Guide to the (new) licencing laws

[OhJay]

So it's been just over a year since the new rules came in with the new tests and people are starting to make sense of what is and what isn't allowed, no thanks to the DfT.

I've done my best to understand it and help anyone so was asked to try and put it together into a guide post for rospective new riders so let's try and put some of this all together in one place so we can refer back to it.

Work in Progress, comments, corrections all welcome

Everybody: First things to do is get, or make sure you have, provisional motorcycle entitlement on your licence. If you're on a standard provisional green licence you will have category A on the back of it. If you've got a full licence for something else the card will be pink and doesn't show category A on the back but your provisional entitlements are on the paper part and should be on there as well.

After that you all have to do a CBT. Usually a day but can take more. You can't "fail" a CBT, it is training to get you up to the standard where you can be let loose on the road on your own. If you don't achieve that standard within a day you just need more training, it's not a test, it's not a fail

At 16: Your CBT will allow you ride a moped on L plates (defined as less than 50cc and restricted to 30mph). On L plates you can't take a pillion.

17 or over: CBT will allow you ride up to a 125 on L plates. Cannot be more than 125cc, cannot produce more than 11kw/14.7bhp (there is a power:weight restriction as well but I think even my push bike would be too heavy to fall into that category ). Cannot take pillion, not allowed on the motorway.

There are four categories of full licence. Which one you can go for depends on your age. In all cases you have to do a theory test first.

At 16: Category AM: Do your test on your moped

The moped you use for your test must:

- be a solo machine

- be no more than 50cc

- have a top speed of no more than 28mph

- have a speedometer measuring speed in mph

- display L plates (‘L’ or ‘D’ plates in Wales) on the front and rear

- be insured, taxed and roadworthy and have no engine warning lights showing

Allows you to ride your moped without L plates. You are allowed to take pillion passengers.

At 17: Category A1: Do your test on your 125

Sub-category A1 motorcycles used for tests must:

- be a solo motorcycle

- be between 120cc and 125cc

- be no more than 11kW/14.7bhp engine power

- be capable of at least 55mph

Allows you to ride your 125 without L plates. You can take pillions and you are allowed to ride on the motorway.

At 19: Category A2: Do your test on a bike at least 400cc (in practice this will be on the old 500's the schools still have left over from the last set of test laws)

Sub-category A2 motorcycles used for tests must:

- be a solo motorcycle

- be at least 395cc

- be between 25kW/33bhp and 35kW/47bhp engine power

- have a power to weight ratio no more than 0.2kW/kg

- If the engine power of the motorcycle has been restricted to fit sub-category A2, the normal unrestricted power can’t be more than double its new restricted power.

Allows you to ride a bike any capacity restricted to 35kW/47bhp. If it has been restricted the normal unrestricted power can’t be more than double its new restricted power.

At 24 or 2 years after passing A2, whichever happens sooner: Category A: Do your test on a 600cc bike

Category A unrestricted motorcycles used for tests must:

- be a solo motorcycle

- be at least 595cc

- be at least 40kW/54bhp engine power

Allows you to ride anything you like

References:

https://www.gov.uk/ride-motorcycle-mope ... quirements