Passed car test in ‘62. Had lessons with BSM In Rochdale, 1 hour each day Monday to Thursday, then, on Friday1 hour lesson and test straight after. Total costs were £5. Car was Triumph Herald, which had a superb turning circle, much smaller than a Black Cab. Ken. Ps. Already knew the basics of driving before having lessons.
I didn't do my motorcycle test until I had been driving a lot of years. In 1975 the state govenment decided we needed a motorcycle endorsment. I used one of these to take my test. Can anyone guess what it is ? ...J.D.
Close enough ! This one is a Sears (sold.by Sears & Roebuck catalog. Made by Gilera) the last year before they sold the company. Goofy right side 5 speed reverse pattern shift. 6 volt mag. ignition. Left side kick start. I had been riding for.some.years.before I bought this thing, but it was the first bike I owned. Sears model SR 124. ...J.D.
Learned to drive a car in a Renault Dauphine when I was about 12 or 13 on a local disused airfield - RAF Snaith was the official name, but we just knew it as Pollington airfield. Passed my bike test in early 1967 on a Honda C95, 154ccs of loudness (with the 'silencers' I put on it!). Took my car test a few weeks after my 17th birthday (Sept/Oct '67) in a Mk2 Ford Cortina 1500. They later dropped the 1500 in favour of a 1600cc lump. Can't say I blame 'em really, gutless doesn't begin to cover it! Passed my class 1 HGV test in 1987 in a TK Bedford with all of 5 gears. Glad I didn't have to earn my living in that bag o' shite! Having said that, my first wagon was a Leyland Octopus 8-wheeler which had plenty of power and an 8 speed 'box but was well past its sell by date. Thankfully it usually broke down in the yard!
I think we can guarantee Sears just took a white label bike and branded it was their own and didn’t suddenly start designing and manufacturing their own motorcycles. It looks like a former CIS country machine for the styling/quality... although Gilera is definitely Italian but may have had some manufacturing links to soviet countries. Like how the Fiat 124 was cloned by the Soviets - maybe the same is true with bikes? Who knows. Who cares... Still looks like a CZ to me even though I now know it isn’t.
Yeah, well I couldn’t remember which one as I had both at some time, I think it was the singer as I’m sure it was that colour scheme, I remember the front bench seat in cracked dry red leather.
Learned to drive in a Simca 1000 rear engined beauty! Passed my car test in an Austin A40 Countryman (an early hatchback) Passed my bike test on a Honda SS125a ( bought from Eddy Grimstead thro Exchange & Mart £159.19.6 on the road!)
Learned to drive and passed my test in this (google photo) 1978 Mitsubishi Lancer. Bike test was passed on my own bike - 1976 Honda 550Four SS. Also a google photo, but mine was the same colour.
My brother's Nova for the car For the bike, my mate's RD80MX (with slipping clutch and burnt out piston rings) - I had to rev it like f**k to get it moving, knock it into neutral before stopping and needed radar to see anything due to the smoke spewing out of it! I still don't know if I was insured, but suspect not. My bike's electrics had died the night before when coming home about 2 in the morning from another friend's house in the back end of nowhere. Thankfully the examiner felt sorry for me (I presume)
It was the summer of '69 for me - so good they made a song about it !!! 17 yrs old, knew nowt, thought I knew everything - typical young twat really. But by some miracle passed first time. Too far back to remember the vehicle I was in, some sort of GP driving school thing I imagine. I do clearly remember going round to my girlfriends place that night and announcing that I'd passed and getting funny looks though - I'd be taking their daughter out for weeks in my Mini van - "Passed your test David?" I was asked, "Yes Mr Boring man with luverley daughter, my work's driving test so now I can drive the company vehicles" !!!! Passed my bike test on a Yamaha TDR 125.
