Old school learning to ride.

[Big Dave]

More on the 80/20 rule.

Talk of auld kwaka sine and new licences had me reflecting on 'my days'.

This is a NSW West Island perspective, but I gather the circumstances were similar here.

I got my learners permit on the day I turned 16 years and 9 months old. The minimum age.
I'd already ridden the CB450 I had several thousand K's around the 'new roads' and private property so a week after getting legal I was on a brand new SR500 single. My 5th motorcycle.

To get the learners permit was a matter of answering 10 questions - and out the door you went - fully legal to jump on any motorcycle you desired.

It didn't pay to get your 'full' because it attracted demerit points - if you got busted on 'L's - the permit was cancelled and seven days later you could get a new one.

I rode for 5 years on a learners permits. Most of it on a way hotted up XS1100. Interstate travel and the need to renew a permit every three months meant I sat my full on same fire breathing XS1100.

The look on the tester's face when he saw it was priceless.

My riding test involved riding beside him as he walked briskly across the car park and them him standing on the gutter and watching me ride off and back around the block. Test complete. Full licence. Helmets optional. Ride whatever you like.

I reckon 80% of you lot would survive just as well as I have. It ain't rocket science. Sure 20% need the training and the restriction and the rigmarole involved with getting legal now or they would probably kill themselves - I just feel a bit sorry for the 80 that could do it (ride safely) without the palaver.

Mitigating all this is the exponential increase in horsepower over the last 5 years, but I still think if you can do it, you can do it.

[Jackrat]

Your test sounds like mine was.
The older sisters boy friends Norton to the top of the main st (Putaruru) an back,one full licence,no worrys!!
An like you,there where times when not having a licence was cheaper than having one.
They worked that out though
As for safty,,some make it,some don't,nothing really changes.

[Gixxer 4 ever]

That all sounds to hard to me. I got mine in Napier when 18 years. We had to wear a helmet. That meant getting the old mans 20 year old one that didn't fit at all and had numerus scapes and broken bits, for the ride down the road from the Napier county council building through the intersection of Shakespeare road, do a U turn and return to the office. The bike was not warranted or register but had to be under 250cc and when I got back to the office the officer was gone. Yep inside writing it out. I think it was 6 months on the restricted and then free to get on with life. What can I say. Bring back the old times.
I am sure the bike was a Yamaha enduro. Not sure but it could have been a 200cc. Funny looking head on it. Bugger all cooling fins. Hence it shit itself when things got to hot. Ahhhh memories.

[Gixxer 4 ever]

No I think it was a zuki 185. The enduro came later.

[Motu]

It was just answer some questions and pay 50cents to get my leaners at 16,you could pay 50cents again as many times as you liked,it must of lasted 6 mths or something.When I went for my full he just told me to ride in a circle in the car park,when I looked over he was talking to someone else....actualy my neighbour who was going for his on a Saint,a bit more interesting than my Bantam Major....Major pain in the arse.Your ''L'' label was on the rego sticker....if like me you got caught riding a bike with a full rego you got a ticket,I had to go to court for that one.I never knew anyone who ever failed their licence,even my mate who was colour blind - he couldn't tell between red and green,so just sat at the lights seeing who moved first.

[MacD]

....When I went for my full he just told me to ride in a circle in the car park,when I looked over he was talking to someone else....

A circle, you had it easy! I had to do a figure-of-eight!

[Paul in NZ]

It was raining...

He stepped to the door way, looked at my 1954 AJS 500 single and laughed... "If you can start that thing and ride it around the block youre in"... Did it, got it, went home...

[nadroj]

I Know someone who sat their provisional bike @ the same time they sat their cage licence & when they passed their full cage the office clerk assumed it was a full m/c as well. So technically a busa rider doesn't even have a bike licence!

[forty two]

yeah, 50 cents every 6 months if i remember correctly, then just a matter of a quick ride round the block and voila ( as they say in India) and you have your full.
Now, do you think I knew anyone who had a legal bike under 250cc to do said test?
Well, 20 something yrs later, best do this legal like. :slap:
If only I had kept paying the 50 cents

[Dadpole]

Pretty much the same story here - except the cop who took my full test did not notice my bike was missing the front brake. Destroyed in a high speed encounter with the Wainui hill a few days earlier.

Tip for learners:
Do not judge your skills by increasing speed on a corner each time you use it. I tried a corner on the Wainui hill at 5mph (was way back then) increases on my way to work each day.
85 mph was too fast - dumb. While they were throwing me in the ambulance a cop paced out the scrape down the road, and for some reason, pissed himself when I maintained I was going no faster than the learners speed limit. (30 I think)

[speights_bud]

And to think they had the cheek to charge me $210 to get my learners last month! Wish i was born a few years earlier. It cost me $130 for a 2 hr course and $80 for the paper and licence card.
Worked out that the guys at the driving school earn about $780an hour the day i was there, 12 people X $130 each = $1560 for 2 hours work! I'm Gonna become one of those instructor guy's, Buy me a Hayabusa then retire early

[myvice]

!My boss told me this way back when I was an apprentice, went for his bike licence in England, Instructor told him to ride around the block then do an emergency stop when he steeped out in-front of him...
After going around, and around, and around again, Chris (old boss) went back to the testing office.
The tester had steeped out in front of the wrong bike and was now in hospital with a broken leg.
Didn’t get his licence till he moved to NZ!

[dhunt]

It was raining...

He stepped to the door way, looked at my 1954 AJS 500 single and laughed... "If you can start that thing and ride it around the block youre in"... Did it, got it, went home...

When my mum sat her's it was raining so the cop watched her do a figure 8 in the car park and she was in.

Me on the other hand I had to sit some multiguess test a couple times as the questions didn't match the answers (seriously) cause I didn't pay enough. Then I was asked what sort of bike I had so that if I was to sit a practical test that's what I would have done it in and then I got issued a paper tempory license valid for 1 month, came back in 5 months to see if the plastic license has turned up deal which it had (not uncommon to wait 5-6 months).