I'm getting my motorcycle license!

Last year, I finally stopped being a 'paper driver' for the first time in 20 years.
And this year, after my trip to Thailand 🇹🇭, I felt inspired to get my motorcycle license, so I've started attending a driving school.

↓ Click here for the story of my trip to Thailand

I originally planned to get it within two weeks, but one thing led to another, and it looks like it will take until around next month.

In this post, I'd like to explain the different motorcycle license categories and how to choose a course so you don't make any mistakes.

🏍️ Why I chose the standard motorcycle AT-only license

After returning from Thailand, I signed up for the 'Standard Motorcycle AT-Only' license.

The Grab bikes I rode in Thailand 🇹🇭, Vietnam 🇻🇳, and Indonesia 🇮🇩 were basically 125cc AT bikes.

By the way, the standard car license I got 20 years ago is AT-only.

The reason is simple: it's easier to operate than an MT.

'I'm sure an AT bike will be easier too.'
'Besides, if I get the standard license, I can ride smaller bikes too.'

That naive thinking was blown away during my first practical lesson 😅

🏍️ The bike was bigger than I imagined, and the solution to overcoming my fear

The training bike is a 400cc, roughly 250kg large motorcycle.

Just keeping it upright was a struggle.
I was filled with fear, wondering if I could really ride it.

In the first session, I could only manage to ride a little bit in a straight line.
By the second session, I was finally able to navigate the training course.

As with dancing or riding a bicycle, the most important thing is your gaze.

If you look down because of fear, you'll lose your balance.
Once I consciously started looking ahead, I naturally became more stable.

🏍️Is an automatic motorcycle easy?

On an automatic motorcycle, you adjust for curves and such using the throttle on your right hand.

Unlike a manual motorcycle, because there is no clutch operation,
throttle control is extremely important.

For the narrow plank, slalom, and cornering,
you have to maintain balance entirely with the throttle.

If you stall, you lose your balance, so you need to keep your speed constant.

When talking to various instructors,

They said, "This bike isn't even sold anymore.The standard automatic motorcycle license tasks are quite difficult. They're more than twice as hard as the manual ones, if not more."😅😅😅

Hearing that made me even more anxious🤯🤯🤯

🏍️I changed my license category!

I miraculously cleared the slalom, but
I'm still a long way from finishing the first stage.

At this point,I decided to switch to the small automatic motorcycle license.

When I looked into it, I found that the mainstream in the countries I've visited so far isthe 125cc small automatic motorcycle.
This class seems to be common in Asia.

It seems 400cc bikes had a boom in Japan in the 1980s and 1990s, but they aren't mainstream now. I was told that there are very few 400cc bikes even being sold in the first place.

"Is it necessary to keep struggling for a bike I don't plan on riding?"

Thinking that, I changed direction.

🏍️What a 400cc, 250kg bike taught me

After trying to ride a 250kg bike,
the feeling of being able to do something I thought I couldn't is extremely fun.

It reminded me of the joy I felt when I stopped being a 'paper driver' last year.

It's like the feeling of when my father helped me take the training wheels off my bicycle and I was able to ride it.

If a good teacher guides you, you can learn to do anything.

That also leads to self-confidence.

🏍️ Choose your license based on your goal!

In some Western countries, it seems that manual transmission is the mainstream in certain places.

How you choose your license depends on the country you want to visit and the motorcycle you want to ride.

If you are traveling mainly in Asia and want to move around cost-effectively, a small-sized motorcycle AT-only license is sufficient.

🏍️ Why should you get your license when you are young?

With my father's understanding, I obtained my regular driver's license when I was 18. (My mother was strongly against it.)

Obtaining a license takes time and effort. And I feel that there are some things that are easier to challenge precisely because you are young.

As we age, it is in a sense natural due to the structure of the human body that the sensations in our hands and feet and our reaction speeds gradually decline.

Driving a motorcycle or car involves significant movement with just the slightest steering or throttle operation. That is why there is no doubt that having experience while young is advantageous.

However, on the other hand, if you are conscious of maintaining muscle strength, physical stamina, and managing your diet, you can sufficiently overcome this even as you age. The accumulation of daily habits is extremely important.

🏍️ I'm hooked on 'Kyoshu Ningen Badaider'!

YouTube driving school videos were also a huge help when my father graduated from being a 'paper driver' (someone with a license but no driving experience).

And for this motorcycle training as well, I watch 'Kyoshu Ningen Badaider,' which teaches in a fun and interesting way, and repeat reviewing and previewing.

I do image training with the videos before taking the lessons. Of course, there are many things that can only be understood after actually moving your body during the lessons.

But having the knowledge in your head beforehand is truly important.

Adults often find that 'they cannot move their bodies until they understand' things.

Image → Understanding → Practice.

Just having this sequence makes it easier to achieve results. My motorcycle license acquisition might still take a little time, but I would like to report it here once I have successfully obtained it.