Experiences

A morning at the DMV

Or how I got my M1 licence

Well, after years and years of reading about motorcycles --Hough's Proficient Motorcycling and its sequel, the province's Official Motorcycle Handbook-- I'm about to get tested on my knowledge.

It was 10:30 when I walked in my local DMV office, called DriveTest centre in Ontario, requesting to pass the written test for my M1 license. Just my luck, the notoriously slow licence bureau of the MTO has been privatized three days before.

What was involved, 55 minutes later? $15 and a simple vision test (damm, I scored 20/20 18 years ago when I got my driver's licence.) There were also 24 multiple-choice questions, of which I got 23 right et voila, I'm legally allowed to ride in Ontario -- as long as

• I don't have anyone in the bitch seat (ok, pillion seat for you politically correct people)
• I don't ride after sunset
• I don't ride on the superslab.

Oh, and there's the nasty little detail about having a bike, too. That will come in the spring, unless the deal of the century comes my way.

The M1 is valid for 60 to 90 days, by the way, and the next step, the M2, happens after I pass my parking-lot-road test (Sept 14, at the end of my rider training course) and then fill some paperwork, after the 60-day waiting period. How about that M2, you ask? Well, it's part of Ontario graduated licensing program, and you'll find more details at the Web site of the MTO.

Next step? The three-hour theory class of my motorcycle training course. Full report to follow.