Fuck this test.
Seriously, I have been riding exclusively sport bikes for the past 7 years and they expect me to pass the test using a cruiser. I practiced for an hour before taking the test with my own bike and guess what? I could drive that course with my eyes closed. At the actual test? I drove by the fucking bridge.
The proctor insists that I am having trouble because of the bike's extra weight. Wrong. I am having trouble because the seating position is completely different. Give me a ZX1400 and I'll pass that test with flying colors. How big the engine is doesn't matter at all when you're going 20km/h the entire time. He even told me that he wouldn't be able to pass the test without first practicing using the test bike! Let me practice on the test bike! It's so stupid!
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| What I know how to drive |
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| What I'm forced to drive |
The Japanese dude before me BOUGHT a Honda VFX750 (the bike we
have to use for the test) and practiced with that. He still didn't pass!
I was told that if I went to a different testing center to take the medium sized motorcycle test, I would have to pay upwards of 200,000 yen ($2500) to take the classes!
To top it all off, I have to take an entire day of vacation and spend 6 hours driving to the testing center and back. It's only 80 miles away but because Japanese speed limits are so goddamn slow it takes forever.
On the bright side I didn't get rained on...
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| Mmmmmm. Sushi for lunch! |
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| It was a great birthday lunch |
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| Lake Saroma |
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| Ai Land Yubetsu |
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| A train I found |
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| No trip is complete without a visit to the Monbetsu crab claw |
