September 30, 2024 • 11 mins
Living and Working in Spain with David Wright:
A2 motorbike test in Spain see all videos here https://britishexpatsinspain.com/2023/11/30/motorbike-test-in-spain/
Your Essential Guide to Spanish Life Unlock expert advice and practical resources for living and working in Spain with David Wright.
Visit David Wright's official website to explore his NEW membership platform, offering personalized mentoring and guidance on all aspects of Spanish life—from residency and visas to work opportunities and lifestyle tips.
David Wright is a seasoned author of six popular books, available on Amazon and Kindle, and has been featured on major media outlets like BBC News and Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun. With 22 years of firsthand experience living in Spain, David shares invaluable insights via his expert network and informational websites.
Don’t miss The Wright Way, David’s live radio show, every Thursday from 2-4 PM on Almeria Gold 95.5 FM and every Friday at 4 PM on Almeria Radio 107.5 FM (Spanish time). Stay up-to-date with essential tips and discussions on everything from legal matters to cultural integration in Spain. Join the thriving expat community by connecting with David’s Expats in Spain Facebook group, where you can engage with like-minded individuals and access expert advice on living in Spain.
Tune in to David's podcasts and radio shows featuring top guests and actionable insights for making the most of life in Spain. Special thanks to our sponsors, USTaxesSpain.com for tax services for Americans in Spain, and IndaloTransport.com for sponsoring the show.
Get your free quote today! Stay connected with essential hashtags: #LivingInSpain #WorkingInSpain #DavidWrightOnline #VisasForSpain #ExpatLifeInSpain #BritishInSpain Special thanks to GeckoGrafix for creating David’s motorbike website.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/living-in-spain-with-david-wright--4371936/support.
A2 motorbike test in Spain see all videos here https://britishexpatsinspain.com/2023/11/30/motorbike-test-in-spain/
Your Essential Guide to Spanish Life Unlock expert advice and practical resources for living and working in Spain with David Wright.
Visit David Wright's official website to explore his NEW membership platform, offering personalized mentoring and guidance on all aspects of Spanish life—from residency and visas to work opportunities and lifestyle tips.
David Wright is a seasoned author of six popular books, available on Amazon and Kindle, and has been featured on major media outlets like BBC News and Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun. With 22 years of firsthand experience living in Spain, David shares invaluable insights via his expert network and informational websites.
Don’t miss The Wright Way, David’s live radio show, every Thursday from 2-4 PM on Almeria Gold 95.5 FM and every Friday at 4 PM on Almeria Radio 107.5 FM (Spanish time). Stay up-to-date with essential tips and discussions on everything from legal matters to cultural integration in Spain. Join the thriving expat community by connecting with David’s Expats in Spain Facebook group, where you can engage with like-minded individuals and access expert advice on living in Spain.
Tune in to David's podcasts and radio shows featuring top guests and actionable insights for making the most of life in Spain. Special thanks to our sponsors, USTaxesSpain.com for tax services for Americans in Spain, and IndaloTransport.com for sponsoring the show.
Get your free quote today! Stay connected with essential hashtags: #LivingInSpain #WorkingInSpain #DavidWrightOnline #VisasForSpain #ExpatLifeInSpain #BritishInSpain Special thanks to GeckoGrafix for creating David’s motorbike website.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/living-in-spain-with-david-wright--4371936/support.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to Living in Spain Podcasts with David Wright.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Hello and welcome to another one of my podcast shows.
My name is David Riot, and in this podcast I'm
going to be talking about the motorbike tests in Spain,
specifically A two test. Okay, so just a quick background
on this. If you've got a car driving license in
Spain and you've had that car driving license for more
than three years, then automatically you can have you can
(00:42):
go out and buy a one two five cc motorbike
without any experience, no license, no test or anything. You
can carry passengers on the back, you don't need lplays,
and you can drive it on the motorway. That's all
with three years experience with a normal car driving line.
Since I just want to state here that I have
(01:02):
been talking to my driving instructor here and that is
about to change here in Spain in the next year,
you will probably have to take a basic motibike test
to do that one two five cc as well, and
more on that in the very near future. Okay. So
the A two test that is the next one up,
and then one after that is the full motorbike license.
(01:23):
That's the a license that's no restrictions for a tour
you can drive anything you like. So the next one
up from the basic motibike license is the A two test.
Now that's what I'm doing at the moment. I'm just
about to take the final exam on that in the
next couple of weeks. So this is in three main parts.
After you've had a medical you need to enroll in
(01:44):
a score and go through classes to pass a theory test.
Now this is only done in Spanish at the moment.
There is talk that it will be done here in Spain,
or it might be able to be done in some
places in Spain in different languages, but at the moment
you can only do that A two theory test in Spanish.
So I've been waiting and waiting. Finally I didn't put
it off anymore. I just took it. I failed the
(02:07):
theory test three times. Here you only allowed two errors
in the questions, and I got three errors both times
three times, and then in the fourth time I finally
passed with no errors at all. So it is complicated.
You have to know about quad bikes, moped scooters and
all different types of rules and regulations for the road
(02:29):
as you would for a car. But more related to
the motorbikes. And it is quite an intense course to
go through that and the exam is done in an
official office at Traffic Cohre in the city and it's
under very very strict conditions with a security guard walking
around and everything. Quite a bit of stress on that one.
So yeah, it's not an easy exam to pass. So
(02:50):
when you pass the theory test, you are then able
to go on to the next part of the A
two test, and that is an off track on a
circuit and it's in two parts again, and these two
parts are a slow slalom and a fast slalom course. Now,
the slow slalom course is basically going through going along
a straight line, not deviating off of the straight line
(03:13):
for about six meters I believe, and then going round
some big cones very very slowly with it in a
circuit distance and not allowed to touch the cones or put
your feet down at any time. And then at the
end of the circuit you have to go change into
second gear really fast, accelerate and then do an emergency
(03:33):
stop in a square at the end of that track.
That is the slow slalom part of that test. Then
there is a fast slow test. This is also done
in the same place on a track, and you have
to go round some cones. First of all, you start
off with a maneuverability test. You get off the motorbike
and you have to put it park it in an
(03:55):
L shape, so you move it around and you back
it into a parking space. And then you get on
to the motorbike and you drive through. Drive fast as
you can, up normally, up into second gear quickly and
go around some cones in a straight line. And then
at the end you do a full one eighty turn
and come back, drive through some little chicane area, and
(04:16):
then do an emergency stop in a traffic square at
the end. This all has to be done within twenty
five seconds. It sounds pretty easy, but it's quite difficult
to do that without touching the cones, without and with
making sure you stand in the designated emergency stop area.
So when you complete those two tests, you have to
(04:37):
go This is on the off track test. You have
to go to the drive in school instructor school and
you have to actually sit this in front of an exam,
so you do this under exam conditions with an instructor.
There's an instructor with a stop sign of automatic lights,
and when the light goes green, you start off on
the motorbike. So it is timed. There is a couple
(04:57):
of examiners down the circuit looking to see if you
touch cones or if you put your feet down. If
you put your feet down once or you touch a cone,
then you're out. You have to stop. That's it. At
the end of the test. You don't get a chance
to go on to the speed test or anything like that.
One mistake and you're out. It's very very strict in data.
I was very surprised how strict it was. Luckily I
managed to pass that first time round, both of them
(05:19):
with no foils, no errors at all. Okay, So then
when you pass that, there's the final street test in
the car. Now you have an examiner takes you out
and he's following you in a car with headphones set on,
telling you to turn left, turn and right and things
like that. This is about forty five minutes to test.
(05:40):
And if you pass that, then you've got an A
two license and you can drive that a bigger boat.
Motorbikes up to I think it's forty seven horsepower for
two years and after two years it has to be
minimum of two years, you can go and do a course.
This is just a course with a driving instructor. It's
a nine our course and it's done over a couple
(06:03):
of days with lectures, slalom test on a track, and
then four hours I believe in the street as well.
So today I've been out. This is my third lesson
for the A two test. I'm having some lessons. You
can't take these lessons until you get a date. Once
you've got a date free exam, then you have a
(06:23):
license to go out with the instructor on a bigger bike.
And this has to be done on a four hundred
cc or above motorbike. So obviously you can't go out in
the street because you haven't got a license to drive
bigger bikes. So you have to wait for your test dates.
And then when you've got the test dates, you can
go out with the instructor with all the full gear
on and an orange jacket with l plates on. Make
(06:46):
sure to make sure you're safe and he's following you
out there giving you directions for these tests. Now I've
had three lessons, he says to me, I'm going to
need three or four more. Hopefully I've got time to
get them in. It's a lot more difficult than I thought,
like a car driving test. If you remember going through
a car driving test here, then yeah, you've got to
go into traffic. I've done my lessons here and rush
(07:08):
hour traffic at the moment with all of the lessons,
it's very very stressful. Indeed, they're looking to see if
you're in the right lanes and right positioning, you're stopping
at the right lights, give way and stop signs, you're
showing and you're observing and indicating at the right place,
and just basically following the rules and regulations off the
street with in heavy traffic conditions and also lots of
(07:32):
pedestrians around. So yeah, it's a bit daunting, and I'm
committing lots of areas at the moment, little things which
all add up. So things like stopping at stop sign
in the right place and then pulling forward again and
stopping again if there's cars parked so you're blocking your view.
You have to do a double stop here. And it's
not just a little stop. You has to stop and
(07:53):
count to three seconds and then off you go. Putting
an indicator on and off earlier and canceling it when
you finish changing lanes things like that. These will add
up to points which you can be deducted and stop
me from passing. So yeah, it's a bit daunting. It's
a bit stressful through the headphones all in Spanish off
(08:15):
course as well, so that makes it a little bit
more difficult. So hopefully in a couple of weeks time
things cross, I've got the test. Personally, I think I've
got about a forty percent chance of passing it, mostly
because the instructor at the moment is giving me directions
and everything in Spanish, and simple little things like take
the next left turn or do a U turn or
(08:38):
change directions in Spanish. Obviously, I get a little bit
confused if he's asking me to turn left or do
a complete turn, or change directions or take the next exit,
so you have to really really listen. Also, they tell
you to take the third exit on the roundabout when
you can. That often means that the third exit is
not available, you can't drive down that lane, or they
(09:01):
might say take the next available exit. That's not always
the first exit. It could be the third full exit,
or there might not be an exit you can officially take,
so you have to do a complete turn on the
on the road, there's bus lanes and things like that,
so they say take that, move move over to the
right wing you can, you know, if there's a bas
lane things like that. They're looking to see if you're
(09:21):
going in the right lane the wrong lane. One of
the errors I did was going down taking an exit
off of Aroundabout and it was a resident area and
the sign up was behind a tree. You could just
about see the sign, but I didn't quite understand it.
But apparently it's only for going down that street if
you've got access to that street, So a public general
(09:42):
public aren't a leg down there, and that was that
would have been a fail for me. So yeah, little things,
You've got to keep your eyes about you. You've got
to follow the rules and regulations, following the speed limits
exactly as well. When a traffic is whizzing past you
and none of them are paying attention to traffic laws
really here in Spain, you've got to be extra care
and alert and so yeah, it's a little bit difficult.
(10:03):
So I'll give myself about a forty percent chance on
that one, but I'm not going to give up and
want to keep going like I did with a theory.
I was really gutted after not passing the first, second
and third time, but fourth time lucky, no errors, so
it is worth it in the long run. I know
the bike I want to buy. I'm desperate to go
and buy the bike of sat in It. I've seen it,
I've got the money ready, but till I pass that test,
(10:25):
I can't. I can't go out and buy it. So
it's hopefully it's going to make me a better rider,
a better a safer rider, so it's all worth going through.
I'm just trying to keep the much concentration on it
as I can, and fingers crossed, I hopefully will pass
it first go.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
If you have enjoyed this podcast by David Wright, then
you will love his new books out now on Amazon
and Kindle, packed with money saving tips and information on
living and working in Spain. Just go to Living in
Spain Books dot com. David also has a popular blog
for expats in Spain. Come and take a look now
at British Experts in Spain dot com.
You're listening to Living in Spain Podcasts with David Wright.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Hello and welcome to another one of my podcast shows.
My name is David Riot, and in this podcast I'm
going to be talking about the motorbike tests in Spain,
specifically A two test. Okay, so just a quick background
on this. If you've got a car driving license in
Spain and you've had that car driving license for more
than three years, then automatically you can have you can
(00:42):
go out and buy a one two five cc motorbike
without any experience, no license, no test or anything. You
can carry passengers on the back, you don't need lplays,
and you can drive it on the motorway. That's all
with three years experience with a normal car driving line.
Since I just want to state here that I have
(01:02):
been talking to my driving instructor here and that is
about to change here in Spain in the next year,
you will probably have to take a basic motibike test
to do that one two five cc as well, and
more on that in the very near future. Okay. So
the A two test that is the next one up,
and then one after that is the full motorbike license.
(01:23):
That's the a license that's no restrictions for a tour
you can drive anything you like. So the next one
up from the basic motibike license is the A two test.
Now that's what I'm doing at the moment. I'm just
about to take the final exam on that in the
next couple of weeks. So this is in three main parts.
After you've had a medical you need to enroll in
(01:44):
a score and go through classes to pass a theory test.
Now this is only done in Spanish at the moment.
There is talk that it will be done here in Spain,
or it might be able to be done in some
places in Spain in different languages, but at the moment
you can only do that A two theory test in Spanish.
So I've been waiting and waiting. Finally I didn't put
it off anymore. I just took it. I failed the
(02:07):
theory test three times. Here you only allowed two errors
in the questions, and I got three errors both times
three times, and then in the fourth time I finally
passed with no errors at all. So it is complicated.
You have to know about quad bikes, moped scooters and
all different types of rules and regulations for the road
(02:29):
as you would for a car. But more related to
the motorbikes. And it is quite an intense course to
go through that and the exam is done in an
official office at Traffic Cohre in the city and it's
under very very strict conditions with a security guard walking
around and everything. Quite a bit of stress on that one.
So yeah, it's not an easy exam to pass. So
(02:50):
when you pass the theory test, you are then able
to go on to the next part of the A
two test, and that is an off track on a
circuit and it's in two parts again, and these two
parts are a slow slalom and a fast slalom course. Now,
the slow slalom course is basically going through going along
a straight line, not deviating off of the straight line
(03:13):
for about six meters I believe, and then going round
some big cones very very slowly with it in a
circuit distance and not allowed to touch the cones or put
your feet down at any time. And then at the
end of the circuit you have to go change into
second gear really fast, accelerate and then do an emergency
(03:33):
stop in a square at the end of that track.
That is the slow slalom part of that test. Then
there is a fast slow test. This is also done
in the same place on a track, and you have
to go round some cones. First of all, you start
off with a maneuverability test. You get off the motorbike
and you have to put it park it in an
(03:55):
L shape, so you move it around and you back
it into a parking space. And then you get on
to the motorbike and you drive through. Drive fast as
you can, up normally, up into second gear quickly and
go around some cones in a straight line. And then
at the end you do a full one eighty turn
and come back, drive through some little chicane area, and
(04:16):
then do an emergency stop in a traffic square at
the end. This all has to be done within twenty
five seconds. It sounds pretty easy, but it's quite difficult
to do that without touching the cones, without and with
making sure you stand in the designated emergency stop area.
So when you complete those two tests, you have to
(04:37):
go This is on the off track test. You have
to go to the drive in school instructor school and
you have to actually sit this in front of an exam,
so you do this under exam conditions with an instructor.
There's an instructor with a stop sign of automatic lights,
and when the light goes green, you start off on
the motorbike. So it is timed. There is a couple
(04:57):
of examiners down the circuit looking to see if you
touch cones or if you put your feet down. If
you put your feet down once or you touch a cone,
then you're out. You have to stop. That's it. At
the end of the test. You don't get a chance
to go on to the speed test or anything like that.
One mistake and you're out. It's very very strict in data.
I was very surprised how strict it was. Luckily I
managed to pass that first time round, both of them
(05:19):
with no foils, no errors at all. Okay, So then
when you pass that, there's the final street test in
the car. Now you have an examiner takes you out
and he's following you in a car with headphones set on,
telling you to turn left, turn and right and things
like that. This is about forty five minutes to test.
(05:40):
And if you pass that, then you've got an A
two license and you can drive that a bigger boat.
Motorbikes up to I think it's forty seven horsepower for
two years and after two years it has to be
minimum of two years, you can go and do a course.
This is just a course with a driving instructor. It's
a nine our course and it's done over a couple
(06:03):
of days with lectures, slalom test on a track, and
then four hours I believe in the street as well.
So today I've been out. This is my third lesson
for the A two test. I'm having some lessons. You
can't take these lessons until you get a date. Once
you've got a date free exam, then you have a
(06:23):
license to go out with the instructor on a bigger bike.
And this has to be done on a four hundred
cc or above motorbike. So obviously you can't go out in
the street because you haven't got a license to drive
bigger bikes. So you have to wait for your test dates.
And then when you've got the test dates, you can
go out with the instructor with all the full gear
on and an orange jacket with l plates on. Make
(06:46):
sure to make sure you're safe and he's following you
out there giving you directions for these tests. Now I've
had three lessons, he says to me, I'm going to
need three or four more. Hopefully I've got time to
get them in. It's a lot more difficult than I thought,
like a car driving test. If you remember going through
a car driving test here, then yeah, you've got to
go into traffic. I've done my lessons here and rush
(07:08):
hour traffic at the moment with all of the lessons,
it's very very stressful. Indeed, they're looking to see if
you're in the right lanes and right positioning, you're stopping
at the right lights, give way and stop signs, you're
showing and you're observing and indicating at the right place,
and just basically following the rules and regulations off the
street with in heavy traffic conditions and also lots of
(07:32):
pedestrians around. So yeah, it's a bit daunting, and I'm
committing lots of areas at the moment, little things which
all add up. So things like stopping at stop sign
in the right place and then pulling forward again and
stopping again if there's cars parked so you're blocking your view.
You have to do a double stop here. And it's
not just a little stop. You has to stop and
(07:53):
count to three seconds and then off you go. Putting
an indicator on and off earlier and canceling it when
you finish changing lanes things like that. These will add
up to points which you can be deducted and stop
me from passing. So yeah, it's a bit daunting. It's
a bit stressful through the headphones all in Spanish off
(08:15):
course as well, so that makes it a little bit
more difficult. So hopefully in a couple of weeks time
things cross, I've got the test. Personally, I think I've
got about a forty percent chance of passing it, mostly
because the instructor at the moment is giving me directions
and everything in Spanish, and simple little things like take
the next left turn or do a U turn or
(08:38):
change directions in Spanish. Obviously, I get a little bit
confused if he's asking me to turn left or do
a complete turn, or change directions or take the next exit,
so you have to really really listen. Also, they tell
you to take the third exit on the roundabout when
you can. That often means that the third exit is
not available, you can't drive down that lane, or they
(09:01):
might say take the next available exit. That's not always
the first exit. It could be the third full exit,
or there might not be an exit you can officially take,
so you have to do a complete turn on the
on the road, there's bus lanes and things like that,
so they say take that, move move over to the
right wing you can, you know, if there's a bas
lane things like that. They're looking to see if you're
(09:21):
going in the right lane the wrong lane. One of
the errors I did was going down taking an exit
off of Aroundabout and it was a resident area and
the sign up was behind a tree. You could just
about see the sign, but I didn't quite understand it.
But apparently it's only for going down that street if
you've got access to that street, So a public general
(09:42):
public aren't a leg down there, and that was that
would have been a fail for me. So yeah, little things,
You've got to keep your eyes about you. You've got
to follow the rules and regulations, following the speed limits
exactly as well. When a traffic is whizzing past you
and none of them are paying attention to traffic laws
really here in Spain, you've got to be extra care
and alert and so yeah, it's a little bit difficult.
(10:03):
So I'll give myself about a forty percent chance on
that one, but I'm not going to give up and
want to keep going like I did with a theory.
I was really gutted after not passing the first, second
and third time, but fourth time lucky, no errors, so
it is worth it in the long run. I know
the bike I want to buy. I'm desperate to go
and buy the bike of sat in It. I've seen it,
I've got the money ready, but till I pass that test,
(10:25):
I can't. I can't go out and buy it. So
it's hopefully it's going to make me a better rider,
a better a safer rider, so it's all worth going through.
I'm just trying to keep the much concentration on it
as I can, and fingers crossed, I hopefully will pass
it first go.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
If you have enjoyed this podcast by David Wright, then
you will love his new books out now on Amazon
and Kindle, packed with money saving tips and information on
living and working in Spain. Just go to Living in
Spain Books dot com. David also has a popular blog
for expats in Spain. Come and take a look now
at British Experts in Spain dot com.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!