Getting a permit and taking the DMV test may feel like a shortcut, but it can be a lot harder than it looks. I won’t even get into the safety issues (there are plenty here to address that). But from a logistics standpoint, you need to get yourself a bike to practice on. That means you need to take your BS-looking paper permit, convince some bike seller to let you test his bike to see if you want to buy it (good luck with that, because if you drop it and get hurt, the seller is probably screwed). Once you get the bike, you have to get it home (avoiding freeways and sunset, as your permit typically won’t let you ride on superslab or in the dark), Once home, you can call Geico and find out how much insurance costs for a new rider with a permit. Assuming you still have enough equity in your home, you can pay for insurance as a semi-licensed biker and you are ready to start practicing.
If you work at it, it is possible to teach yourself enough to pass the DMV test (which at least in Cali is tougher than the MSF class) and then you’re legit. Now you can bask in your success and try to ignore the fact that the lazy guys who took the MSF are all now getting discounts on their MC insurance, dropped someone elses bike on their first day and went bike shopping with a full legit MC license.
Different strokes…