1990 - Introduction of CBT (Compulsory Basic Training)
Compulsory Basic Training
The format of this course has changed very little with the exception of the introduction of a 2-hour road ride. This will make it a little more difficult for novice riders who have no road experience. All licence holders will now have to undertake a CBT course if they want to ride up to a 125cc machine on the road. Full car licence holders were still able to ride up to a 50cc moped without L-Plates and carry a pillion passenger.
1996
Only UK licence holders are able to take a Motorcycle test.
All new CBT certificates were valid for 3 years from date of issue.
All certificates issued prior to July 1996 were valid for 3 years from this date (i.e. expired in July 1999)
Re-tests revised – Candidates must wait 10 working days before retaking a motorcycle test.
1997 - Introduction of 5 different types of Motorcycle licence.
CBT becomes compulsory for everyone regardless of when his or her licence was issued.
Theory Test introduced for all provisional licence holders.
CBT syllabus altered to include a compulsory 2-hour road ride section.
Candidates must produce photographic identity when taking their practical motorcycle test and Theory Test.
1999
Introduction of new photo-card licences. Both parts of the licence (the paper and the card part) must be produced for the licence to be valid for the CBT, Theory Test and motorcycle test, as well as any training course at Lightning Motorcycle Training.
2001
All new motorcycle test candidates must do a Theory Test regardless of their licence.
Full car licence holders who passed their car test before February 1st 2001 will still be able to carry a pillion and do not have to display L-Plates.
All new car licence holders must complete a CBT before riding a moped. Those who take a CBT for a moped will have a certificate that lasts for the life of their driving licence.
Anyone receiving a ban on his or her licence will also lose his or her CBT certificate and Theory Test pass certificate.
All CBT certificates issued for motorcycles and scooters from the 1st February 2001 will only last for 2 years.
The old two years on, one year off restriction for provisional motorcycle licences is abolished. A new provisional motorcycle licence will last for the life of the licence.
2002
Hazard perception test introduced as part of the motorcycle Theory Test. Candidates are required to click a button as they see 'emerging' hazards during a video clip. The Theory Test is extended by 20 minutes to include this element.
2003
New questions are added to the start of the practical motorcycle test. These questions relate to basic maintenance and precautions that need to be made to your machine to ensure safe riding. There are two questions; one asks you to tell the examiner how to adjust or check a part of the machine, and the other asks you to show the examiner how you would check or adjust part of the machine. A failure to answer both correctly will result in one minor point in the over all test result.
2009.
A huge range of proposals are in the offing to bring the motorcycle test in line with the rest of Europe. Almost certainly the motorcycle test will be split into two parts to include an off road section that will include new manoeuvres, such as a swerve test.
The new test is due to be implemented in August 2008 - but has been postponed until March 2009. It involves to two part process. The first part is off road, covering extended slow control exercises (including a slow timed ride and U-turn), a 32mph emergency stop, a 20mph corner and a 32mph swerve. This is followed by the normal road test, but without the usual emergency stop and U-turn. The length of the test and cost will be increased, and the location of the test centres will change too.
Almost certainly more people will need more training for this, and even for those that don't the costs will rise. See below for a picture of the off road test layout.
For more details about the new test please follow this link to DSA's website: New 2009 Bike Test
The DSA have announced that the new test will be introduced on the 28th March 2009. They have organised a meeting for all the motorcycle training schools for 23rd January 2008 at the National Motorcycle Museum where they intend to explain how it will be rolled out.
The meeting came and went without anyone being much the wiser. As the deadline drew closer most of the details were still unavailable, but what was clear was that instead of 66 test centres being ready for the new test only 37 new multi-purpose test centres (MMA) were ready. This caused a massive jam for tests with many training schools faced with not being able to either buy tests or get to a local test centre. With two weeks notice the test was postponed by six months until 28th March 2009.
Finally the new test has gone ahead on the 27th April 2009, and the lord be praised the UK now complies with the rest of Europe (who have largely ignored the whole process). The test is in two parts - Module 1 (£10.00) takes 15 minutes and will be done at an MPTC, Casual site or VOSA site. It involves a series of slow and high speed manoeuvres. The Module 2 (£70.00) will take about 40 minutes and is much the same as the current motorcycle test but does not have a U-turn or emergency stop.
2012 and beyond...
Another raft of changes planned that will see an increase in the age for those who want to take the Direct Access Scheme, and additional difficulties for younger riders.
According to the Driving Standards Agency the new Motorcycle Test will be introduced on 28th March 2009. The new test will involved a series of off-road manoeuvres followed by an on-road test similar to the one currently conducted but without the U-turn and emergency stop (as these will be covered during the off-road section).
There are several issues arising from this:
1/. The cost of the motorcycle test will increase to cover the capital purchase of the land to conduct the off road section. (Capital costs that the government will recover when they sell the land).
2/. The amount of training required to get students to test standard will no doubt increase along with the cost.
3/. The off-road sites need to be relatively close to urban areas so the test can cover built up areas. Not surprisingly the DSA are finding this somewhat difficult particularly in southern England. At present they are trying to make a virtue of the fact that 40% of the public will be with 30 minutes of a test centre. Even an idiot knows that 60% therefore won't be.
4/. If the DSA goes ahead with this time scale dozens of training schools will converge on one or two test centres with the result that waiting times for motorcycle tests will go through the roof.
Our considered opinion is that this is an absolute disaster waiting to happen and that not one single motorcyclists will be better prepared for today’s roads. The cost to training schools and to the public will be exorbitant for no tangible benefit. Moreover the Driving Standards Agency, an organisation that already struggles to meet relatively simple obligations, is set to introduce an ill thought and ill executed test simply to "save national embarrassment" (Rosemary Thew)
