hey guys,,

 

i planning on taking my test in jan just after my 21st bday.

 

ive done a cbt, theory and module 1, so in order to ride my very nice zxrr600 would i have to now take the direct access course? after my 21st of course.

 

or is there sumin else before that? cos i know that before 21 u can take the module 2 which allows you to ride 125cc no plates. then goes up to watever you want when 21 or 2 years whatevers sooner. so am i right in thinking if i book a direct access for just after my bday, take it on a 500cc, pass. im good to go?

ive looked on the dvla but its just so confusing, so id thought id ask here seeing as you lot collectivly know everything about everything lol

thanks guys

There are some active bikers on here, but when I was riding and working in the biking industry, at 21 you took your direct access if you'd had your bike licence for less than 2 years, if you'd had your license more than 2 years by the time you turned 21, there was no need for the direct access course, you were simply entitled to ride a higher cc once you hit 21.

 

EDIT: That's full licence btw, not provisional and specifically bike licence, not car licence :D just thought I better clarify that. lol

bugger ive only had it one year, and its still only A, which is provisional, so im gona have to take the direct acces, thats ok, im confident ill pass, only fing im worried about is reaching the floor lol

The actual test at the test centre is no different for small capacity bikes like a 125 or large capacity 45bhp and above. The reasons for the different rulings obviously being that age can limit options for which bikes can be ridden along with the restrictions placed on those who pass on a 125.

Ignoring the age thing for a second and basing the next statement as for those over 21 years of age (which you will be when you do your test).

 

If you pass your test on a sub 33 bhp bike (normally a 125 for most training bodies) then you are limited to sub 33bhp for two years. After which you can ride anything you want. Kits are available to restrict large capacity bikes down to 33 bhp for those who want a big bike but are still under the 2 year limitation. If you took your test on a 125 while aged 20, the fact you then turned 21 within that 2 year period would have no bearing on being able to ride a bigger bike. You can't do that. The 2 years is a mandatory period and your turning 21 has no relevance.

 

Again, for 21 and over. If you pass your test on a larger bike (which I think is currently dictated as either 45 or 55 bhp or thereabouts) then you can ride anything you want as soon as you pass with no restrictions.

 

Those under 21 are limited to what options are available which you are obviously already aware of.

 

So for all above 21

 

It is the bike you actually take your test on that dictates what you can do. You can learn on a 125 all the way and then turn up on the day on a (insured/taxed/mot'd) large capacity bike and ride anything you want after passing. Getting insured to actually do that might be difficult though.

 

The insurance cost and price of larger bikes is why training bodies charge so much more for the big bike lessons over the smaller 125 class.

 

For anyone else thinking of doing their test, be aware that January 2013 is when the second directive comes into force and all of this changes. From that date, the 2 year ride a small bike then ride what you want afterwards will no longer apply. You would have to take another test if you wanted to ride a larger bike. The 33 bhp rule is moving slightly in power as well, I seem to remember it now becomes 34 bhp, but I am sure there are going to be arguments from training bodies about that and also the change in bhp required to qualify for the larger bikes for test. There will be a lot of training bodies selling 500 cc bikes this year as they will no longer be used for the big bike tests as they fall short of the minimum for the second directive.

 

There are other changes as well, but put simply, if you ever wanted to ride a bike, 2012 is the time to get it done, 2013 will be more expensive and more difficult to achieve a full bike licence.

Should add my biker bf wrote that. His mate owns a own a bike training school. You may find his website useful

 

http://www.moto-technique.co.uk/directaccess-flowchart.html

okie smoke, so let me get this straight, if i could insure my ninja, tax .mot. or use the 500cc provided a instructor. then take the test on that after my 21st. and pass that allows me to ride the ninja under NO restriction?

by and instructor i ment lol

Yes

Sweeet :lol: thanks Roobarb and boyfriend :)

Yes.

 

21 years old (even if it's 21 and one day) pass test on a direct access capable bike and ride what you want after you pass your test.

 

There are far too many issues involved with doing it on your own bike, insurance issues are complicated as you have no test yet, so expensive. Plus even with insurance there is the fact you have to actually get the bike to the test centre which you cannot do without an instructor as your insurance needs to be validated by their prescence. Potential nightmare.

 

If I were you, I would stick with using a training school bike for your test with their instructor. Plus, u turns and the like on a ninja aren't as easy as with the average school choice. Not saying difficult, but under test conditions, nerves play their part.

Don't know the system there so can't really help wiht licensing, but most other bike q's i can help with, rode for 6 years, mechanic for 4, did the odd bit of racing etc, took a break from it to build my dream car (hence i'm here)

 

Getting back into it in a couple of years, was getting a bit too confident for my own good on the streets.

The actual test at the test centre is no different for small capacity bikes like a 125 or large capacity 45bhp and above. The reasons for the different rulings obviously being that age can limit options for which bikes can be ridden along with the restrictions placed on those who pass on a 125.

Ignoring the age thing for a second and basing the next statement as for those over 21 years of age (which you will be when you do your test).

 

If you pass your test on a sub 33 bhp bike (normally a 125 for most training bodies) then you are limited to sub 33bhp for two years. After which you can ride anything you want. Kits are available to restrict large capacity bikes down to 33 bhp for those who want a big bike but are still under the 2 year limitation. If you took your test on a 125 while aged 20, the fact you then turned 21 within that 2 year period would have no bearing on being able to ride a bigger bike. You can't do that. The 2 years is a mandatory period and your turning 21 has no relevance.

 

Again, for 21 and over. If you pass your test on a larger bike (which I think is currently dictated as either 45 or 55 bhp or thereabouts) then you can ride anything you want as soon as you pass with no restrictions.

 

Those under 21 are limited to what options are available which you are obviously already aware of.

 

So for all above 21

 

It is the bike you actually take your test on that dictates what you can do. You can learn on a 125 all the way and then turn up on the day on a (insured/taxed/mot'd) large capacity bike and ride anything you want after passing. Getting insured to actually do that might be difficult though.

 

The insurance cost and price of larger bikes is why training bodies charge so much more for the big bike lessons over the smaller 125 class.

 

For anyone else thinking of doing their test, be aware that January 2013 is when the second directive comes into force and all of this changes. From that date, the 2 year ride a small bike then ride what you want afterwards will no longer apply. You would have to take another test if you wanted to ride a larger bike. The 33 bhp rule is moving slightly in power as well, I seem to remember it now becomes 34 bhp, but I am sure there are going to be arguments from training bodies about that and also the change in bhp required to qualify for the larger bikes for test. There will be a lot of training bodies selling 500 cc bikes this year as they will no longer be used for the big bike tests as they fall short of the minimum for the second directive.

 

There are other changes as well, but put simply, if you ever wanted to ride a bike, 2012 is the time to get it done, 2013 will be more expensive and more difficult to achieve a full bike licence.

 

The value of this club is endless :)

Heck of a complex system compared to here.

 

Here bike licensing is.

 

Learner license -

 

Testing: road rules scratchie test, basic handling skills test (ride around some cones slalom prove you can stop within a set area etc.

 

Restrictions: no more than 70kph (40mph?) on open road or motorways (stupid rule), limited to 250cc (or less) bike, must display l plate, no passengers, no riding between 10pm-5am.

 

Wait time to next stage: 6 months

 

Restricted license -

 

Testing: be followed on a 250cc or less bike by a testing officer, (they use an intercom headset)

 

Restrictions: no passengers, 250cc limit, no riding between 10pm-5am

 

Wait time to next stage: 18 months (12 months if a driving training course is completed, no test on a bike you have to do this in a car... :glare: )

 

Full license

 

 

Testing: Testing: be followed on a 250cc or less bike by a testing officer, (they use an intercom headset)

 

Restrictions: none.

ZedZilla, our car licence system is different too.

 

Here you must be 17 to even learn in an actual car on the road (They keep talking about raising that to 18 too), even then, with a provisional licence, you must have someone next to you, who is over 21, been qualified more than 2 years and I believe they even have to have a clean licence now? Then once you pass, you're out on your own, full licence, no restrictions to power, size, etc. Apart from number of seats and weight restrictions to apply to PSVs and Trucks etc.

 

Insurance is different too, here it's mandatory and will easily cost a 17 - 21 year old over $6000 NZD for the years leading up to being 21, and that's for just about anything. I worked for an insurance company at 17, and had a massive discount, I still paid £1300 (Equiv about $3000NZD) for a Ford Orion Ghia 1.6 CVH!!!!

ZedZilla, our car licence system is different too.

 

Here you must be 17 to even learn in an actual car on the road (They keep talking about raising that to 18 too), even then, with a provisional licence, you must have someone next to you, who is over 21, been qualified more than 2 years and I believe they even have to have a clean licence now? Then once you pass, you're out on your own, full licence, no restrictions to power, size, etc. Apart from number of seats and weight restrictions to apply to PSVs and Trucks etc.

 

Insurance is different too, here it's mandatory and will easily cost a 17 - 21 year old over $6000 NZD for the years leading up to being 21, and that's for just about anything. I worked for an insurance company at 17, and had a massive discount, I still paid £1300 (Equiv about $3000NZD) for a Ford Orion Ghia 1.6 CVH!!!!

 

Yeah i've heard of insane insurance over there, since you left they raised up the driving age to 16 here, all the farmers got upset that rural kids wouldnt be able to get around etc.

 

yeah car licensing is not too dis-similar here.

 

Learners: scratchie test - cant drive unaccompanied.

 

Restricted: driving test - no passengers, cant drive unaccompanied between 10pm-5am and that person must have held a full license for over 2 years and must be in a state of which they could take over control of the vehicle, ie not over the drink driving limit/ under influence of drugs/ asleep etc etc.

 

 

Yeah full license here in car is 18 months after restricted or 12 months if you do a defensive driving course, never at any point of license system is there any restriction on vehicle power output etc.

 

The aussies approach of P plate drivers no turbo cars no v8's etc i think is a damn good idea.

Wasn't really clear there, lack of sleep...

 

If you are to drive outside of hours or with passengers there must be a person who has held a full license for over 2 years in the front passenger seat...

Indeed, we actually sold our Mitsubishi VR4 Twin Turbo to a 16 year old mechanic lad from Rodney, who already had one he couldn't comply as a road vehicle because of import laws but still drove around in anyway, lol. Ours blew a headgasket about 2 weeks before we were due to leave, the day after we'd moved out of our house with double garage and sold all our tools etc. So sold it to him for about $3000 I think, he was planning to swap the engines over and drive our road legal Midnight Purple one. 16 years old and driving a 350bhp VR4 :no: (His VR4 had a race built engine in it).

Indeed, we actually sold our Mitsubishi VR4 Twin Turbo to a 16 year old mechanic lad from Rodney, who already had one he couldn't comply as a road vehicle because of import laws but still drove around in anyway, lol. Ours blew a headgasket about 2 weeks before we were due to leave, the day after we'd moved out of our house with double garage and sold all our tools etc. So sold it to him for about $3000 I think, he was planning to swap the engines over and drive our road legal Midnight Purple one. 16 years old and driving a 350bhp VR4 :no: (His VR4 had a race built engine in it).

 

Yeap had a young fella in skyline club who was 16 driving an r33 skyline coupe, rb25det, forward facing plenum upgraded turbo injectors etc etc, would drive along next to us on motorway in 3rd gear pulsing the gas coming on and off boost, we all tried to help him and guide him most people gave up on him.

 

He was going on about how he can handle the car etc etc, he took me for a drive one day, he wasn't bad but he just couldn't control the power. burying it around in straight lines puttering around the corners...

 

I said mate you can't corner this thing at all can you, oh yeah it tries to go sideways... he challenged me i couldn't go any faster, so i took him out through the old whitford gorge in the wet, he was pretty pale by the time we got back! :lol:

I should add this was followed by a... now do you see how ridiculous your car can be, so stop being such an arse in it. (i was sensible in it but made my point)

Please, please, please go and do some advanced training after you pass your test (IAM or RoSPA). What they teach you to pass your ministry test is just not good enough to keep you safe.

Yeah always a good idea to get some serious training on a bike. A couple of friends of mine have recently nearly died and both were experienced riders, had they not been, they might have been dead.

Yeah always a good idea to get some serious training on a bike. A couple of friends of mine have recently nearly died and both were experienced riders, had they not been, they might have been dead.

 

I literally could write a novel on how to handle a motorcycle.

 

But this site has character limits.

 

Beyond the basics below are the CRUCIAL things you must know.

 

COUNTERSTEERING - understand it, use it, be ready to do it at any time, get that habit in NOW.

 

LOOK FOR THE GAP - if you are going to arse off, look for a gap where you can land, there is almost always a gap, if there is no gap, make sure your impact will throw you into a gap. (i got smacked off on the motorway headed straight for a stopped van, ploughed the van but hit it so i could skitter into an empty lane so i didn't get mowed.

 

GROUP RIDING - don't try keep up, ride your own ride, just because they can go around a corner that fast, doesn't mean you can.

 

LEARN THE ROAD - don't go being silly down road you do not know.

 

LOW GEAR - sit in a low gear around town, cars do not always see you and will pull out and its too late to stop, your option is gas. (especially on a small cc bike you need every bit of grunt you can get, you'll have time to chop one gear at most.

 

RUNNING WIDE - if you start to run wide, don't hit the brakes, the bike will stand up and its game over from there, look DEEP into the corner crank her over with some more countersteer, and throttle her out.

 

UNDERTAKING CARS - don't do it, ever.

 

 

OTHER ROAD USERS - treat them all as idiots, often they are, and then you wont be suprised.

 

RIDING STANCE - staunch, aggressive, reality is cars do see you thier brain simply writes it off, its like that gap in traffic if it was a car coming you'd make it no sweat, if it's a container truck, you're far less likely to take it on, to a car drivers brain a motorcycle simply is not a threat.

 

HEAD MOVEMENT - point your head at car drivers waiting at t intersections. even with a black visor simply pointing your helmet at them you are taken as more of a threat to thier brain.

 

BRAKING - brake early never brake mid corner, at least while learning, you pick up your own little traits and learn what you can get away with as you go, but as a starting point stick to the afore mentioned.

 

BIKE SECURITY - always use your disc lock, if they can't roll it it makes it a hell of alot harder to steal, without going into detail, steering lock is a joke, always use that too, buys you an extra 3-5 seconds. i'm not going to go into hint and tips on an open forum for obvious reasons

 

That should be enough to get you started.

 

Anything else you want to know don't ever be afraid to ask, buried too many.

Yeah. You have to look out for yourself and all the idiots out there

ive been racing Motocross competivly for about 6 years now, pretty good at it,currently riding in the 125cc experts with my kxf250. i love it!! but since i had my cbt and do theory and mod 1,got a aprillia rs125. being on the road on a bike and not a car is totally different mindset, cars just dont care. you gota concentrate so much harder, and really take the time to learn the road, surface. learn your bike. i sold the aprilia couple months ago, and got myself a j2 zx600rr ready for when i pass my full test. ive had a cheeky ride on it to the waterfalls and back with my bropther, just to get the feel of it and learn a healthy respect for the bike, shes put away now waiting for me to pass my test and the sun to come out :)

hopefully ill have my Z on the road too

ive been racing Motocross competivly for about 6 years now, pretty good at it,currently riding in the 125cc experts with my kxf250. i love it!! but since i had my cbt and do theory and mod 1,got a aprillia rs125. being on the road on a bike and not a car is totally different mindset, cars just dont care. you gota concentrate so much harder, and really take the time to learn the road, surface. learn your bike. i sold the aprilia couple months ago, and got myself a j2 zx600rr ready for when i pass my full test. ive had a cheeky ride on it to the waterfalls and back with my bropther, just to get the feel of it and learn a healthy respect for the bike, shes put away now waiting for me to pass my test and the sun to come out :)

hopefully ill have my Z on the road too

Used to race myself, a few years back. Did my restricted access test in

the summer with a view to doing some enduro's and some green laning.

Passed all of it with flying colours, got 100% on the hazard perception...

well chuffed with myself, until the last part, the road test bit.

I left the fecking indicator on, major fault... fail...:mad2:

Passed the second time though....:cool3:

Got a Kawasaki klx300 4t, nice plodder for green laning, was going well

until i had a mishap while riding some ruts, i ended up hyper extending

my knee & fracturing the tibia.....:sad:

That was 6 weeks ago, still off work, leg in a brace and on crutches, can

bend my knee to 90 degrees now, so i'm getting there... slowly...:wheelchair:

 

Good luck....:wink: