New chap in town with a Cambridge Special project

[A G Wood]

Off  the topic Driving Test story:
Back in 1967, putt-putting along licence-less, test riding my recently acquired and resurrected 42L2 Vespa, I was overtaken by  a  traffic officer riding his TR6P. No reaction from him, until just before he got out of sight over the top of the hill we were both going up I ran out of fuel,  had to do a quick U-turn to get some fuel to the carb (I was already on reserve) and head home. He immediately U-turned (thinking I was trying to evade him) and came back, gave me the inevitable ticket with the proviso that my misdemeanor would be viewed favourably if I got my licence within 7 days. Got the last and only available slot, and as I went to leave home,  just like happened to Tony's mate, the normally second kick Italian icon wouldn't start. Like Tony's mate even a series of increasingly sweaty run & jump starts didn't  help. Flywheel key had sheared. Yep, I got the ticket...

[Roger Goldthorpe]

The Cyclemaster I was riding for my test would not start no mater how much peddling effort I exerted. “Sorry” said the examiner “I can’t just let you peddle round you will have to apply for another test.”

[Duncan Grimmond]

I failed my first m/cycle test on the grounds of "insufficient use of gears" I was riding a 98 cc Excelsior F4 Consort which only had two gears on a handlebar changer. I was outraged and when I went for the re-test I had the same examiner. I mentioned the previous failure and the fact that the bike had only 2 gears, to which he curtly asked "Is it a standard machine?".
Same course, same ride, same emergency stop stepping out from behind the same tree, passed!
I still have the bike 53 years later. Sad old gits rule, OK?

[Terry McGrath]

I too took my first M/C test on a 2 speed 98cc James Comet and failed for the same reason. The bowden cable operating the handlebar gear-change snapped and left me in top gear only. No excuse...
My first car test was in OV3398 my 31 saloon, just before MOT days. My mechanical skills were nil and the car was in appalling condition. The examiner walked around the 7 twice, noting the bald tyres etc, then tried to open the passenger door which was jammed due to the body sag. I forced it open for him and he sat on the torn seat and asked me to proceed. We got 200 yards when he asked me to pull over. "Do you normally get all this smoke coming from under the dashboard" he asked. " Oh yes" i quipped, "It's part of the character of the...". "I'm sorry Mr McGrath, we cant continue under such circumstances".
He got out, slammed the door shut and walked away.

[Chris Garner]

My eldest daughter at sixteen took her tractor test. Asked by the examiner to drive to the top of the road, turn round and return, Hazel set off, indicating right at the top. She returned, still with the RH indicator signalling, stopped, whereupon the examiner gave her a pass ticket, jumped into his car and drove off. The following day and for the rest of the following weeks she was grain carting, driving a JCB Fastrac thro' the centre of Melton Mowbray.
On her seventeenth birthday she faultlessly drove my '29 RF saloon the 120 miles return journey from home to a VSCC Cadwell Park meeting.