Motorcycle A2 ride test - do I need my own vehicle?

[Ralph66 10]

Hi!

 

I've tried to find answer for my question, there is no clear information in google, and here I've found a little helpful topic here - https://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=812469

But it's not enough.

 

So, I've been riding on 125cc motorcycle with my CBT nearly one year. I've passed theory test and would like to pass practice modules for A2 category (and after this, sell my motorcycle, and buy a little bigger, 250cc).

I've found that courses which can help me to get used to ride on bigger motorcycles (to pass A2 category) are extremely expensive - 500 pounds! I'm going for summer holiday to my country so for 200-250 pounds I can get many hours of a private, professional tuition.

In this case I would like to avoid paying 500 pounds here for a course and pay just for a module 1 and 2 practice riding test.

And here is my question - do I need to have my own vehicle during the test?

 

If yes, do you know any places, where can I do it? I tried to google it and I could find only big services, not located in Sheffield with ridiculous prices (200 pounds for a day of hire) and huge bikes.

I would appreciate any help and advice.

 

Cheers!

[slh73 32]

No, you don't need your own, the training school will provide one. However, most schools won't lend you their bike to take the test on unless they think you're going to pass it, which means proper training. Gone are the days when you could just book a test, turn up and take it on your own 125cc bike, and ride away with a certificate to ride any bike up to 33bhp, unrestricted after 2 years.

So the short answer is, you'll more than likely have to pay for a full course of training. If you did have your own bike to take the test on, you couldn't legally ride it to the test centre as you wouldn't have a licence, thus wouldn't be insured.

[Ralph66 10]

Ok, I understand, thank you!

 

No, I have only 125cc, I want to buy 250cc after I pass.

Paying 500 pounds for a training in my scenario, as I explained, is not really good idea.

So any chance to hire a bike around Sheffield for test? Or maybe test centres do it?

[AMR67 10]

As a Biker here's my advice - pay the 500 quid and get the experience and advice from instructors who know what they're doing. Whilst you have been riding you will have picked up a few bad habits which could mean a test failure. The cost should include motorcycle hire for the test (inc. to and from the test centre).

I can't see how you would be able to hire a bike just for your test. As others have said 1. you wouldn't have the correct licence and 2. you wouldn't be insured

[ShefStealth 10]

How old are you? I ask this as it has a bearing on the advice I'd give. If you're 24 or over then you can skip the A2 and go straight to Direct Access. This means that you won't be paying money for the extra unnecessary step of the A2. You'll then also be able to ride anything, but the sensible option would be to gradually gain your confidence and experience on the roads with more powerful engines gradually as you already plan to do i.e don't just hop straight onto a 600 or more.

 

If you're under 24 then you can't do Direct Access yet and you'd have to do an A2 as a progressive access. You have to be at least 19 to do an A2 but it then entitles you to get your full access from 21 once you've passed your A2. Depending on your age, if you're already over 24 or not far off then perhaps wait and do Direct Access as it saves the cash and time/hastle of taking extra tests (the A2) if not and you're working up the extra power over time, take the A2.

 

I suggest you get onto someone like Bikesafe Sheffield -http://www.bikesafe-sheffield.co.uk/ They're on Penistone Road at Owler stadium. Phone them, explain your circumstances and they'll have you 'round to gauge your abilities. They'll have a bike suitable for you to take your test on, and they'll ride up to Rotherham with you to do the test on the day. Rotherham is the motorcycle test centre for the Sheffield area, we don't have one in Sheffield. You have to be accompanied to and from the test centre by a qualified trainer as you'll not be insured to ride the higher powered bike unaccompanied until after you pass the test (A2 or Direct Access)

[Ralph66 10]

Thanks for replies!

 

As a Biker here's my advice - pay the 500 quid and get the experience and advice from instructors who know what they're doing. Whilst you have been riding you will have picked up a few bad habits which could mean a test failure. The cost should include motorcycle hire for the test (inc. to and from the test centre).

I can't see how you would be able to hire a bike just for your test. As others have said 1. you wouldn't have the correct licence and 2. you wouldn't be insured

Believe me, in my country I will get the same level of professional instructors service and spend same time with them. It is cheaper not because motorcycle instructors in my country are less experienced, it's because currency is different and many things are cheaper. I believe that here, for 500 pounds I will be perfectly prepared by professional instructors, the thing is, I can get the same for a lower price, so why not to try?

Yes, that's the problem, I can't even ride for a test without proper licence, and I do not wish so. Is there any motorcycle test centre which can hire the bike? I do not mind to pass my test in Leeds or Chesterfield for example, as long as I would be able to hire motorcycle from test centre (it would solve the problem).

 

 

How old are you? I ask this as it has a bearing on the advice I'd give. If you're 24 or over then you can skip the A2 and go straight to Direct Access. This means that you won't be paying money for the extra unnecessary step of the A2. You'll then also be able to ride anything, but the sensible option would be to gradually gain your confidence and experience on the roads with more powerful engines gradually as you already plan to do i.e don't just hop straight onto a 600 or more.

 

I'm 25. As I know, to be eligible for direct access I need to have at least 2 years experience, while I have nearly 1 year.

What you mean by saving money? If you mean, saving by passing A licence (and not be restricted at all of engine size) I do not need direct access in this case. I am not a very big guy, so I do not think I would like to ride anything bigger then 500cc. I am sure I will be happy with 250cc for a long time, I do not ride a lot.

 

I suggest you get onto someone like Bikesafe Sheffield -http://www.bikesafe-sheffield.co.uk/ They're on Penistone Road at Owler stadium. Phone them, explain your circumstances and they'll have you 'round to gauge your abilities. They'll have a bike suitable for you to take your test on, and they'll ride up to Rotherham with you to do the test on the day. Rotherham is the motorcycle test centre for the Sheffield area, we don't have one in Sheffield. You have to be accompanied to and from the test centre by a qualified trainer as you'll not be insured to ride the higher powered bike unaccompanied until after you pass the test (A2 or Direct Access)

 

It sounds too good to be real for me Are you sure about this? So basically, if, let's say I come back from summer holiday, and spend in my country many hours off-road and on-road with instructor on A2 bikes, get more experience, confidence, and call to them, and let's say again, they would tell me "we think you're still doing some mistakes, but you should be alright on the test", what's gonna happen next? Will they take money just for letting me trying to pass a test on one of their bikes?

[slh73 32]

Test centers dont hire out bikes, same as they dont hire out cars. No bike hire company will rent you a bike without a licence, and you cant get a licence without a bike. No school will loan you a bike or put you in for a test unless theyre sure youll pass. So the only option is to go to a school and get the proper training. Give Kyle at KK rider training a call ( http://www.kkridertraining.com/ ), hell only chatge you for as many lessons as he thinks youll need to pass.

[Ralph66 10]

Oh, I see...so there is no alternative. Thank you very much for all of this info. I'm quite surprised that it works in that way, in many countries you just pay for a test, and test centre provide you a vehicle..

 

These links are very helpful, I will make a calls for sure, it looks much better.

 

What if I get here a proper training and fail module 1 or module 2? Do I need to pay again for the whole course/training?

[slh73 32]

Depends how badly you fail it.

[ShefStealth 10]

Believe me, in my country I will get the same level of professional instructors service and spend same time with them. It is cheaper not because motorcycle instructors in my country are less experienced, it's because currency is different and many things are cheaper. I believe that here, for 500 pounds I will be perfectly prepared by professional instructors, the thing is, I can get the same for a lower price, so why not to try?

 

You can do as many hours training in another country as you wish, however some of the things that you'll possibly learn elsewhere will be different than UK laws for the rules of the road. You could go to Australia for example and sit lessons to be as close as possible to the experience of driving over here (i.e they also drive on the left) and yet you'll still have some different road signs, and different speed limits due to that they work in Kilometres and we're in Miles. In Melbourne, you'd have to learn how to Hook-Turn yet this is the only place in the world that I know of that does such a manoeuvre. The more you get in your head about another system, the more chance you've got to have a mistake due to forgetting that something works differently over here, which may just be the one 'minor' too many that makes you fail your test here. CBT is pretty much just the basic rules of the road, and the competency to prove that you can handle a basic powered motorcycle. The actual test is a lot more involved due to that you'll not be displaying L's anymore.

 

I'm 25. As I know, to be eligible for direct access I need to have at least 2 years experience, while I have nearly 1 year.

What you mean by saving money? If you mean, saving by passing A licence (and not be restricted at all of engine size) I do not need direct access in this case. I am not a very big guy, so I do not think I would like to ride anything bigger then 500cc. I am sure I will be happy with 250cc for a long time, I do not ride a lot.

You don't need 2 years experience, you're confusing Direct Access with Progressive - My friend at 34 years old did his Direct Access tests over 2 separate days (Mod 1 then Mod 2) in January 2014 and passed first time, after he first sat on a 125cc in September 2013 and did his CBT i.e 4 months. He didn't have a motorcycle of his own to practice on, he did his cycle training on his day(s) off from work with his training centre (Bikesafe) which varied as he worked strange shift patterns. 95% of his training was done on 125s. He's a small guy himself, short in the leg, and he passed on a lowered Gladius. He's ridden a Ninja 250 ever since he passed his test, but because he's passed his Direct Access, he's got a full class A licence and can legally ride anything, so if/when the time comes to upgrade his motorcycle, he can do it without having to retest, as he passed his test on a 600cc motorcycle anyway.

 

This is what I mean by saving money (and time) If you're over 24, skip the A2 and go straight to Direct Access to save you money in future. The A2 is pretty much dead money spent if you're eventually going to upgrade it to a full Class A anyway i.e you'll need to if you go up to 350cc, even if you've never got any desire to go up to 600cc or bigger. You pass your direct access and you can ride anything, so you're still fine to ride your desired 250 or maybe a 350 if you so choose, or a 600 or 1000. Your insurance may well be cheaper riding a lower powered bike under a full class A licence than it would be under an A2. Again, this will save you money, especially if the saving works out cumulative year after year.

 

It sounds too good to be real for me Are you sure about this? So basically, if, let's say I come back from summer holiday, and spend in my country many hours off-road and on-road with instructor on A2 bikes, get more experience, confidence, and call to them, and let's say again, they would tell me "we think you're still doing some mistakes, but you should be alright on the test", what's gonna happen next? Will they take money just for letting me trying to pass a test on one of their bikes?

Bikesafe are probably the same as most instructors in that they will put you in for your test when they believe that you're ready. They will have to assess your abilities on the road over some time until they are confident that you're a capable and level headed rider. They'll put you through as many different scenarios as possible over time, numerous times, because there's no telling what hazard situations you may come across when you do your Mod 2. You pay separately for the test and the use of their bike to do the test on, and for the instructor to go up to Rotherham and back with you over the 2 days (Mod 1 and Mod 2). That you've had your CBT for a year and been riding your own bike, they'll check you over and see what bad habits you've picked up over that time, then try to break them. You may need 5 or 10 hours, you may need 20 or 30 or more. Whoever you go with, they're the professionals who do this stuff daily and they'll inform you of the best way forward for your circumstances.