By Robert McCoppin
Tribune reporter
July 28, 2014
After graduating from Illinois’ motorcycle safety class, instructors say, some students rush out and buy a monster racing bike that can go 140 mph — and they can’t handle it.
“Motorcycles keep getting bigger,” said Scott Mochinski, a safety class administrator. “They’re higher-risk, much heavier, and more powerful. … If you’ve never ridden and you’re bringing in a big heavy motorcycle, it’s very difficult.”
Yet to get a motorcycle classification on a driver’s license in Illinois, students don’t have to use one of the bigger bikes to take the driving test. They can test on a smaller motorcycle, then go out and ride whatever they want.
That might not always be the case, as the state contemplates the creation of a new class of motorcycle license.
Instead of offering licenses in just two size classes — one for cycles with an engine displacement of less than 150 cubic centimeters, like off-road bikes and scooters, and another for all other sizes — Illinois would add a third category for the bigger motorcycles, possibly starting at about 600 cc. And drivers would have to test on the size bike they intend to ride.