Why I couldn't pass my Swedish Heavy Motorcycle Driving Licence test

What I understand from the examiner's feedback is that I did not do the maneuvers in the way they were "expected" to be done.

BHPian swe.desi recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I didn't want to believe what I was hearing. My mind was numb as the examiner went on to explain what went well and what went wrong. My hopes and dreams were literally crashing down, but for him, it was just another Wednesday.

My buddy was nearby and he had overheard. I could see my disappointment reflected on his face. I felt I had failed him as much as myself. When I got off my bike and we spoke he tried to cheer me up, and we rode back to his home to park the bike again. We were going to be training more. In the back of our minds, this was always an eventuality, there was no reason for my friend to stay back otherwise.

We returned to my friend's house, and throughout the journey, I kept replaying the events in my mind. He offered me a coffee and we cheered each other up, our usual brand of dark humor replaced by more fitting gallows humor. There was a need for some serious retrospection and introspection. Not to mention, more targeted practice.

I checked the trafikverket website while on the train ride home to see if there were any slots available, but without much hope. The season had been booked solid and I didn't expect anything before July. My inner voice was debating whether to sell the motorcycle or be content with riding with a chaperone, neither alternative was much fun to think about.

Luckily I found a slot for Thursday the following week and immediately booked it. I also booked another riding lesson with the school.

Now, alone with my thoughts I could ponder upon the exam feedback and what went wrong. The feedback, which, as far as I could understand it, was that I used the rear brake too much on the slow course, and let go of the accelerator on the high-speed course whereas I should have maintained a constant grip while performing the maneuvers, and I also kept my foot on the rear brake so the brake light was active. The last one was a bad habit that snuck back in unnoticed under stress.

So that was it, I had not done the maneuvers in the way they were "expected" to be done. I credit this to only having taken two classes with a riding school and therefore did not have the sufficient guidance I needed. My friend got his license a long, long time back and I don't blame him in the least for not being aware of the current state of things. I became lackadaisical and a tad overconfident with my preparation. Finally, not speaking Swedish fluently robbed me of the opportunity to educate myself better from the helpful videos and articles on the net.

To recap

For the low-speed maneuver it was important to not use the front brake so as not to upset the balance of the bike, manipulate the speed as far as possible with the clutch and accelerator, use the rear brake when needed to bring the speed down, and look where I wanted to turn, not where I was turning.

For the high speed maneuver it was important to keep the acceleration steady throughout the maneuver, no gas-on gas-off shenanigans, dance with the bike through the slalom, decelerate smoothly for the U-turn and accelerate back up to 50 on the way back.

Now that I had been back to the drawing board, it was time to put my nose back to the grindstone. It was the same punishing schedule again, running around in the heat with gear to get the practice in. The next few days were spent on targeted practice and polishing till the maneuvers are second nature.

If I sounded bitter at any point in this retelling, I assure you I was not. At the end of the day, I was riding and exploring on two wheels, and was thankful for that.

But the heart yearns more, and it was with that yearning I looked forward for the second attempt, and my chance at redemption.

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