In today's Baltimore Sun:
A 21-year-old Fallston man speeding on a motorcycle Wednesday in Bel Air was the third motorcyclist to die in Harford County this year.
Harford County police said Daniel Michael DeVries was speeding when 2008 Suzuki motorcycle veered off the road and struck a tree.
Police said he was heading northbound on Reckord Road just north of Beechwood Lane shortly after 2:30 p.m. when he failed to make the curve and the motorcycle ran off the southbound edge of Reckord Road into a culvert, where it struck a tree and caught on fire.
DeVries was transported to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Police said DeVries did not have a valid Class M license required to operate the motorcycle.
I googled that address. The site of the accident was a fairly mild 45 degree right hand curve not a 100 feet past a residential area with houses right next to the road. Geez.
Glad I'm not 20 years old anymore. I feel that I made it through the stupidity phase of my youth with my life and am glad I can move on. I wonder if he was on a friends bike, or if it just bought it without a license.
What about a permit? In Ohio, you can just take a written test and get a MC permit that is valid only during daylight hours and if your wearing a helmet. You have to renew this each year, but never have to take a driving test, nor have an endorsement on your license.
In Maryland you need to complete a rider safety class in Maryland and present it to the MVA. This even applies to learners permits
Same here in Florida. But, if your riding without one laws don't really matter do they?
I wonder if he bought it or it was a friends. If he did buy it I don't think dealers should be able to allow you to take it off the lot. Or really sell it to you. just my opinnion.
Mary
Quote from: johnn on May 14, 2010, 08:48:01 AM
In Maryland you need to complete a rider safety class in Maryland and present it to the MVA. This even applies to learners permits
Not true. I did not take a rider's safety class. You take the test for the learner's permit and then you can go and get your license within two weeks. I did not do the aforementioned sentence. I waited 5 or 6 months until I got my license.
if you werent aloud to buy a bike without an endorsment and you werent aloud to take a bike off the lot without an endorsment then who would get to own a bike? With the prices that are charged to take the MC class here in michigan im suprized anyone has there endorsment. almost 400 to take a class that I have to own a bike to take yeah im not paying that and its 80 for a guy to watch me do the skills part really 5 mins is worth 80 bucks? I just get my permit every yr. thats 6 bucks
If you weren't allowed to buy a bike without an endorsement (and yeah, those classes usually include the use of one of THEIR bikes..) People would just have their buddies with an endorsement buy the bike for them... kind of like 17 year olds having a 22 year old buy their beer for them.
Quote from: joshr08 on May 14, 2010, 03:21:32 PM
if you werent aloud to buy a bike without an endorsment and you werent aloud to take a bike off the lot without an endorsment then who would get to own a bike? With the prices that are charged to take the MC class here in michigan im suprized anyone has there endorsment. almost 400 to take a class that I have to own a bike to take yeah im not paying that and its 80 for a guy to watch me do the skills part really 5 mins is worth 80 bucks? I just get my permit every yr. thats 6 bucks
If you pay in full the price of a car or bike, most places will allow its removal from lot. OR if he bought it from a friend or private party
Stories like this help remind me to slow down and tell myself that riding around the speed limit is safe and still thrilling.
Also many places people will buy a bike from a dealer, hell even financed sometimes, and THEN takew the MSF course. ( methinks a condtition of hte financing. BEFORE they can remove the bike from lot. have to show up first with with M endorsement). OR pay in full and take it away. TAGGED
Quote from: ver4 on May 14, 2010, 01:30:10 PM
Quote from: johnn on May 14, 2010, 08:48:01 AM
In Maryland you need to complete a rider safety class in Maryland and present it to the MVA. This even applies to learners permits
Not true. I did not take a rider's safety class. You take the test for the learner's permit and then you can go and get your license within two weeks. I did not do the aforementioned sentence. I waited 5 or 6 months until I got my license.
+1
In MD, you take a written test for your permit which allows you to ride as long as a you have a licensed rider with you (which is stupid, because I think that the licensed rider can ride pillion (or drive?) and it counts). For the license, you must take the skills test. A motorcycle safety course is not manditory.
in va when I got my endorsement, you take the written test, then get permit. have to have an endorsed rider riding with you, but not on your bike. no pillions either
Quote from: jeremy_nash on May 17, 2010, 01:19:31 PM
in va when I got my endorsement, you take the written test, then get permit. have to have an endorsed rider riding with you, but not on your bike. no pillions either
Same as in MD.
Quote from: tialloydragon on May 15, 2010, 10:48:05 AM
Stories like this help remind me to slow down and tell myself that riding around the speed limit is safe and still thrilling.
Nothing like a red light in a 55 zone for all the perfectly legal fun you should reasonably ask for on the public roads. It's fun to wind up a cheap bike faster than an expensive car, and even more fun if the expensive car keeps winding it out and finds the cop around the corner (which have been far more common since revenue enhancement became a larger part of their budgets with the economic implosion.) If you yearn to go faster and push harder, go to a racetrack with corner workers, hay bales, and/or piles of tires and a reasonable chance of living to learn from your mistakes, rather than regretting them if you happen to live through them...
IN my old state.... go to transport Dept, answer 20 multiple choice questions - get at least 17 right. And walk out with Learner permit, Which allowed you to get on bike and start riding.
In my new state... go to trans dept, answer questions, get learning permit. Now someone else must ride with you (not pillion. on their own bike) until you feel good enough to take test. OR... get learners permit, go to Safety Course (called Q Ride in this state). Where instructors show you the controls. Then watch you ride around a rectangle shaped area. As they see you getting better, they introduce stopping/starting (ride around area and stop at line, check shoulder for clear, ride off). Then a gentle slalom, then slow riding, using indicators, figure 8s, emergency stop and emergency evasive. All making sure you can achieve Competency as deemed by the state laws (do four figure 8s in 1 min, for example). If you get all boxes ticked here, they then take you on the road where you do U turns, P turns, hill start, etc. They then make a judgement as to your suitabilty to be on the road alone and issue a pass/fail. If pass, you take Cert to Dept Trans and get your motorcycle endorsement on your license.
Your initial bike license is a Restricted. used to be restricted to nothing over 250cc. But know it's Power To Weight - 150kw per 1000kg. And after 12 months of restricted you can do the course again on a larger bike to get your full bike license.
It's More Expensive doing the Q Ride. The Dept will take you through the same tests. BUT, for people who don't have someone else to ride with, or who don't yet own a bike but want to buy one, they choose the course.
The course is NOT an automatic pass. I know of people who've done it four times before being given a pass.
And it doesn't stop people buying bikes larger than they are allowed. A Q Ride instructor I know told me of a guy who had is Learner permit but not done the Test or the Q Ride course yet, who rode to work everyday on a Cb600 Hornet - which he bought from a dealer.
You cannot legislate against stupidity.
Michael