Passed mine in '97, but had already been riding for 10 years on L plates with 125's then new laws came in so i had to do a CBT?
Just before i took my test before the two year CBT period expired i thought i'd try a Sunday refresher course in case i had any bad habits that might fail me for whatever reason, but after being told by the instructors after a couple of hours that i really didn't need to be there i ended up giving the less experienced riders a hand to help out instead
Had my theory test in Watford, and will never forget it 'cos i had what i can only describe as a
very upset stomach.
Hit the toilet before i entered the room, then went in, sat down and all was well until the woman said "Start now" and now realise she was obviously talking to my bowels because i suddenly got the pains but i wasn't allowed to leave the room until i had finished the test.
I think i finished it in around 15 minutes, instead of the given 40 minutes, then just ran out.
Was amazed when i got the results through and i only got 2 questions wrong, happy days
My test day absolutely hacked it down with rain, and it hadn't rained for about 6 to 8 weeks previously, so my examiner generally had the hump already, although i sensed that he wasn't exactly the jovial type anyway, and i did kind of hint i wasn't really too pleased with the weather either!
The ride went absolutely fine apart from 2 things:
He told me to ride up a road and do a right at the end.
Now, imagine the letter ''q", when i got to the end it was actually a roundabout but the road i was on was at the right side of it, and the right turn he wanted me to take was indeed just over to my right but i'd have to go onto the roundabout before coming off it.
So firstly, i just put my feet down, looked at him, then started nervously laughing through all the rain, then decided to play it safe and i rode all the way around the roundabout then saw him still sitting where i left off and as i approached the turning he just indicated right and took the direct route instead.
When we got back he asked me what the hell i was doing and i confessed i wasn't 100% sure if it was a 2 way roundabout so played it safe by going the normal route instead, as at least i wouldn't fail as i wasn't doing anything wrong.
But he then says to me "I wasn't trying to catch you out" and then rubbed my nose in it further by saying because there were parked cars around the outside i was theoretically riding on the wrong side of the road anyway!
Bastard!
Then, he says why was i also speeding on another road on the way back?
He told me the road and i explained i was doing 38 in a signposted 40mph road, and he said it actually went into a 30mph road.
Confused, i asked where the sign was and he said "Hidden behind that big tree"
Bastard!
But, after all that, he said my riding was generally good and he passed me anyway, so it all ended happily for me.
I can only imagine he takes that same route on every test to see what people do, although he insisted he wasn't trying to catch me out.
I think he was talking bollox actually and loved every minute of it.