Even if you want to go to a driving school to get a motorcycle license, how much will it cost to get a motorcycle license for the first time? What do you do? Can you suddenly get Heavy Motorcycle? What do you need? There are so many things I don't understand.
Here we will answer any questions you may have about attending such a driving school, and provide information that you may be missing out on if you do not know.

Could that driving school actually be a loss? How to choose a driving school

Things may vary depending on the driving school! ? First, check your eligibility for admission.

The age limit for admission to driving schools varies by driving school, ranging from 15 to 18 years old.

You can get a Regular Motorcycle license from the age of 16.
In other words, if you are acquiring it at a driving school, you must enroll a few months before your 16th birthday at the earliest, and you must have reached your 16th birthday by the time you take Final Driving Test (examination taken at graduation). However, please note that depending on the driving school, the rules may differ, such as some driving schools requiring you to be 16 years old, and others requiring you to be at least 18 years old.

How tall do you need to be to get a motorcycle license?

Also, in the case of motorcycles, we often receive the question, ``Can I enter the facility even though I am only 〇〇cm tall?'' This is a very difficult question to answer.
Whether or not your feet can reach the ground when you actually straddle it depends not only on your height and leg length, but also on the seat height of the training vehicle you're using and how much the rear suspension sinks under your weight. Therefore, I cannot give you a general answer. Therefore, we apologize for the inconvenience, but we recommend that you come to our driving school and actually straddle the bike.
In fact, a female acquaintance of the author who was 142 cm tall was able to obtain a Heavy Motorcycle license in the past, so just because you are short doesn't necessarily mean you can't get one.

Please do not give up just because you tried it at one driving school and it didn't work. The car model used may differ depending on the driving school, and even within the same car model, the seat height may vary slightly depending on the settings. Furthermore, some driving schools have training cars with significantly lowered specifications (lower vehicle height) for smaller people.

Even if you obtain the same license, the training fees vary depending on the driving school. What is the difference?

Even though it is the same license, the fees can vary greatly depending on the driving school. The content and hours of training at designated driving schools are stipulated by law, so there are almost no significant differences, but in the case of motorcycles, the cost of training at the driving school can vary greatly depending on the course. It's coming.

I won't go into detailed criteria, but I'll give you a rough idea: [If the motorcycle course is larger than a certain size and is completely separated so that four-wheelers cannot enter] [If the two-wheeler course is larger than a certain size] There are three types: when four wheels and two wheels run together; and when the two-wheel course is less than a certain size and four wheels and two wheels run together; and the same for one instructor (driving school teacher). The number of students allowed to train at the same time varies.

For example, even if five instructors are engaged in motorcycle training at the same time, a driving school with the first course listed can teach up to 23 students, but a driving school with the last course listed can teach up to 23 students. I can only teach up to 10 people. As a result, the cost of training can vary by more than double.
On the other hand, since one instructor sees multiple trainees, the amount of attention and advice given to each student tends to be lacking. If you would like to take lessons, I think it would be a good idea to choose a driving school that does not have a dedicated course and offers mixed lessons, although it will be more expensive.

Don't just compare prices; make the most of great discounts inside and outside the driving school.

Maybe it's not published on the web? Take advantage of driving school discounts

When comparing driving school prices, please be careful about discounts. There are discounts for driving schools based on various conditions, such as discounts for introducing friends and when multiple people apply at the same time.

Especially if you have a regular car license, please contact the driving school where you obtained your regular car license. You may be able to get a significant discount from the amount published on the website with alumni discounts.

Make the most of discounts outside the driving school

Discounts also exist outside of driving schools. For example, motorcycle shops offer discounts of tens of thousands of dollars off the purchase price of motorcycles to those who newly obtain a motorcycle license under the name of a license acquisition support campaign. You may have to apply before entering the driving school, so be sure to check before entering!

I also need to check other things, what are the costs other than the minimum training fee?

Next, pay attention to the driving school's warranty and shuttle bus. If there is no guarantee, even if it seems cheap at first, the cost of supplementary training may increase and end up being expensive.
Also, if there is no shuttle bus nearby and you plan to commute by train, take the train fare into account.
No matter how efficiently you make reservations for lessons, you will have to visit the driving school about 10 times, so round-trip transportation costs x 10 will be incurred. Even if the driving school has a cheap training fee, it may be more expensive than a nearby driving school if transportation costs are taken into account.

The cheapest way to get Heavy Motorcycle without Regular Motorcycle license

"Suddenly large" is legally OK, but...

First of all, legally speaking, it is possible to obtain Heavy Motorcycle license even if you do not have Regular Motorcycle license. However, since the training hours that must be taken will increase, the total training time will be approximately the same as if you had taken Regular Motorcycle in order. Therefore, even if you skip Regular Motorcycle training process and suddenly enroll in a driving school to acquire Heavy Motorcycle, the training fee will not be much cheaper.

So how can I get it cheaply?
It's a trick that requires a bit of skill, but you can try getting just Regular Motorcycle license for now, and then immediately take a one-shot test for Heavy Motorcycle license at an exam center.

The difficult part of obtaining a license is "legal driving"

This is because the most difficult part of obtaining a license is the ``legal driving'' part, which involves driving in accordance with the law. If you have a regular driver's license, it's easy to imagine that you should give a signal several meters before the intersection, check for safety, change course, check again for safety, and then turn. That's what it is.

If you have just finished Regular Motorcycle lessons and obtained your license, you will probably have a good amount of knowledge regarding legal driving, so you should be able to do well in this area, where points tend to be deducted the most.
All you have to do is take the test at the proving ground in the same way, so if you were able to pass Regular Motorcycle Final Driving Test with a comfortable margin, you have a good chance of passing the test at the proving ground.

If you find it difficult to take Regular Motorcycle Final Driving Test at a driving school, it is better to give up and get Heavy Motorcycle certification at the driving school, but if you can pass the test at the driving school in one try, you can also take the certification course after passing. The cost of acquiring Heavy Motorcycle is only 22,750 yen. You can get your license much cheaper than getting it at a driving school.

MT license recommendation

AT motorcycles are not good at turning in tight corners.

In the case of a motorcycle license, I strongly recommend obtaining a manual transmission.
This is because when acquiring a motorcycle license, there are often scenes where you are required to make small turns such as slalom, figure-eight runs, and U-turns.
In order to obtain a license for AT only, you will have to conduct training on a so-called big scooter, but due to the characteristics of the vehicle, it has higher straight-line stability than MT cars, but on the other hand, it is not good at turning in tight corners, so it is difficult to clear such training tasks. is not very suitable.

AT motorcycles have excellent stability, but...

So, is it suitable for low-speed training that requires stability? However, unlike regular cars, two-wheeled AT cars are structurally free from the ``creep phenomenon'' in which the car slowly moves forward without opening the accelerator.
Therefore, in order to move the car forward, you have to open the accelerator to a certain extent, but it is quite difficult to maintain a low speed while opening the accelerator to the extent that the clutch engages and the car moves. In reality, you use the rear brake to decelerate while opening the accelerator, but if you inadvertently close the accelerator too much, the power will suddenly no longer be transmitted to the tires, causing you to lose your balance.

<Even if it is not available before then>
Even if you ignore these things, motorcycle licenses are different from regular cars, and there is an overwhelming demand for MT over AT, and there are driving schools that do not have AT driving cars, and there are driving schools that charge the same fee as MTAT. Even if you plan to only drive automatic transmission vehicles after obtaining your license, we recommend that you obtain a manual transmission license.

Clutch operation on motorcycles is performed using the lever on the left hand. Since the clutch is operated with the fingers of the hand, which provides more delicate control than with the foot, it is possible to control the clutch more delicately than with a car that is operated with the foot.

If you're someone who says, "Actually, I was trying to get a regular car with a manual transmission, but I couldn't operate the clutch properly so I changed to an AT midway through," why not give it another try when it comes to motorcycles?

What you need to enter a driving school and what to do at the driving school

Required documents and equipment vary depending on the driving school

Required documents vary depending on the driving school and prefecture.

First, regarding the required documents, the documents required for admission actually differ slightly depending on the driving school and the Public Safety Commission that has jurisdiction over the prefecture where the driving school is located.

When you think of getting a license, you may think that you need a residence card, but depending on the driving school you may not need it if you have another license, so be sure to check in advance to avoid wasting your money. Sho. In addition, you will need another form of identification other than your residence card, but some prefectures and driving schools require an insurance card or passport, while others may accept a student ID or utility bill. What you can do is different.

About motorcycle equipment

Regulations regarding motorcycle equipment differ depending on the driving school, but at least a helmet and gloves are mandatory. It's fine if your driving school lends them out, but if not, you'll need to provide your own.
Helmets in particular cost tens of thousands of yen, but in any case, you will need them if you buy and drive your own motorcycle after getting your license, so don't think that the cost of getting your license will go up.
Also, instead of buying a makeshift one just because you're just going to use it to get your driver's license, choose something sturdy. (It's different if you just get a license and don't ride, but I think there are very few people like that.)

About helmets

Please note that full-face helmets (including system helmets) or jet-type riding helmets that can be used for vehicles of 125cc or more are acceptable for training. Items that are not for riding, such as those used for construction work (items that do not have the PSC mark), or items that can only be used for 125cc or less(items that say 0.125ℓ or less) cannot be used in lessons.

Domestic riding helmets always have this PSC mark.

Also, please note that if you are using a helmet with a mirror shield or smoke shield, you may not be able to use it during training, or even if you can use it, you will be asked to open the shield. (Because the instructor cannot confirm the line of sight)

Mirror shield, this is not good for training because you can't see the line of sight.

In the case of the driving school I went to, it was possible to practice as long as it was open like this.

About gloves

There are some driving schools where work gloves are OK. To be honest, work gloves are sufficient in the driving school, but just like a helmet, you'll need them later, and considering safety in the event of a fall, it's best to go for something made of genuine leather.
Gloves range in price from around 2,000 yen to over several tens of thousands of yen, but to be honest, even cheap ones will suffice as long as they are made of sturdy leather. When using it at a driving school, you won't need to go that fast, so it's okay to prioritize operability.

If you are concerned about safety even after you get your driver's license, I think it is best to use something that has good protection on the palm side of your wrist, such as a patch. (I often rub the parts.)

this part

It's safe to have a fist guard like this on the back of your hand.

Wear a chest protector for safety

Also, as a little side note, if you are concerned about safety, you should also have a chest protector.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department's 2017 statistics on motorcycle fatalities in Tokyo, approximately 27% of the causes of death were chest injuries, the second most common cause of death after head injuries.
All other areas except the head and chest account for less than 10%, and these two areas alone account for 75% of the causes. You can buy it for around 3,000 yen, and it can be worn under your jacket to make it inconspicuous, so we recommend wearing it for safety reasons.

Something like this. It will not be noticeable if you attach it to the inside of your riding jacket.

Will there be on-road training or high-speed training? Driving Lessons by actually driving a motorcycle

Driving on the road on a motorcycle with your body exposed is scary, isn't it?
Don't worry, our motorcycle lessons do not involve going out on the actual road or driving on highways.

Therefore, there is no need to obtain a provisional license to ride on the road, so there is no provisional license for motorcycles. Of course, there is no need to pay the issuance fee for a provisional license to the government.

The first stage of skill training is basic operation and basic driving, and the second stage is advanced driving, starting with how to raise a fallen motorcycle and parking it, and basic operations by actually riding a motorcycle. We will also provide training on methods such as slalom, cranking, and sudden braking.

Even if it is not necessary? Subject (writing) lessons

Regarding academic training, if you only have a moped license or if you have no license at all, you will need to take it, but if you have a regular driver's license, you will only have one period.

The first period is also a set lesson called danger prediction, in which students ride a regular car on an actual course and learn about blind spots when seen from a regular car, and how motorcycles are seen from a regular car.
Although it is treated as a departmental class, it is held outdoors rather than in a classroom, so I don't think it really feels like a departmental class.

Also, for those who need to take academic classes, as mentioned above, this is a license without a provisional license, so there is no need to pass the written test for a provisional license in order to proceed to the second stage.

When is the best time to enter a driving school?

Notes on summer lessons

You might think, ``If you ride a motorcycle, you'll feel good in the wind, so wouldn't it be nice in the summer?'' However, the truth is, it gets hotter than you might imagine while riding a motorcycle.

To prevent injuries from falls at the driving school, students must wear long sleeves and long pants during motorcycle lessons. This doesn't change even if it's midsummer.

It's like wearing long sleeves, long pants, and a helmet in the middle of summer and being exposed to strong wind from an electric fan.In addition, there's even a stove called "Engine" right in front of you. Can you imagine how hot it will be?

Be especially careful! winter lessons

The most important thing to avoid is training in the winter. If there is snow or ice on the road, it will not be possible to conduct lessons in the first place, and even if lessons can be held, it will be extremely cold.

In particular, the biggest problem is cold hands that are directly hit by the wind while driving. If you are stiff, you will not be able to perform driving operations properly, especially clutch operations with your left hand that require delicate adjustments of force, and if you wear thick gloves to protect yourself from the cold, they will also hinder the movement of your fingers. Masu.

This is what a rugged winter glove looks like. Because the movement of the fingers is inhibited, detailed operations are more difficult than in the summer version.

These are the most maneuverable racing gloves I own. You can see the difference in the thickness of the fabric when you compare it to the one for winter riding around town.

Additionally, on cold roads, tire grip decreases, increasing the risk of falling, and sudden braking becomes more difficult than on warmer days.

Spring and fall admissions are recommended!

It depends on how long it will take you to graduate, but spring and fall are recommended times to take lessons. It's a perfect time of year, neither too hot nor too cold, so it's perfect for two-wheeled lessons where your body is in direct contact with the outside air.

In addition, in the case of motorcycles, if you do not graduate from a driving school within 9 months at the latest from the date of admission, your previous training will be invalidated.
When I joined the school, it was spring, but when I realized that there were many days when I couldn't go to the driving school, it was winter!I hurriedly made a reservation for the lesson, but the deadline expired before I could make it due to the snow! Please be careful not to let this happen.

What did you think? As you can see, there are many important points in motorcycle license training that you won't notice if you don't know.
We hope that this article will help those who are acquiring a motorcycle license for the first time to choose a driving school and to have a comfortable driving experience.