When did you pass your test and how much was it?

[fredc]

8 hours ago, Fozzie said:

Did my CBT in August 2006 to get on a 50cc to college, 2 years later when the CBT ran out and I wanted something bigger than a 125cc 2-stoke. I did my restricted 33bhp test in 2008 after a 3 day intensive course for about £400. 

But my license today says I have held a license since 2010, because when the format changed it didn't know how to interpret my 33bhp restriction. That really stung as it effectively deleted 2 years off my license holding history, and insurers interpreted me as a new rider... Even though I had the same bike insured with them for over a year already.

I think at that time the 33hp restriction was only for 2 years then unrestricted after

I may be wrong, not sure about the dates 

[Gerontious]

There was a period of time, in the 1990s where the 125cc license only lasted 2 years and then lapsed for a year. So, if you didn't pass the full test in that time - you were off the road and your bike was just an ornament. imagine if they brought that back and the impact it would have on all these delivery riders. carnage.

Edited January 16, 2024 by Gerontious

[oldgrump]

December 1974, can't remember how much it was, bike was a Suzuki T200 Invader,  test centre was in Parkstone and a figure of 8, cold and wet!!! 

 

Examiner jumped out in front of me for the Emergency stop on 2nd lap, nearly slid into him.

 

3 questions on the Highway Code, out and back home inside 30mins. 

 

Car test was quite a lot of money, and that was in October 2010 at the age of 56, first year into retirement

[Fleck]

I did a 3 day supercourse in 1994.

Passed 1st attempt on a CG125. 

Can't remember the cost, maybe £300 or something 

[Stottycake]

Passed my test in 1974(gulp)

Test centre was kenton bar  north of NewcastleuponTyne,I was on my RD  250 and had to ride about a quarter of a mile between 2 roundabouts twice while the examiner watched from the side of the duel carriage, my mate told me to remove my mirrors so i wouldn't forget to look behind before I pulled out ,as he had took his test a week earlier, haven't got a clue how much it cost though, 

[Bungleaio]

2017, cost me about £125 for the CBT then £650 for the DAS. I did document it here but my thread got deleted as it was in the introductions section.

[V650]

Did Mine in 2022 @56 years young 

Theory test €45

IBT (CBT) €350 ( Cat A test )

Lessons before Test €100 1.5hrs

Bike Rental for Test ( As Versys 650 was not Cat A ) €180

Actual Test €85 

It was snowing and blowing a gale on the day but passed with 0 faults 

[Fozzie]

15 hours ago, fredc said:

I think at that time the 33hp restriction was only for 2 years then unrestricted after

I may be wrong, not sure about the dates 

 

The old paper license would show you had a motorcycle licence (albeit restricted) from a certain date. For me that was October 2008. 

When they shifted to the new format, I replaced my license for a new one as I'd changed address and I noticed the new license said October 2010, in line with when the 33BHP restriction ended. My old plastic license showed I had a full license with a <25kW condition next to it. 

 

I sent my insurer a copy of the old paper license, the plastic counterpart and my test certificate. And argued that I had held a license from 2008, not 2010. The license is full as I required no re-test and the restriction automatically expired after 2 years. It was a temporary condition of the license, not like the new 15/47bhp license types where you require re-test to move up a size. 

 

My insurer said they couldn't take my invalid license types and that they'd trust the new plastic license I had over the test certificate. The DVLA were even more unhelpful... Who basically said "You've held an unrestricted license since 2010... It's technically correct. We can't do anything". I wrote back with examples where people had the 25kW limit removed 2 years later, and the date on their license did not change, so I was being held to a different standard that was causing me a financial burden. They wouldn't budge. And I know what the problem was, they moved to a new system, and had no f**king clue how to account for anything outside of its new rules. 

 

My insurance premium went up from £800 to £2000. I was so angry (and poor, as I was like 21), I cancelled the insurance, and sold the bike I had for something much cheaper to insure. They knocked 2 years off my experience, and then didn't see the contradiction that they'd insured me for the 2 years previous before I apparently passed my test... Still boils my blood a bit today.

[S-Westerly]

1 hour ago, Fozzie said:

 

The old paper license would show you had a motorcycle licence (albeit restricted) from a certain date. For me that was October 2008. 

When they shifted to the new format, I replaced my license for a new one as I'd changed address and I noticed the new license said October 2010, in line with when the 33BHP restriction ended. My old plastic license showed I had a full license with a <25kW condition next to it. 

 

I sent my insurer a copy of the old paper license, the plastic counterpart and my test certificate. And argued that I had held a license from 2008, not 2010. The license is full as I required no re-test and the restriction automatically expired after 2 years. It was a temporary condition of the license, not like the new 15/47bhp license types where you require re-test to move up a size. 

 

My insurer said they couldn't take my invalid license types and that they'd trust the new plastic license I had over the test certificate. The DVLA were even more unhelpful... Who basically said "You've held an unrestricted license since 2010... It's technically correct. We can't do anything". I wrote back with examples where people had the 25kW limit removed 2 years later, and the date on their license did not change, so I was being held to a different standard that was causing me a financial burden. They wouldn't budge. And I know what the problem was, they moved to a new system, and had no f**king clue how to account for anything outside of its new rules. 

 

My insurance premium went up from £800 to £2000. I was so angry (and poor, as I was like 21), I cancelled the insurance, and sold the bike I had for something much cheaper to insure. They knocked 2 years off my experience, and then didn't see the contradiction that they'd insured me for the 2 years previous before I apparently passed my test... Still boils my blood a bit today.

Could have been worse, they could have been using Horizon.

[Fozzie]

1 hour ago, S-Westerly said:

Could have been worse, they could have been using Horizon.

I probably shouldn't have laughed, but I did! 

There was talk of some threatening legal action against the DVLA from those who suffered the same thing. I just admitted defeat and cut back for a year or two to get that very high risk insurance claim year out of the way... Again. 

[Nick the wanderer]

Not sure when exactly but didn't a lot of folk lose their entitlement altogether when changing to the plastic license?

[Simon Davey]

45 minutes ago, Nick the wanderer said:

Not sure when exactly but didn't a lot of folk lose their entitlement altogether when changing to the plastic license?

 

Yes, unless you had a photocopy/scan of your license, you had to re-take. Which is exactly why I scanned mine before sending it off last year for renewal.

[Capt Sisko]

I still had a Pink paper licence until two years ago when I moved house and had to change it for one of these newfangled plastic things.

[RideWithStyles]

Yep Dvla proper fooked up and fabulously as usual some high up noob that i wouldnt trust to take a maccy order had the reins.

as they did for many years with missing entitlements or wronged entitlements. Losing stuff/shredding people docs like the banks did to cover up their incompetence.

i had to check a few times with my licence.

 

bike 2009, das just under a k, though i failed the mod one first time...was t even trying and still too fast through the manoeuvre speed trap  

 

 

Edited January 17, 2024 by RideWithStyles

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

I have no idea when I passed my test, I just remember it cost a whole three groats. 

[mikeyd]

Cbt £180 . Gear conversion 1hour £50 mod 1 £450. Mod 2 £375 different school. So around £1050 in total , lucky passed first time . Summer 2023 . 

[Tinkicker]

Heckmondwike town centre circa 1980.  Yamaha RD200.  Market day.  Twice around the block.  Dodgy bloke in a grey raincoat reading a newspaper jumps out into the road.  Stop with the alacrity of 1970s disc brakes in the wet. ( anti lock brakes, who needed em?).

 

A slow riding test, a few flip cards showing road signs and a couple of questions about motorway rules.

 

Test pass certificate issued, L plates ripped off and a wheelie past the examiner as I departed the scene.

 

Now I am older and wiser, I wish I still had the reactions and skill to pull a decent wheelie..

 

 

[Nick the wanderer]

My mate had an RD200 great looking bike l thought. Did it have electric on the side panels, can't quite remember.

One thing l do remember about that bike was if he bumped it off backwards it would run in reverse. Hilarious watching him trying to go backwards, couldn't steer it.

[Tinkicker]

Mine was exactly like the one in the pic...  It had electric start, but when I first tried it, I was disappointed.  Instead of the sound the big boys starters made - chewchewchewwumbrrum..  Mine went blub....blub....blub...blub.. Ring a ding ding.

 

Still it was incredibly cool to nonchalantly press the button while keeping your other hand on your knee, whilst all my mates were busy leaping up and down on kickstarts.

 

It was a bigger engined RD125 chassis, rather than a smaller engined RD250 chassis, so it was far lighter, nimbler, quicker off the mark and better handling than its full sized 250 cousin, but lost out on the all important top speed. Blistering from the lights up to about 50, after that the 250s would start to come past as their extra grunt came into its own.

 

Edited January 19, 2024 by Tinkicker

[Nick the wanderer]

Yeah his was the earlier model with the rounder tank and spoke wheels, a goldy brown paint job, a 70's one l guess. Maybe it said tourqe, or induction, something like that.

I did have a coffin tank 250 similar to that and one of the things I remember about that bike, the brakes being really really good. Twin discs, you didn't have to grab the lever they were just sharp and solid.

[Guest]

1977 on my mates Honda super dream at the time my bike was rat Suzuki TS 250 on the cobbled streets of Bolton.

OMG this is a reminded of my teen years. my mate he was called Kelly (he had a big brother who we set on fire but that a story for another day) Kelly was a big fan of Harleys at the time. We got in trouble with the law for some reason I can't remember why, we both ended up in borstal ( we where both 15) borstal is a young offenders prison for over 17 year old's... as Kelly was a bit of a fan of American bikes he had the oblatory denim jacket with the leather waist coat type thing. I was more of the second world war polish trench coat and boots type... any way these two w**ker hells angels tried to rob is Harley wings of is denim jacket... so we kicked f**k out of them never saw them again.

Edited January 20, 2024 by Vic101

[Trooper74]

1978, Truro, MZ125 …. Twice round the block, emergency stop, couple of questions … 3 Groats and a pastie …. ….. averaged 36,000 miles a year for nearly 20 years, these days … 5 year average 15,400 miles …. Bit of a drop …

Edited January 21, 2024 by Trooper74

[M620]

Did mine in June 1969 (and paid in shillings & pennies), on a 1959 175 Bantam I had paid £7 a few weeks before. Rode round the block twice and got lost. Eventually found the test centre again and the examiner who said “well you haven’t had an accident or fallen off so I will pass you after a couple of questions on road signs”. Ironically one was for falling rocks, very useful as the test was in RUISLIP. Still got the little red book licence - expired years ago though. 

Edited January 21, 2024 by M620
.

[Shasel]

Despite being a bit older I am a newbie. Did my CBT 2022 during the summer. Cost £140. Didn't really enjoy the CBT if I am honest and was not confident to go out first time. Couple of old school biker types who had no patience for learners but because I am stubborn and had bought my kit I got through the CBT. initial CBT plus revisit cost me ~£200.

Bought myself a nice little 125 and was loving that. Was thinking of keeping doing the CBT and sticking with a 125 but decided in a moment of madness to try direct access done over four days. Cost about £800 all in and passed first time. Experience was night and day and the group I did my direct access with were fantastic (CMS Bike School in Aberdeen). It helped I was confident on a bike by that point but I watched them deal with others who weren't and they were really good.

Edited January 21, 2024 by Shasel

[Nick the wanderer]

You should say who you did your direct access with, could help someone..