Getting a M license now? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Getting a M license now?

zzrt1150

zzrt1150

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Got my M license over 30 years ago when the test was at Keele & 401 with about 20 obstacle courses (it's been awhile so not positive on the number) that you had to go through. Just wondering how it compares to the test that they do today...has anyone ever been tested on both?
 
You ride around while a car with 2 instructors follows you. They speak directions into an earpiece you wear. Merge onto highway, merge off highway, emergency stop at side of the road, a left turn and a right turn at traffic lights, and you're done. They wanna see stuff like blocking position, constant head scanning, etc. Pretty straight forward test.
 
mmmnaked said:
You ride around while a car with 2 instructors follows you. They speak directions into an earpiece you wear. Merge onto highway, merge off highway, emergency stop at side of the road, a left turn and a right turn at traffic lights, and you're done. They wanna see stuff like blocking position, constant head scanning, etc. Pretty straight forward test.
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Jeez thats a bit of a jk. but i guess if you've got bad habits established there's a lot to screw up. Why would someone who got there M test 30 years ago take it again now?
 
eoszlak said:
Why would someone who got there M test 30 years ago take it again now?
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I got my M back in the late 70's when the test was held on the Downsview closed course and the road test was to circle around the block. If you came back, you got your license.

I left Canada to live/work in Europe for some years and, during my stay in Europe, had to re-test for my motorcycle rating. Upon my return to Canada, I had to re-test again for Ontario, despite all my licensing records still present in the computer at MTO. They wouldn't reinstate my M-class. Testing in Canada today is a joke compared to European testing standards, however it is significantly improved over the old pre-graduated licensing system.
 
if you have a class of licence and you let it lapse for more than 10 years then you start back at the begiining, so G1 or M1. Only difference is you don't have to wait the waiting periods for a g licence. For M you can get your M1 one day and literally do the M1 road test right away but you have to wait the required time period for the M exit test.

Had a friend who went thru all this about 15 years ago, (for his G then he did the M about 5 years ago). Stupid thing was it was 10 years and 1 month that his G had lapsed, so I guess in that 1 month they assume you have forgotten everything about driving..lol

eoszlak said:
Jeez thats a bit of a jk. but i guess if you've got bad habits established there's a lot to screw up. Why would someone who got there M test 30 years ago take it again now?
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I'm taking the test this week otherwise I think it expires after this season. I've heard they can be picky about when it's safe to make a lane change on a hwy. What are they looking for in an emergency stop? Pull over with turn signal on?
 
robmack said:
I got my M back in the late 70's when the test was held on the Downsview closed course and the road test was to circle around the block. If you came back, you got your license.
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In the 80s, you have to do a cone slalom course with the clutch out, accelerate out to second gear and panic stop, locking the rear, then once around the block.

The day I did it, a bunch of guys showed up on chopped and raked Harleys and it was hilarious when they all failed, two crashed trying to go around the cones. You could get licensed at 15 back then.
 
Pretty much, except don't downshift and slow down to a stop. Just full brake stop (when safe of course and don't lock it up). If I'm wrong, I dunno, that's what I did. I did mine in Oshawa and we kinda walked through the map and the requirements before we left. He told me what route we would attempt, what he was going to ask me to do, so I asked him to clarify. Gives you a signal to use when you don't understand or can't hear what he is telling you to do. I think at that point I asked what he defined as "emergency stop" and he said just come to a fast stop safely on the side with signals on. Oshawa is a good location to do a test mid day because your 401 section won't likely be gridlocked so you can just cruise on from one exit, change to the middle lane and back and get off at the next exit.

AF4iK said:
I'm taking the test this week otherwise I think it expires after this season. I've heard they can be picky about when it's safe to make a lane change on a hwy. What are they looking for in an emergency stop? Pull over with turn signal on?
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eljay said:
Pretty much, except don't downshift and slow down to a stop. Just full brake stop (when safe of course and don't lock it up). If I'm wrong, I dunno, that's what I did. I did mine in Oshawa and we kinda walked through the map and the requirements before we left. He told me what route we would attempt, what he was going to ask me to do, so I asked him to clarify. Gives you a signal to use when you don't understand or can't hear what he is telling you to do. I think at that point I asked what he defined as "emergency stop" and he said just come to a fast stop safely on the side with signals on. Oshawa is a good location to do a test mid day because your 401 section won't likely be gridlocked so you can just cruise on from one exit, change to the middle lane and back and get off at the next exit.
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Thanks man. I looked it up on MTO's site and it says to bring the bike to a full stop at the side of the road with blinkers/hazards on, turn engine off and kickstand down.

http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/handbook/motorcycles/section9-0-0.shtml

I'm taking it at Downsview as it's really close to me.
 
AF4iK said:
I'm taking the test this week otherwise I think it expires after this season. I've heard they can be picky about when it's safe to make a lane change on a hwy. What are they looking for in an emergency stop? Pull over with turn signal on?
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Be nice and make a lane change only if they can make one with you (I didn't go during rush hour). Don't think they can ding you if you don't believe it is safe to make a lane change.

As for the e-stop...

Right signal
Begin braking
Look left then right (while braking) to indicate you're checking your mirrors and/or blind spot.
Get out of blocking position and prepare to stop
Stop
Back the bike up to a 45 degree angle
Hazards if you have them
Kick stand down

It's just the stuff you'd normally do. I don't know if the duck waddling backwards was necessary but I had no marks dinged on my M except for going 80 in a 40 (oops lol)
 
Thanks, I'm at the MTO waiting my turn right now. My biggest worry is they'll flag something wrong with the bike and cancel the test.
 
Good luck! As long as you don't do something ridiculous, you should be fine
 
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AF4iK said:
Thanks, I'm at the MTO waiting my turn right now. My biggest worry is they'll flag something wrong with the bike and cancel the test.
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Well?
 
Easy peasy! The only thing I got wrong was the way I oriented the bike during the roadside stop. I had it parked at an angle to the curb based on a vlogger's advice but it should've been parallel to the curb. No biggie.
The route was a loop going east on sheppard from the Drive Test center, south on Allen, 401 WB, exit north on Keele, duck into a neighbourhood for the roadside stop and then back out onto Keele, then back onto Sheppard and return to the Drive Test center. I've heard that it's sometimes run in reverse. Failure rate is apparently 60%.

Oh yea, make sure everything works on your bike. The brake light wasn't turning on when I hit the foot brake. A few weeks ago I had to remove the rear set on that side and turns out the spring connecting the lever to the light switch got stretched. I was able to barely adjust it there in the MTO parking lot. Surprisingly, he didn't take issue with my plate position (competition werkes FE) or the fact that my muffler is being held in place by a bungee net lol.
 
AF4iK said:
Easy peasy! The only thing I got wrong was the way I oriented the bike during the roadside stop. I had it parked at an angle to the curb based on a vlogger's advice but it should've been parallel to the curb. No biggie.
The route was a loop going east on sheppard from the Drive Test center, south on Allen, 401 WB, exit north on Keele, duck into a neighbourhood for the roadside stop and then back out onto Keele, then back onto Sheppard and return to the Drive Test center. I've heard that it's sometimes run in reverse. Failure rate is apparently 60%.

Oh yea, make sure everything works on your bike. The brake light wasn't turning on when I hit the foot brake. A few weeks ago I had to remove the rear set on that side and turns out the spring connecting the lever to the light switch got stretched. I was able to barely adjust it there in the MTO parking lot. Surprisingly, he didn't take issue with my plate position (competition werkes FE) or the fact that my muffler is being held in place by a bungee net lol.
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Congrats! Just passed mine at Downview as well. Same route. For the e-stop, bike needs to be parallel to the curb. As for speed, they do not have a speedo tracking your speed - they can only tell your relative speed based on their vehicle's speed. To that end, try to stay within the speed limit but when merging into traffic or onto the highway, you need to match the speed of the traffic (even if it's higher than the posted speed limit) then smoothly reduce your speed back to the speed limit.

Hope this helps anyone else who is taking their test soon.
 
CafeRay said:
In the 80s, you have to do a cone slalom course with the clutch out, accelerate out to second gear and panic stop, locking the rear, then once around the block.

The day I did it, a bunch of guys showed up on chopped and raked Harleys and it was hilarious when they all failed, two crashed trying to go around the cones. You could get licensed at 15 back then.
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it was 16 when I did it in the 80's, not 15.
 
eriyasu said:
Congrats! Just passed mine at Downview as well. Same route. For the e-stop, bike needs to be parallel to the curb. As for speed, they do not have a speedo tracking your speed - they can only tell your relative speed based on their vehicle's speed. To that end, try to stay within the speed limit but when merging into traffic or onto the highway, you need to match the speed of the traffic (even if it's higher than the posted speed limit) then smoothly reduce your speed back to the speed limit.

Hope this helps anyone else who is taking their test soon.
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It sure does. Doing my M2 exit on Thursday. Thanks!
 
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