Meet Gus on test day, warm up on his mellow, twist-and-go Honda scooter, then take your DMV motorcycle skills test on the very same ride. No clutch. No gears. Just good vibes.
Three easy steps, same easy scooter the whole way.
Schedule your motorcycle skills test with the DMV (appointment only). Then call, text or email Gus with the date, time and DMV office.
Choose the Test-Day Quick Ride or the Course Warm-Up. Gus meets you at the DMV with the PCX ready to go.
Get comfy on the scooter, then take your skills test on the same ride. No borrowing a stranger's bike, no clutch to think about.
A Honda PCX 150. It's the friendliest ride Gus knows for first-timers.
Good to know: according to the CA DMV Motorcycle Handbook, the gear-shift part of the skills test is only performed on motorcycles with a clutch and gears.
Two simple test-day options. Both include using Gus's Honda PCX 150 for your DMV motorcycle skills test.
DMV application and test fees are separate and paid to the DMV. Bring your motorcycle instruction permit or license; the DMV requires one to ride. DMV offices Gus covers: the Test-Day Quick Ride is at the San Marcos DMV (590 Rancheros Dr, San Marcos, CA 92069), and Course Warm-Up exams are also at the San Marcos DMV. The day-before Course Warm-Up practice is at the Oceanside DMV (4005 Plaza Dr, Oceanside, CA 92056), which isn't currently doing M1 exams.
I live right here in Oceanside with my wife and our two sons. We're a beach family: we eat organic, we try to do right by people, and we believe in freedom and good energy.
I'm a deeply experienced rider with over 20 years of riding, with a clear understanding of safe riding technique and how to handle a bike well. I'll share what I know in a calm, simple way.
Test day should feel like the rest of beach life: patient, honest, and easy. I'll bring the scooter and the good vibes. You bring the curiosity.
Gus Lopez · Scooter insured
You need a two-wheeled motorcycle to take the California DMV motorcycle skills test, and a seated scooter like the PCX is one. (The DMV's stand-up "motorized scooter" category is a different thing and can't be used for a skills test.) The handbook notes the gear-shift portion is only performed on bikes with a clutch and gears. Rules can change, so always double-check at dmv.ca.gov.
Per the DMV handbook: a pre-trip inspection (naming controls like the starter, kill switch, throttle, brakes, signals and horn), plus a serpentine cone weave, circle rides and a slow ride inside marked lines. If you're applying for a motorcycle-only license and have never been licensed, an observation road test may also be required.
The application and fee, vision exam, knowledge tests, and booking your motorcycle driving test appointment (they're by appointment only). Bring your motorcycle instruction permit or license; the DMV says you must have one with you to ride. The DMV also requires proof of insurance for the vehicle used in the skills test. Gus's scooter is insured, and insurance is included in both options (the Test-Day Quick Ride and both versions of the Course Warm-Up). Easy Tide Rides provides that proof of insurance for the scooter. You just bring your own valid ID and your permit and appointment documents.
Two options: the Test-Day Quick Ride ($129.99) at the San Marcos DMV, where you meet Gus 30 minutes before your exam for 30 minutes of parking-lot practice, then take your test on his scooter (helmet, insurance, registration, the bike, and gas included); or the Course Warm-Up ($199), booked one of two ways, with the exam at the San Marcos DMV either way and insurance included. Day-before: 45 minutes of practice at the Oceanside DMV the day before your exam (after 5 PM), then you meet Gus at the San Marcos DMV 30 minutes before your exam and test on the same scooter. Same-day: meet Gus at the San Marcos DMV at 7:20 AM for 45 minutes of practice on the actual test course before the DMV opens, another 20 minutes in the parking lot after 8 AM, then take your test. DMV fees are separate.
Only with the same-day Course Warm-Up, which includes 45 minutes of practice on the actual test course at the San Marcos DMV at 7:20 AM, before the DMV opens. The Test-Day Quick Ride is parking-lot practice, and the day-before Course Warm-Up uses a practice layout that mirrors the pattern described in the DMV Motorcycle Handbook.
If you're 21+ and already comfortable riding, the CMSP course is optional. It's a 15-hour course (5 hours classroom, 10 riding), and it costs $425 for riders 21 and up and $395 for riders under 21. It's a great program, and completing it waives the DMV skills test. If you already ride and just want to take the DMV test on an easy scooter, Easy Tide Rides is the quicker route.
California requires riders under 21 to complete the California Motorcyclist Safety Program (CMSP) training course, which waives the DMV skills test. So Easy Tide Rides is for riders 21 and over. More at motorcyclesafetyca.com.
Nobody can promise that, and we won't. What we can promise is a relaxed warm-up on an easy scooter so you take your test feeling calm and walk in ready.
Yes. California law requires a U.S. DOT-compliant helmet on a motorcycle, including for the DMV motorcycle skills test. The Test-Day Quick Ride includes a helmet. For Course Warm-Up practice (day-before or same-day), please bring your own DOT-approved helmet.
It depends on your option. Test-Day Quick Ride: at the San Marcos DMV (590 Rancheros Dr, San Marcos, CA 92069), 30 minutes before your exam. Course Warm-Up, day-before: at the Oceanside DMV (4005 Plaza Dr, Oceanside, CA 92056) for 45 minutes of practice the day before your exam, after 5 PM, then at the San Marcos DMV 30 minutes before your exam the next day. Course Warm-Up, same-day: at the San Marcos DMV at 7:20 AM, before the DMV opens. Course Warm-Up exams are at the San Marcos DMV, because the Oceanside DMV isn't currently doing M1 exams.
Call or text Gus with your test date, time and DMV office.
(310) 654-7876Tap to call or text · or email easytiderides@gmail.com