Getting a Rider License in NSW

So after the initial "Fully sick bro! Let's do it!" back and forth macho chatter it was time to get down to business and find out what exactly we had to do to get a Rider's License. Luckily, the RTA pages are pretty straight-forward on this. The process is as follows:

1. Complete Pre-Learner training. This is also called the Motorcycle Rider Training Scheme. You need to do this before going in to sit for the Ls knowledge test! There are some exemptions however, so read the RTA site carefully (for example those outside the 'declared zones' or those who've had a provisional or full license in the past don't have to do it.). The course costs $76 to book and goes for two half-days. You can make the booking online via myTests. Make sure you get in early as the rider training centers are sometimes booked out for weeks or months in advance, especially in spring/summer.

2. Pass the Ls knowledge test. This is just like the car learner's test, although there are some motorcycle specific questions so make sure to go through the RTA question samples online. You can download everything you need from this page. The motorcycle questions PDF contains about 300 questions. The test will be comprised of 45 out of these 300 picked at random. So just go through the thing the night before and you should have no trouble (this is assuming you already know the road rules, otherwise if this is your first license in NSW, spend some time and learn things properly, you don't want to forget giving way to a semi-trailer on a bike). Again, you can book online via myTests. Cost is around $37 to book, and $21 for the license if you pass. If you already have a car driver's license, they'll just reprint your old license with an additional condition printed towards the bottom.

3. Buy a motorbike! Yup, that's it. Once you get your Ls license you can go out, buy a bike and take it on the road. Note however that NSW follows a LAM scheme (Learner Approved Motorcycle). This means that while you're on your Ls, you're restricted to motorcycles up to 660cc and which do not exceed a power to weight ratio of 150 kilowatts per tonne. The RTA maintains a list of approved bikes here, so make sure to check that out first.

4. Buy gear. You're going to need a lot of gear before going out on the roads though. The legal requirement is to wear an Australian approved helmet. But it's also strongly recommended to wear a pair of gloves, a riding jacket, riding pants (or very sturdy pants) and preferably riding shoes (or study ankle high leather shoes). This stuff will cost you money. Possibly more than you realize if you've never looked into it. Expect to pay around $1000 plus all up for good stuff.

5. Try not to fall. The rest of your motorbike journey will be mostly focusing on keeping the thing up, preferably with you on it.

We'll be posting some additional details on each of the above as we go along.