Pardon the excess detail but I wanted to get everything down before I forgot anything.
So I just took the test and some of you on this forum have voiced questions about what is on the test let me elucidate the process for you.
I went in to the driving test window at the DMV and provided my motorcycle permit, proof of insurance and current registration. From there I was given a slip and directed outside to the parking lot. There are three lanes and any one of which I was supposed to park in and wait for the examiner. Lucky for me I was only behind one person (who was also taking, but failing, the motorcycle driving test).
The examiner takes the papers that were handed to me inside (my motorcycle permit, proof of insurance, current registration and cover sheet from the DMV) and checks to make sure I am me, and the bike is the correct bike (VIN and all).
Next, six questions. Identify the following items on my bike...I really shouldn’t be telling you guys this because if there are any potential test-takers out there, and they can’t pass this portion, they (and potentially, we) are in for a world of hurt. Anyway, identify the following items on my bike.
1) Starter (they mean the starter button)
2) Choke (if it has one)
3) Clutch
4) Throttle
5) Gear Shift
6) Brakes (front and back levers)
They also asked me to turn on the left and right indicators and to use the horn (nothing about brake lights which was surprising, maybe they mix it up or he forgot).
Next the riding portion. The examiner directed me to ride over to the area I was to be tested in.
The space between the lines is about 2ft. and the dots are cones about 10-15 ft from each other. The circle is about 30 ft in diameter.
On the first test I had to zigzag through the cones till I got to the circle, enter the circle and go around twice (direction doesn’t matter) and then come back zigzagging through the cones again.
On the second test I had to ride down between the lanes ‘slowly’ (I have no idea how slow he meant) and enter the circle in the opposite direction I entered in the last test, go around inside the circles twice and then exit using the other lane to come back.
During both of these test I was informed that if I put my foot down I would fail IMMEDIATELY. Ditto if my front tire exits any of the lanes (i.e. the path formed by the concentric circles or the path formed by the parallel lines). He didn’t say anything about the rear tire, maybe there is more leeway there. If I failed at any point I don’t move on to the next test and must make a new appointment. No second tries, and no practicing (though I suspect after hours you might be able to sneak in).
The final test was just to start the bike at one end of the parking lot and accelerate while up-shifting, to the other end of the lot.
After that the examiner gave me a slip, I went back inside to the queue for test takes (which is nearly always empty). They gave me a form to sign which is a temporary license good for two months. The regular license should arrive in 2-4 weeks.
A few observations.
The guy in front of me taking the test was on some new, shiny, larger sport bike. He had a VERY hard time of it. He didn’t make it past the first set of zigzags before he put his foot down. Ditto several times around the loop. Heavy bike = bad. Don’t know if using a sport bike was better or worse.
I had a ’84 gpz550 that I’ve been riding forever and feel very comfortable on and it still felt like a bear to get around those cones and stay in that circle at low speeds. Part of the trouble is that I couldn’t see the front tire so I wasn’t sure exactly where I was. As many others have suggested, borrow the smallest bike you can find for the test.
I did the whole thing in first gear. I’m not sure I could pull it off in second.
That previous posting on revving engines totally worked. I was having trouble on the second trip around the circle and upped the RPMs and like magic it seemed more stable.
As always I was dealt with by competent but indifferent staff, which is fine by me, I’d rather have that then incompetent and friendly staff.
As always if you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me.
