Post by rossell on Apr 14, 2014 6:38:49 GMT -5
I got my first motorcycle riders learners permit at the age of 16 years and 9 months. It was the first opportunity to gain a permit to operate any motor vehicle in the Australian
state of New South Wales at the time and that meant a motor bike was a ticket to freedom. Driving a car on your 'L's', you needed a fully licenced driver in the car but
on a bike you weren't allowed to take a pillion passenger, so you were free. To gain that permit you had to sit a multiple choice test paper on road rules and then ride out on the open road by yourself
while the footpath bound 'tester' observed you. That was the 70's and things have changed.
Fast forward to the 21st century. My motorcycle licence lapsed, I moved interstate to Victoria and the computer age kicked in and in the nationialised info conversion my N.S.W. details were lost in the ether.
So, to get my cycle licence I had to start from scratch, i.e., start with a learners permit. No drama! I've still been riding bikes in the dirt and in traffic throughout Asia, Indonesia and the Middle East, so a refresher on technique and some advice about conditions on the road here in Melbourne wouldn't hurt.
I shared my 6 hours of learners training and permit testing with six others.
The day was forecast to rain and I was the only one with wet weather gear. No one else had their own helmet and I was the only one wearing boots not 'runners'.
Four of us went on to the "Bike skills", multiple choice test paper (as we all held full drivers' licences). 2 left before hand because they didn't realise that they'd have to answer questions as tough as,
You are travelling at 100kph on a straight road and see a brick wall ahead, do you;
a) Accelerate.
b) Lay the bike down.
c) Use engine and other braking devices to come to a safe stop.
That wasn't in the test but is an indicator to the level of testing for a learners permit. Fail safe testing except for one of us. Three of us were awarded our learners permit and away we went, minus AUS$250.
After 3 months of holding a learners permit you can apply to get a 'provisional licence' which you must hold for twelve months.
During your learners and provisional stage you are not allowed any alcohol in your system, not allowed to pillion and are restricted to a "power to weight ratio" choice of motorbike to ride.
That means you are allowed to ride a bike like the NTV650 but not some modern day 250cc rockets.
After 3 months I was allowed to spend another AUS$250 and 6 hours to attain my 'provisional' licence which I need to maintain for 12 months before an unrestricted licence is granted.
For that testing process, it was all training ,toward the observational practical testing. I learned some stuff, had stuff that I thought I knew re-inforced and passed the the testing that didn't test
beyond the confines of a controlled space.
At no time during this training, testing and permit regime was anyone taken onto (under supervision) public roads. After twelve months of 'provisional' status you can ride whatever you want.
I've been riding a CB250 for 3,000K's to get ready for my Revere and find it amazing that there are people here in Oz that could be riding whatever they want without ever having to ride on a public road.
Things need to change here.
p.s. A peculiarity of the N.S.W. motorcycle laws in the 70's was that during your 'learners permit' stage, you could ride any motorbike you wanted but as soon as you upgraded to a 'provisional licence', you were restricted to a 250cc capacity for 12 months. That thinking gave way to many Z1 900's being ridden by learners for several years.
Not that I'd know.
state of New South Wales at the time and that meant a motor bike was a ticket to freedom. Driving a car on your 'L's', you needed a fully licenced driver in the car but
on a bike you weren't allowed to take a pillion passenger, so you were free. To gain that permit you had to sit a multiple choice test paper on road rules and then ride out on the open road by yourself
while the footpath bound 'tester' observed you. That was the 70's and things have changed.
Fast forward to the 21st century. My motorcycle licence lapsed, I moved interstate to Victoria and the computer age kicked in and in the nationialised info conversion my N.S.W. details were lost in the ether.
So, to get my cycle licence I had to start from scratch, i.e., start with a learners permit. No drama! I've still been riding bikes in the dirt and in traffic throughout Asia, Indonesia and the Middle East, so a refresher on technique and some advice about conditions on the road here in Melbourne wouldn't hurt.
I shared my 6 hours of learners training and permit testing with six others.
The day was forecast to rain and I was the only one with wet weather gear. No one else had their own helmet and I was the only one wearing boots not 'runners'.
Four of us went on to the "Bike skills", multiple choice test paper (as we all held full drivers' licences). 2 left before hand because they didn't realise that they'd have to answer questions as tough as,
You are travelling at 100kph on a straight road and see a brick wall ahead, do you;
a) Accelerate.
b) Lay the bike down.
c) Use engine and other braking devices to come to a safe stop.
That wasn't in the test but is an indicator to the level of testing for a learners permit. Fail safe testing except for one of us. Three of us were awarded our learners permit and away we went, minus AUS$250.
After 3 months of holding a learners permit you can apply to get a 'provisional licence' which you must hold for twelve months.
During your learners and provisional stage you are not allowed any alcohol in your system, not allowed to pillion and are restricted to a "power to weight ratio" choice of motorbike to ride.
That means you are allowed to ride a bike like the NTV650 but not some modern day 250cc rockets.
After 3 months I was allowed to spend another AUS$250 and 6 hours to attain my 'provisional' licence which I need to maintain for 12 months before an unrestricted licence is granted.
For that testing process, it was all training ,toward the observational practical testing. I learned some stuff, had stuff that I thought I knew re-inforced and passed the the testing that didn't test
beyond the confines of a controlled space.
At no time during this training, testing and permit regime was anyone taken onto (under supervision) public roads. After twelve months of 'provisional' status you can ride whatever you want.
I've been riding a CB250 for 3,000K's to get ready for my Revere and find it amazing that there are people here in Oz that could be riding whatever they want without ever having to ride on a public road.
Things need to change here.
p.s. A peculiarity of the N.S.W. motorcycle laws in the 70's was that during your 'learners permit' stage, you could ride any motorbike you wanted but as soon as you upgraded to a 'provisional licence', you were restricted to a 250cc capacity for 12 months. That thinking gave way to many Z1 900's being ridden by learners for several years.
Not that I'd know.