First off, I recognise that the DSA has a difficult job, what with having to decide who gets to throw around 2-ton plus lumps of metal full of explosives along a motorway at near-relativistic speeds. I am annoyed, however, at the attitude of our illustrious goverment in regard to motorcycles. Firstly, they let pretty much any 16 year old pillock with enough grey matter to follow instructions for a few hours ride a 50cc moped. These things can go fast enough to inflict pretty serious damage on the rider and anyone they crash into. They’re supposed to be restricted to 30mph, but who really thinks that’s actually going to happen? Mine could certainly do 45mph if pushed hard enough.
Second, Why on earth make it difficult for older, more responsible drivers to get onto a big bike? ‘Big’ in this regard means over 125cc, or more than 33bhp. It’s impossible to take your test on a bike you own unless it’s a 125, and you feel like wasting two years pootling around with what sounds like peas rattling in a can underneath you. Driving schools charge hefty fees to get training or tested on their bikes, though I’ll admit they do make it slighly easier to book tests, as they can book them up ahead of time.
These are the kind of fees you’re looking at to get on the road, assuming you already know how to ride a motorbike:
£120 for the ‘CBT’, what a load of old bollocks; “turn this to go, squeeze this to stop, turn left, turn right, that’ll be a lot of money please”
£80 for the bike test (Govt: “Let’s make the test Euro-compatible, O WAIT IT ARE ILLEGALZ DRIVING LIKE TAHT ON OUR ROADS LOL WTF?//!? Ok, let’s just make it more expensive then and delay the new style test…
£80 for ‘Tuition and Bike Hire’ Expensive, but whatever…
£250+ for ‘Compulsory Lessons’ that the driving school will make you take in order to hire their bike
I mean, come on, seriously guys! This is obvious price gouging on the part of the DSA and bike training schools…
I feel your pain man!