TOPIC:

When I was 16 (1980) you could get a bike no bigger than a 50cc which you could ride on L (learner) plates. Once you were 17 you could get a bike no bigger than a 125cc. When you turned 18 you could get a 250cc bike and that was as big as you could go until you passed your test - after that you could ride anything.
I passed my test on a Kawasaki KE100 then went for an RD250LC. As Pete says, it's not surprising there were so many accidents - the 250LC went like a rocket compared to the KE100

cheers

Billy

Back in ... well a long time ago ... the first bike licence you could get here in Queensland was a "motorcycle or motor scooter not exceeding 250cc", I did the test on a little 100cc, funny back in those days you could carry a pillion if they were instructing you but after you got your "P" plates (provisional licence) you couldn't carry a pillion, you held your "P" plates for 1 year then you got an open licence. I had an uncle who knew a country cop, so he took me up to the cop shop, I drove his truck, he had a word with the cop and the cop said if I could drive the truck there I deserve the truck licence, he asked if I needed anything else, I said an open bike and a car licence, so I got them all together, guess it's not what you know, it's who you know. These days new riders can either get trained on the road with an instructor on another bike near them, don't ask me how the communicate, maybe mic's and earpieces, or you can go to a training school and do the classroom stuff and driving on a track at the school and get your licence there, either for bike car or truck or semi etc. Also here I have the open bike licence (good for 5 years, then you just go and renew it, no tests), you can just bolt on a sidecar and go for it, no special licence, heck the sidecar isn't even checked by anyone, watch some politician come and stuff all that up soon, figure some way of getting some extra money for the government coffers. Anyway I've been on bikes, cars and other vehicles for over 40 years, lost it a few times when I was younger because of too many lost points from speeding tickets, but you just went back to a "P" plate for a year then back to an open licence, cheers Pete.

Hi

You guys are quite lucky. I made my motorcycle license back in 1987 in the Army, during December, on a 125cc tow-stroke army Bike from Herkules. That licens could later be transferred to a civilian class A1 (limited to 27 hp cycles) and after two years of owning it without incident I could transfer it into an A class (A class = Motorcycle)license with no limit.

If I had forever chosen to do the license in a standard driving school it would have taken:
- registering: around 200 DM (Deutsche Mark at that time)
- around 12 hours theory (around 40 DM each)
- around 12-16 hours driving the motorcycle under guidance, which means the driving-teacher sits in the car and orders you per intercom what to do, he will watch what you are doing and follow in his car, costs around 50-70 DM per hour
- get the license to be tested by an official tester from the authorities, around 200 DM per test, even if you fail

Here in Sitzerland it is even more expensive and tought, in some cantons you need to have the driving-teacher on your bike with you. Can you imagine you have a weak bike and a fat teacher on the back and you do exercises whiht that ?

I was lucky as in the Army it took me 14 (bloody cold) days in December, one teacher on a bike and 3 of us, each on a bike. Half a day theory, half a day practise, including off-road exercising. During my test it was so foggy that the car heading in front of us could not even see me. Test of course passed.

I need to admit that from the 125cc military bike to the Z1300 it is quite a large way to go ...

Wonder what you guys report from all those less regulated countries ...

regards,

Holger