Driving School

     I've reported about this driving school before, when my daughters were learning to drive here. Now I'm learning here how to handle a big motorcycle. I've no idea about how to get the motorcycle riding license in other countries and I hope some of you readers send me e-mails or comments about it. http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2008/12/the-first-lesso.html
     Motorcycle instruction is divided into two courses. One is to ride by the book on the road. I am strictly required to follow the traffic laws one hundred percent. The other is to control the motorcycle in any situation.
     One picture shows the straight narrow course, 15 meters length, 30 cm width and 5 cm height. I have to complete the course without running off, falling down or allowing the engine to stall. If the conditions are only these, it is very easy, but actually one more condition lies before me. I have to ride through in more than 10 seconds. That is to say, I have to ride at an extremely low speed on a 250 kilogram motorcycle. It's no picnic.
     The next picture is the slalom course. Pylons are arranged every 4.5 meters in the 27 meters of the straight course. It's fun to go through this course lightly, but there's severe assignments as you can imagine. I have to finish it within 7 seconds and never touch any pylon. If I touch one of those pylons in the end-of-course exam, the exam will be over and I will have to take an extra class.
     The next is the wave-like course, which is assumed to be a rough road. I have to pass it in more than 7 seconds. It means that I am required to ride as slow as I can. I have to keep the balance standing up on the step.
     There are some narrow courses around here. We call them for example like this, S-course, Crank-course from the shape of the courses.
     The license I'm trying to get is the highest level of riding license and if I get it, I can ride any motorcycle I like. I'll never say die.

(Vocabulary)
pylon  交通規制用のコーン(円錐形の標識)
lightly  軽快に

http://www.shikoku.ne.jp/josei/

(KW: 城西自動車学校　大型２輪　大型二輪)

Comments

[Klaus D. Orth]

Yup - you are right. Before (many years ago) it was called PS (in English hp or horsepower). Kw stands (I think) for kilowat - but I am not familiar how to calculate PS into Kw! It goes, by the way for bikes and cars.

[KUMO]

Thank you for your comments. I thought this system was very nice.

By the way, "kw" is not familiar to me. Is it commonly used in German to describe the power of motorcycls? We usually use displacement.

[Klaus D. Orth]

And one more comment here, too.

Concerning Germany: everyone has to ride a motorcycle of upto 25kw without having an accident or receiving a ticket for 2 years, after obtaining the driver's license. After that the license is automatically converted in a regular ("o-gata") license, without any cost! More about this on this German link by the ADAC (similar to JAF): http://www.adac.de/Recht_und_Rat/Fuehrerschein/EU_Fuehrerschein/Die_Neuregelungen_beim_Motorradfuehrerschein/default.asp