As mentioned before, I have never owned my own bike. Therefore it will come as no surprise that I do not actually possess a motorbike license. I have had a learners once before, but did not convert it into the full blown license. How silly. When my Dad bought his bike we obtained our learner's together and shortly after that he went for his practical test and got his license. He encouraged me to follow suite but I was afraid that I might drop his bike during the test. So eventually the learner's expired.
In preparation for the purchase of my Enfield, I have booked my learner's test for 4th Dec. I will then book for my license test sometime next year. I was chatting to a salesman at one of the local bike shops the other day. He recommended that I got for training as the testers try and trick you into failing. Fancy that.
Talking about the license to ride here is something that happened to me many years ago. One school holiday I was spending sometime at a friends place on the outskirts of town. He had a Yamaha RZ 50. His place was halfway to where my girlfriend lived. So the one day my buddy had to go work at the local steakhouse and he said I could use his bike to go pay the girlfriend a visit. So off I went. Now you have to understand I was riding down a country road. On a quiet open stretch of the road, from behind a bush, like something out of a movie, out stepped a traffic officer. Wearing his khaki uniform. He casually walked out into the middle of the road and raised his hand, signalling me to pull over. Can you imagine my disbelief at the situation. In the middle of nowhere. Bugger just my luck I thought. Besides the fact that I was nipping myself. He asked me for my license to which I replied I had left it at home. Fortunately at the time it was not compulsory to carry one's license. So he asked me what code it was which was an easy question to answer. He then let me go. Whew!!!! Oops all this while the tap had been open and the bike had flooded a bit. I could not kick start it so I had to push start it. But he did not take that as significant. In retrospect I was pretty calm under the circumstances. I still have this image in my mind off this dude walking out from behind the bush. Still tickles me from time to time.
These days they would throw the book at me if I was caught riding without a license. Hence me not wasting anytime to get a learner's.
Let us hope the test is as painless as it was the last time. Wish me luck ;-)
Hey there good luck with the licensing!
ReplyDeleteI face the demon here in SA myself. I have a SA license in my ID book for a car and bike.
But since I was living in the US when cards were introduced I did not make the deadline.
No worries you may think since there should be a way out ... I also have a car and bike license from the state of Oregon.
All together I have been licensed to ride since 1982.
So I went to update my SA license only to be told that it cannot be done since I waited longer than six months since my return.
This after I had to prove I was overseas and that I am licensed there and here.
In the meantime my application which must be approved by Home Affairs and Safety and Security is still just sitting in a drawer ... nothing has been done for the last 8 months.
I have been told that I must start from scratch.
So I drive with my US license and when pulled over the cop usually just smiles and asks about life in the US.
I dread having to take the test again ... but will have to do so if I stay in SA since no bank will finance a vehicle/bike purchase without a valid SA license.
And I have one but it is now been made invalid by the very folks who first issued it ...
Strange place with strange rules.
Nonetheless, I'm venting and wanted to Holla and check if you got your bike already.
Peace,
Ridwan
It is very important to get have a license,
ReplyDeleteyou can go to jail for driving without
license. So its good that you get the
got it.
motorbike sales