I've been riding for about 20 years, some of those have been, uummmm, how shal I say it, legal. Here in South Dakota, a pretty motorcycle friendly state, you can pass the motorcycle safety course and get your license. Or you can do the computer based test then do your road test. In my experience, the folks doing the road test really don't have any biking experience so to main things they look for are speed and staying on the correct side of the road. Tipping over would also be seen as bad. Our road tests are exactly that, they ask you to strap a speaker to your jacket for instructions, then follow in a car while you ride around the local streets. The road tests are easy! If you strictly want a license, that's the way to go. The safety courses, however, will truly teach you to be a safe and skilled rider. So I guess, if you were here, I would say do the test to get the license, but the find the time to do the safety courses. I can pretty much point out every hockey puck on the road who is riding to be cool and those who enjoy the skill and freedom involved.
I feel the need to say that riding "in formation" does not imply the formation of a swarm of bees.