• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Bike India

Best Bikes in India | No.1 Two Wheeler Magazine

Pulsar NS400Z – CHALA APNI

  • Home
  • News
    • Upcoming Launches
    • Latest News
    • New Bike Launches
  • Reviews
    • First Ride
    • Road Test
    • Comparison
  • Features
  • Our Bikes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • NG Auto
    • AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA
    • CAR INDIA
    • COMMERCIAL VEHICLE
  • Brands

King Kenny: Three Successes, Three Failures

August 26, 2015 by Aninda Sardar Leave a Comment

king+kenny+roberts+on+his+way+to+his+third+straight+500cc+title+with+yamaha+in+1980 (800x600)

Think you’re above the law? Ask the King who flunked his bike licence test thrice in a row. Odd thing is, King Kenny Roberts also won the 500 cc Grand Prix World Championship as many time. Hmmm…

Story: Team Bike India
Photography: DPPI & MotoGP

Kenny Roberts Sr is undoubtedly one of the legends of motorcycle racing. Indeed, we have featured him twice in our articles on Racing Legends, the most recent one being a list of top 10 bike racing legends of all time. Having won the 500 cc Grand Prix World Title in his debut year in 1978, followed by two more in 1979 and 1980, his motorcycle riding and racing credentials should have been above questioning. That however, is not a view shared by the State of California where King Kenny (as he is popularly called) has moved back.

In a bizarre twist to the Kenny’s transition tale back to California, the 62-year-old living legend was asked to get a new motorcycle licence! In an even more incredible turn of events, King Kenny failed the first three times he tried to get a new licence! Thankfully, the multi-GP World Champ got lucky on his fourth try and can now ride bikes again. Legally and on the roads of California, that is.

“I just moved back to California,” said 62-year-old Roberts, winner of the 500 world title in 1978, 1979 and 1980. “So I had to get a new motorcycle licence, so I had to do the test again. I failed the damn thing three times! I told them, whoever wrote this test has never ridden a motorcycle; it’s just plain weird. So I sat it a fourth time and I passed – I think they felt sorry for me.”

MOTORSPORT - MOTOGP 2007 - CATALUNYA GRAND PRIX - BARCELONA - 08/06 TO 11/06/2007 - PHOTO: STUDIO MILAGRO / DPPI - KENNY ROBERT SNR (USA) - TEAM ROBERTS GENERAL MANAGER - PORTRAIT

Aninda Sardar – who has written 312 posts on Bike India.


Email • Twitter

Related posts:

Tobias Ebster Joins Hero MotoSports Team Rally 

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Updated

Updated TVS Apache RR 310 Launched

Filed Under: International, News Tagged With: 500 cc, america, bike, california, Champ, Championship, grand, India, Kenny, Legend, Licence, motogp, Prix, racing, Roberts, States, Title, United, US, USA, World, yamaha

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

AlphaOmega Captcha Classica  –  Enter Security Code
 ⟲    ➴
 


* Copy This Password *

* Type Or Paste Password Here *

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us

LATEST ISSUE

Pulsar NS400Z – CHALA APNI

19TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

Bike India - India's no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

Bharat Mobility Visitor Registration

Triumph Street Triple 765 R and RS Review | The Best Street Triple Yet

Ducati Diavel V4 Review | Devil of the Mountain

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 first ride | Aspi Bhathena

SPECIAL Featured Story

Yamaha FZ-S Fi Hybrid

Yamaha FZ-S Fi Hybrid Launched

The Yamaha FZ-S Fi Hybrid has been launched at Rs 1.45 lakh (ex-showroom). Yamaha claim that this is India’s first sub-150-cc hybrid motorcycle. 

More about this.

Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025

Recent Posts

  • Tobias Ebster Joins Hero MotoSports Team Rally 
  • Spec Comparo: Vida V2 Pro v Chetak v Rizta Z v VLF Tennis
  • Brixton Crossfire 500 XC v Royal Enfield Interceptor Bear 650 Spec Comparo
  • MAY 2025

Car India

Car India Magazine - Get your Digital Subscription

Footer

Latest News

Tobias Ebster Joins Hero MotoSports Team Rally 

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Updated

Updated TVS Apache RR 310 Launched

Details of 2025 ARRC TVS Asia One Make Championship Revealed

Pulsar NS400Z – CHALA APNI

Pulsar NS400Z – CHALA APNI

Bike India: India’s no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

BIKE India covers the two-wheeler industry in its entirety, both from the local and the international perspective. Also delivers the most definitive verdict on machinery and performance by explaining the hows, whys, and whats on every new bike in a lucid and user-friendly manner. BIKE India is the India’s most authoritative two-wheeler publication, a magazine for people with a passion for bikes and everything to do with their history and heritage.
SiteMap

Copyright © 2025 · BIKE INDIA INDIA’S NO. 1 TWO WHEELER MAGAZINE, BY FAR! ·