I'd been riding bikes on a car licence (and before...) for years and years (decades actually), and would just produce my car licence at the station the following day if I got pulled up or booked.
Then they added a column to the 'produced licences' book headed 'Licence Type'...
After about my fourth unlicensed charge a magistrate took the unusual step of ordering me to obtain a motorcycle licence once his cancellation had expired. Bit odd, I thought.
He then explained that my next unlicensed would include contempt of court and a gaol sentence...
So, 12 months later, I fronted at the Pineapple Street, Zillmere testing centre on my Wideglide.
That caused serious conniptions for the poor buggers because it wasn't a 250... back then you needed 12 months of 250 before you could get an open endorsement.
I argued that I had a court order, this is my ride, test my ability on it. Testing me on a featherweight 250 would put my life at risk. Made quite a fuss and eventually some senior guy realised I wasn't going anywhere, and offered to do the test.
He told me where to ride, and we did Gympie Rd in peak hour, and a series of back streets for the walking pace stuff and the slow turns. 45 minutes later we were back at the testing centre, and he asked me how long I'd been riding.
"Since I was 14..."
He said, well, I could fail you because even though you stopped, you never put your foot down at 6 stop signs, but it's about making sure you can survive out there, and you'll be fine. Just remember to plant a foot at the stop signs.
He gave me my endorsement, and ever since, at EVERY stop sign... STOMP!
The Wideglide was taken by the family court, which probably saved me some vertebrae, but Brutus clears the way ahead better and it heaps more fun in the hills.
