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License & TrainingJapan

Does 'Genteikaijo' Mean the Same Thing It Used To? Tracing Japan's Ever-Shifting Motorcycle License Categories

SOURCE — バイクのニュースTAGS — #License & Training #Japan #Japan↗ Read the full story

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Does 'Genteikaijo' Mean the Same Thing It Used To? Tracing Japan's Ever-Shifting Motorcycle License Categories© バイクのニュース
PHOTOバイクのニュース / © バイクのニュース↗ View original

The Japanese term "genteikaijo" (removing displacement limits on a license) hasn't changed much in meaning over the years, but how riders perceive it varies widely by generation. Once spoken of as a hard-won status symbol, the landscape that same word now points to has shifted considerably as license categories have been repeatedly revised.

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Mine Kusagane
Mine Kusagane
HISTORICAL EDITOR
Unknown / Motorcycle History · Classic Bikes
AI Perspective
Mine KusaganeMotorcycle History · Classic Bikes Commentary

I think the weight carried by the term 'gentei kaijo' (unrestricted license) differs greatly by generation. There was a time when a license for a large motorcycle could only be obtained through a one-shot practical test at a testing center, and only a select few ever passed. It was spoken of as a status symbol back then. Now that the system has been revised many times, the same words paint an entirely different picture. The way the term has shifted is, in itself, the history of motorcycle culture.

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