Get On Your Bikes and Ride or Not!

Unlike the lyrics to the Queen hit track “Fat Bottomed Girls,” getting your bike license in the UK has now become a bit of an ordeal; your chances of passing are deliberately being made slimmer and slimmer! The concept of the Nanny State is a fully embedded firewall in the average UK citizen's lives.

I was fortunate enough to get my bike and car tickets when I was in the Military. Licensing then basically involved getting to one end of a car park, turning around, and coming back without hitting anything...then off for some lunch and a beer!  Finally, down to the nearest bike shop and buying the biggest bike I could afford.

The new motorcycle test has evolved into a treacherous and cash-draining affair, keeping more and more citizens from riding motorcycles. The fact that more and more people want to ride bikes because they are greener and more efficient seems to escape the Government.

The detail of the new test instigated in April 2009 involves two modules:

Module 1: The specified maneuvers conducted at specific speeds will be tested in module 1 on safe off-road sites. (Below details taken from the UK Driving Standards Agency)

These specified maneuvers are:

• at least two maneuvers carried out at slow speed, including a slalom
• at least two maneuvers carried out at higher speed, of which one exercise should be in second or third gear, at a speed of at least 30 km/h (approx. 19 mph) and one exercise avoiding an obstacle at a minimum speed of 50 km/h (approx. 32 mph)
• at least two braking maneuvers, including an emergency brake at a minimum speed of 50 km/h (approx. 32 mph)

On the day of your module 1 test, you will be asked by the examiner to demonstrate your riding ability on either the left-hand or right-hand circuit. The standard off-road layout may change because of local conditions on the casual sites.

If you pass module 1 you will receive a test pass certificate which you must bring with you when you take module 2.

Test Format:

Module 2 of the test is made up of the eyesight test, road safety questions and at least 30 minutes of road riding. Road riding will cover a variety of road and traffic conditions and will also include normal stops, hill and angle starts.

Take into account that before you can take Module 2 you also should have passed the highly ambiguous Theory Test which includes lots of bizarre multiple choice questions and a Video Threat Perception Test which is to say the least a lottery.

Now at this point you are ready to take Module 2, the best way of understanding this is to watch the video shown at the link below:

http://www.dsa.gov.uk/Category.asp?cat=405

Now to the important bit. The cost for getting your bike license, depending on how many lessons you have had could range from $1200-$1600 approximately...and you may not even have a bike yet. So here is a question for you? Taking into account exchange rates, shipping costs and all the other nonsense that is involved with manufacturers getting a bike into your country, why does a 2010 ZX10R cost $15750 in the UK but in the US costs $13199, a $2500 difference. The answer: Tax and Duty, all of which goes to the Government.

Next up is Insurance and Road Tax. Insurance on a new rider for a 600cc capacity bike can be anything up to about $3200 per annum and Road Tax will be up to $100 depending on capacity. I have now lost count of how much this is all costing me. I am not going to go into the costs of servicing or tires, leathers, helmets or anything else because I think, by now, you will have realized that the extra duties placed on your average prospective biker in the UK are very inhibitive, especially for the younger generation. These costs are no problem for people with money, but this is where British biking is suffering the most because of the Governments policies.

In the past, a motorcycle was the chosen form of transport for young people because it was inexpensive and this is what generated many years of great British riders, innovation and a very healthy biking scene. Now we have too many inexperienced 50-something riders out at the weekend on their super shiny and very low mileage bikes, riding particularly fast and normally not very safely, and these are the guys that are giving the Government the ammunition to stop motorcycling altogether.

So now my point: Take care in America not to allow Government legislation to impose heavy taxes and regulations that will destroy the biking ethic and community in your country. America in comparison to the UK is still the Land of The Free and needs to stay that way so that guys like me can come over on holiday and enjoy everything America stands for and so that you can continue to enjoy everything you love most.