Full Licence Test - Any advice.

[RnB Fan]

Well I am finally sitting my full licence this week in Wellington (Tory Street VTNZ) and I was wondering if any others out there had any specific advice on the do's and don'ts of sitting my practical test. I did my BHS and Restricted through Roadsafe and so it was quite a relaxed learning environment so I am a bit nervous about the road test.

The one thing I am looking forward to is passing and being able to test ride bigger bikes so I can decide what to replace my trusty DR250 with.

[Kinje]

I too am doing my test soon but in Masterton.

I am a little unsure how they do the talking through hazards bits. In the bigger centers I've heard you have to wear a headset, but the instructor of my defensive driving course didn't think they had those here.

When I did my restricted test, the tester pulled me over and gave me instructions for the next few turns and it carried on like that.

Has anyone that did their test in a small place got anything to share about how they do the talking without the headsets? Do I just have to try and remember all the hazards and stop?

Cheers

[Drum]

I did my full a month or so back in the Hutt.
I had to wear an earpiece, and the tester gave me instructions - next right, left at the roundabout etc.
Then he asked me to pull over. He says - drive up to to the next intersection, turn left and then pull over - and I had to recite all the hazards I had noticed. Then did same thing again for a right turn at a roundabout.

Had to drive in 50 and 70 km/h environments - left and right turns at Give way, stop, roundabout, traffic signals, and an intersection with no lines (they want to see that you stop in the right place). Had to pull a couple of u-turns as well (plus one in a 70 km/h zone).

Make sure you come to a complete stop at all stop signs. Always indicate - and turn them off. Indicate correctly at roundabouts. Dont break the speed limit. Go for bigger gaps than you usually would at intersections, and most of all...............

RELAX.

By the way the test is very easy, and you will wonder what you were worried about. Good luck fellas.

[petesmeats]

Yup just what Drum said. I sat mine in Kapiti last christmas and the only thing i did wrong was i was told to go through a stop sign intersection and then pull over and tell the guy the hazzard's and apparently the tester in the car behind you is a hazzard... I didn't really think of it at the time but it won't hurt to name him as a hazzard...

In Kapiti they are a bit backwards and they didn't have the ear piece... The tester told me where to go and then i would pull over and he would tell me the next place to go... I missed a few turn offs but it wasn't a big deal... He would just turn the way he wanted me to go, pull over and wait for me to execute my u-turn... after 3 seconds of indication and overexaggerated (sp?) Head checks...

Just be calm and ride under the speed limit at all times. You want to demonstrate to the tester that you are competent enough to not kill yourself.

Good luck

[andrea]

oh man good luck i got mine afew weeks ago umm i think hmm
just do what you did when you went for your restricted, keep to the speed limits and shit both feet on the ground, i was made to go into cul de sacs and turn the bike around. when i went on the motorway i went 100.
the bit that took the longest was spotting the hazards, my test took over an hour. dont be too specific when you telling him/her about the hazards. just say stuff like "there was a car coming towards me on my right", or "pedestrian was walking on the left". and always include the instructor aswell. say"and you were at the back of me". cause your looking for hazards coming from the front, back sides etc.

[RnB Fan]

Cheers guys for the advice. Wish me luck for Friday. Hopefully the weather Gods will shine on me too!

[rok-the-boat]

Don't wheelie for more than 100 yards, stoppies should only be done at Stop signs - lower the rear wheel gently so as not to fail, don't spin the rear wheel except from a standing start, no powersliding around bends if you spot a sheep on the road, and when weaving in and out of traffic make sure the instructor can keep up. Oh, and if you accelerate like shit make sure you slow down the instant you hit 200 so that the instructor doesn't notice. As for hazards, make sure to point out the location of all speed cameras, police cars, and be sure to flash oncomming bikers as a warning.

And remember to cite standard bike physics: What speeds up, must slow down; What slows down, must speed up.

And finally, don't forget the farewell to instructor phrase: "May all your traffic lights be green and none of your curves have oncoming semis in them." [Originally by Rocky, American Biker]

That should just about do it.

[slimjim]

best of your skill's and awareness, but don't pay your instructor all your rear attention, ,what's ahead of you is of more importantance, and be calm.. hope it stays dry for you

[Kinje]

Good luck RnB Fan, yeah hope its fine and you get a good run.

I like rok-the-boat's words of wisdom

[Kjell]

Took me two goes, something about losing the instructor after an intersection, after I had discovered he wasn't there I stopped and waited, but apparently not quick enough.

One without the eyepiece, one with. Preferred the one with, gave more scope and able to focus on riding. Did try to give late instructions to me to invoke late/bad decisions, but 'missed' the turn on purpose and was given praise for it.

Advice: Be smooth. Be aware of where you are to other road users (including jay walking pedistrians). Signal with intent. Ride like you deserve to be in traffic.

[silverado]

best of your skill's and awareness, but don't pay your instructor all your rear attention, ,what's ahead of you is of more importantance, and be calm.. hope it stays dry for you

And guess what, I had the instructor following me and when he indicated I had to indicate and turn. No ear piece nuthing. Spent most of my time staring in my mirror. I passed and apparently, I'm a safe rider.

[andrea]

Cheers guys for the advice. Wish me luck for Friday. Hopefully the weather Gods will shine on me too!

k good luck bud this week should be nice, umm i hope lol

[RnB Fan]

Don't wheelie for more than 100 yards, stoppies should only be done at Stop signs - lower the rear wheel gently so as not to fail, don't spin the rear wheel except from a standing start, no powersliding around bends if you spot a sheep on the road, and when weaving in and out of traffic make sure the instructor can keep up. Oh, and if you accelerate like shit make sure you slow down the instant you hit 200 so that the instructor doesn't notice. As for hazards, make sure to point out the location of all speed cameras, police cars, and be sure to flash oncomming bikers as a warning.

And remember to cite standard bike physics: What speeds up, must slow down; What slows down, must speed up.

And finally, don't forget the farewell to instructor phrase: "May all your traffic lights be green and none of your curves have oncoming semis in them." [Originally by Rocky, American Biker]

That should just about do it.

Man your DR must be a different model to mine if you can do all that!! Thanks for the advice - I'll be up all night studying your words of wisdom now - lol.

Cheers

[ruphus]

Best of luck tomorrow...

And tell us how it goes.

[RnB Fan]

Dunno what all the fuss was about!! I passed. Lookout world cos here I come. 250 is now onTrade Me and then it's off to the motorbike shop to get something that will go up Ngauranga Gorge into the head wind without being passed by little old ladies on pushbikes! The tester was a good bloke and we used an earpiece which apart from the cable getting tangled around my arm and then the petrol tank was brilliant. Got pinged for my "gap selection" - it was too big! Guess you just can't win and as I explained to the tester I'd rather have poor gap selection than be wrapped around the front of a bus. Bloody good fun - would recommend it to anyone. Thanks for all the advice. As with a lot of things the thinking about it was worse than the actual doing.