The Advanced Motorcycle Test
To apply to take the Advanced Motorcycle Test, you must have held a current, full Motorcycle Licence for a minimum of 3 months and not have been convicted of a serious driving offence in the past three years. Applicants who have 6+ points on their licence or have 3+ points on their licence and have held their licence for less than 2 years click here.
The Advanced Motorcycle Test is normally conducted by a serving or former Police Motorcyclist who holds a Class 1 Police Advanced Driving Certificate. These individuals have attained a very high level of motorcycle training and have a vast experience of working within the Traffic divisions of the Police Force.
The Test itself is based around Motorcycle Roadcraft, which is the textbook for Police riders undertaking police rider training. Its aim is to improve the skill and safety of your riding so that you can make best use of road and traffic conditions and aims to help you improve your skills by increasing your awareness of the range of factors that affect your riding - your own capabilities,the road and traffic conditions and the characteristics of your machine.
During your Test, you will need to be able to clearly demonstrate to your Examiner, your skills and abilities in implementing Motorcycle Roadcraft over various types of roads and road surfaces, encompassing a variety of traffic conditions. You must also be seen to be making good progress when it is legal and safe to do so. In otherwords, maintaining a good level of speed and looking for overtaking opportunities.
Along the route, you will experience a number of hazards that you will need to clearly demonstrate to the Examiner that:
- you have seen in good time
- you understand the implications
- you have used The System to safely and effectively approach and negotiate the hazard
You will normally cover between 30 to 40 miles along roads including, Town riding, 'A' roads, dual-carriageways, motorways and even small country lanes! The test itself can last up to 90 minutes.
Although you may not get asked questions specifically about the 'Highway Code' and the traffic signs set out in the 'Know your Traffic Signs' booklet during your test, the Examiner will be looking to establish if you are riding in accordance with the rules and understand what the signs mean. Why not take our Rider Quiz!
During your Test you will obviously have to ride within the law, however, the Examiner will also be looking to establish if you can consistently demonstrate the following 4 areas over the course of your Advanced Motorcycle Test:
- Safe - Is your ride Safe?
Safety is the primary concern and if you put yourself or any other road user into any danger during your ride, most Examiners will fail you. - System - Are you properly using The System as set out in Roadcraft?
The Examiner will be looking to ensure that you are using The System whenever you observe a hazard, regardless of whether that hazard is a junction, another road user, white lines, manhole covers or water on the road. The purpose of the System is: To provide a way of approaching and negotiating hazards that is methodical, safe and leaves nothing to chance, therefore increasing your Time to React. - Smooth - Are your actions translated into a visibly Smooth ride?
The Examiner will be looking for how smooth and stable your ride is. Every time you brake, accelerate, corner or change position, you cause a shift in balance on the bike, such as suspension dive, which ultimately effects the Tyre Grip Trade-Off - In any given situation there is a limited amount of tyre grip available and this is shared between accelerating, braking and cornering forces. For a smooth ride, there should be as little transfer of weight as possible, except in recognised situations and changes of road positioning for a hazard should be in good time and not hurried/rushed or appear to be last minute. - Speed - Are you using Speed correctly and appropriately?
The Examiner will be looking to ensure that you obey all statutory and advisory Speed Limits. Any infringement of this will result in an automatic fail. Bearing in mind that the safe speed for a particular stretch of road is determined by the conditions at that time and in many circumstances will be less than the statutory speed limit. The Examiner will also be looking to ensure that you are following the Roadcraft Safety Rule, which is: Always be able to stop on your own side of the road in the distance that you can see to be clear.
