yay!

here i sit, having partaken of my statutory celebratory pint of cheriton best bitter, cod from the chippie, and a ice-cream cone on the common in the fading bronze sunlight, for today i have passed my direct-access motorcycle test.

the test was one of the most nerve-wracking 40 minutes that i have suffered in recent years, and apparently i posed an enigma to the examiner – it seems that at any given time during the test, i was exhibiting the characteristics of:

1) a typical, nervous novice rider, overdoing the motions (safety checks, etc) in order to show the examiner that i was doing them, and…

2) an advanced rider, and…

3) a police motorcycle roadcraft rider

…in fact he flat-out asked me whether i was a policeman (can’t think where he got that notion, or where i picked up the influence 8-]) and wasn’t surprised at my response.

apparently – says he – the people at the driving standards agency are a bit miffed at the roadcraft people, because roadcraft doesn’t quite fit in with their view of how people ought to be riding, wrt: road positioning, safety and so forth.

ah, what the hell – i’m happy that i passed. i’ve tended to look upon biking vocational education (or something totally different to learn in my off hours) and was surprised for it to rise to take such a large role in my social life.

it’s cool.

the l-plates (note for americans: designators of “learner” status that must be attached to the vehicle you are driving/riding until you pass) have been ceremonially binned and the paperwork sent off, but i shall refrain from buying my target big bike until next year at earliest.

partly, this is due to economics, and partly due to the fact that i’d find it deeply tragic to pass, immediately buy a new bike, and trash it. i can wait. i may only have a 125cc bike, but any bike that can get me to skye and back is perfectly adequate for the moment.

now, i need aspirin, water, and sleep. i ache.