the country for some time. (This may be made easier by my uncle, a biker.) I would like to add a motorcycle, and perhaps even a commercial, certification. I am tired of exorbitant gas prices. A Harley driving friend told me the big hogs only suck down a gallon in 45 miles. By comparison, a small plane burns through a gallon about every 20 miles.