# Schwarzenegger terminated his bike licence in Europe, never got one in America **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 11, 2006, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schwarzenegger-terminated-his-bike-licence-in-europe-never-got-one-in-america/339431 "2006-01-11T03:16:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schwarzenegger-terminated-his-bike-licence-in-europe-never-got-one-in-america/339431/21 "2006-01-11T16:14:39Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > Well, he would have to have been pretty damn ignorant to not know you need a special license in CA. DMV makes things like that pretty obvious. > > Isn’t there a legal doctrine known as ‘willfull blindness’? Really, I’ve never seen advertisements anywhere that say you need a separate license for motorcycles. I’ve moved from state to state quite a few times and never in the process of getting a new license or establishing residency in a new state have I ever seen posters or been told in any way that I’d need a separate license if I wanted to operate a motorcycle. A great number of bikers do not have motorcyle licenses, for whatever reasons. I’m really not sure why people seem to care about this at all. It’s a licensing matter and just means Arnold will have to go get a license and possible pay an incredibly trivial fine. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schwarzenegger-terminated-his-bike-licence-in-europe-never-got-one-in-america/339431/22 "2006-01-11T17:33:14Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > Good heavens! To think I could have gone through my whole life without knowing Schwarzenegger didn’t have a Californian licence for a sidecar! Thank God for the SDMB! And I bet I wasn’t the only one who was sadly ignorant of that fact. Good job fighting ignorance there GIGObuster. As is so typical of your lack of attention, it is not a sidecar license what he needed. Relatively speaking, is not a big deal, however there is a lot of hypocrisy going on, so much for the law and order crowd. IOKIYAR ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schwarzenegger-terminated-his-bike-licence-in-europe-never-got-one-in-america/339431/23 "2006-01-11T17:41:22Z")
It’s a lousy traffic offense. Issue him a ticket and get on with your lives. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schwarzenegger-terminated-his-bike-licence-in-europe-never-got-one-in-america/339431/24 "2006-01-11T17:46:52Z")
> [@Martin Hyde](#): > > A great number of bikers do not have motorcyle licenses, for whatever reasons. > > I’m really not sure why people seem to care about this at all. It’s a licensing matter and just means Arnold will have to go get a license and possible pay an incredibly trivial fine. Could it be that they care because: 1. It is still illegal not to have one if you have a motorcycle. 2. It is a trivial fine now, but you are ignoring that he had an accident without a license before; by this time any other regular Joe should be facing more severe penalties. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schwarzenegger-terminated-his-bike-licence-in-europe-never-got-one-in-america/339431/25 "2006-01-11T17:49:56Z")
Since he is the Governor of the state, let’s just deem all state roads to be his private roads, and call it a day. Well, maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schwarzenegger-terminated-his-bike-licence-in-europe-never-got-one-in-america/339431/26 "2006-01-11T18:07:22Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Could it be that they care because: > > 1. It is still illegal not to have one if you have a motorcycle. > > 2. It is a trivial fine now, but you are ignoring that he had an accident without a license before; by this time any other regular Joe should be facing more severe penalties. 1. So? It’s illegal to exceed 65 miles per hour on the interstate here in Virginia, yet I do it every day. I’m willing to bet most everyone else who drives the interstate does so as well. In general society doesn’t take it as the biggest deal in the world if you break one of the many regulatory laws out there that result in trifling fines as a consequence. How many of us have forgotten to get our car’s inspected before the sticker expires? How many people have forgotten to get their registration updated? How many have driven around having forgotten to put your updated proof of insurance form you recently received in the mail in your glove box? Sure it’s illegal. But that also doesn’t make it a big deal. I agree people should be required to get licenses to operate motor vehicles, but I also typically don’t think minor vehicle regulatory violations are a big deal. 1. More than likely average Joe still wouldn’t be in a lot of trouble. He’d probably have to pay a heftier fine this time around and would be threatened with losing his regular driver’s license and some other bad things if he didn’t immediately get a motorcycle license. As it is, it’s possible the police weren’t even aware of the fact that he didn’t have a motorcycle license prior to this. It’s possible that Schwarzenegger settled the first thing without involving the police, lots of people who have collisions with motor vehicles that are parked will just leave contact info and then later compensate the person who’s car they damaged or exchange insurance information. It’s also possible the police were involved, and they may have just accepted Arnold’s regular driver’s license and not thought twice about the fact that it wasn’t a motorocycle license. Or maybe they gave him a pass because he was the governor (or was it before he was governor?) Who knows. None of it is a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![shelbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schwarzenegger-terminated-his-bike-licence-in-europe-never-got-one-in-america/339431/27 "2006-01-11T18:22:49Z")
California cops don’t make too big a deal of it either. I was pulled over riding a motorcycle in Berkeley a few years ago. No motorcycle license. The cop didn’t even mention it – just told me I had coasted a stop sign a little too agressively, and to watch it in the future. (I think he was checking to see if I had been drinking – it was around midnight. I hadn’t been.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schwarzenegger-terminated-his-bike-licence-in-europe-never-got-one-in-america/339431/28 "2006-01-11T18:31:24Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Could it be that they care because: > > 1. It is still illegal not to have one if you have a motorcycle. \*\*Not true. \*\* It is only illegal if you _drive_ a motorcycle on a public _highway_. You can “have” all you want, and even ride them off road, or at a racetrack. And, it is also _only_ illegal if you drive your motorcycle _without_ a sidecar. Yes, I know- and I’d expect one to know- that you need a different class of license to operate a side-car-less motorcycle on a public highway. BUT the whole point is- the Governator was driving his motorcycle \*with \* a sidecar. Generally, only a “class C” license is needed- which he has. I have heard there is some quibble going on about the _type_ of sidecar. Now, _that_ I’d never heard of, and IF it turns out that Arnold’s sidecar isn’t quite the “right” sort to qualify for “only” a Class C license, then this is certainly a tempest in a teapot. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schwarzenegger-terminated-his-bike-licence-in-europe-never-got-one-in-america/339431/29 "2006-01-11T18:58:41Z")
I’m almost tempted to Pit him for driving a sidecar. An abomination I tell you. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schwarzenegger-terminated-his-bike-licence-in-europe-never-got-one-in-america/339431/30 "2006-01-11T20:04:50Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > \*\*Not true. \*\* It is only illegal if you _drive_ a motorcycle on a public _highway_. [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/11/GUV.TMP](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/11/GUV.TMP) > [@](#): > > Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger loves to talk about roaring down the **Pacific Coast Highway** on his Harley-Davidson, the wind in his hair. But he acknowledged Tuesday one small problem in that free-as-a-bird scenario: He “never thought about” getting a license to pilot his hog, which police say he’s been driving illegally – apparently for years. However, I stand corrected on the motorcycle licence needed elsewere. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schwarzenegger-terminated-his-bike-licence-in-europe-never-got-one-in-america/339431/31 "2006-01-11T21:05:25Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > Closed roads and street sets. You don’t film a chase scene on an open road – creates difficulties with moving violations. 😃 But its still a public road. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schwarzenegger-terminated-his-bike-licence-in-europe-never-got-one-in-america/339431/32 "2006-01-11T21:14:37Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > But its still a public road. :dubious: Typically if there is going to be any filming done on public roads that would involve a chase scene or anything like that I’m sure paperwork is filed and “exceptions” made so that standard traffic laws no longer apply. Otherwise stunt men would be paying tickets constantly for speeding, reckless driving, et cetera. I’m actually not even sure as to how often the practice of filming road-scenes on real roads actually is, or if it was even done extensively in any of the movies Schwarzenegger filmed. I do know that the chase scene in the French Connection was supposedly filmed illegally and in real traffic (the baby carriage was staged, though.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2006, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schwarzenegger-terminated-his-bike-licence-in-europe-never-got-one-in-america/339431/33 "2006-01-11T21:32:33Z")
Yawn. Let me know if Arnold doesn’t have a gun licence for some of those firearms I’ve seen him carry. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schwarzenegger-terminated-his-bike-licence-in-europe-never-got-one-in-america/339431/34 "2006-01-12T02:04:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger loves to talk about roaring down the Pacific Coast Highway on his Harley-Davidson, the wind in his hair. The wind in is hair? Doesn’t CA have a mandatory helmet law? ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schwarzenegger-terminated-his-bike-licence-in-europe-never-got-one-in-america/339431/35 "2006-01-12T03:22:38Z")
AFAIK, states don’t issue a separate license to operate motorcycles, mopeds, buses, or commercial motor vehicles. You obtain a license, period. The class of license determines what you may legally operate, along with special endorsements. Apparently there’s a conflict in the CA MVC regarding definition of legally appropriate vehicles for a class C and what defines a motorcycle re number of wheels, etc. Somebody operating a motorcycle without the proper endorsement fails to get my hackles up. Their greatest danger is likely to themselves. So he tests for a motorcycle, and life goes on. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schwarzenegger-terminated-his-bike-licence-in-europe-never-got-one-in-america/339431/36 "2006-01-12T03:57:22Z")
> [@Martin Hyde](#): > > I’m actually not even sure as to how often the practice of filming road-scenes on real roads actually is, or if it was even done extensively in any of the movies Schwarzenegger filmed. Most of the chase shots were [filmed on a street set](http://www.cameraguild.com/interviews/chat_burgess/burgess_terminator3.htm) on private property. > [@](#): > > The Downey facility provided huge parking lots and hangars for building the biggest sets, including three blocks with sidewalks, streetlights and building facades. Two big chase sequences were filmed there. “It allowed us to shoot chases in a very controlled environment,” he says. If you’re going to film on a public road, you get a permit and close it off. No traffic – no traffic laws. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schwarzenegger-terminated-his-bike-licence-in-europe-never-got-one-in-america/339431.md?page=1)