I've Passed

I've Passed
Originally uploaded by markhsal.

Today, I took the third and final part - the practical test, - to become a fully licensed motorcycle rider, and I passed!

I am now able to ride any size of motorcycle and on any road, and I can remove the 'L' plates of my bike and carry passengers.

I still can't quite believe it. Last Saturday was my worst ever lesson when I just couldn't do anything right. I felt I was facing failure in the face. This morning, I was very nervous and tense, and did an hour's practice with my instructor, Kevin, before getting to the test centre and meeting my examiner, Peter.

Peter was just great! A perfect gentleman who, I felt, would be firm but fair. Once on the road, with him following behind, it became a lot more straight forward, and I was able to relax and I completed the test committing only 4 minor faults (you are allowed up to 14 before they fail you).

After the test, I returned to the riding school with Kevin to have a cuppa and a chance to calm my nerves. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Four-Wheeled Idiots

I have only been riding my bike for a month or so, but I am already aware that, as a biker, I "share" the road with a whole range of imbecilic "drivers".

Twice, I have had someone pull out in front of me without once looking to see if anyone was coming. Mind you, the drivers were very busy on their hand-held mobile phones at the time, which probably is a good enough excuse. But what about the woman busy in an animated conversation with her friend, who changed lanes without realising that I was alongside her at the time! Maybe I am being unfair, as she did have one hand on the wheel, while using the other to describe what she was talking about, and of course, she had to look at her friend/partner to ensure she got the point.

No, it is the "faffyness" of drivers that gets to me! Do drivers not realise that crawling at 2 mph is very difficult for a motorcyclist. The other day, I was in a queue, when the cars in front started to crawl forward - not very far or very fast, so I decided to wait until the queue started to move properly before attempting to move off. Eventually, there was a gap of about six to ten feet in front of me and it was at this point that the wazzock behind me beeped his horn! Now I was both enraged by his idiocy while admiring his bravery. Beeping a large hairy (well in my case - hairless) biker is likely to lead to a short ride to the nearest hospital. In this particular instance, I took pity on his mental illness and just gave him the finger. Sensibly, he left it at that.

Another guy was indicating right - and turned left; someone else turning right, but not moving over to the middle of the road (of course, I am describing driving in Britain where we drive on the proper side of the road) and of course, the nightmare that is the "school run"!

But I am left with the impression of how bad drivers are - something I hadn't really noticed before, and I am aware at how well my driving in general has improved since taking up the bike. I have greater road sense and awareness now and my road positioning and signalling is a lot more clear (the number of drivers that don't indicate on round-abouts are legion). I now also understand the desire of bikers to get to the front of the queue - it helps to keep them away from the idiots. In the UK, there is a big debate about congestion charges, and of course the majority of drivers are up in arms about it, but lets face it, cars cause congestion - bikes don't.