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I'll contribute if that's OK SO YOU WANT TO GET YOUR DAS LICENCE IN THE UK The licencing process in Europe is a basket of snakes presumably designed to keep people from killing themselves. As a side effect, it's really confusing to a transplant. I'll share my licencing experience in the UK as a roadmap for people trying to get licenced. OK LET'S GET STARTED - Get your licence The first thing you need to do is send off for your licence. This requires having a NI number, a process not worth getting into here. After applying, the DVLA will send you a licence in the mail in a few days. This entitles you to provisionally drive cars and motorbikes. - Do your CBT Your motorbike entitlement isn't actually "live" until your do your Compulsory Basic Training. This is a one day course that generally costs ~£75 that covers basic motorbike operation, road craft, and ends with a brief road test. This is roughly equivalent to taking your MSF. The course is generally done with twist-and-go scooters (automatic transmissions) so you have less to think about while you're trying to keep the drat thing upright. Upon completing the course, your motorbike entitlement is "validated" and you can operate bikes with up to 125cc displacement and no more than 9 hp or so. - Get your gear conversion If you're like me and have never operated a bike before starting this process, even though you're entitled to use a manual bike you still will want to take some training. A "gear conversion" is pretty much like CBT round 2, except it's done on a geared bike. This is usually another £80 or so. Once you're through with this, you're ready to run a geared bike on the road. - (Optional) "Rent" a 125cc The funny thing about the bike market in the UK is that there are an infinite number of Honda or Yamaha fuel injected 125cc bikes around the £1000 range. You can easily and safely buy one almost at random, ride it for 6 months, drop it a couple of times, and then sell it on for the same money. Though you can skip this step, these things are so cheap and easy you owe it to yourself to rent one for a few months and figure out if you really like this biking thing before spending actual money. - Take your theory test This is £25 or so, a simple computer based test which tests your roadcraft skills and hazard awareness - Find an instructor for your DAS You will need to find a school for your direct access. Why? 1. The schools book the slots at the test centre directly, so it's really to find a slot at all if you don't go through a school 2. You need to test on a bike bike if you want a full unrestricted A licence, but you can't operate one on a provisional licence unless you are in radio contact with an instructor 3. Nobody's going to insure you in a bike you're not authorised to operate So look for a school. The sad truth here is that schools generally work with a single test centre, and that not all test centres are the same. Look up the pass rates for the centres near you and ask when you call around to schools which centres they work with. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/motorcycle-riding-test-data-by-test-centre Depending on the time of year, your course will be £600 to £900 inclusive of bike, insurance, instruction, and test fees. - Course structure The courses will be several days long, cumulative in taking your formal tests. Day 1 is generally familiarisation, essentially your third day of CBT. What makes this different is the fact the bike is a lot bigger, heavier, and more powerful, so you have some relearning to do. Day 2 is generally covers Mod 1 content. The bits they will drill you on are the U Turn and the slalom. They might also take you to some abandoned roads to practice emergency stops. Day 3 is primarily road craft. The instructors will take you to the roads where the examiners commonly travel and point out common pitfalls (e.g. roads in the area that have uncommon traffic patterns, correct navigation of roundabouts, etc.) Day 4 is generally held at the test centre, on the actual Mod 1 course. Here you will practice on the actual course that will be there at the day. The instructor will play examiner (don't forget your shoulder checks!!) - The tests There are two tests, Mod 1 and Mod 2. I'm not going to explain what happens on a Mod 1, when you can just watch this: https://youtu.be/fxwx7AqU7ZU If your school is confident you will pass your Mod 1 first try, they will schedule your mod 2 immediately after. If you fail your mod 1 like this, expect to pay for both a new mod 2 (~£30 ish) and a mod 2 (~£70 ish) . Your Mod 2 is essentially a test of your road craft and awareness. You'll be following directions from an examiner behind you. In the beginning he'll direct you to specific places he wants you to go so he can observe you handing various traffic patterns. Toward the end he will direct you to follow street signs to a destination to ensure you can navigate. At the end he will discuss your results with your instructor (if you failed) or congratulate you if you passed. He or she will take your licence and the DVLA will send you a new one with your new entitlement on it. That's pretty much it!!
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Feb 24, 2017 23:10
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| # ¿ May 3, 2024 09:36 |
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