Bike Trouble
I’ve wanted a motorcycle for a few years, but because of deployments and living situations, the time was never right.
Until now! I recently bought a 2002 Harley-Davidson Night Train. But I had no idea what was involved with getting a motorcycle license, and it has turned into one of the biggest hassles I’ve had to deal with in a long time. Since the Marine Corps goes into complete safety spazz-out lockdown mode when it comes to people owning and riding motorcycles, I informed my command that I was going to buy a bike. They told me to sign up for the National Motorcycle Foundation’s Basic Riders Course, which is run by civilians but through the Navy and Marine Corps. I took the three-day course, and at the end of it, the instructors handed out course-completion cards and said that these cards would take the place of the road test at the DMV.
So I went to the Onslow County DMV without having done any research on what I needed to bring, but assuming it wasn't going to be too crazy. I was informed (very politely, by the way) that I’d have to get a North Carolina driver’s license in order to get the motorcycle endorsement. And that I would need to provide proof of residency, proof of insurance, my social security card, my birth certificate, and my existing Louisiana driver’s license. And, for good measure, some baby photos to prove that I was actually born.
But before trying again, I had to spend a couple of weeks applying and waiting for a new social security card, because I had lost mine. And, naturally, a few days after I received my new card, I found the one old buried in a suitcase.
So today, finally, after all this preparation, I went to the DMV in Craven County (the next one over) because the one in Onslow County, like Jacksonville itself, is a chaotic, overcrowded circus. I waited a few hours, but that was fine, because I got to talk with an old man with an intense stare and a booming voice who had served with the Army in the Korean War.
But anyway, when I was eventually called up to a desk, I took the eye test, road sign identification test, written test for both the drivers license and the motorcycle endorsement, and was then informed that the Basic Riders Course card I had was invalid and not accepted at any DMV in North Carolina. Apparently they’ve been having that issue a lot, with the military hiring the wrong type of instructors who don’t give out the state-approved cards. So I have to go another day to take the road test, and I still cannot ride my bike legally.
Wasn’t that an interesting story? Here’s a picture of my bike that you can pretend to care about:
Until now! I recently bought a 2002 Harley-Davidson Night Train. But I had no idea what was involved with getting a motorcycle license, and it has turned into one of the biggest hassles I’ve had to deal with in a long time. Since the Marine Corps goes into complete safety spazz-out lockdown mode when it comes to people owning and riding motorcycles, I informed my command that I was going to buy a bike. They told me to sign up for the National Motorcycle Foundation’s Basic Riders Course, which is run by civilians but through the Navy and Marine Corps. I took the three-day course, and at the end of it, the instructors handed out course-completion cards and said that these cards would take the place of the road test at the DMV.
So I went to the Onslow County DMV without having done any research on what I needed to bring, but assuming it wasn't going to be too crazy. I was informed (very politely, by the way) that I’d have to get a North Carolina driver’s license in order to get the motorcycle endorsement. And that I would need to provide proof of residency, proof of insurance, my social security card, my birth certificate, and my existing Louisiana driver’s license. And, for good measure, some baby photos to prove that I was actually born.
But before trying again, I had to spend a couple of weeks applying and waiting for a new social security card, because I had lost mine. And, naturally, a few days after I received my new card, I found the one old buried in a suitcase.
So today, finally, after all this preparation, I went to the DMV in Craven County (the next one over) because the one in Onslow County, like Jacksonville itself, is a chaotic, overcrowded circus. I waited a few hours, but that was fine, because I got to talk with an old man with an intense stare and a booming voice who had served with the Army in the Korean War.
But anyway, when I was eventually called up to a desk, I took the eye test, road sign identification test, written test for both the drivers license and the motorcycle endorsement, and was then informed that the Basic Riders Course card I had was invalid and not accepted at any DMV in North Carolina. Apparently they’ve been having that issue a lot, with the military hiring the wrong type of instructors who don’t give out the state-approved cards. So I have to go another day to take the road test, and I still cannot ride my bike legally.
Wasn’t that an interesting story? Here’s a picture of my bike that you can pretend to care about:
posted by Ryan at 4/13/2010
2 Comments:
can't you just get your motorcycle license for louisiana, instead of (i presume) giving up your louisiana basic license for a NC one?
I would have to physically go to Louisiana to get the motorcycle endorsement for my LA license. Here, I can get a new NC drivers license with the bike endorsement while still keeping my LA license.
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