BHST = Basic Handling Skills Test
The Basic Handling Skills Test is your first rider assessment that will show if you are able to control a motorcycle at the most basic level.
You can use any LAMs approved motorcycle in the BHST assessment, most schools provide a small motorcycle and safety gear as part of the assessment fee.
When should you be looking at the BHST?
Stage 1. Everything is new. Your first priority is learning the motorcycle's basic controls and developing enough confidence to start, stop and turn safely.
Stage 2. Once you understand the controls and can confidently start, stop and make basic turns, you can begin adding road rules, signalling, road positioning, observation and safety head checks as you prepare for your learner licence.
This guide focuses entirely on Stage 2
The process for obtaining your Motorcycle learners licence:
Step 1. Pass the BHST assessment.
Step 2. Pass the road code test (and eye test) on a separate day.
You must pass your BHST assessment before taking the road code test.
In the road code test, you must pass 32 out of 35 questions, and 5 questions will be motorcycle specific questions.
Access the free 6L & BHST guides
This website and the material found here is designed to give new riders the chance to absorb and retain relevant information for their own "learning to ride journey".
The items here should be used before and after a physical motorcycle session whether that motorcycle session is with a friend, a parent or a motorcycle school near you.
The complete index for guides can be found here: https://motobasics.nz/knowledgebase-articles
Professional motorcycle training is extremely valuable, but instructor time has an unavoidable cost. Moto Basics makes the preparatory learning material freely available so riders can use paid training time more effectively.
6L & BHST guides
Moto Basics BHST demo #201:
Cars N Bikes BHST demo #202:
NZTA BHST demo #203:
Moto Basics make your own BHST course #204:
Road code testing - JT free practice online #205:
NZTA BHST information #206:
NZTA road code information #207:
** Once you pass your BHST assessment and road code testing (Congratulations if you have obtained your 6L licence!), please note that mirrors and road scanning is not currently part of the BHST assessment process but is vitally important you understand how to do mirror checks and road scanning once you are riding on public roads.
Mirror, head-checks and road scanning #402, see general guides section.
Practising the BHST (6L)
The BHST is a good learning tool for new motorcycle riders and can be incorporated as part of basic learning but you will not pass the BHST assessment without safe motorcycle control.
Moto Basics recommends that you spend preparatory time on two wheels to understand your controls to be safe and ready before attempting the BHST assessment. From the guides, see video demonstrations YouTube #201 and YouTube #202
Practice the BHST assessment using three (3) learning layers.
- 1. Just start with learning the BHST course’s four (4) stages and this includes lane positioning, control management, corners, turn-back/parking, stopping normally and an emergency stop.
- 2. Once confident riding the 4 stages, now re-do the 4 stages adding head checks till confident.
- 3. Add indicators on and off where required, now re-do the 4 stages using head checks and indicators till confident.
!! Always be looking where you need to go and not be staring at your controls or your front wheel !!
New riders will find all the little steps rushed at first, if you relax and don't rush this practice you will eventually realise you're only doing one thing at any point during the assessment, example: indicating, a head check. then a corner, then indicator off, then stopping.
It’s all just a sequence of tasks you are preparing for that will occur in real world scenarios and all these actions are part of your licence obligations when sharing the road with other road users. T.U.G = Take in information, Use information, Give (communicate) information.
After obtaining your 6L motorcycle licence, you can...
- Insure a motorcycle for road use.
- You may choose to use finance services to buy a motorcycle.
- You can ride any LAMS approved motorcycle between 5am and 10pm (LAMS = Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme).
Looking to buy a motorcycle? https://motobasics.nz/buy-a-motorcycle-for-learner-rider
Once you obtain your licence it is important to keep learning your motorcycle road craft as you need to deal with real-life situations when riding.
Start working towards your restricted 6R licence requirements so you gain good habits and keep learning at the same time: https://motobasics.nz/knowledgebase-articles#6r-6f-guides