Driving Test Wh00tage

seamus

Yes, on the day I pass my motorbike driving test, we get a Motorbikes forum. It's a sign

I'm a happy man....

KTRIC

seamus wrote:

Yes, on the day I pass my motorbike driving test, we get a Motorbikes forum. It's a sign

I'm a happy man....

Congrat's man, I bet it's a huge weight off your chest.

seamus

K-TRIC wrote:

Congrat's man, I bet it's a huge weight off your chest.

Absolutely. Last time I went to do the test, I was very anxious about it, and then the (school) bike broke down on the way to the test centre, so I couldn't do the test. So it's been hanging over me for the last 6 months.

Got me €150 off my insurance too. Damn my young age...

tk123

Well done seamus! where did you do the test? I applied for a cancelation after my I failed (rip off!!! :mad: ) last month and i'm doing it Churchtown next week..

omb0wyn5ehpij9

Congrats dude

a_ominous

Well done that man. :cool: Gotta start saving now for the Hayabusa or whatever you fancy. And the insurance. :mad:

150 yoyos refund? You mustn't have much time to run on current insurance. Loading for a provisional licence is something like 30 or 35%. Don't forget to mention MAG or other motorbike club membership. Carole Nash give 10% additional discount for this.

seamus

a_ominous wrote:

150 yoyos refund? You mustn't have much time to run on current insurance.

I only just renewed :mad:
See my other thread on insurance.

where did you do the test? I applied for a cancelation after my I failed (rip off!!! ) last month and i'm doing it Churchtown next week..

Did it in Finglas. Pretty much all small roads/estates where you're limited to 20-30mph, except for a little stretch of "dual carraigeway" where you can up it to 60kph, so the low speeds help make it easy.

Hotblack Desiato

Congrats! Don't forget to apply for your full licence right away, your 2 year restriction clock only starts ticking when you get the full licence, not when you pass the test...

causal

Congrat's Seamus
...are you on a restricted or did you have a provisional before 2000?
If you're provisional isn't restricted then your full licence shouldn't be restricted either - no harm to double check and make sure.
Also, it might say on the cert of competency whether there is a restriction or not.

It's been a few years since I passed the bike test, is the outline of the test format as follows:
check docs
questions on road signs
questions on rotr
inspect bike for ...
ask technical q's on bike ...
ride around following instructions using headset
slow speed control
walk with bike
do a U-turn
...or is there anything additional to all that?

causal

seamus

causal wrote:

Congrat's Seamus
...are you on a restricted or did you have a provisional before 2000?
If you're provisional isn't restricted then your full licence shouldn't be restricted either - no harm to double check and make sure.
Also, it might say on the cert of competency whether there is a restriction or not.

It's been a few years since I passed the bike test, is the outline of the test format as follows:
check docs
questions on road signs
questions on rotr
inspect bike for ...
ask technical q's on bike ...
ride around following instructions using headset
slow speed control
walk with bike
do a U-turn
...or is there anything additional to all that?

causal

Nah only got mine in 2002. I've no plans in getting anything bigger than the restriction in the next two years anyway.

What you said there is pretty much spot on, except the walk with the bike is after the technical questions when out beside the bike. Only 8-10 feet forward and about 5 feet backwards, you'd have to be tiny or clumsy to fluff it.

tk123

hey did your tester get out of the car and walk in front of you when you had to drive slow?

seamus

tk123 wrote:

hey did your tester get out of the car and walk in front of you when you had to drive slow?

Beside me, yep.

tk123

The guy I had last month didn't even get out of the car!! I'm freaking myself out abt my test next week!

causal

tk123 wrote:

The guy I had last month didn't even get out of the car!! I'm freaking myself out abt my test next week!

Everyone is nervous doing their test so try not to worry about that - just give it your best shot on the day.
Do the same preparation you did for your last test - but add extra effort to the area(s) that you were failed for.
And remember, they're not looking for perfection - they want to see competence and confidence.

good luck,
causal

seamus

causal wrote:

And remember, they're not looking for perfection - they want to see competence and confidence.

I think that's the key. This was my second time doing the bike test. A couple of weeks back, I did the Ignition course for the car, but it also helped by biking a good bit too. I realised that in the bike test, they're not looking for technical perfection, or seeing if you can remember 50-step procedures for approaching hazards. All they're looking for is the ability to drive (i.e. control the vehicle, take up the correct position), confidence in your driving (but not arrogance), and above all else, a good attitude to safety, i.e. Giving other drivers plenty of indication, watching everywhere, awareness of what's going on.

There's no technical manual you can follow to pass the bike driving test, and the tester isn't looking to penalise you for indicating 0.5 secs later than he would have, or driving 10cm from the ideal road position. In my test, I saw plenty of things which could have been marked down as errors*, but in the end there were only 3 grade 2's on my sheet.

All I can tell you is to not get too bogged down in the "what do I need to do next?" or you'll forget what you're doing.

At one point, I approached a crossroads, going to turn left. There was traffic in front of me turning right, and a gap beside them big enough for the bike, but not the tester's car. It was a narrow enough junction. As I overtook/turned left, a large jeep turned into the road I was turning into (turning to his right). Now, I had right-of-way, but he was bigger than me, and in a more compromised position than I was, so I stopped. Didn't jam on, but I didn't come to a gentle stop either. He went and I carried on my merry way. It didn't appear on the sheet at all. IMO, it couldn't have been dealt with any better, but in theory I could have been marked down on any of a number of technicalities.

tk123

I'm putting the last test down to incompetence - on the instructors part!!

Snaga

Congrats Seamus, I passed mine last month too - it was about time I got around to doing it.

Your post above is spot on - simply drive competently and confidently while showing that you are aware of whats going on around you (slightly exagerated mirror checking and not forgetting your lifesaver.... ever).

Oh and for the love of god dont try and filter between traffic

tk123

YAAAAAAAAY I passed!! What a relief!!!

KTRIC

tk123 wrote:

YAAAAAAAAY I passed!! What a relief!!!

Congrats, what bike are you driving ?

tk123

I have a VanVan125 and the bike I used for the test was a cb 250. I was so nervous thou cos of yer man failing me a few weeks ago but I was grand.. This time I was only out for abt 25 mins and the test was more professional and more structured. I gotmy first glimmer of hope/confidence back when a guy came out before me and had failed - i figured the 50% pass rate was in my favour!! **Sorry if you are reading this acorn student who was in Churchtown this morning**

seamus

Congrats. That's a load off

tk123 wrote:

I gotmy first glimmer of hope/confidence back when a guy came out before me and had failed - i figured the 50% pass rate was in my favour!!

LOL

causal

Congrat's tk123
Remember your 2 years of bondage only start from the date of issue of your shiny new full licence, not 2 years from the date of passing your test, so get your application in quick-style.

Well done
causal