| With all the frequent changes to motoring legislation | | | | Once you have done all this you may still be limited in |
| and regulations, it may seem more difficult to figure out | | | | the size of bike you can ride. For example, if you are |
| what you need to do to ride a motorbike in the UK | | | | under 21 you will be restricted to bikes with a power of |
| than it is to actually pass the required tests. So I will | | | | under 25kW and a power/weight ratio of no more |
| attempt to break down the required tests and | | | | than 0.16kW/kg (your instructor will be able to explain |
| certicates here. | | | | what this means in practice). |
| In all there are 3 different categories of motorbike, | | | | Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) |
| based on the size of its engine - moped, learner | | | | No matter what your age, any rider wanting to legally |
| motorbike and standard motorbike. Depending on your | | | | ride a bike larger than a moped will need to pass their |
| age and current licences it may be possible to start | | | | CBT. The CBT consists of a series of theoretical and |
| riding straight away. | | | | practical lessons, usually all done on the same day, |
| Moped | | | | taking you through the basics of stopping, starting, |
| The smallest of the 3 categories, a moped is defined | | | | turning and generally all you need to know to get on |
| as a bike with an engine size of 50cc or less, weighing | | | | the road safely. You will likely first have to try out the |
| under 250kg and being able to go no faster than | | | | manoevres in a car park, before moving onto the |
| around 30mph. If you have a full car driving licence that | | | | roads where your instructor will be looking for you to |
| was received before February 2001 you can start | | | | demonstrate these skills and general road safety and |
| riding mopeds straight away. Anyone else - aged 16 | | | | awareness. |
| and over - will need to first pass their Compulsory | | | | Once your CBT is completed, you will have two years |
| Basic Training (which I will go into later), and have | | | | to ride freely with 'L' plates, giving you plenty of time to |
| already passed their driving theory test. | | | | prepare yourself for the full test. |
| Learner Motorbikes | | | | Now this can be one of the riskiest times for learner |
| Learner bikes are motorbikes or scooters with an | | | | motorbikers - many young riders will be tempted to |
| engine size up to 125cc and a power output of 11kW. | | | | ride around like they're in a race, which with little |
| You must be at least 17 years of age, have a | | | | experience can be disastrous. The best riders should |
| provisional motorcycle licence and have passed your | | | | be constantly looking at how to improve their safety |
| CBT to be allowed to ride a 125cc motorbike. | | | | awareness. This can be anything from wearing the |
| Standard Motorbikes | | | | right clothing to looking for specific courses where you |
| The next stage for the learner biker is to move on to | | | | can get professional and expert training. Your |
| the full size motorbike. You will need to have first | | | | instructor or examiner will no doubt be able to point |
| passed your CBT and theory tests and then you can | | | | you in the right direction. |
| move onto the full practical road test. | | | | |