I would be interested to hear this groups opinion.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,1659162.story

 

According to the article, they would classify the bikes based on cc, which makes no sense. A 600 cc super sport like a CBR600, GSXR600 or R6 can go 150+ mph and have 100+ hp. A Harley Street 700 cc puts out no hp and could probably not get out of its own way.

That said, most of your deaths are from super sports, not from baggers with high cc engines. The type of engine (four cylinders being the worst) and how high the engines rev should be what is taken into account.

If they did a riding test, the kids on the crotch rockets know how to ride too well for their own good and treat the street like a race track. I'm sure they could pass. I would hope the guy on the big Harley would be able to pass.

Anyway, I'm not for regulations but I could see having a speed limiter on super sports that are used for street as opposed to track bikes. You don't need a bike that can go 200 mph. That would also open up regulations for sports cars so we can't even go there.

 

Link does me no good as it says must be registered as a "member" of online subscriptions.

 

By Robert McCoppin, Tribune reporterJuly 28, 2014


After graduating from Illinois' motorcycle safety class, instructors say, some students rush out and buy a monster racing bike that can go 140 mph — and they can't handle it.
"Motorcycles keep getting bigger," said Scott Mochinski, a safety class administrator. "They're higher-risk, much heavier, and more powerful. … If you've never ridden and you're bringing in a big heavy motorcycle, it's very difficult."
Yet to get a motorcycle classification on a driver's license in Illinois, students don't have to use one of the bigger bikes to take the driving test. They can test on a smaller motorcycle, then go out and ride whatever they want.
That might not always be the case, as the state contemplates the creation of a new class of motorcycle license.
Instead of offering licenses in just two size classes — one for cycles with an engine displacement of less than 150 cubic centimeters, like off-road bikes and scooters, and another for all other sizes — Illinois would add a third category for the bigger motorcycles, possibly starting at about 600 cc. And drivers would have to test on the size bike they intend to ride.
"It's in the talking stage," secretary of state spokesman David Druker said. "It's something we're reviewing seriously."
The proposal comes as motorcycle fatalities in Illinois have hovered near historic high levels for the past three years, and rose slightly last year despite a rare nationwide decrease.
But as state lawmakers and biker groups continue to resist a mandatory helmet law — Illinois is among just three states without one — safety advocates and regulators are looking to other ways to reduce the death count.
Mochinski, for one, supports the idea of requiring those who want to ride bigger bikes to hold a special license. He worries, though, about the expenses involved in offering the state-sponsored safety classes on such cycles.
Mochinski is one of the instructors of the free safety courses that IDOT offers around the state — a program with a $5 million budget paid for through motorcycle registration fees. Those courses typically use 200 or 250 cc bikes, because they're easier and safer for beginners to handle and typically cost thousands of dollars less than larger models.
The state also offers an advanced course for bigger motorcycles, but beginning students rarely take it, Mochinski said.
Illinois officials are looking to other states for guidance. Utah, for instance, divides motorcyclists into four classes, depending on the size the driver tests on. Those who test on a larger bike may ride any size.
But such restrictions appear to be the exception, judging by state listings by the AAA motor club.
The motorcycle riders group ABATE of Illinois opposes a new license classification. President Bruce Liebe said the proposal sounds sensible, but motorcycles have many variables other than engine size that affect their handling, such as weight and design. A sport bike can easily outperform a touring bike that's twice the size, which he said could render engine size comparisons "useless."
Motorcycle deaths in Illinois actually dropped slightly, from 50 last year to 40 this year, through July 3, according to the state's count. The main reason for that, advocates say, is the weather, as an exceptionally rainy June probably kept many riders off the roads. Since that date, several more deadly crashes have been reported around the state, including one that killed an off-duty Chicago police officer July 20 on the Dan Ryan Expressway.
And while overall automobile crash deaths nationally have plummeted in the past two decades — experts credit that largely to more seat belt use, air bags and stricter drunken driving laws — the number of motorcycle deaths annually more than doubled from 2000 to 2009, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Safety advocates blame not only bigger, faster bikes, including "super sport" bikes popular with younger riders, but an increase in middle-aged drivers returning to bikes after years away or trying them for the first time.
The age group with the most motorcycle-related deaths in Illinois in 2012, the most recent year reported by the state, was 50 to 54; it had 23 deaths.
"We call them returning riders," said Terry Redman, a state motorcycle safety instructor who counts himself as one of the group, having taken years off from riding to get married and raise a child. "They go out and buy the biggest bike they can get their hands on. The bikes weigh a lot more, their strength isn't there, and we hate to admit it, but our reflexes are slower. Unfortunately, it's a fast-growing fatality group."
Liebe, the ABATE leader, said older, returning riders have an experience gap. "They're frankly some of the worst riders because they've been away so long, and they're going like they did when they were 21."

Motorcyclists blame automobile drivers for many of the crashes, calling them "cagers" because they drive in a cage that creates blind spots and restricts their awareness. ButIllinois State Police Maj. Brad Carnduff reported that about two-thirds of fatal car-motorcycle crashes in the past two years were caused by the motorcyclist.
Whoever is at fault in a crash, though, one common feature among the vast majority of bikers killed in Illinois in 2012 is that they weren't wearing helmets. That was the case in 78 percent of deadly crashes that year, according to state figures.
States that don't require helmets, or require them only for some riders, had 10 times as many deaths overall in 2012 as states that require all riders and passengers to wear helmets, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Since Congress stopped tying federal funding to helmet laws in the 1990s, seven states have changed their universal helmet laws to partial laws that generally apply only to those below a certain age. Studies in two of those states, Florida and Michigan, showed deaths and injuries increased substantially after the laws were changed.

But motorcycle rider groups question the accuracy of such studies, saying there are too many variables to read much into short-term fluctuations. They continue to try to overturn helmet laws.
"We're not anti-helmet, we're anti-helmet laws," Liebe said. "I wear a helmet all the time. But we stand for freedom of choice."
Despite an increase in motorcycle fatalities in Illinois in the past three years, Liebe pointed out that the number of registered bikes has increased 37 percent, to almost 361,000 over the past decade, so the death rate per registration is decreasing.
Biker groups argue that helmets can decrease awareness and that many deaths may be caused by injuries to other parts of the body. They prefer to focus safety efforts in other areas, like increased training, campaigns against drinking and driving, and getting drivers of cars and trucks to look out for bikers.
One other gap in safety they'd like to close is the number of unlicensed motorcycle drivers, which made up 11 percent of those killed in Illinois in 2012.
A small sampling of students at a recent motorcycle safety class at Harper College in Palatine found opinions decidedly against the separate license classification.
"Because if they can't handle a big bike, they will know right away when they sit on it," said Izabela Zacaria, a martial arts instructor from Bartlett. She was learning to drive a bike so she could ride with her husband. "If they can't keep it from falling, I'm sure they would not ride it."
Sean York, a 24-year-old pizza delivery driver from Elk Grove Village, said big and small bikes share the most important features.
"They're all the same, they clutch the same, shift the same," he said. "You should be able to pick up your bike if you drop it. If you can't handle that, you probably shouldn't be riding that bike in the first place."
Still, sometimes all the training, licensing and helmet laws in the world can't prevent an accident.
Patricia Thies, a bus driver from Vernon Hills, said she was on her Honda on a misty day in August two years ago when the car in front of her slowed suddenly. She hit the brakes but said her wheels slid out and she fell to the road, sliding along face down with the bike on top of her leg.
She came to a stop and miraculously walked away with only a scratch and bruises and a possible concussion. She credits her survival to wearing protective gear including a helmet, boots, jeans and padded riding jacket.
Thies rides a larger bike — about 900 cc — but said large bikes vary greatly, so she prefers motorcycle safety training for all drivers, rather than a new license classification.
"I've seen petite women handling (big) bikes wonderfully, then taller people with a lot of muscle can't," she said. "Not everybody's got the skill. Get people into classes and trained better."
Freelance reporter Jamie Greco contributed.

 

"The goal: Reduce rider fatalities" should read: "The goal: Increase state revenues."

 

How did that article become about helmets!?!?!?

Following their logic, you should need a different license to drive a Corvette or Porsche? This is nonsense, as stated just a method to bring in more DMV revenue.

You want to save lives, provide proper training for motorcycles and cars. And the test needs to be real world driving including highway merges etc. Stop worrying about my ability to parallel park, and worry about my ability to merge onto a 4 lane interstate.

This is all BS.

 

Can you say "cash grab"? Current licensing cost will hold for all those unaffected... and the new category will be that plus 25 to 50%. Abe must be rolling over in his tomb, though he himself was known to get a little enthusiastic in applying the wisdom of government.

 

My feeling is if you take the test / class, Your endorsement should be limited to the cc of the bike you took it on.. Also if you take it on a Trike you should be limited to Trikes..
And as quite a few Tikes [spyders come to mind] have Auto Trans you should be limited to that also...

 

Georgia used to do it that way. IIRC, under and over 500CC. I recall someone telling me that it was to discourage people from taking the MSF course on a Honda 250 and then going out and buying a monster sport bike or Harley Dresser. It must not have been working for them because it's not done that way anymore.

 

Europe has been doing graduated motorcycle licenses for years. I'm no fan of government control but laws like this only applies to folks who obey them. America is full of people who have no intention of obeying or complying with any regulation. How is graduated motorcycle licensing enforced?
BTW, how is that strict gun control legislation doing in Chicago?