How to become a motorcyclist in Miami in two days

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To get a motorcycle category in the United States, you must complete a basic motorcycle driving course and pass an exam. I happened to go through a similar procedure in Russia not so long ago. It is interesting to compare two approaches to the training of newly-made motorcyclists.

I wanted to sit behind the wheel of an “iron horse” in Russia, but my inner voice said that it would be better not to do that. My opinion is that the risk incurred by other participants in the movement in Russia exceeds all reasonable limits.

However, I had to somehow move towards the dream, and in 2013, I enrolled in a motorcycle school, I learned and passed on a driver's license of category A. Since then, I drove very little, literally, to the store for bread on my friends’s motorcycles, which put them for the winter in my garage. The total mileage was several hundred kilometers.

After moving to Miami, I decided that I would definitely buy my own motorcycle here and start to drive regularly, which I did, but unlike a car, in the USA it is necessary not only to pass the driver license exam, but also to unlearn in the motorcycle school again, What, of course, did not want to do. For a while, I traveled under Russian rights, but according to the law, this can be done for no more than 3 months. True, no one ever stopped me.

I tried to find out if I could pass the exam right away without learning. To my remark that I can drive and I have a driver's license for a motorcycle from another country, they told me by telephone that due to a large number of incidents, the law was changed, and now everyone without exception must complete a motorcycle driving course.

Gathering my strength, I began to find out what this Basic Rider Course. It turned out that for 250 dollars I have to go through a two-day course of theoretical and practical training with a subsequent exam.

Two days? Even if it’s from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., that’s not bad at all. Especially with driving experience...

Motoschool vs Motocycle school

Upon arrival, I did not even immediately find the office of this school. In a large warehouse complex, the school rented a small room in the form of a classroom where the maximum 16-18 person would fit. Our teacher told about himself: he served in the army, and after his dismissal he served in the American counterpart of our Emergencies Ministry. He proudly told that he received two checks when he retired.

I was undoubtedly happy for him, but the number of checks is not so important. Much more important than the amount in them. Judging by the state of its 2-year-old car, either the amounts are small or the good car is clearly not on the list of priorities.

Approximately 12-14 people signed up for this course. For some reason two did not show up. Of the rest, approximately half had experience riding a motorcycle. It should be noted that people who have been deprived of their rights by a court decision are also sent to school, although I have not noticed any such people. All were guys of different ages - from 25 to 50 years old - and one girl was about 25. I would like to note that the school teaches and takes exams and all this, as they say, “in one bottle.” There is no traffic police, in our understanding.

We were given books and told to read them. The book contained the basic rules and techniques for driving a motorcycle, and there were 40 pages in it. Everyone buried their noses in the books - and there was silence in the class.

After about 40 minutes, the teacher decided to break up the deathly silence with 20-minute video lessons. They didn't contain anything specific. These are general safety rules, such as - check the motorcycle before leaving (tire pressure, fluid leaks), equipment and helmet - this is very important, etc.

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We were given more 30 minutes to quickly finish reading the books and were given test tasks. They contained 25 questions. Most of them had nothing to do with knowledge. Anyone with elementary logic would be able to answer them.

In the end, I passed the test with 24 correct answers and one error. To pass it, it was necessary to answer at least 20 questions correctly. I dare to suggest that even without reading this book, I would most likely have answered 20. For those who failed on the first day, there was a second attempt a day later, but there were none. All passed the test.

After lunch, we had to begin practical exercises. Requirements for clothes are quite simple, but mandatory. It was necessary to have a T-shirt or jacket with long sleeves, shoes with high heels, and a helmet and a motorcycle provided by the school.

I came to classes in ordinary sneakers, for which I was sent ... to the nearest store for "high" shoes. Agree on the spot is not possible. The prospect of depriving a license or lawsuits is more terrible than any immediate benefit. No one will take the risk. Everything must be strictly according to the protocol.

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The motorcycles that the school provided were very similar to those I took the exam in Russia for. At home, we trained on Yamaha YBR-125, and here Honda CM-125, which is essentially very close.

The first task was an exercise to understand what friction zone, i.e. the moment where the clutch begins to seize. I will not dwell on the exercises for a long time. We rode in a straight line with a turn, braked, drove around cones, etc. Everything seemed to be as it should be, but the simplicity of these exercises was amazing. The distance between the cones was such that they could even be driven around by car.

Let me just say that the most "difficult" was the execution of the unfinished "eight" on the site length 15 meters. Even students who have never sat on a motorcycle before have passed the exercise from the first time.

For comparison, in Russia I went to a motorcycle school for 10 days, then, on the advice of a trainer, I took two more lessons. I signed up for the exam at the traffic police, I passed the theory, then I did not pass the practice the first time (I made two mistakes), and then I retake the second time. I can not say that it was very difficult, but the American exam is no match. This is just a test of adequacy and coordination.

We get wet in the rain

I got into the second group, so the start of practice on the second day was scheduled not at 8 in the morning, but at 2 in the afternoon. In the morning it was raining, and by noon it became clear that he was not going to end. Our teacher, before starting the practice, said:

“You are going to become motorcyclists. It’s raining, what will you do?”

There were two options. Either overwrite the next week, thereby postponing the time of receipt of the certificate for another 7 days, or donate in the rain. Everyone chose to suffer today.

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As a result, the most unpleasant part of the exam was the need to spend 3 hours in the pouring rain, practicing the exercises. I had a motorcycle jacket, so I didn’t get wet immediately, but after 30 minutes. The rest of the students were in regular sweatshirts or T-shirts.

However, this is a good lesson for future bikers. We got the experience of how a motorcycle behaves on wet surfaces even at low speeds. Not to mention the banal discomfort from the fact that you are wet to the pants.

As a result, after 3 hours of torment, we returned to the classroom. Someone immediately went to the toilet to squeeze his pants and T-shirts, and someone just sat and silently "flowed". The teacher congratulated us all on the successful completion of the course.

We all passed this exam and, starting tomorrow, we had the right to apply to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) for updating the driver's license. Papers show optional. The necessary information will be entered into a special database.

As in the case of passing the test for a car driver's license, I was amazed at how easy such tests were. I do not think that all these newly-minted motorcyclists are really ready to go on public roads after a two-day course.

True, our teacher in his final word warned that first you need to drive through the parking lot, then ride through the local streets, and only then go on the highway, which is logical. However, it is simply impossible to simplify the exam further.

In any case, the indicator of safety is not the simplicity or complexity of passing the exam, but the driving culture, the development of road infrastructure and the quality of the police. I can admit that the exam in Russia would be much more difficult, which undoubtedly gave me a lot of useful skills, but with the rest of the security components we are much worse off. Which of the approaches is more correct - you decide, and I can only advise to drive carefully and avoid undue risk.

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