KOCHI: As old Bajaj M80s were being readied for their final outing in grounds across the state on Tuesday, some driving school owners could be seen garlanding the handy scooters. In grounds like Kakkanad under the Ernakulam RTO, the owners had also brought new Honda Shine bikes, which replaced the M80 as the new driving test vehicle.
Reason: An order issued by the Transport Commissionerate three months ago, banning the use of two-wheelers having gear shifters at the handlebars in driving tests from August 1. With no test scheduled for Wednesday, Tuesday was the last day for conducting tests using the M80, which according to experts offers better flexibility while manoeuvring curves.
“The Bajaj M80 was all the rage when I was young. I used one to go to the driving school and return home,” said John K L, 68, the owner of St Mary’s Driving School. He has been in the field for 41 years, and for a majority of the period, he imparted driving lessons to students on an M80 and used the bike in tests too.
“It’s true the M80 made the ‘8-Track’ test a bit easier for candidates. I have been teaching my students using an M80 for nearly 30 years,” said John.
“The scooter has been used for driving tests since August 28, 1998, when the ‘8’-shaped driving test track was introduced for the first time. The bikes used then like Vijay Super, Lamby, Chetak and all couldn’t be manoeuvred as efficiently as the M80 while taking the round curve,” he said.
“The 80cc, two-stroke engine M80 is the smallest in the ‘motor cycle with gear’ category bikes. With the gear shifter on the handlebar, candidates focus more on riding during the tests. Also, the bike could gather sufficient speed for the test in the first gear itself,” said Shajan M K, owner of Mariya Driving School.
The latest order said it doesn’t augur well for candidates to train in bikes with gear at the handlebar and then ride bikes using their foot to shift gears. This amounts to a safety issue as candidates are not properly trained for riding bikes in real life. It further stipulates that only motorcycles above 95CC should be used for driving tests.
“Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar had allotted three months for driving schools to change the bikes and buy new vehicles. Now that ‘generation change’ is happening. Driving schools have started purchasing ‘Honda Shine’ bikes which they attest as flexible while negotiating sharp curves. One school has already booked 20 new Honda Shine,” said Rajesh A R, a motor vehicle inspector.
Meanwhile, driving schools have demanded that the distance between the poles be increased a bit with “longer bikes” now being used for tests. “The same is for driving schools and candidates to take up with the Transport Commissionerate,” the MVD officer said.