Re: California Motorcycle & Automobile Riding & Driving & Written Tests

Heh. Actually the problem with the bicycle bit came up with our 9 year old recently. He wanted a new bike. I took a look at what the average sale price of what he wanted new was, it was about $59.99. Well back in

1977 when I was his age and wanted roughly the equivalent kind of bike, the sale price as I recall was about $109.99 since I did in fact save up for it at that time. You see, back then they still made bicycles in the USA...

Including inflation into the picture it really didn't make any sense at all to have him "save up" for what amounted to pocket change in 1977 dollars.

So I said hell with it, bought a used version of what he wanted off craigslist for $35, gave it to him, and sold his old bike on craigslist for $20 and figured if I just drove easy on the gas pedal for a week I would have paid for the delta on the bike prices.

There's plenty of other stuff much more expensive than $15 that he wants that we play the savings game with than a bicycle.

Ted

Fortunately I don't live in CA so don't have to deal with this, not to mention I took my DMV test 20 years ago in OR.

However, the one thing I find interesting that no one has pointed out yet is that taking a test like this on a huge heavy bike with a lot of intertia would be a lot -easier- than on a small lightweight bike.

I routinely have to make very low speed turns on city streets in our dear city here down in the industrial areas that are full of chuckholes, partially visible railroad tracks that the asphalt has crumbled away from, etc. Imagine having to ride a street that has about a 3 inch width of remaining pavement in between side by side potholes that are at least

8 inches deep, while a big semi driver is behind you, irritated that your in his way, all the while doging the ass-ends of semis that are projecting halfway out into the street. There's days that there's so many of them that the street is literally blocked off and you have to turn and go down another block to go around them. And in these industrial areas they have been docking areas for the last 100 years so not only are the streets crisscrossed with old rail lines, but some of them are mixtures of cobblestones with concrete partially poured over them.

So, I really can't have much sympathy for this test, it sounds like a real pussified version of what I have to ride through every day. I have to ask you - does the entire test take place on _FLAT_ pavement? If so, you have nothing to complain about.

Ted

Well, this is America where driving is a right and not a privilege. It's against the American way to discriminate against age, race, religion or ability when driving is concerned. A quick look at our highways will show you the results.

--scott

I don't know about bike riders, but I think that's about the right failure rate for auto drivers. That is, about 95% of the people currently driving automobiles are not competent to be on the road.

I suspect the level of competence of motorcycle riders is actually a little higher than four-wheelers.

If you think a 95% failure rate is bad, you should SEE the European driving tests.

--scott

"Ted Mittelstaedt" wrote

Yup. Times have changed just a bit since the early 1950's when I never got the bike I lusted after.

The one I wanted was one of the first 10-speeds I'd ever seen -an import- as this was way back when single-speed Schwinns were about the only thing made in America. If I recall correctly, it would have cost me about sixty-five dollars then; which would probably be several hundred bucks in today's inflated economy.

Ah well, bikes are like girls: the one you never quite got is somehow the one you remember most fondly. Probably because you never had the chance to actually live with her, er, it.

"Scott Dorsey" wrote

Or Usenet posting, either.

You can easily file a FOIA, or Freedom Of Information Act, request with the DMV. Since statistics by themselves don't show anything classified or private, the DMV would be compelled to produce these records.

Not sure why you require someone else to do it.

CS