Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge New UK Motorcycle test

I don't know if anyone has seen this...

Bit of background.
UK bikers are the most tested non-professional drivers on UK roads. No other class of road user has the testing we have. CBT before we can even go on the road and the theory test and practical. Now the practical test has been changed and includes an off road part - apparently in line with EU regulation....

See the vid:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8067672.stm

or I don't know if the non UK people can see it so here's a written report...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8067212.stm

The fact the bloke on the big bike makes the swerve test look easy is that it is easier on a bigger bike... it has do be done at 50kph/31mph and there isn't the room for a 125 to get up to that speed... and the brakes aren't that great either...

There's a report in the vid of a lorry driver who fancied learning to ride who broke her shoulder and buggered her ankle in this part of the test..... great way to learn to ride huh?? Then there's the fact that she is of work and not earning....

And there's now a quarter of the places to do the test compared to the one I did.... And that was harder than most of the Brit Riders on here who rode round the block and did an emergency stop.... that was the test back then, I had a full 45 mins riding and had to do all sorts of maneuvers.


What do you all think???

It seems to me that the UK government is following the lead of the US. Make motorcycling as difficult as possible and maybe all those terrible people will go away.
And, I had the impression that the UK had decided against being part of the EU, so why are they trying to comply with their Nazi style legislation?

From what I've seen and read about this 'swerve test' it seems poorly thought out. To get a bike to change course that quickly you need to consciously countersteer.....not something I would recommend a novice to try until they fully understand the concept !!!
It can only lead to more injuries and people being put off learning to ride in my opinion.

Add to that some the new test centres have freshly laid tarmac on the testing area which, when wet has the qualities of an ice rink.

(it has do be done at 50kph/31mph and there isn't the room for a 125 to get up to that speed... and the brakes aren't that great either...)

Brakes are'nt to be used during this manouvere.

DSA "if it prevents one death or injury". Did'nt the moron know that 15 people have already been injured during the test, might even get a few deaths later. But it wo'nt be road related, so road death and injury statistics WILL be down, and that will totally justify this piece of Euro illogic.

I find myself asking if these people from the DSA ever ride a bike or have taken a motorcycle test !!!

This maneuver should probable be reserved for an advanced rider training course, But lets think about it. How many times in the course of a year do you personally swerve to avoid something in the road? I'll bet I have to avoid something weekly. Pot holes; large bumps, small animals "dead or alive", chunks of debris or something that has fallen off another vehicle. There's a lot of stuff out there to miss and counter steering is an important tool to any riders skills. Better a crash on a closed course than out on the open road where some cager can run over you while your sliding down the road. It should not be a surprise on the test and riders should have time to practice such a maneuver before they have to prove competence. Just my opinion though and I'd love to take the test to see if I measure up.

I think you'd do fine, Chip! AND, I kind of agree with you here BTW.

I suppose some folks here may think because almost ALL of us learned the "hard way"(as in, it was probably not until I rode these suckers 2 or 3 years BEFORE I even had a inkling what the heck "countersteering" even WAS, let alone what the term "late apexing" means in turns, back when I was but a pup), that "if it was good enough for ME, than bygum it's good enough for those newbies out there who want to purchase a motorcycle" to "learn" how to ride these suckers! An almost SURE prescription for "gettin' in a situation a little over your head" one less than fine day, I might add!!!

(yep...I kind'a have NO problem with the idea that gettin' a MOTORCYCLE license bein' a mite harder to get...considerin' how friggin' easy it seems gettin' a regular drivers license has always seemed to be....yep, notice if you will folks ALL the friggin' MORONS in CAGES out there on the road around ya every single friggin' day who evidently found gettin' THEIR drivers license a friggin' snap, HUH???!!!)

I remember my old man telling me he had to do a figure 8 to pass. And now the tests are a bit harder but they let you rent a scooter to pass it, which I used, and theyre gonna get rid of that too. So it'll be a bit harder in the future im sure. But I dont see what the big deal is with that swerve test. I had to do something like that on my test. I think it was something like 20mph straight at a cone and swerve it in between the cones? Its sort of an ordinary manuver in real life riding and shouldnt be a new encounter when youre cruising down the highway with cars around you.

Of course I will admit almost eating it on a scooter during that part. but that was because ive never ridden a scooter before that day...haha

We have to do a slow weave through cones here, turn around and weave again. That's the hardest part of the test.

I dunno, after watching the video, if you can't do that maneuver, maybe you shouldn't be able to get a license.

I would think a smaller bike would be just as easy to throw around... I'd like to try it out.

All Victorians in Australia had to do this same test some 20 years ago as part of their learners licence. It was also made slightly more difficult as you had top swerve either left or right according to a light indicator that went on just befor you reached the swerve zone. Weather was also not a consideration. I guessed which way to go and got lucky..

You have got to be kidding me. If you can't make that maneuver then you really should consider parking the bike and taking the car. That is not a swerve, that is a gentle lane change. In the MSF basic Rider Course we teach a swerve considerable more severe than that. This 'swerve' is a piece of p1ss, and quite frankly if you can't do it then you have no right riding a bike.

I was told that you don't actually learn to ride till after you pass the test, you learn to pass the test before that.

The point to me is, that they are making nervous people (and you lot didn't see how nervous I was for my test) do something that in wet weather could be dangerous. I wouldn't serve like that in the rain unless the outcome if I didn't was worse. I don't see it as a gentle swerve at all, it's quite tight, and there's a muppet with a speed camera to make sure that the poor sod is doing 31 mph. In the rain... as I said I'd be more careful and aware of whichever bikes qualities....the old one, wouldn't be in the rain at all!!! The brakes are not great in the dry....

There's also the u-turn in the actual test. The figure of 8 and weave are in the CBT....before we even get to the test.

I don't understand the rain part. Do they wet the area down to ensure it simulates rain? If not that means the person was dumb enough to go take the test in the rain??? I would fail them just for that decision.

If 15 people fell off, that would be out of how many? 16, 100 , 10,000? Hard to evaluate until you know the total number of those getting a MC rating vs. those who fall.

If you can't avoid an object at 31MPH that you know is there like this test, its only a matter of time before you hit the street hard.

Ron,

We don't have much choice about riding in the rain over here.

If we saved the bikes for dry days only the chances are you would hardly ever get out on the bike.

ah, forgot you live on an island, assuming you live in Milton Keynes.

As I understand it (and I may be wrong) this is performed near the begining of the course before the newbie bikers are allowed on the road with instructor supervision. If so it is quite possibly the fastest they have ever been on two wheels. If it was held off until they were actually test ready, or at least until they had some supervised road experience they'd be more comfortable manovering at this speed.
The rest of the 'pre-road' stuff is the usual emergency stop & U turn. They also need to do a double continuous figure of eight, a slalom, reverse push the bike in a U turn from one space to another and the ride round a bend at a set speed twice and I think the swerve is at the end of one bend and the slalom is at the end of the other.
They cannot put their feet down at all when they aren't supposed to otherwise its an instant fail, and if they dont hit the target speed when required, they get one more go and then its a fail as well.

I just took the course last summer and did all the same tests as you guys have outlined. It was 2 1/2 day course with book work for one night then 2 days of riding. We spent the first day with some mind numbing basic stuff, like how to start the bike etc. Then built up to turning, stopping, figure 8 in a box, hard stops in turns and then this "dreaded swerve." Our instructions were get her into 2nd gear and then swerve, stop and proceed. Just like this one does. Really I have to agree that this is an essential part of riding a bike. Everyday I ride I hear my instructors saying little "secrets" to better riding techniques.

And after I read this yesterday I swerved to miss a road closed sign after swerving a UPS truck. I agree it's a more advanced move and should be held off for later in the course like we did. But I think it is essential.

(yes I was going down a closed road! They closed the highway and for some reason my road got closed too-I'd say just to mess with the traffic more)

+1 ... that is NOT a swerve. And if you fell off doing that gentle direction change - even in the wet - then you shouldn't be on a motorbike.