Fears that motorbike swerve test 'could kill'

[multijoy]

https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8067672.stm

I've no idea of what the video says as it's blocked from work, but thought it might be of interest.

Enjoy!
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'11 CBF1000A, '99 C90, '98 CB500
silky666: He rode amazingly well considering his bike is the weight of a small van and had slicks on.

[chadwick]

Cannot believe the silly **** from the DSA at the end of the interview saying 'if the changes prevent just one death or injury on the road it will be worth it'... the whole story is banging on about how learners are being injured trying to complete the maneuver, so as long as people aren't injured on the highway that's ok then????!!!!

F***ing hypocritical government policy.
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Chadwick

[Grayzo]

i cannot watch the video either as im in college (blocked)
however as a person who has passed his test a month ago! :>:>:>
yipee before the new test came into play............
i do think that they should keep the test as it was, plain and simple.
and it cost a bomb!!!! i paid £300 to do my 1 and a half days training and then my test afterwards.
i didnt think anything of it to be honest. wouldent like to do the new test though
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BULLDOG BASH 2009 - 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th OF AUGUST
had - NS125R current - FZR400RR EXUP (89)

[Poseidon]

I for one am glad that Justine Moore fell off and broke her shoulder whilst doing the "swerve test"... Too many poor defenceless traffic cones are being wiped out by people who cannot safely swerve around them! It's about time the DSA did more to protect what I believe is an unsung hero on our highways!!! And by keeping people like her off the roads, our humble traffic cones can sleep safe in the knowledge that they are that little bit safer!

https://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/911567/2/istockphoto_911567-traffic-cone.jpg
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1977 Honda CG125
2002 Ducati Monster S4 (currently restoring)

[Ariel Badger]

[Poseidon]

[chadwick]

completely agree with the posts above.

New riders who may possibly have only been riding for a few days should not be expected to perform this kind of maneuver after just a few days riding, especially in the wet.

Surely it would have been more sense to insist that the training a rider undergoes includes more advanced, defensive riding techniques, to enable new riders to read the road and predict dangers further in advance, allowing them to react in a safe controlled manner. The ability to throw a bike around and avoid things at the last minute at speed comes with time and experience riding, experience that can be made up for to a large extent in new riders through teaching decent controlled defensive riding.

I suppose its just too difficult to test if the rider is bothering to read the road ahead without banging an obstacle in their path though...
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Chadwick

[Poseidon]

Surely the fact that newbies ride slower would negate the need for "high speed" manouveres. I've only had my licence 6months and for the first month, I went so bloody slow that the controlled stop I learned for the old test would've been enough to get me out of most dagerous situations. Now that I ride almost everyday, and I have learned how to counter steer, I am more comfortable at higher speeds, better able to throw the bike around and would be more than confident on the "swerve test".
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1977 Honda CG125
2002 Ducati Monster S4 (currently restoring)

[Newbiker0507]

https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8067212.stm

Looks like curtains for the new test
Law suits may ensue, looking at it from a purely blank slate

[psbresner]

Lets hope they do something about it, 300 trials isn't alot of testing in my book.
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CBT Expired / Theory Expired / Mod1 : TBD / Mod 2 :TBD

[arry]

[stinkwheel]

Questions:

Should someone who is unable to satisfactorily avoid hitting at traffic cone that they know is there be given a full motorcycle licence?

Should someone who is not capable of knowing when they are exceeding the handling envelope of their machine to the extent they crash be given a full motorcycle licence?

Should the motorcycle test REALLY be tailored so it can be passed by novices or should it be set so only people who can demonstrate a good degree of control of their riding skills and machine can pass?

Are you more or less likely to have to dodge round a previously unseen obstacle in the wet? Taking the answer to this into account, is the suggestion that the speed of the manouver be reduced in wet conditions a valid one?

OPPINION:
I think the test ought to be difficult.

It should not be possible to pass the bike test after only three days of tuition, especially for direct access riders. There is no way you can get sufficient road experience and machine control in that time. New riders ought to have completed a minimum amount of road experience before they are eligable for a test.

The DSA have attempted to make the test cover more for safety but have only managed to increase expense and complexity.

Consider yourselves lucky you don't have to do your test in Japan where to get a 400cc+ licence you have to do slow riding exercises over both a narrow metal bridge 5m long and over a series of randomly tilted concrete slabs.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Crazy Manx Man]

Only value added to the test by the swerve test is the entertainment value! Well done DSA!
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Too Fast For Even The Plod To Keep Up With

[iooi]

[Kickstart]

Hi

Tend to agree with Stinkwheel that the test should be more difficult. However that difficulty should be in being observed in normal conditions for longer, not just more hoops to jump through.

At present the idea just seems to be more and more flaming hoops to jump through. What next, force car drivers to recover from a sideway skid towards a brick wall, while failing those who control the vehicle and avoid skidding?

[supZ]

[UnknownStuntm...]

[Pickledswede]

Watching that video certainly makes it look very easy, I can't see how at 30mph, even in the wet, you can generate enough lean to fall off from that. Personally, I think you'd struggle to do it wrong, but then what do I know, we'll see when I take my test in a couple of months...

[stinkwheel]

[Kickstart]

[stinkwheel]

[arry]

[stinkwheel]

[UnknownStuntm...]

I recall them saying that the test will take place off road, and it will be a special high specification surface. So, not an actual surface you're gonna encounter day-to-day then.

[Kickstart]