bike or car test easier?

[LUXY DJ]

just seeing a few people say bike test was harder then others say car test was harder but i think there should be a poll for this (if there hasnt been already)


so vote away
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GSXR750
(FAR FAR from standard) www.gixerjunkies.net

[innominate]

Bike,

But only cause you can fall off during the manuvers...
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[XanderKain]

Bike.........test is harder than car

[Bendy]

The one you do first is the hardest.

[ISLAND GIRL]

Um, cant really say to be honest, I did my car test back in 1988! Passed first time mind. I think learning to ride the bike has been harder for me and I am dreading the test, just dont think I will pass on first time around.

[Gazdaman]

If you're good enough then it's very very easy.

If you're not good enough then it's impossibly hard.

That's a non-question. There's no real answer. A lot of people would say bike because they've had a lot more experience on a bike. I had 6 months riding a 125 every day before I took my test.

My car test I had 15hours of lessons.

Took 3 attempts to pass my car test, changed instructors after the 2nd fail, and then passed with only 1 minor.

I passed my bike test first time with 3 minors, with only 2 hours professional instruction the day before.

They're equal. It's not a case of easy or hard, it's a case of meeting the required standard.

I found the maneuvres in the car harder, but then some people find u-turns hard, I'm lucky, I just don't.

Gaz

[Fire_Eyes]

I agree with Bendy, because as soon as you learn to use the gears the first time you will get a feel for it and find the second time easier.
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Kawasaki ZZR 400 | K5 GSX-R 600

[RobB]

As per usual, I think Bendy's hit the nail firmly on it's head.

I found my bike test to be much easier, but that's probably just because I had been on the road in a car for 4 years by that point. I could concentrate more on how to work the bike, rather than having to learn the highway code from scratch.
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[LUXY DJ]

well i started by doing car lessons but went on to bikes so only done my bike test & passed 1st time by doing 3days of DAS(2days training,3rd day training)

also if you passed AGES ago then it was ALOT easier (IMO anyway)
didnt have theory,eyetest,few other things see my ma & pa passed 1st time BUT it was alot easier even they know it

but i found doing a U-turn in a car is much easier then doing a U-turn on a bike
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(FAR FAR from standard) www.gixerjunkies.net

[Davo]

Between the two I'd say the car test was far harder than the bike test.

Just the fact the examiners in the car, and he can see what gear your in etc.. Whereas on a bike you can make the little mistakes and get away with it.

Also in the car the examiners got his clipboard with him to mark down minors as and when you do them. Whereas the bike examiner has to remember any mistakes that you make, then mark them down at the end of the test.

Finally if your examiner is following you in the car you can put some distance between you and them, so potentially miss some mistakes that you make.

[RobB]

[Gazdaman]

I do agree with Davo. I was a lot more stressed with the examiner sitting next to me.

Bike examiner followed me on a bike. It just felt like a normal ride.

Car test wasn't technially any harder, but I was more stressed.

Gaz

[fuzz]

[Barry_M2]

[johnsilva]

they are both easy, but the bike test is miles easier than the car.

Also, though, a huge factor is how lucky you are on the day (more so with the cars)


John
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Current Bikes: ZX7R P5; KR1S C2; GPX250R F3
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[Keen]

I'm not sure about this one. I passed both first time without much fuss, I found it all very logical and straight forward, but I think I was lucky because I had good instructors for both.

I would say that riding a bike is technically more difficult than driving a car, but thats not really what this question is about. In terms of the tests, I think the bike test could be said to be harder as I'm pretty sure the failure rate is higher than the car test...

[Bendy]

All things being equal, I'd say the car test is a bit harder than the bike test.

But things aren't equal. Sometimes people have years of biking experience (been riding on a CBT) before they bother to sit their test. Conversely, the idea of three day intensive courses is widely encouraged, so you can have people going from never having sat on a bike to having a licence in a week (perhaps responsible for the high failure rate?).

Some folk do car intensives but most do some lessons and rack up reasonable hours on the L plates with someone in the passenger seat. Most people have a fair bit of experience under their belts before going in for their car test, mainly because they have access to a car and someone to teach them.

I said the first one you do is the hardest because, given the same number of hours to learn in, the first one you do means mastering the concept of clutch control (which generally takes a little while to 'click') and the biggie - roadsense. Once you've got those nailed, it's just a matter of transferring the skills to a different kind of vehicle so it shouldn't take as long to learn how to pass the second test.

Driving a car does present more spacial awareness issues than riding a bike does and you're in closer proximity to the examiner. As Davo said above, you can get away with a bit more on the bike test (I stalled on mine but restarted it smoothly - I presume that would have been a minor if the examiner had actually noticed?).

I guess it depends if we're talking about just the test itself or the overall concept of learning, I'm veering toward the latter.

Even though I think the car test is harder, I passed that one first time but it took me 2 goes to pass the bike one. But all was not equal - a few months driving experience versus 3 days riding.

[Dark]

Bike test is far easier. Car test examiners just seem a lot more strict
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My Bikes in order:- Yamaha RXS100 / Suzuki X7 250 / Yamaha RD350LC / Kawasaki
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[The Old Geeza]

I ain't got a clue

I passed my car test before cars were even invented (well, you'd think that after reading some folks's replies to my posts )

But, based on my experience after passing my bike test, I don't think I'd like to take any one of them again. There seems to be too many hoops to jump through without touching the sides for new bikers and drivers these days



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Horse Power was safer when the Horses had it!

[LUXY DJ]

[RickHolt]

I'd say they're both the same really.

After doing the car and bike test I also think most of what you learn on the lessons is bollocks. The examiners get a general feel for you driving, and providing you don't make any clear mistakes (crashing, knocking someone down, sitting in a box junction etc), pass or fail you on that feeling.

The marking sheets dont mean anything.

Different examiners and instructors will tell you different ways of doing things, do it any way safely and you'll pass. They try to make you worry too much about the little things.

Rick.

[The Old Geeza]

[muddycoffee]

I passed both in the 1980s when I was in my teens, and at that time the car test was the hardest, because the examiner was with you all the time, whereas with the bike test they only saw you when you got around to the same corner again.
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[The Old Geeza]

[muddycoffee]