36 Years Ago Yesterday

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Dickyboy
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Re: 36 Years Ago Yesterday

Post by Dickyboy »

you just rode round the block and at some point the examiner would step out and hold up his board and you did an emergency stop and that was it!
Rumour has it an examiner stepped out in front of the wrong bike once and got flattened, I failed my first test and the examiner spent more time chatting to someone on the roadside than he did watching me ride round the block.
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Druid
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Re: 36 Years Ago Yesterday

Post by Druid »

Taipan wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 1:53 pm Never bothered taking a bike test until i started riding again around 1990? Seems mad to say it now, but not many of us bothered with it back in 70s & 80s? Stupid thing was it was so easy to pass back then, you just rode round the block and at some point the examiner would step out and hold up his board and you did an emergency stop and that was it!
It wasn't that easy, you had to read a numberplate and answer a couple of questions on the Highway Code as well!

😋
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ogri
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Re: 36 Years Ago Yesterday

Post by ogri »

Druid wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 3:02 pm
Taipan wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 1:53 pm Never bothered taking a bike test until i started riding again around 1990? Seems mad to say it now, but not many of us bothered with it back in 70s & 80s? Stupid thing was it was so easy to pass back then, you just rode round the block and at some point the examiner would step out and hold up his board and you did an emergency stop and that was it!
It wasn't that easy, you had to read a numberplate and answer a couple of questions on the Highway Code as well!

😋
And ride next to the walking examiner without wobbling ;)
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Le_Fromage_Grande
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Re: 36 Years Ago Yesterday

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

Druid wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 3:02 pm
Taipan wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 1:53 pm Never bothered taking a bike test until i started riding again around 1990? Seems mad to say it now, but not many of us bothered with it back in 70s & 80s? Stupid thing was it was so easy to pass back then, you just rode round the block and at some point the examiner would step out and hold up his board and you did an emergency stop and that was it!
It wasn't that easy, you had to read a numberplate and answer a couple of questions on the Highway Code as well!

😋
But it didn't matter if you couldn't answer some of those, I didn't know a couple but still passed 1st time
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asmethurst99
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Re: 36 Years Ago Yesterday

Post by asmethurst99 »

Nov 96 in the rain in Romford on a SR125 ......the Glamour
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Skub
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Re: 36 Years Ago Yesterday

Post by Skub »

Druid wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 3:02 pm
Taipan wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 1:53 pm Never bothered taking a bike test until i started riding again around 1990? Seems mad to say it now, but not many of us bothered with it back in 70s & 80s? Stupid thing was it was so easy to pass back then, you just rode round the block and at some point the examiner would step out and hold up his board and you did an emergency stop and that was it!
It wasn't that easy, you had to read a numberplate and answer a couple of questions on the Highway Code as well!

😋
AND perform an emergency stop down a steep incline in the rain and on crap 70s tyres. :shock:
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Bigyin
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Re: 36 Years Ago Yesterday

Post by Bigyin »

Skub wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 6:13 pm
Druid wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 3:02 pm
Taipan wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 1:53 pm Never bothered taking a bike test until i started riding again around 1990? Seems mad to say it now, but not many of us bothered with it back in 70s & 80s? Stupid thing was it was so easy to pass back then, you just rode round the block and at some point the examiner would step out and hold up his board and you did an emergency stop and that was it!
It wasn't that easy, you had to read a numberplate and answer a couple of questions on the Highway Code as well!

😋
AND perform an emergency stop down a steep incline in the rain and on crap 70s tyres. :shock:
AND for you boghoppers not be pissed when you turned up :obscene-drinkingcheers:
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Skub
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Re: 36 Years Ago Yesterday

Post by Skub »

Bigyin wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 7:29 pm
Skub wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 6:13 pm
Druid wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 3:02 pm

It wasn't that easy, you had to read a numberplate and answer a couple of questions on the Highway Code as well!

😋
AND perform an emergency stop down a steep incline in the rain and on crap 70s tyres. :shock:
AND for you boghoppers not be pissed when you turned up :obscene-drinkingcheers:
Back then that didn't even apply to racing. :lol:
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Scotsrich
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Re: 36 Years Ago Yesterday

Post by Scotsrich »

I had a car before I had a bike.

My old man had a bad accident on a bike when he was young and was left with one leg shorter than the other. So you can imagine bikes weren't too popular in my household.

I passed the car test when I was 17, got a KH250 when I was 19, decided that wasn't quick enough so bought and passed my test about a year later on an R̶D̶4̶0̶0̶ RD250
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Re: 36 Years Ago Yesterday

Post by Yorick »

Scotsrich wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 7:44 pm I had a car before I had a bike.

My old man had a bad accident on a bike when he was young and was left with one leg shorter than the other. So you can imagine bikes weren't too popular in my household.

I passed the car test when I was 17, got a KH250 when I was 19, decided that wasn't quick enough so bought and passed my test about a year later on an R̶D̶4̶0̶0̶ RD250
I think @Bigyin did something similar.

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Skub
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Re: 36 Years Ago Yesterday

Post by Skub »

Scotsrich wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 7:44 pm I had a car before I had a bike.

My old man had a bad accident on a bike when he was young and was left with one leg shorter than the other. So you can imagine bikes weren't too popular in my household.

I passed the car test when I was 17, got a KH250 when I was 19, decided that wasn't quick enough so bought and passed my test about a year later on an R̶D̶4̶0̶0̶ RD250
That was a big thing during my early years. Because learners were restricted to 250cc,lots of us cheated. I ran a Yamaha YR5 350 (pre RD) with L plates,but a mate really took the biscuit with 250 badges on a Kawasaki 750H2 triple. It was the fastest 250 around for miles. :lol:
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Re: 36 Years Ago Yesterday

Post by Horse »

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 3:18 pm
Druid wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 3:02 pm
It wasn't that easy, you had to read a numberplate and answer a couple of questions on the Highway Code as well!

😋
But it didn't matter if you couldn't answer some of those, I didn't know a couple but still passed 1st time
Had an argument with my car examiner on the fourth and - potentially very - final of those questions. Passed 'tho.
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