Is getting a motorcycle licence in NZ too difficult?

**gromit** · 28th September 2005, 16:59

After how many years on my restriced, I finally got my full today! whoop!

...legal at last...

**TLDV8** · 29th September 2005, 13:01

Just out of Curiousity..What is the procedure for getting a full motorcycle license?

I guess it has changed since..go and answer 5 questions to get a provisional?..ride round the block with the local cop (Skippy the Maori guy :spudwave: )... get a Restricted license if you passed ?? .. no bigger than 250cc,no passengers,no going over 70kph (i think) the speed limit was 80 then..do that for 6 months then it was anything goes.... I rode MX for a year (1976) before going for a road license,but in a lot of cases it would have been the jump off the cliff to see if you could fly learning curve.

**gromit** · 29th September 2005, 15:34

Originally Posted by TLDV8

Just out of Curiousity..What is the procedure for getting a full motorcycle license?

Restricted points are; no pillion, no riding after 10pm, and no bigger than 250cc. Thats all. Oh sure and no alchohol, carry your license...

http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/licensing/mo...estricted.html

And rather than rewrite it all, here is the full test procedure:
http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/factsheets/59.html

It really is a piece of cake. You just have to ride like Miss Daisy; indicate 3 hours before turns, wild head movements to show you're awake still, drive spot on the speed limit etc etc.

The only reason I havent been able to do it till now is that I havent had a 250 to do it on. You can often just hire bikes from bike shops to run it through of course.

**RantyDave** · 29th September 2005, 15:44

Originally Posted by Salival

I think the 250cc maximum is probably a good thing. I'd kill to go out and buy a supersport 600 - and I have the money, too - but I'd die and I know it, and I'm sure countless others with no real experience on bikes would suffer the same fate.

Nah, 'tis stupid. Limiting power to (say) 25HP would be smarter since it means that you could go out and buy your 600 but just have a restrictor plate in until you get your full. Harder to police, sure, but a lot more sensible than the current method. Not to mention the constant war to find/build ever faster 250's.

Dave

**ManDownUnder** · 29th September 2005, 16:14

Originally Posted by gromit

The only reason I havent been able to do it till now is that I havent had a 250 to do it on. You can often just hire bikes from bike shops to run it through of course.

Hire one from Sarge up here in Auckland...

$75/day for the GN250...

lemme see.. bus up... that's $80
rental on GN250 for the 25 days it'll take for the return trip on the GN = $1,875
Bus trip home $80

A mere $2,035 and you have your licence!

**Lias** · 2nd November 2005, 11:28

Having to get your handling skills cert before your license is definitly the biggest PITA in my opinion.

I'm generally reasonably law abiding but I'll admit I rode my GN250 with no license for a few weeks just to get comfortable on it to sit my certificate. It's all fine and well to say that people can hire bikes for the course, or do training courses but we're not all made of money :-)

Even riding the bike on private property, you'd still need to transport it down to a park or whatever on a trailer etc.

I got pulled over once while riding, and got a $400 fine (that was waived cos I got my leaners within 28 days). I just wish the law could be changed so that you could go in, sit your written segment, and then you got a semi-learners that qualified you to ride your bike around for a month, and you had to sit your handling skills cert within a month.

**Monsterbishi** · 2nd November 2005, 11:36

Originally Posted by LiasTZ

Having to get your handling skills cert before your license is definitly the biggest PITA in my opinion.

I wouldn't call it that, It's a very simple test, that even most six year olds could pass, imo, the Car licencing system needs to adopt a similar system since it appears that there are plenty of cagers out there who do drive like a six year old...

**inlinefour** · 3rd November 2005, 12:01

It is that way for a good reason. Personally I think it should be even harder where they test if your riding skills are good enough to ride, let alone on the road! Too many idiots on the road allready, go for the PC bullshit ways and make it easier=more idiots on bikes

**Lias** · 7th November 2005, 10:13

Originally Posted by Monsterbishi

I wouldn't call it that, It's a very simple test, that even most six year olds could pass, imo, the Car licencing system needs to adopt a similar system since it appears that there are plenty of cagers out there who do drive like a six year old...

Not if they've never ridden a bike before they couldnt... Which is my point, you need to learn how to ride to some degree (illegally or on private property which isnt viable for many people) before you can take the test to prove you can ride to be allowed to ride legally.

**Speedracer** · 16th November 2005, 17:10

Originally Posted by LiasTZ

Not if they've never ridden a bike before they couldnt... Which is my point, you need to learn how to ride to some degree (illegally or on private property which isnt viable for many people) before you can take the test to prove you can ride to be allowed to ride legally.

I dunno, I had my first taste of a bike on a trail bike and did serious riding on a mountainbike for a few years before that. I later went and did the handling course with a guy in wellington who charged a flat fee for 'as long as it takes to pass'. He also said he likes to see people pass the test better than the regulations say, so he said 'although you've passed see if you can do it in (harder time)'. I didn't find it hard, and because there was no time pressure I got in a lot of practice, I think it ended up taking 2 hours and was a lot of fun. Definitely the way to go.

I take it in other places it's a you get one try and a pass/fail or something? How do other testers do it?

**terbang** · 16th November 2005, 19:17

Did my NZ bike licence at age 15 in 1975, it went something like this, after cutting my teeth on my old man's farmbike in all the mud and shit (he still hasn't forgiven me for wrecking his bike), I wrote an Exam and got a provisional licence. For a minimum of 6 weeks (I think) I had to display an L sticker on my plate and carry no passenger (that was about all, if I remember right). After 6 weeks out there on the road I fronted up, was asked 5 oral questions and the local rozzer followed me around the block making sure I did all the appropriate hand signals & so on. Once issued with a full licence and went down the road and purchased a RD-350 followed a few months later by an H2-750. In hind sight it was scary stuff an I had my share of frights along the way with my best friend getting killed on a T500 (saw it happen)! So the changes in the law make some sense in my view. You don't see pilots going solo in a 747 and motorcycling should be no different. The family T spent a wee bit of time in the Northern Territory of Australia (no open road speed limit there by the way) and Mrs T did her learners licence up there and had to do a handling course (before the test) in loose metal EtC. It was pretty damn good actually and she had a ball albiet at quite an expense. Her level of skill, at test stage, was quite good proving that approriate education is better than legislation. There was also talk in Aussie (NSW I think) of changing the restrictions to a power limit rather than a CC limit and a list of suitable beginners bikes included BMW F650 and similar was floating around. I think this would be a lot safer than forcing some poor 6'+ 120KG guy to sweat it out on a 250.

**avgas** · 16th November 2005, 19:44

Is a thump bike, those ones that fall off the side stand in the shed and break stuff off? Had a few of them. The RG was more of a 'crunch' bike, but i only found scratches luckly.
Rocket III would make a good thump bike. And one of those naked Goldwings.
Thump bike, honestly......next they will be bringing back 'Fandangled' and 'Thingiemawotsit' and my favourites - 'WHAP POW and ZAM'

**avgas** · 16th November 2005, 19:47

Originally Posted by terbang

There was also talk in Aussie (NSW I think) of changing the restrictions to a power limit rather than a CC limit and a list of suitable beginners bikes included BMW F650 and similar was floating around. I think this would be a lot safer than forcing some poor 6'+ 120KG guy to sweat it out on a 250.

Have to dissagree with this a bit, those little 250 are fine for the first 6 months, restricted however i feel should be 400's.
Or Keep restriced to 250, and drop learners to 230 singles 4 stroke or 200 2stroke.

**Test Pilot** · 23rd November 2005, 15:26

Get your learners here then go to OZ and do the TOPRIDER course, you get your full in one day if you pass then come back to N.Z and do a licence change over and do the test. It cost me $50 more in total but i went from no licence to a full in 4months. That was over a year ago now but im sure you could still do it.