As some of you know that I grew up riding the scooter in Taiwan. Ever since we bought the scooter , it has been on my mind to get the Class M motorcycle license here in the US. Getting a motorcycle license in Texas was actually a pretty easy process, for those who are familiar with riding motorcycle already.

I GOT MINE TODAY!!!

I downloaded the Texas Motorcycle Operator’s Manual to study . It is extremely helpful to know the rules for the road and all the information about safety on the road. There are a few questions in the manual for you to practice. On the DMV.ORG (it is an unofficial guide to the DMV) website, there are also a few FREE practice questions for you to try out. I also went to TestQuestionsAndAnswers.com to take their free sample practice test.

Assuming that you already have a Class C Driver License, already know how to ride a motorcycle, and that you are 18 and over. You will need the following to get a Texas Class M Motorcycle License.

To Take the Written Test

Go to one of the Texas Department of Public Safety Driver License Office close to you. You have to score above 70% to pass. The electronic format exam makes it easy to follow and you can skip questions if you are not sure. I answered 18 questions and scored 100% within 10 minutes. If you studied and understood the Motorcycle Operator’s Manual, you will have no problem passing.

Things you need to bring with you.

• Official Form of ID – Your current Texas Drivers License should do fine

Note that you can only take the written exam and the driving exam at the same location, so choose the office carefully. I ended up going to a different one after visiting the extremely backed up office at the Babcock location. It was around 10AM and the number they were calling was in the 400’s and there is a really long line waiting and did not really seem to be moving.

I ended up going to the General McMullen location, the officers were friendly and helpful. The line was moving very fast. So, if you are taking the license here in San Antonio, I would highly recommend the General McMullen location over any other. I did call ahead to check how busy they are before I head out there.

The Driving Test

You will need a family member or friend to come along with a following passenger vehicle. This is important, since you don’t have a license yet, you need to get there in a passenger vehicle and have someone with a Class M motorcycle license to drive the motorcycle there or put it on a bike rack to transport the motorcycle with you to the office location.

The passenger vehicle is also needed for the examiner to ride along behind you while you are taking the driving test in order to give you directions.

Again, you will need to score high than 70% to pass the test. On the examination sheet, it is counted as points deducted. So you need to have less than 30 deductions to pass.

I decided to take the driving test the same day, so we can get this done and over with. Here’s a list of items you need in order to take the driving test.

1. Proof of insurance and Texas vehicle registration for the motorcycle you are taking the test with
2. A Department of Transportation (DOT) approved helmet
3. A passenger vehicle with a friend or family member with valid driver license, proof of insurance and Texas vehicle registration for the vehicle
4. Paper work the officer gave you after you have passed the written exam
5. Motorcycle examination fee of $15 (cash or check, no credit cards), it is paid after you have taken the driving test

Before you go on the road test, the examiner will walk you through to inspect the motorcycle with turn signals, headlamp, break light, rear-view mirror. Then the examiner will check the same thing for the passenger / following vehicle. After that, the examiner will instruct you on how he/she will signal you when to turn left or right. Our examiner told me to turn left when they honk once and to turn right when they honk twice.

Make sure to use your signals WHENEVER YOU TURN, even in the parking lot and when taking off. Your every move is being examined.

One thing she told me and I did not do quite enough was exaggerate the turning of your head while checking for left and right traffic whenever you stop and/or going through an intersection.

One thing that made my driving test real easy is that I am on a scooter, which I don’t have to shift gears. Since that is one of the items that the examiner will look at.

Hope this is helpful to some of you out there who are looking into saving gas with motorcycle, and riding for fun~

Thank you Jeremy for taking me to get this done today~

Here are some helpful websites if you would like to do further research.

• Texas Department of Public Safety – Drivers License FAQ for Motorcycle
• DMV.ORG – The Unofficial Online Guide to the TEXAS DMV Guide for Motorcycle
• TestQuestionsAndAnswers.com – Texas Motorcycle License Guide