seriously? the direct access bike test is going up to 24

sloppycowpat

B@stards!!!

that's ridiculous when you are 21 you are legally and adult for 3 years and should be able to make your own decisions, not be told by the government that you are not old enough

all down to the third European directive on the driving licence coming into force shortly, BAH!!! the sooner we tell the European union to off p!ss the better!!!

now i have 5 months or have to wait another 2 years to get round to doing the test :evil:

Briggo

Too right, bloody motorcyclists.

Raymondavalon

Bless...

Then again I got my licence at 18 on a Kawasaki KZ1300, but I had been on two wheels for almost a decade by then
The KZ1300 was my dad's bike, but as a reward for passing my license I was gifted with a Yamaha Enduro 500 [AKA XT500] to knock about on.

A couple of years on a little bike shouldn't hurt anyone.. only your ego

cat_with_no_tail

Seeing some of the dlckheads riding round the Island the last 2 weeks I think even that is leniant.
Should be mandatory to do a couple of years on a smaller engined bike, irrespective of your age.

That said, I feel the same about car drivers too. Passing your test at 16 and jumping straight into daddys M5 is only ever going to end 1 way.

drtobiasfunke

24 for a motorbike yet you can have kids at 16...

Raymondavalon

Cat With No Tail wrote:

Should be mandatory to do a couple of years on a smaller engined bike, irrespective of your age..

I agree, when you're a youngster you're full of beans and believe you're invincible
The majority of sensible younger riders I've come across are those with race experience (Road/Enduro/MX) and they've got that better basic instinct when it comes to riding big horsepower bikes that command respect.

cooldad

drtobiasfunke wrote:

24 for a motorbike yet you can have kids at 16...

You can, but it would be absolute proof of dickheadedness.

cooldad

I did mine on one of these, a 1969 Kreidler Florett when I was 16.

The first day I proudly took it to school I collected all my mates to come and look, some smartarse said wtf is that, a flying tampax.
I had it painted on the tank - 'The Flying Tampax'. Good times.

Twelly

drtobiasfunke wrote:

24 for a motorbike yet you can have kids at 16...

Having kids doesn't involve hurling large pieces of metal at the general public at 70+mph though does it.

mintedox

Cat With No Tail wrote:

That said, I feel the same about car drivers too. Passing your test at 16 and jumping straight into daddys M5 is only ever going to end 1 way.

Why is it? I paid through the teeth at 17 to insure a fast car and never crashed it. Motorbikes are way more dangerous than cars so I can sort of see the point in this. Why is motorbike insurance a lot cheaper than car Insurance?

Twelly

mintedox wrote:

Why is it? I paid through the teeth at 17 to insure a fast car and never crashed it.

Why? you are only allowed to drive the same speed as everyone else so why waste stupid amounts of money on insuring a fast first car? Save your money and do something productive with it. Want to drive fast? Track days.

mintedox wrote:

Motorbikes are way more dangerous than cars so I can sort of see the point in this. Why is motorbike insurance a lot cheaper than car Insurance?

More dangerous for the rider, yes but cars are far more dangerous to everyone else on the road. If someone wants to jump on a fast bike and ride like a dick then fair enough, they might kill themselves and scratch a few bumpers in the process. Someone acts like a dick in a fast car and they could potentially cause a big accident and seriously injure or kill many people, whilst staying reasonably safe themselves. One reason why motorbikes are cheaper to insure.

paul.skibum

In BC you have to drive with a Novice licence after passing your test which doesnt limit the power of your car but does mean that you have instant suspension of your licence for breaking the law.

I think anything that eases riders and drivers into road use is a good idea - I definitely agree that the average 18 year old shouldnt be able to pass their test one day and spin out of the garage ina ferrari the next day. Same as the average 18 year old should nt be able to jump on a 1000cc bike - moving direct access to 24 is stupid though.

Daz555

The 21 limit was sensible enough considering car drivers can loon about from the age of 17- no need to raise it any higher.

I read the other day that new riders taking tests have dropped from about 100,000 per year to 50,000. Very worrying for the industry and also for the future of motorcycling for both commuting and as a pastime. There is a terrible anti-bike attitude across the EU when it comes to legislating for motorcycles, and it is getting worse.

Part of it is simply because bikes hurt the road death/seriously injured stats a fair bit and make their graphs look bad.

mintedox wrote:

Why is motorbike insurance a lot cheaper than car Insurance?

Fewer people are hurt in bike crashes. The cost of bikes is typically far less than cars. When you have an off on a bike it is usually just YOUR bike which gets written off.

sloppycowpat wrote:

now i have 5 months or have to wait another 2 years to get round to doing the test :evil:

Get on an intensive course and just get it done asap. Long time ago now but I did my DA in about 4 days.

.blitz

cooldad wrote:

I did mine on one of these, a 1969 Kreidler Florett when I was 16.

Oresum

I did mine in the rain on a CB100N. Took about 15 minutes.

.blitz

Cat With No Tail wrote:

That said, I feel the same about car drivers too. Passing your test at 16 and jumping straight into daddys M5 is only ever going to end 1 way.

This is true. Everyone should learn to ride a motorbike first

Welsh_Wizard

Did mine on a CB500. Best thing I've done training wise. Makes me a better car driver too I think. Gutted for the people who are going to get bummed on the new rules. It happened a few years back when the DVLA gave everyone the D1 category for free. Then they decided to make a test to get it. You can have dickhead drivers that can drive minibuses full of people with no formal training completely dependant on when they applied for their license!

cooldad

.blitz wrote:

Cat With No Tail wrote:

That said, I feel the same about car drivers too. Passing your test at 16 and jumping straight into daddys M5 is only ever going to end 1 way.

This is true. Everyone should learn to ride a motorbike first

I agree, a couple of years on a bike and if they are still alive they can do a car. Roads would be much safer. And if they die, less congested.

Twelly

cooldad wrote:

.blitz wrote:

Cat With No Tail wrote:

That said, I feel the same about car drivers too. Passing your test at 16 and jumping straight into daddys M5 is only ever going to end 1 way.

This is true. Everyone should learn to ride a motorbike first

I agree, a couple of years on a bike and if they are still alive they can do a car. Roads would be much safer. And if they die, less congested.

This could be the start of a nationwide cull of bad drivers.

I like it.

.blitz

cooldad wrote:

And if they die, less congested.

I like your style

win-win

delcol

And with good reason

:P :roll:

Northwind

It's not going to do what it should though... Noobs will still be noobs, kids will still derestrict scooters and 125s, pizza delivery guys will still ride more miles in worse conditions than just about anyone else despite having only done CBT, and born-agains will still be able to do DAS, get an R1, and splat themselves. And irresponsible 21-year-olds will do their restricted test, then pull the restrictors out of their bike.

Daft token measure that'll inconvenience responsible, honest people and do nothing of any use.