Lack of respect and common sense in traffic in Rio

Sometimes, there just isn't anyone in the right.

My boss told me about something he saw on Sunday, on Avenida das Américas, a busy road with 4x3 lanes.  A motorcyclist ran a light that had just turned red, hitting the side of a car that had just started going on a green light, with the impact likely at around 60-70km.

The lady that got hit?  Did a U-turn to look, then drove off.

My boss, who was in front of the car that got hit?  Stopped to look, didn't get out (excuse: had small kids in the car that he couldn't leave alone), eventually drove off since he felt unable to help.

Other traffic?  Simply drove around the accident at the highest speeds possible, nobody stopping to help or even to check if the motorcyclist was alive.

Pedestrians?  Stared.

Nobody actually did anything.  No idea if an ambulance or the police were actually called.  The lady whose car was it left her bumper with license plate at the accident, so she would be easy to find - if the police could be bothered to follow up these sorts of cases.

OK, this specific case seems like attempted suicide by motorcycle, but that doesn't justify that nobody stopped to help or do anything.  Really, here in Rio nobody has any respect for anyone else in traffic.  Just the other day I nearly got hit passing an intersection at a green light because a driver felt like doing an illegal left turn into oncoming traffic.  Yesterday I got nervous waiting at a red light because cars, buses, and vans were passing me at 70km/h - they apparently feel lights are for Christmas trees, but at that speed, if someone had clipped my mirror I could have been tossed into traffic from the opposite lane.

The insanity is general - once on a bus I was stuck in traffic for half an hour, because a bus had run a red light to cross the main artery through the city centre, but couldn't fully cross because of traffic - and so ended up blocking the road for nearly the full half hour. 3 fire engines and several ambulances, all with the emergency lights and alarms on, were stuck as long as I was.

There's just no respect for anyone's safety in traffic here.  What can be done?

Just another day on the road in Rio de Janeiro

Cruising on a sunny Sunday

So, we had a fairly sunny Sunday here in Rio.  I spent the morning at the Hippie Fair in Ipanema with the family, then lunch in Copacabana, and then I got to take the bike out for a cruise.

Ever hear of CheckMyTour?  It's a cool little smartphone app that lets you track, save, and publish your trips, designed for use by motorcyclists, but open to anyone.  It tracks you by GPS, and you can add photos and comments along the route as you like.

Here's my tour for today, available for all to see.  Feel free to comment or check out my other tours.

During the week I had bad luck with rain on the way home from work, especially getting caught in a squall on Thursday - apparently 27mm of rain in 15 minutes. My bike really doesn't like wet weather - it seems like it sometimes gets at the electrics, shutting everything down, and regularly drowns the engine, which means I have to leave the choke wide open and keep the engine at high revs to not stall. I hope the weather is better this week.

I've also had some bad luck with traffic. The worst thing that actually happened was dinging my mirror on a taxi overtaking me illegally, but with unsignalled lane changes and other nuttery, I have two things to say to every driver in the country:
1.  Hang up the damn phone;
2.  Pick a lane.  That dotted line?  It's supposed to be to the side of your car, not down its centreline.

Looking forward to another week's driving!

Servicing my bike at the dealership - Brazilian style

This week I took my bike to get serviced, the 3000km review.  The bike was in apparent perfect shape, except for sometimes having trouble shifting into 2nd gear from 1st, so it was mostly a formality, and a check to see if the dealership's mechanics would find any budding problems.

So, the next day I picked it up from the dealership.  They'd changed the oil, looked at the shifting problem, and gone through the general review.  And wrecked it.

Now the shifter pedal has been moved so I have to use my whole leg to shift gear instead of just the tip of my boot.  The engine idling speed has been tuned down to the point the engine dies at the lights 2-3 times every trip.  They've loosened the gear mechanism, so I need less pressure to shift gear and it's easier to shift into neutral - except now it feels worn, rickety, and crap. The problem shifting into 2nd remains.  But hey, at least it was expensive and time-consuming.

This sort of half-assedness is, unfortunately, endemic to Brazil.  It makes no business sense, of course.  Kasinski makes some profit selling its new bikes - but not as much as other companies, since they're trying to be competitive on price.  They don't sell used bikes, as far as I know.  They don't have parts available (I've been trying to get a rear saddlebag for months, but they never have them in stock - "they're on backorder"), so they don't make money off that.  Now I see that their mechanics suck - so unless you're insisting on making use of your warranty on a new bike (which doesn't cover the price of standard servicing anyway), there's no point ever taking your bike to the dealership.

The mechanics in Favela Mangueira are far cheaper and more experienced, plus they're at least attempting to be competitive.  I overheard a phone call while picking up my bike, the gist of which being that the mechanics at the dealership simply don't know if a certain part from a Mirage 150 will fit on a Mirage 250 - both bikes they're supposed to work on.  They don't work on the 650s at all, nor do they sell them at this dealership.

Well, what's the immediate result of this?
1.  Suddenly buying a Mirage 250 as my next bike seems like a terrible idea.  Sure, it's fairly cheap, and it's the only 250cc cruiser on the market: but I can't count on getting parts or competent service on it.
2.  At first I considered driving straight to Mangueira to get a real mechanic to service the faults that appeared from the service.  (I didn't had time.  Work.)  I really, really don't want to ever patronise a Kasinski dealership's mechanics - meaning they lose that potential income.
3.  From chatting to a colleague at work, I learned how to fix the main problems created.  I've since adjusted the throttle cable to fix the problem of the engine dying (needs more fine-tuning, though), and tomorrow I'll adjust the shifter pedal.

Long-term result?

First, I will absolutely learn more about fixing bikes - that SENAI weekend course on motorcycle maintenance I've heard about.  If mechanics are unreliable, I'd rather fix everything myself if at all possible.

Second, I'm reevaluating what bike I'll buy next - I really would like some more power, as my current bike groans taking a passenger over the mountain to work, and vibrates so badly at 80km/hr that I can't see anything in the rear-view mirrors.  The candidates are:
Honda Shadow 750cc
Yamaha Midnight Star 950cc
Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 Roadster
If I win the lottery or get a fat raise at work: a Harley-Davidson Super Glide.

Maybe next Christmas?

Opinions?  All of them are built in Brazil.  All of them seem to be very comfortable rides - I don't think I want a street bike, though I'll take a few for a test drive.  All of them have a fair number of dealerships, and so should have fair accessibility to spares - less for Harley-Davidson, of course.  All of them are expensive and less economical to run than my current bike...

Cruel doubts!  Let's see where my thinking, opinions of friends and family, and the advice of strangers on the internet lead me.

Maybe Christmas 2016?

Reborn as a wrench monkey

As I sit here smelling faintly of motor oil, I reflect on something I posted earlier: that there is some expectation that motorcycle owners should do more basic maintenance work than car owners, and that I hoped to learn some of this basic maintenance.

Well, it's happened.  I learned quickly after starting to drive this bike that it drinks a fair bit of oil; I've gone through a litre already in just some weeks.  (to be fair, I've been driving it pretty heavily) I've done all the top-ups myself, though I expect to arrange a full oil change soon.  I'd actually like to watch, so I can learn to do it myself in future.

I've also done a number of minor adjustments myself - installing accessories like my tank protector (installed under the seat, which had to be removed) and adjusting the mirrors.  (As in removing them and reinstalling them with a wrench)

Finally, like a complete drooling moron, I left the key in the bike overnight last weekend and drained the battery.  Well, once I got a new battery, I had to add the acid myself.  I'd have installed it myself too, except I didn't have a battery charger and the instructions said to charge the battery before use (presumably to allow the battery to attain a true 100% charge) - so we called a pro who ignored all instructions, installed the battery before the acid had been in the battery for 30 minutes, and then jump-started my bike and told me to run it for 30 minutes.  (I did.  Better than nothing.)  I now expect the life expectancy of this battery to be below average - though I should expect nothing less from a guy who makes his living selling batteries!

Anyway, this is all a contrast to my years of driving cars.  I hardly ever opened the hood, and wouldn't know how to change a battery or the spark plugs.  Hardly ever needed to fill up on oil, so barely knew how.  With my bike, I'm quite happy to go at it with a wrench and screwdriver, and it's simple enough that I figure I can see how it all fits together.  Cars these days are way too complicated and (arguably) over-engineered; two-stroke air-cooled motorcycles are far simpler, and easier, cheaper, and much more fun to maintain.  I smell of motor oil, and I love it.

How Brazil and the BRICS are saving industry!

The past few posts were fairly negative, so here's a more positive aspect of economics in Brazil.  The BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa - have the potential to save industry.  Indeed, China's already doing so, and India's catching up.

Here's what I mean: the European vehicle brands - BMW, VW, Renault, and all the supercar firms like Ferrari, Aston Martin, Koenigsegg, etc. - are all largely luxury brands.  Sure, a car made by the VW or Renault groups can be fairly affordable for Europeans, but it's still a major purchase.  Parts are also becoming ever more expensive; 30 years ago cars could have wing mirrors that were just metal and glass, sold for maybe $50; now they all have circuits and motors and wires, and are a major cost to replace.  Skoda used to be the butt of jokes; now it's a high-end brand.  The true value-for-money car purchases are Japanese (the unending stream of Toyota Corollas), and the truly cheap brands are Korean (Kia, Hyundai, etc.), Malaysian (Proton), or from other places in Asia.  Many of these cars aren't even available in the Western world (don't recall ever seeing a Tata, Proton, or JAC in Europe).

In terms of motorcycles, it's worse.  Harley-Davidson, BMW, and Ducati are niche brands; almost everybody drives Japanese bikes.

Royal Enfield Classic Chrome.  Great classic styling, 500cc engine.  Image by Royal Enfield.

The BRICS have the opportunity to bridge the gap between affordability and quality, and finally take over a large segment of the market if they play their cards right.  Royal Enfield used to be one of the great British motorcycle brands; it's now an Indian company, and a factory is set to open in Brazil in 2014. Triumph is setting up in Brazil too.  I drive a Kasinski; this is a Brazilian brand that was bought up by the Chinese Zongshen group, and is able to serve all segments of motorcycle types: "Factory customs"/cruisers (Mirage); naked bikes (Comet); Street racers (Comet R series); dirtbikes (CRZ); and scooters, including electric scooters (Win, Prima, Soft).  There's another Chinese brand of motorcycles available here, Dafra, although apparently they're crap.

Kasinski Comet GT 650R.  Great-looking sports bike at a competitive price by Brazilian standards. Image by Kasinski.

The thing is, these are all fairly great bikes, except apparently Dafra.  Sure, even in Brazil the preference is still to drive Japanese, as the tendency is for people to think that Yamahas and Hondas never break down.  However, Kasinskis are cheaper, seem to get rave reviews by users (I love mine too - by far the best of the bikes I've ridden so far), have great styling in my opinion, and are built here, which is nice (domestic investment and employment is a good thing).  I also suspect that their motorcycles (not scooters) are all based around only 3 engine designs, which is great for ease of production and for getting spare parts and service.  Therefore, while Asian mass production of vehicles for export will continue to make a flood of fairly cheap vehicles available, Brazilian - indeed, BRICS in general - vehicles have the ability to be competitive on the domestic markets already (import tariffs help them, to be fair), and with a ramping up of production, could be competitive in Western markets too.  I know that if I was back in the EU and looking for a bike, if I was sure of having access to parts and mechanics, I'd rather have a Royal Enfield for example than a Yamaha, and the price could well be competitive.

Kasinski Mirage 250.  Probably my next bike.  Image by Kasinski.

My point is this: industry in the Western world largely produces expensive luxury items now, because of high labour costs, taxes, and so on.  Cheap stuff is almost all made in China (though Indian Tata make very cheap cars too, for example).  Good value-for-money is generally Japanese - not necessarily cheap, but generally affordable - because of high-tech automated mass production.  The rest of the BRICS have the opportunity to fill the niche of cheap-but-good or niches like cheap-but-great-looking-good-quality-bike (Kasinski Mirage, Kasinski Comet 650R, everything by Royal Enfield) with investment in modernisation of industry and infrastructure.  Funnily enough, in the case of Kasinski it's Chinese cooperation in technology and mass production that gave them a solid boost up; BRICS helping each other without Western involvement.  With this investment - in which I do think Brazil is ahead of India, Russia, and South Africa - and with fairly low production and labour costs, BRICS industrial goods could fill up an ever larger segment of Western markets, and could even supplant established brands.  It also means that industry is doing well in Brazil, India, and China at least, while the Western world continues to suffer from the economic crisis.  ("Brazil: What recession?")

Kasinski Mirage 650.  A "factory custom" for the 21st century.  Wouldn't look out of place in sci-fi games like Deus Ex.  Image by Kasinski.

That's aside from the domestic BRICS effects: a virtuous cycle of production driving up living standards, employment, and wages, which in turn promote more production; more choice for the consumer; more affordable vehicles for BRICS citizens; and the opportunity for Indians to take bitchin' café racers up the Himalayas on holiday while Brazilians take badass bikes racing down Copacabana. Certainly, for me, life is good.

Me parked in Copacabana :-)

Buying motorcycle safety equipment - part 2 - on the failures of the Brazilian economy

The experiences of mine, recounted below, with purchasing basic, important safety equipment for completely standard purposes highlights a major problem with the Brazilian economy.  Brazil, contrary to what some politicians would have you believe, is NOT self-sufficient.  There are market failures - prospective customers who can not buy locally-made products, for no good reason.  Why can't you get a decent leather motorcycle jacket in Brazil?  There's no shortage of leather - cattle farming is one of Brazil's biggest industries; and no shortage of clothing manufacture - the textile and clothing industries are two of the other biggest industries in Brazil!  If they were available at non-absurd prices, at least online, people would buy them - as it's common to see the more dedicated bikers (owners of bikes with 500cc+ engines, motorcycle clubs, etc.) using leather, which they likely imported themselves or bought overseas.  I'm sure it's the same with motorcycling-grade denim&kevlar, leather chaps, boots, etc.

Why the market failure?  Reason one - starting a business in Brazil is a major-league pain in the ass.  According to the annual World Bank "Ease of Doing Business" ranking, Brazil is one of the harder places in the world to start a company (130 of 185), behind some countries at war!  Depending on the state and type of business, going from memory, you'll need approval from 7 to 11 government agencies, all of which has to be fetched in person; pay thousands of reais; and wait for months.  (there are initiatives to cut the time below two months, including in Rio de Janeiro, through such simple measures as maintaining an electronic version of the business registry so you don't have to spend hours flipping through folders looking for a name or risk wasting months of time because you picked a company name that someone has already registered)  A lawyer and accountant are required, and until very recently, so was a partner. Still is in most cases, I believe.  Compare this with Sweden (ranked #13 in the above survey), where you need an address (a PO Box is fine) and have to fill in a form, which I believe can now be done online.  That's it, from what I understand.  This is all without getting into the tax issues - the tax code in Brazil is so complicated that many companies, especially those needing imports or those handling food, collapse in a mire of endlessly complicated tax law red tape.

Reason two - in the rest of the world, it is accepted that imports will be a normal fact of life.  It's globalisation - there's no way to get around it; in basically any country you'll be able to buy an iPod, a Toyota, and Johnny Walker.  The Brazilian government has tried and continues to try to subvert this fact.  Their main sledgehammer-applied-as-a-bandaid is extortionate import taxes, as referred to above.  Import taxes are astronomical, especially on electronics.  Cost of an iPhone 4S on the US Apple store online: US$549, about R$1,110.  Cost of an iPhone 4S on the Brazilian Apple store online: R$1,999.  It's the same item, built in China either way.  Top-of-the-line electronics simply aren't available - I built my desktop PC years ago and was thinking of making an upgrade, but all the parts on the domestic market are obsolescent and crap!  The idea is to stimulate local industry by making Brazilian-made products (=lower total taxes than imports) competitive domestically.  That idea is an utter failure, because:

1. Opening a business is a pain in the ass.

2. Brazil has the highest effective banking interest rate in the world (unless another country passed Brazil in the statistics within the past few months, which isn't likely), meaning that bank loans for capital to open industrial production is absurdly, prohibitively, extortionately high.  Thus, new industries or new competitors to existing companies simply won't arise without an eccentric billionaire benefactor providing the backing.

3. While import taxes are high enough to be extortionate and depress consumption, they aren't even high enough to make Brazilian goods competitive!  I once needed a new PC mouse.  Went down to a local store, asked for the cheapest mouse he had.  He put two on the counter - one Brazilian for R$6, and one Chinese for $5.  I bought the Brazilian one to stimulate the domestic economy.  The mouse didn't work.  I exchanged it for the Chinese one, which worked perfectly.  Textiles - a major Brazilian industry, also subject to higher-than-normal import taxes I believe and certainly subject to more thorough customs inspection.  Many major international brands produce clothes here for export.  If you want cheap clothes in the local shops - they're all made in China.

Thus, you have a situation where there's a huge demand for consumption which is not being satisfied.  Brazilians now have more money to spend (especially since income inequality is slowly decreasing, so the lower and middle classes have ever more disposable income - those are the groups most likely to stimulate domestic consumption of manufactured goods or primary goods such as food), and want to spend it on minor luxuries such as clothes, electronics, and motorcycles (and motorcycle accessories). Prices become unnecessarily high, since there's high demand but low supply (from imports and lousy infrastructure) and low competition (because opening a business is a pain in the ass).  Concrete example: Brazil has an enormous automotive industry.  Car factories are all over the place, relatively speaking for the continent.  One of those manufacturers is VW, which makes the Gol - a Brazilian peoples' car.  No frills, low price.  (Still more expensive than a Chinese import, despite enormous tax benefits to domestically-produced cars)  For the price of a Gol in Brazil, you could buy two Gols in Mexico. That's despite those two Gols being built in Brazil, shipped to Mexico, and having import duties and taxes levied in Mexico before sale.  For the price of a Gol in Brazil, you could buy a Camaro in the USA.  (A Camaro in Brazil - yes, Chevrolet has factories here too - costs the same as 4 Gols)  What the hell for?  Taxes play a role, but mostly it's the near-cartel of the automotive industry levying as eye-wateringly high profit margins as their conscience will let them.  (OK, there's no conscience in business - it makes perfect business sense for them, and they'd be crucified by their shareholders if they acted otherwise).  Unfree market -> unnecessarily high prices.

Another important carryon effect, since I'm on the subject - since electronics are so expensive and outdated, Brazil's efforts at modernisation are crippled and lethargic.  How can Brazil become a high-tech society when residents can't afford decent computing gear or an affordable internet connection?  The federal government yammers about having to modernise, needing to stimulate domestic electronics production capacity through international cooperation such as the going-nowhere fighter jet purchase for the chair force and expansion of the submarine fleet for the navy, and needing to improve internet infrastructure and computer access for the people, but it's their own policies and legislation preventing any of this from happening.  Morons.

Anyway, that's just a broad look at the failure of the current economic situation in Brazil.  We need to cut out the bureaucracy and costs involved in opening businesses and promote entrepreneurship and venture capital financing.  In the meantime, either imports should be blocked completely (impossible under Mercosul treaties, although Brazil and Argentina are happy to ignore those treaties when it suits them), or they should be accepted - preferably along with the notion that decreasing import taxes will actually in the long run stimulate domestic consumption and modernisation, and promote domestic industry.  Until then, when, as is frequently the case, I want to buy something that the domestic economy doesn't provide, I will import it or go without.  Both of those results are sub-optimal for Brazil.

Buying motorcycle safety equipment - part 1

A major expense after purchasing one's first bike is safety equipment.  In Brazil only a helmet is legally required; however, considering the sad state of Brazilian infrastructure and the dangerous and aggressive driving style of Brazilian motorists (especially taxi and bus drivers), I figure you've got to be nuts to use only the helmet.  As such, I needed, at the very least, a helmet, gloves, and a decent armored jacket.

Getting the helmet was easy, of course - seeing as they're required, there's no shortage.  Of course, the prices are low enough to be doubtful - I've seen helmets for sale for R$40 (that's about US$20).  They're all certified as safe by the relevant government standard - or at least they all have labels claiming that they are.  How would you tell if the label is fake too?  Cynic that I am, I reckon the more expensive helmets are equally likely to be counterfeit goods with lousy quality.  The cheapest helmets could be cheap because of cheaper materials, or just mass Chinese production, or because the seller "found them" after they "fell off a truck".  All the helmets, as far as I know, are Chinese - it's entirely possible that the R$250 helmets are made in the same factory, using the same materials, as the R$40 ones.  I picked up my helmet in Mangueira, a favela near my house.  I paid R$85, and got a nice black helmet with a perfect fit, reflective strips, and three vents.  I hope it's the "fell off a truck" price and not the "you'd be better off with a watermelon jammed on your head" price, and hope like hell I never find out.

Gloves were another necessity - I had a small loss of balance one of my first days getting on the bike and cut up my hand a bit (bike's fine).  A bike shop down the street gave me a decent price on some gloves that look acceptable - nylon with rubber armor on all the knuckles and the back of the hand.  Leather would be too hot - the only vented leather they had was unarmored, which I figured was a poor trade-off for gloves.  I don't mind R$65 gloves being good for one fall only.

I know I should get real riding trousers and motorcycle boots, but there it gets tricky.  The only dedicated MC trousers available in Brazil are nylon/cordura, and they suck.  I don't trust nylon to last past one fall, but they're expensive - R$300-400 for the ones I saw - and extremely hot and non-ventilated, albeit armored.  So I'm going with my Levis, and next time I'm in Europe I'll get some armored denim or a kevlar/denim blend.  (I have an unusual ass for a guy, and finding pants that fit is hell - buying online is not an option).  Boots - for a small fortune you can get racing boots, otherwise you're out of luck.  I'm using my hiking boots, but the metal on them scratched my bike tank when getting on one day (dammit!).  I've been looking everywhere for safety boots with elastic or velcro closing, but can't find them in normal stores - boots aren't usual apparel here.  With a little luck I can get them issued from work. (safety boots are required for some personnel at my job; I'd be happy to pay the company for a pair for personal use out of the mass purchase they're making anyway)  Otherwise, that's another thing I have to get next time in Europe.  For the interim I've also bought some cheap leather zip-closed boots - no armored toecap, but it also won't scratch my bike like the hiking boots.

The final, most difficult, and to me 2nd most important issue was getting a decent jacket.  Again, I don't like nylon jackets - here the prices start at R$290 (for which you could get leather in Europe or the US) but are more typically around R$400; often not vented (cripes!  Summers here regularly pass 40 degrees C); and the armour never fit on me.  I've yet to see a mesh jacket for sale - mesh is also only good for one fall, but at least they're the best for hot weather.  I definitely wanted a leather jacket.  Specifically, a leather jacket with air vents, and preferably armour - even just extra padding on the shoulders and elbows would be acceptable.  Would you believe that such an item apparently doesn't exist on the Brazilian market?

After much searching, I found my best bet for a leather jacket online was an online store based in the south of Brazil which I shan't bother naming.  They sell knockoffs of MC jackets from movies - Dr. House's black leathers from "House MD", the Brad Pitt "Fight Club" jacket, and ripoffs of the Perfecto jackets from Marlon Brando's "The Wild One".  I think I saw a Wolverine (from "X-Men") jacket too. The jackets don't appear to be armored OR vented, prices start at R$350, and the shop doesn't answer emails.  The Harley-Davidson shop in Recreio and the Honda shop in Barra don't answer email or the phone either, nor did the organisers of the Harley Days where a bunch of vendors would be represented.  So what can a man do?

I went to Jafrum.com - they answered emails quickly, had functional live chat with Indians who tried their best to be helpful but had no more access to information than users viewing the site (hey, at least it's better than no answer at all, and more than I'm unfortunately accustomed to).  I got a vented leather jacket for me, which was also supposed to be armoured, and a vented and armoured denim jacket for my wife, for US$148.99 plus US$85.90 shipping and handling - less than the cost of two of the cheapest motorcycle jackets of any type evidently available for sale in Brazil.  Then the package got caught in customs and I had to pay an extra 60% import tax (60% of stated value of goods and shipping combined) - a ripoff, basically, but it's the law.

OK, when I opened the package it turns out that the leather jacket for me wasn't armoured as their original listing and chat support claimed.  So I sent off a polite email, also explaining that I couldn't really do a return because it would cost more than a new jacket in shipping and taxes.  Unbelievably, after some back&forth, Jafrum offered to simply send me any other jacket I'd like, as long as I paid for any price difference compared with the first, and I could keep the original as well!  Amazing service.  My second jacket - brown vented and armored leather - is on its way.  So well done Jafrum for excellent customer service.

Incidentally, the first jacket is actually very good, it's just not what I thought I was ordering.  It's thick buffalo leather and seems VERY sturdy.  I'll definitely use it on runs within town, and use the armored jacket more for longer-distance/higher-speed runs.

Stay tuned for my next post - on how these experiences illustrate systemic economic problems in Brazil!

I passed!

Quick update:  I passed the driving test this morning! Aced it, not a single deduction.  Passed it honestly, too.  In 5 business days the license should be ready.  Then I'll be out burning rubber and other hydrocarbons!  Hope to see you there!

Getting a driver's license

My driving lessons for getting the motorcycle driving license were actually almost the first time I ever sat on a motorcycle – the only other times were on motorcycle taxis in China and in Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul state of Brazil.  I knew virtually nothing about how motorcycles worked; ahead of the lessons I got a very basic introduction from Henrique and read up on motorcycles online.  Actually getting on board, it wasn’t so hard.  I’ve driven cars for years, and the absolute basics – engine operation, clutch, gears, acceleration, brakes etc. are all almost the same, the only major difference being that things done with your hand in a car (e.g. selecting gear) are done with your foot on a bike, and vice versa (e.g. throttle).  Balance wasn’t a problem, I learned to ride a bicycle before starting primary school - Denmark is so flat that bicycles are one of the primary methods of transportation.

Motorcycle maintenance is also different from car maintenance, I find.  Most people haven’t a clue about how to maintain a car; it seems that a bit more independence is expected of bikers.  I hope to learn a little, at least.  If I have time in the future I'd love to take a motorcycle mechanics' course at SENAI or something.

All vehicles are different, of course.  French cars have irritating clutches, Japanese cars don’t break down, Volvos are comfy smooth rides, and so on.  Individual cars can differ among each other as well, of course, especially with a lot of mileage.  Naturally, it’s the same with motorcycles.  In the course of training, I had occasion to ride 6 different motorcycles; mine, Henrique’s Suzuki Intruder 125, three 125cc Yamahas of the same model (Factors, I think) but very different mileages, and a Honda (a loaner when the driving school's bike had a flat tire).

My biggest problem with learning to ride to pass the driving test was this: in a car, the differences between any two cars don’t jeopardise one’s driving, as long as they’re fully road-worthy.  If the engine dies on a car in decent nick, it’s because you’ve made a serious error, not because of a mechanical fault.  In my opinion, however, motorcycles are much more sensitive, especially under the circumstances of the driving test.  Example: throttle.  On my bike and one of the driving school Yamahas, at second gear, you can leave the throttle at the minimum and let go and you’ll keep moving, slowly but surely enough to complete the whole track.  On the other Yamahas (of the same make and model!) and the Honda, you couldn’t; leave the throttle at minimum for any length of time and the engine dies and you fail.  Consequence: you have to learn excellent low-speed throttle control or you fail.

So I failed my first driving test.  The problem: my driving school’s main bike works fine when it’s in second gear, but has a small problem changing from first to second.  You need a certain range of RPM to change gear without the engine stalling.  (Damaged gear spokes?  Chain problem? Don't know)  Hitting that range without going too slow to stall and without going so fast that you can’t manoeuvre between the cones is a pain.  Since a month had passed between my last class and my driving test, I didn’t compensate for that problem properly, and had to be quick to grip the clutch and rev the throttle again to avoid stalling, which made me unstable enough to hit a cone.  Out I go.  Yeah, my own fault and I’m not making excuses, but it’s the sort of thing that just doesn’t happen in a car in my experience.

Another thing about getting your driving license: corruption, as usual.  In the old days, my mother-in-law tells me, the driving school instructors would say that no matter how your driving was, there was no way you’d pass the test unless you bribed the officials of the Department of Transport (Detran).  Today you can pass it honestly, but most people don’t the first time.  It’s very common for people to “buy” their license. Unfortunately it’s so common that there’s little stigma against it.  It’s low-priority to the state, so there’s little oversight or efforts to combat this corruption; there’s the occasional scandalous report in the media, but little done by police.

Bureaucracy is another problem.  To get a license, you have to do theoretical and practical classes at an accredited driving school.  You have to register your presence using biometrics (a fingerprint reader).  Problem: theoretical classes are mostly just reading, but you have to register your presence at the school every hour.  What if you work during the day and need to study after driving school hours?  In the case of practical classes, they have to use biometric registration at the place of training.  Problem: in Rio de Janeiro, they shut down the two main motorcycle training locations (Maracanã, because the stadium is being renovated; Gávea, because they were using up valuable parking space).  That leaves Jacarepaguá and Engenho da Rainha, both in the middle of nowhere and not linked to public transport.  Result: schools get around the biometrics by making copies of students’ fingerprints and/or doing the biometrics at the school instead of the practise location.  Consequence: people get accustomed to ignoring Detran regulations, because you will not find a driving school following all the regulations.  Therefore, it’s a tiny, even unimportant, step from violating the biometrics regulations to violating testing regulations.

The driving schools don’t help things.  Since none of them obey the law, they’re likely all bribing Detran to stay in business.  Since they’re all bribing Detran anyway, there’s no reason to do a good job – where else can the customers go?  So I got basically no instruction, and when the instructor was taking me through the driving test – him driving, me in the back seat – he stalled the engine and we fell over in the first 10 metres.  As mentioned, it took a month between me finishing the classes and actually doing the test – because they didn’t explain the biometrics requirements (…to be subverted) and likely because they were fishing for bribes (…which they didn’t get).  Under those conditions – and I imagine everyone else’s experience is similar – it’s easy to understand the attraction of buying your license.  After all, if you’re out of practise on the bike you’ll use and you never got much instruction anyway, and if bribing Detran is so common and easy, is it really so wrong?

 
Yes, it’s wrong.  But the whole damn system needs fixing, with less bureaucratic obstacles but more efficient oversight, as well as better instruction and appropriate testing (the motorcycle test takes place at much lower speeds than real driving.  I understand that it’s a test of manoeuvrability, balance, and throttle control, but I’m not sure those passing the test are necessarily prepared for driving under real conditions.  Ideally the test should include both the current course and a 5-minute drive in actual traffic.).  In the meantime, traffic is chaotic and dangerous because so many motorists bought their license instead of earning it.

PS:  Something I find fascinating about Detran regulations - when getting your first driver's license, or in my case, converting my foreign B license to a Brazilian one, aside from the visual/medical test and practical/theory tests as appropriate, you have to pass a psychological exam!  4 hours in a class with a shrink doing childlike drawing and word-association exercises to try to prove you're not nuts.  I wonder how many people fail.  Perhaps failure is a requirement for a taxi license.