MOTOR
CYCLES
Direct Access courses, refresher and advanced. We are a
driving standards agency approved training board. C.B.T. to
Full Licence, motor cycle hire, patient friendly tuition by
male and female instructors, pick up service available.
Welcome to motorcycling. This section will help you
have a safe and enjoyable motorcycling career.
What
is a moped and what is a motorcycle?
A
moped is a motorcycle that has the following features:
- Maximum
design speed not exceeding 50 km/h (approx. 31 mph).
- Does
not have an engine over 50cc.
- Can
be moved by pedals, if the moped was first used before 1
August 1977.
A
learner motorcycle has the following features:
- Engine
up to 125cc.
- Power
output not exceeding 11kW.
Provisional
Moped Licence
You
can only hold this if you are at least 16 years old. It
entitles you to ride a moped on the road as a learner with
L-plates. You MUST not carry pillion passengers or use
motorways.
Your
provisional licence is only valid when you have the DL196
Certificate issued on completion of CBT by an approved
training body.
Provisional moped licences are not time limited.
A CBT
certificate obtained on a moped is also valid for motorcycles
once the rider has reached the age of 17 years and has the
necessary licence.
Full
Moped Licence
A full moped
licence automatically gives you provisional motorcycle
entitlement. However, you must be at least 17 years old to
take up the provisional entitlement.
Provisional
Motorcycle Licence
You can only
hold this licence if you are at least 17 years old. It
entitles you to ride a moped or a motorcycle as a learner with
L-plates. You may practice unaccompanied on a bike up to 125cc
after a compulsory basic training (CBT) course has been
completed. For larger machines the Direct Access accompanying
rider rules apply. You MUST not carry pillion passengers or
use motorways.
Provisional
motorcycle licences issued before 1 February 2001 are valid
for two years from the date of issue. Provisional motorcycle
licences issued from 1 February 2001 will be valid until age
70. Persons whose licences have lapsed under the pre-February
2001 rules, or who fail to pass a test within the 2 year life
of their current licence, will be able to apply to have their
provisional motorcycle licence restored immediately.
Full
Car Licence
If
you passed a car test before 1 February 2001, you are
automatically entitled to ride a moped without L-plates and
without taking CBT (although it is recommended that you do).
If you passed a car test on or after that date, you will still
receive moped entitlement but will need to complete a basic
moped riding course before riding on the road.
Your full car
licence also gives you provisional motorcycle entitlement -
you may ride as a learner with L-plates.
You MUST not
carry pillion passengers or use motorways.
The starting
point for learners is Compulsory Basic Training (CBT). This is
a course run by training bodies approved by the Driving
Standards Agency (DSA). Most DSA approved training bodies can
hire or loan both bikes and safety equipment, e.g. helmets.
- All
learner riders must complete CBT before riding on the
roads.
- CBT
pass certificates issued before 1 February 2001 will be
valid for three years from the date of issue. Those
certificates issued from 1 February 2001, will be valid
for 2 years.
- CBT
will have to be re-taken if both theory and practical
tests are not passed within the Certificate life.
CBT must be
completed before riding on the road by all learners who are
resident on mainland Great Britain, islands that are connected
to the mainland by a road, and the following islands: - Wight,
North Uist, Lewis, South Uist, Harris, Benbecula, mainland
Orkney and mainland Shetland. Residents of all other islands
will be exempt from the need to take CBT, but only if riding
on roads which are on an exempted island.
A CBT
certificate issued in respect of a course completed on a
motorcycle and sidecar combination or a moped with more than 2
wheels will restrict the provisional riding entitlement (or
full moped entitlement on full car licence) to such vehicles.
Once you have
successfully completed CBT, and have your Certificate (DL
196), you can carry on to take additional training to pass
your tests and qualify for a full motorcycle or moped licence.
There
are 3 categories of full licence to aim for:
- Category
P - moped.
- Sub-Category
A1 - light motorcycle licence, which restricts
riders to any bike up to 125cc and a power output of 11kW.
- Category
A - standard motorcycle licence.
Moped and
Motorcycle tests normally consist of 2 separate parts - a
theory test and a practical test.
Theory
Test
You will
probably need to pass a Theory Test before taking a practical
test for a moped or a motorcycle.
You do not need
to take a theory test if you already hold a full licence for
another category of motorcycle or have passed a moped test
since 1 July 1996.
The Theory Test
Pass Certificate is valid for 2 years. The practical test must
be passed within this period otherwise the Theory Test will
have to be taken again.
Practical
Test
Category
P, the practical test can be taken on any moped.
Sub-category
A1, the practical test must be taken on a bike of
between 75cc and 125cc.
Category
A, the practical test is taken on a bike of between
121cc and 125cc and capable of at least 100 kph. After passing
the standard motorcycle practical test you will be restricted
for 2 years to riding a bike of up to 25kW and a power/weight
ratio not exceeding 0.16kW/kg. After this you may ride any
size of bike.
Riders over the
age of 21, or those who reach 21 before their 2-year
restriction ends, have further test options:
Direct
Access
Those who do
not already hold a full motorcycle licence may, after taking
CBT and the Theory Test, if necessary, take the practical test
on a motorcycle with a power output of at least 35kW. A pass
will allow you to ride any size of bike.
All or part of
the CBT course may be taken on either a learner bike or a
large bike.
You may
practise for the practical test on bikes larger than the
learner bike specification provided:
- You
are accompanied at all times by a qualified instructor on
another bike and in radio contact.
- You
wear fluorescent or reflective clothing and follow all
other provisional licence restrictions.
Accelerated
Access
Riders who
already hold a full licence and reach age 21 while still
within the 2 year restricted period and wish to ride bikes
larger than 25kW, may practise and take a further test on a
large bike.
The same test
and practise conditions for Direct Access riders will apply.
Although you
revert to learner status while practising, test failure will
not affect your existing motorcycle licence entitlement.
Sidecars
Learners who
wish to ride with a sidecar can practise on a combination with
a power/ weight ratio not exceeding 0.16kW/kg.
On obtaining a
standard licence (category A), you will be restricted to a
combination with the above power/weight ratio for two years.
At age 21
learners may, only within Direct or Accelerated Access
provisions, practise on a larger combination. But the test
must be taken on a solo bike (physically disabled riders may
take a test on sidecar combination, but their licence will
limit them to riding combinations).
1 bhp = 0.75kW
100 km/h = 62 mph (approx.)
1kg = 2.2lbs
11kW = 14.6 bhp
25 kW = 33 bhp
35kW = 46.6 bhp
bhp = brake horse power
