FNG with a question (RITALN)

[RITALN]

Howdy everyone,

New guy here, veteran tintop forum user but first time on KB, hope to learn a thing or three :)

Intro leads to question so bear with me...

I moved to QLD from NZ back in 2010 for a job opportunity that would allow me enjoy a change of scenery while saving for an epic SE Asia adventure, and most importantly chase a girl I hardly knew but was head over heels for.

Unfortunately, I had to leave the other love of my life behind; my Ver. 5 WRX STi I have daily-driven and raced since I moved to NZ waay back in '06 :( Since I couldn't bring myself to sell the rex, my buying options were greatly limited when looking at transportation options due to money being on the thin side, and cars being so damn expensive in Aussie.

I have several friends who are heart-and-soul riders (all of the sportbike/streetfighter vein), and always lusted after the Gixxers and R1s I would see around (not to mention my buddys 996 SPS...), so figured I would take the opportunity (rather the almost perfect Surfers weather) to learn to ride... after all I could get a baby-sportbike I would love for the price of a borderline shxtter I would hate. So after doing the rounds I bought a MINT 1987 GSX-250R (black on black) for a song, signed up for Q-Ride, and after my first session teaching myself to stay upright around my jobs parking lot, I fell completely in love with my new toy and the sensation of riding altogether... bear in mind I grew up in London and never had farm/MotoX bikes to play with... total newbie here. Whirlwind holiday romance if you will :)

Anyway, attended a couple of Q-Ride lessons and passed the test within a week as I was working nights, upgrading my license from L to RE-class (I'm sure you guys understand the L/RE/R system), and immediately rode from Surfers Paradise to Brisbane in peak-hour traffic... butt-puckering at times but I was fully hooked. As the bike was my only set of wheels, I was riding a 45-min each way commute daily over my 14 month stint in QLD, flood rains, mountain runs, highway tetris, city weaving, and backroad scratching.

Sadly the baby Gixxer was wiped out a month into my riding by an oblivious lady in a Barina who cut me off and sent me over the clipons, over her bonnet, headfirst onto the road at a neat 50kph (happened in Surfers central). I was lucky and got off with a broken shoulder and some cracked ribs, but the bike was a total loss. Her insurance payed out after a brief shxtfight and I scored a nice '89 CBR250R and some new gear for my troubles (much to my girlfirends/parents annoyance).

Ok, I'm going on a bit here so will wrap it up with my question for you good people. I cunningly tricked my girfriend into agreeing to marry me, and since returned with her to NZ. I've been back for a year plus now, and am getting itchy feet to get back on two-wheels. Problem is I really feel that over the course of my year+ daily riding back in Aussie, I really outgrew the 250s I owned, and was itching for something bigger. I held my QLD RE-Class license for longer than the 12-month period one must ride before taking the R-class test and graduating to a full license, but as I was leaving Aussie I was just trying to sell the 250 and never got around to sitting my full test.

So I was wondering if the fact I was ready and legit to sit a full license test in QLD (who have the LAMS scheme as well), would that translate to the new LAMS system recently adopted by NZ Roads? I know I could pass the test no worries, and there is a lovely Speed Four for sale in my town for a steal... so I'm hoping I wont have to go through another year plus riding a learner bike.

Any input appreciated guys and girls :) sorry for the essay, just wanted to provide a bit of background as I plan on popping on here often :)

Cheers!

[FJRider]

Ring your local NZTA station and ask ...

[Jantar]

The way I understand it, if you do not already have a full Aussie licence you must start the process from scratch over here. However with the LAMS system now in place you do have a much larger range of bikes to choose from.

[James Deuce]

Also, please do go on, it was a real pleasure to see paragraphs, an interesting back-story with depth, and proper actual punctuation.

You can stay.

[Fast Eddie]

with the new laws your looking at years before you can get your full..

get a cheap jetstar flight back to Aussie, sit your full there, Come back here and you can go for your full bike here I am led to believe..

will shave a few years off going through the nz process n getting your full here

[RITALN]

Thanks for the replies guys :)

The reason I ask here is that I wanted to get some insider tips from kiwi riders themselves before starting any official paperwork... I have asked at both an AA center and a postie a few months back when I first started to jones out, but the replies were vague at best and to be honest I had little faith that the people there even really knew what they were talking about, as the answers ran along the lines of "Well, to be honest I can't really tell you for sure, but you might be able to use your paperwork to some degree, but, um, well I'm not too sure..." etc etc.

There is usually more than one way to skin a cat, though I might just be SOL here, but I figured it was worth picking the brains of people used to working with the system first rather than the people working for the system, if that makes sense. Doing a brief search last night I saw a post regarding a member who went from learner to big bike (special exemption) in 3 months IIRC, so figured there was no harm in asking even if it was a shot in the dark :) Any information/tips that might aid my case when applying for my license here is better than none when approaching the ticket-to-ride process is better than throwing caution to the wind and starting from scratch I figure.

Anyhoo, failing a trip to Aussie (probably not in the cards with time off work etc) or a lucky break, looks like I will be back into learner bike territory. Shame, as I was really sold on that S4 :( Won't want to be spending too much on a bike I need but don't want, so will probably stick with what I know and go the old skool CBR250R/RR route just to get back in the saddle ASAP. Which is slightly disheartening as while I did just lurve the F1-remniscent scream of the 18,000rpms when chopping up gears while merging onto the motorway, a 15-minute commute later and my ears weren't too sold on the racket. I was looking forward to some roadtrips up to CHCH from Alexandra on something with a little more bite to go with the bark, but hey, a baby-blade is better than no bike right (plus easy on the wallet petrol-wise)?

Before anyone mentions the many other options available to me in the new LAMS programme, I'm pretty sure the late 80's 250 sports models are the only ones that tick the right boxes with my personal preferences (I have a thing for clip-ons and leg cramps ok?) and would fit my budget of up to $3k. But please let me know if theres something you know and I don't!

On the other hand, anyone know of any larger bikes afforded by LAMS that still fall into the sports catagory, are on the cheaper side, and would make a good streetfighter? I've checked the list on the LTSA site, but it doesnt exactly tell you the skinny on each model. I'm still learning about all this, so once again I ask your advice and good humor on this matter.

Lastly... TGIF. Am I right? Am I right? Haha, enjoy your weekend everyone :)