OK so I've been on my RE for almost 2 yrs now but riding a scooter for a while, getting used to gears won't be a problem as I used to ride dirt bikes when I was a teenager and I can always hire/borrow a bile to practice with gears before I get my baby...

The question is, I've been looking at Q-Ride courses to get my license upgrade but those fuckers want $300-$350 for a full 1 day course just for the upgrade to an R (unrestricted) class.   That seems like farken HEAPS of cash for a simple upgrade course or perhaps I'm looking at this wrong.

For "politically-correct safety reasons" I can see why the courses are available but I've read about and been told that the course is the same course for the RE course (which I took to go from L's to RE) but using a larger bike to run around a circle, fig 8, emercency brake and so forth.

Is it worth a few hundred bucks to get a certificate to take to Dept Transport just to say I can ride a bike and get my R license or is it just easier to go to Dept Transport and pay the $50-odd to run the test using a bike I supply for the test?

I guess what I'm asking is:   do "heavy bikes" like the Harley Iron 883 really change the way that you ride compared to a plastic sewing-machine with wheels? I'm not a zip-zip rider and tend to be rather conservative about riding - if you've ever driven any vehicle in the Cairns region you will realise that indicators and brake lights are commonly installed as an optional extra...  I'm looking at the $300-odd to do the course and see it more as a refresher on what not to do and the opportunity to run around on a bike thats bigger than what I'm licensed to.  I don't really have any mates with big bikes to be my "instructor" to test it out beforehand.

 

Hey Shredmaster, I to will be going for my open licence around Christmas as well. You are right in saying that it's the same test but only on a larger bike, I am a bit pissed at the cost factor myself The best advice I can offer is to shop around for a better price before going for the test/upgrade. I live on Brissy Northside and Qride were going to charge $400:00 for a week day or $450:00 for a sunday. My mate rang and said that he found a place at his place near ipswich that charges $300:00 regardless of what day you go on  This instructor was fantastic, I learnt more form him in 8Hrs then I've learnt in 8Yrs on a dirt bike. Coming from a dirt bike background it was a real eye opener

 

Rossco. 

I once took a bigger bike to try and get my R license and because of the longer wheel base, couldn't get it through the witch's hats and so failed. As a consequence, I had to do a full days course along with a test at the end. I'd been riding for a couple of years before this, so I felt like I knew a fair bit.. along with having driven cages for a good decade before that too, I thought I knew it all. I have to say though, that one day course taught me a hell of a lot - experienced riders who actually think about what they're doing so they can help others are a fount of knowledge. Stuff you'd never normally think of is dished out to you for the whole day - stuff like how to ride in traffic, where to position yourself in the lanes, what to do when there's a maniac who doesn't look like he knows what he's doing, etc. etc.

'course I ride in Sydney (on the way out to a "real ride"), so there's heaps of traffic and oil on the road and what-not, but still, I thought it was well-worth doing the course. I don't know if the day long course you're talking about has all the rider training stuff (I would assume so?) but it's probably worth inquiring.

If you're thinking to do the test on an Iron, while they're probably one of the most nimble harleys you can get, the steering lock isn't fantastic and you can probably get around the obstacles easier on one of their supplied bikes... (in my opinion!)

GL

 Did mine just before I got my sportster, was a pretty thorough test, sucked it was raining.

I had a practice ride on a virago 535 as I hadn't ridden a bike in around 5 years and did the test on a GS500.  I think the emergency stops and cones would be hard to do on a harley, especially with forward controls and the ordinary brakes they come with.

Hi There.

I have an old Sporty and my

One of my buddys just did his Qride in Mackay this week. Got the card off Mackay Motorcycles.
The instructor actually encouraged him to do the upgrade on his own bike even though the school bikes would be easier to get through the course. The instructor said that because his Qride course contains training as well as the assessment that he can help my friend get used to his own bike riding slow and doing tight turns etc rather than do it on a smaller machine and still not have the confidence on his own bike.
I tend to agree . It would be like going for a truck license in a 4 ton truck and then going and jumping in a semi trailer. Just because you think you can do it doesnt mean you can..haha.

Anyway I dropped my friend off at the qride guys place in the morning and returned back mid afternoon to escort him down to the transport department to get his license. I got to tell you that it was like watching a different rider. Cornering smoothly and going around those single lane round abouts so easily. He also had some pretty odd looking swerves hapening when riding around. I though he was just playing around but he said that the instructor told him how to make him visible to other cars and drivers. When he told me the reasons it totally makes sense but I wouldnt have thought about it my self. I have held my bike license for years and thought that qride was a bit of a crock but I am really impressed what was taught based on what my friend said..
Frank just popped over and said the qride guy s name is Brett from learn to ride. Just googled him www.learn2ride.net.au