I got my Class 2B license today. That means I’m legally allowed to ride a motorcycle!
In my journey to getting this licence, I’ve realised that there is a dearth of online literature that was helpful for me. While there ARE articles on getting your license in Singapore, there isn’t any from 2015 onwards (or at least I couldn’t find any recent ones).
I told myself that the moment I got my license, I’ll do up an article to help others understand the entire journey from start to end. There were some lessons learnt along the way, and I’ll be documenting them down as well to help you out. Think of them as lessons that I would have applied if I were to start this journey all over again.
Let’s start from the top… Registration Like my Class 3 license, I registered for my class 2B at Bukit Batok Driving Center (BBDC). No major reason for choosing this over the other schools, only that it’s the nearest to where I live. On hindsight, this was a great decision as going to the nearest driving center has allowed me to go for both the first (7.30am – 9.10pm) and last sessions (9.10pm – 10.50pm). As I drive on a daily basis, and start work at 9.30am, I was actually able to attend the first session, and then drive to my office to start my day.
The lessons at BBDC are plentiful — you should be able to very easily book your next lesson within the same week. Compare this to Comfort Driving Center (CDC), where the next available lesson can be almost 2 weeks away.. you’d then need to be prepared to refresh your website everyday to snap up any slots that people have dropped. BBDC gives a far more pleasant experience.
Theory Lessons Before actually getting onto a bike, you’d need to attend some theory lessons first. If you’re a total newbie, you’ll need to go for your Basic Theory lessons (BTL). There are a total of 2 BTL lessons (1.01 and 1.02). These lessons teach you about basic highway code. If you’re already holding onto a class 3 license, then you can be exempted from this (since it’s the exact same thing). After which, you can book for your Basic Theory Test (BTT). This is an online test conducted by the Traffic Police.
Even though I already have a class 3 license, I had to attend both BTLs again. Reason being that I was awarded my class 3 license 13 years ago, and there’s some rule that says that you’ll need to attend the 2 BTL lessons to get an update on how things have been since then. However, I was exempted from the BTT (Basic Theory Test).
At the same time, you also need to attend 2x Riding Theory Lessons (RTL1.01 and RTL1.02). These lessons cover the basics of riding, along with some theory knowledge specific to the motorcycle. Similar to your BTT, you’ll also need to attend a Riding Theory Test.
Note that you DO NOT NEED to pass your RTT before you can attend your first practical lesson. The moment you’ve passed your BTT, you are allowed to book your practical lessons (up to Lesson 5).
Practical Lessons The practical lessons at BBDC at grouped in different stages. There are a total of 9 stages, each containing about 2-3 lessons. These lessons are progressive, meaning that you start off with learning the basics of operating the motorcycle, followed by proficiency within the test circuit, and finally driving out onto the main road. At each ‘major’ checkpoint of the syllabus, there will be an assessment conducted by the instructors. We’ll go through that shortly.
Class size usually averages between 3 – 6 students, depending on the timeslot and the lesson that you’re attending. From what I’ve noticed, the first session usually has the least amount of people (I guess people aren’t early birds by nature). I usually like to attend the last two session slots as I’m able to attend classes after work. Furthermore, it’d be at night and the weather isn’t that hot.
Stage 1 and 2 covers general riding, i.e. learning to ride smoothly, turn right, etc. Stage 3 to 5 covers circuit courses. The 6 courses (in test-route sequence) are: slope, S-course, crank course, narrow plank, pylon slalom, and e-brake. Stage 6 – 8 covers your main road riding. Here you’ll gain experience riding in the ‘real world’ Stage 9 is only unlocked after you’ve passed your TP test. This is the Highway Familization Riding, where the instructors will bring you on a ‘victory’ ride along the expressway and roads around Choa Chu Kang 🙂