Becoming an 'Easy Rider' pt3

So having done my theory test - which is just a series of thirty five multiple choice questions, that are relatively easy if a. you've been driving a long time, b. you've read all the info in the books. Needless to say that I passed - yay.

So onto the practical sessions now. This morning I did three, thirty minute lessons back to back - you have to, thirty minutes just isn't enough time. Have to say that my instructor was very good. We started with all the basic parts of the bike and their functions, then going through being able to use everything without looking, such as ignition, starting, lights, indicators, fuel switch etc. You practice getting on and off and using the foot stand, going through the gears and how the brakes work.

Next you have to walk around with your bike, before finally getting on and just going dead slow with the instructor supporting the back of the bike. I have to say that riding extremely slowly is a complete mission, your balance is all off, but it gets much easier as you're allowed to pick up speed. The of course you have to get used to stopping and starting again.

Learning clutch and speed control I found a little tricky, but once you're able to pick up a bit of speed and actually go up a gear, it makes everything sooo much easier.

I thoroughly enjoyed my lessons and by the end was zooming quite merrily around the car park. I can't wait for the next go where apparently I'm already going to learn the necessary things for the level one test - yikes.

Happy riding :-)

Becoming an 'Easy Rider' - pt2

So after much toing and froing, my learners permit has finally been issued. What happens now? Well apparently I have to do two one hour lectures, one on knowledge awareness (general rules of the road) and one on motorcycle awareness. Now, seeing as all the classes for women were inconveniently scheduled for afternoons, I asked if it would be ok for me to sit in on the men's lectres instead - once again lots of umming and ahhing and do I need a no objection letter from my sponsor for this and in the end the RTA guys said 'no', just turn up for those lectures when they're convenient for you - phew another hoop avoided :-)

Once I've done these two lectures then I have to do the test, which is a forty minute, multiple choice audio test - er ok  then. So we'll see how that goes.

The practical actually riding sessions are a mere thirty minutes each, which the drivng school blocks together so you normally do three or four lessons at the same time - otherwise I guess you can't really learn anything in such a short amount of time. With the way it's been scheduled, I should finish my thirty lessons within about three weeks flat. My obvious concern about the way things run here, is that if you're just riding around a carpark, the first time you actually get onto the road would be during your actual road test - a bit daunting and scary to say the least!

Anyway, everything is booked, I have all the gear, so it's all systems go and let's see how this pans out.

Difficult to become and 'Easy Rider'!

So after contemplating this for a while and watching the other half zoom about on his oh so sexy Harley, I decided that I'd like to go for my motorcycle license. However, this was not as easy as one would think. How I wished I'd done it in the UK, then I'd just be able to transfer it across, like I did with my car license.

However, because I have no biking experience, means that I have to do 30 compulsory lessons - are you kidding! I passed my car test in 12! - humph, oh well can't fight it, as that's just the way it goes. But, to even enroll was a complete mission to begin with, because I have a visa from one emirate and a drivers license from another and being loathed to transfer everything to one emirate, meant a little bit of ingenuity. First off, I find it quite amusing that I have to get a letter of no objection from my sponsor, just because I'm a woman! Mind you, everyone looked at me funny when I said I wanted to do my bike license.

If you can get a letter to prove that you live and work in the emirate that your drivers license is issued in, then it seems that the powers that be are quite happy to go with that - a centralized system would be so helpful at some point.

Anyway so now I've managed to register, paid my fees and am waiting for my learners permit LOL then I guess it's 30 lessons of riding round in circles, figure 8's and cones. First, must go and by some cool kit :-)

Will keep updating this process as it goes along. Happy riding :-)