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SUMMER is finally here - and you can't help but notice the amount of motorcycles that have appeared on our roads since the first hint of sunshine.

But if you're thinking of joining them and you don't already hold a motorcycle licence, advice from local training schools is to take your test now, before a new EU-mandated test comes into effect on September 29.

The new test will add special exercises conducted on an off-road area. These will include low and medium speed (up to 32mph) manoeuvres, as well as braking tests. Candidates will then take a modified version of the current on-road test.

While the aim of turning out better-trained novice motorcyclists is a noble one, the implementation of the new system is threatening to become problematic. The off-road section of the test requires the building of special test centres - known as Multi-Purpose Test Centres (MPTCs) - throughout the country, as existing centres do not have off-road facilities.

The new test is scheduled to start from September and the DSA (Driver Standards Agency) which controls the scheme is still only at the stage of searching for land or securing planning permission in many areas.

The closest sites to Basingstoke are at Greenham, near Newbury, Swindon, Fareham, Lee-on-the-Solent and Farnborough.

Of these, the DSA says that the Swindon MPTC will definitely be open by September 29, while Lee-on-the-Solent and Farnborough "should" be open and Fareham will possibly be operational. Greenham, meanwhile, is expected to open in early 2009.

Apart from possible delays due to centres not being ready for the new test, the reduced number of centres where motorcyclists can take their tests is bound to lead to long waiting lists for test dates.

While motorcycle test candidates from Basingstoke were previously able to attend their local centre to take their tests, until the Greenham MPTC opens, they will face substantially longer journeys.

This is not ideal as the novice riders are not allowed to use motorways and may, depending on their licence level, be using small-capacity machines to take their test, meaning a slow and arduous trip just to get to the test centre.

The cost of the test will also increase, from £60 to £80, but this is not the only financial implication of the September changes, according to Helen Warner, of Thruxton-based rider training school Motorcycle Academy.

Helen said: "There are concerns that the introduction of the new test will significantly increase the costs of learning to ride a motorcycle.

"The DSA is looking to rent out the off-road areas (in the MPTCs) used for the off-road manoeuvres to local motorcycle schools, as most schools will not have access to this much off-road space in which to safely practice the manoeuvres.

"We're lucky enough to have use of a vast amount of safe, off-road space at Thruxton, so won't need to pass the extra cost of hiring the off-road area on to the customers.

"There is a further risk that, until the new super centres', which will undertake motorcycle tests, are confirmed, we could be looking at having further to travel to reach the test centres, which will add to training time and cost."

It remains to be seen how many potential new bikers will be put off by the additional costs and hassle involved with the new test. But if you're considering training for a bike licence, doing it before September 29 would be a very good move.

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