I got mine in 1975 when I got my regular license. No test or anything. The HP ask me I ever intended to ride a motorcycle. When I said yes, he said, "Give me another dollar boy." He was a friend of my Dad's. I've had them ever since.

 

I've had an endorsement since 73'. It doesn't make me a better rider. But there is a good point. If I did have a at fault accident, I wouldn't want to give an attorney anything to use against me.

 

I have a license for the following reasons:

1) It's a small price to pay compared to giving a LEO or a judge a legitimate reason to fu*k with me.

2) If I got in an accident it might give some ***** lawyer a legal path to fu*k with me.

3) My insurance company requires it.

As for the Washington State endorsement, it's a total joke and obviously about revenue rather than safety. The written test and the skills test are both WAY to easy. Back when I got he endorsement you at least had to use a bigger bike to get a big bike bike endorsement. Now, you can ride an automatic tranny moped around a few cones, pass the test, get your endorsement, and then go buy a Scream'n Eagle Ultra.

 

Probably different now but when I was a teenager here in California, you could get a motorcycle license six months before being old enough to get a vehicle license. (I think it was 15 years old for a motorcycle, 15 1/2 for a vehicle.) I've had my motorcycle license since 1976 and my first bike was a Goldwing I bought from my dad. I remember taking my driver's test on that bike and when it came to all the slow-speed maneuvers, I kept thinking 'I couldn't have ridden something smaller to take this test?!'

Richard

 

Damn - I didn't know that . . . Both me (moved to WA State in '91) and my wife (forgot when she took it but it must have been about 15 years ago) had to do the test on a large bike (relatively large).

 

Yup. Same with me Dave. There used to be different levels of endorsement. Now everybody uses the little 125's to pass the test.

 

I have been on two wheels for 31 years without a MC endorsement. I have always had insurance. Formost doesn't care if you are endorsed or not. I totaled my bike last may due to a truck losing his load. CHP didn't even ask about it. Insurance paid off. I have had a commercial license the whole time though and that might be why I have never had a problem with the law. I have been pulled over many times and they have never said a word about it. When and if they do I will go get my endorsement. Btw a buddy of mine teaches a riders course.

 

To the folks that are surprised about this, you may be forgetting that all state ain't not created equal. I'm originally from NY and there are many screwed up things about that state but one thing is for sure: the state will have some sort of law that ensures they get a taste ... fairly sure that comes from the mafia ;-)
I've lived in AL for 18 years now and the laws come a little slower here ... I was blown away that seatbelts, insurance, vehicle inspections, etc were not required when I first got here ... still no inspections and mandatory insurance is a joke because it is not enforced. When I went to get my m/c endorsement it was a 5 minute written test and that was it. It is quite possible that many of the folks here have been riding long enough that a m/c endorsement didn't exist when they started ... so don't be so quick to judge, they may be grandfathered in anyway.

 

"As for the Washington State endorsement, it's a total joke and obviously about revenue rather than safety. The written test and the skills test are both WAY to easy. Back when I got he endorsement you at least had to use a bigger bike to get a big bike bike endorsement. Now, you can ride an automatic tranny moped around a few cones, pass the test, get your endorsement, and then go buy a Scream'n Eagle Ultra."


If you take the MSF riders course here in Washington , they waive the road test.

 

I've been street legal since 1969.

I didn't realize Wa had changed the regulations regarding testing on the size bike you intended to ride on. Although, even back then, I think the largest class started around 500cc, so no big deal.