Sitting your Restricted License

[captain hopeless]

Passed my 6r on Monday from Quay St. It was essentially a ten minute tootle around the block. Asked me to pull over & back into traffic flow. Asked for a U-turn on a wiiiiide and quiet street. The only things I particularly focussed on were indicating for 3sec and moving my head LOTS. Also stopping fully and looking L/R at stop signs.

[evil_evo]

Hi Guys,

I will be sitting my restricted license test in March, when I went to book my test I was told the test will be 1 hour long and much harder then previous test which was 30 min.

I have few question about this restricted license test

1. I have been reading this thread and it mentioned that when coming to stop rider should put down his left foot before the right foot, is this the law or personal preference ? I have been doing the opposite and sometime both feet at the same as I am using the front break.
2. In round about when going straight through or turning right say I start indicating on right 1st then close to exist I switch from right to left is it necessary to stop the indicator then switch?
3. When doing a U turn are you allowed to used your foot during the test?

Lastly is anyone here will be sitting the test after 25th Fed as this new rule will be introduced on 25th Fed if you are can you please share you experiences. I will share mine once I do sit my test.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

[TrentNz]

on feb 27th there changing it, so I'm going to try get mine before then. although I'm doing mine in a car.
its 45 min driving (riding) and 15 min checking your vehicle etc..

[Simon]

Hi there,

First things first - The single most important factor is to be safe steady confident rider. That means riding in busy traffic, pulling out of tricky intersections etc. All while scanning the surroundings, (including looking over your shoulder for merging etc), and positioning yourself in the safest position on the road. i.e. in line with the drivers wheel tracks. Start taking a few saturday morning rides through the city to desensitize yourself to traffic situation.

1) Feet shouldn't matter, provided you're stable.
2) If you are going straight through a round about, never indication onto it... Only when exiting.
3) Doing a U-turn, would have expected that you'd be able to do it feet up. ( or practice till you can) However, I do know a co-worker who "dabbed" and it wasn't an issue.

Take a deep breath, because you'll be fine. The mere fact that you're taking the time to ask questions means that you're concerned with doing well - So don't worry!

[Simon]

Here are some notes I made immediately after my full licence test - Might be useful for you.


Test format
Started with basic riding - Turn left, turn right.
Pull out of intersection left and right.

Hazard identification whilst making a U-Turn.
Hazard identification whilst making a right turn at an uncontrolled intersection.

High speed riding at 100kph
U-turn and home.


Take away thoughts
Position on the road - never left. Either centered in lane or righthand wheel track.
Good speed control - 5% less than marked limit, but rock steady.
Checking mirrors, but also remembering to check over shoulder lots- Always look.
Indicate a lot. Indicate to pull over, indicate to pull out, then to u-turn etc.

[evil_evo]

Thank you guys for your comment, I hope I pass my test... will update when I am done with my test.

[evil_evo]

Hi Guys,

Another question I have, are you allowed to take your hand(s) off the handle bar to say move up and down the visor? or say sometime you might need to rub your eye etc? I know it is a stupid question however I dont want to ask this question to the tested what if he fails me?

If you anyone can let me know that will be highly appreciated.

Thanks,

[Maha]

Hi Guys,

Another question I have, are you allowed to take your hand(s) off the handle bar to say move up and down the visor? or say sometime you might need to rub your eye etc? I know it is a stupid question however I dont want to ask this question to the tested what if he fails me?

If you anyone can let me know that will be highly appreciated.

Thanks,

They wont fail you on that, probably just advise you ''better to wait till you are stopped to do that''...
When I did my restricted, I went up the inside of cars waiting at the lights (they were going straight through) because I was instructed to go left at the lights. I was just told it wasn't the done thing and heres why etc...but it was not a fail.

[evil_evo]

Guys,

Thanks for you help, I passed my restricted license today about 30 min ago. It was easy however instructor did take to mway for very short period of time. And I was close an hour inc checking the bike, radio etc.

Thanks again for your help and good luck anyone who is sitting their license test.

[JustNick]

Ok I just passed my restricted test today down here in Taupo and here's a wall of text to celebrate!

Cost:
Well I booked online 4 weeks ago to coincide with the end of my 6 month learners period. Booking 4 weeks in advance I had my pick of pretty much any day and time that I wanted. I opted for 10.45 which I figured would be a relatively quiet period not having to worry about school traffic etc.
The cost to sit the restricted test was $134.80.

Preparation:
Well I 've done a whole stack of riding in different conditions and riding environments in my first 6 months of riding. I did go out and practice a few u-turns the day before however just to be safe however. I also opted to go to the optometrist and have them do the eye exam before my test instead of using the eye machine at the AA centre, not that I have dodgy eyes I just find it easier to have all of my eggs lined up so to speak. The eye exam cost me $25.00 down here and was very straight forward. Look at the chart and a peripheral vision check. The optometrists have forms on hand and they just need to fill it out with pass/fail, test results and stamp it for you to take to the testing centre.

On the day:
You are required to show up 1/2 an hour before your test appointment if you booked online. This is so that you can fill out the required paperwork before the test. I had to produce 1 form of ID (drivers licence) and proof of address (bank statement). It only takes a couple of minutes to fill out the form which was a DL1 from memory. In the end I had a bit of time to sit around and twiddle my thumbs waiting for the tester to arrive which is all good.

Test brief:
The first thing the tester said to me when we were doing the pre-ride check on the bike was "the headset is broken" and "sign this form please". I straight away started think "garrrr". As far as the pre-ride check goes he could see that my lights and brake lights worked because I was sitting on the bike and he checked the WOF and rego. I was told to keep his car in sight at all times for the test.

The test itself:
Due to not having a headset, I was given instructions of what route to ride and when to stop for the next set of instructions.

Here's a list of some of the skills tested (as far as I could tell):
Left hand turns at giveways.
Around town riding.
Stop lights.
Pulling over to the side of the road.
Pulling out from the side of the road.
Right hand turns at stop signs.
Round abouts.
U-turns x 1.
50km/h
70km/h
100km/h
Riding past shops and a school.
Merging lanes.

The test itself took approximately 20 minutes including 2 stops for new instructions and was very straight forward. At the stop signs I was putting one foot down and was not told off for it. I was also doing the usual stuff; obvious mirror and headchecks, speed limit etc. I was never asked about hazards on the route but didn't have to employ some vehicular avoidance manouvres when I car tried to back out into my road space.

Conclusion:
The test was piss easy and going by the other descriptions on here it doesn't seem to have changed much at all to the original restricted test.

[quickbuck]

At the stop signs I was putting one foot down and was not told off for it.

What? As opposed to not putting your foot down?

I am not 100% sure on what "The Line" is from the testing officers point of view (Or instructors, I will have to ask Karel Pavich that one), however here is my take on it:

You should actually always have your back brake covered by your foot when you are stipped. Therefore your left foot on the ground only.
The reason for this is IF you are parked on a hill, you will need to apply the back brake to prevent the motorcycle rolling backwards while stationary, and it gives a much better hill start.

One could well argue that "This only applies to hills:.
Fair enough, it does.
HOWEVER, if you ride the same way all the time, without 1000 exceptions to every rule in your head, then it leaves your concerntration free for more pressing issues.
This means riding is a natural - "Sub-concious competance".

WELL DONE on passing your restricted. Keep up the good work, and remember, you never stop learning.

[JustNick]

What? As opposed to not putting your foot down?

I am not 100% sure on what "The Line" is from the testing officers point of view (Or instructors, I will have to ask Karel Pavich that one), however here is my take on it:

You should actually always have your back brake covered by your foot when you are stipped. Therefore your left foot on the ground only.
The reason for this is IF you are parked on a hill, you will need to apply the back brake to prevent the motorcycle rolling backwards while stationary, and it gives a much better hill start.

One could well argue that "This only applies to hills:.
Fair enough, it does.
HOWEVER, if you ride the same way all the time, without 1000 exceptions to every rule in your head, then it leaves your concerntration free for more pressing issues.
This means riding is a natural - "Sub-concious competance".

WELL DONE on passing your restricted. Keep up the good work, and remember, you never stop learning.

Yup fair comments all. Whilst reading through some of the threads on here there was some debate about the 1 foot vs 2 feet down at stop signs. I definitely agree with the reasons for having the back brake covered off.

[aum108]

Thanks largely to the advice in this thread, I just passed my Restricted.

Copped a long and detailed test here in Hami. Lots of turning scenarios, roadworks, temporary 30km/h zones, fresh tar and gravel. Also, turning from a dead stop into a 100km/h stretch, with a partly blind hill on one side. I made sure to check my left-side blind spot for pushbikes with every left turn and every roundabout exit. Also, check right-side blind spot with every right turn or lane change. And keep checking mirrors and side-streets.

Anyway, 40 minutes later, I was cutting the L plate off the back!

[Otis243]

My son's just about to take his restricted test.
The copy of the road code we have (only a few months old) states that the maximum speed for anyone with L-plates is 70kph (how dangerous is that?!) but I had heard rumours that this rule was being dropped and the maximum speed would be lifted to 100kph.
Does anyone know if this has come into force yet ?
Cheers

[JustNick]

My son's just about to take his restricted test.
The copy of the road code we have (only a few months old) states that the maximum speed for anyone with L-plates is 70kph (how dangerous is that?!) but I had heard rumours that this rule was being dropped and the maximum speed would be lifted to 100kph.
Does anyone know if this has come into force yet ?
Cheers

The 70kph rule was dropped as of October last year. http://www.nzta.govt.nz/about/media/...1405/news.html