17 years old. He’s done a year on his Aprilia SX50 and loved it but it’s time to move up. The saving in insurance for just his 1 year of no claims was a £600 saving on the 125. Plus the experience and our days out in Wales make for some happy memories for him. He’d got his CBT passed when he was 16, bike theory passed last Month needs module 1 and 2 to bin his L plates which he loathes. When he gains his full 125 licence he doesn’t need to ever take a CBT again, plus his insurance at 18 will reduce all things being equal. Then it’ll be his restricted licence at 19 test to achieve which will give him a faster route to a full unrestricted licence at 21 saving him a 3 year wait by any other route.
My eldest was 20 on Saturday, he did his A2 at 19, will be doing his A when he has had his current licence for 2 years, he's got about 14 months left That said, he wants to do track days, on his current licence, he can only ride on track, bikes he can legally ride on the road, and, he is also limited to 5 tracks in the whole country, his way around the restrictions on bikes and tracks, was to gain his ACU race licence, which he completed on my birthday, 3 weeks ago
Christ they make you jump through some hoops nowadays to get your full license, just shows how much the government hate motorbikes.
Stated strategy is to reduce death and serious injury statistics in a certain age group, nothing more sinister than that. Andy
I'm happy that really young and inexperienced riders can't go around on a 200 hp machine. Makes perfect sense to have to cut your teeth on something smaller first.
I agree with the theory and, as someone who started on a Lambretta when you could ride a 250 with no training whatsoever, I do think that training, particularly for today's roads, is necessary. However... The current system makes it much too difficult to get a bike licence. There are too many hoops to jump through and the cost is ridiculous. We also end up with young, inexperienced, car drivers, some of whom think they own the road, lashing about with no appreciation of what motorcyclists have to go through. Bikers can also jump from a fairly low powered buke to a '200 hp machine' in one hit if they can afford it??? Training now is better than it was, and you're never going to stop a 'nutter' being a nutter BUT the training needs to be more rational, less complicated (it isn't rocket science) and CHEAPER! OK, rant over,
I agree with the sentiment, but, question some parts of it Many years ago, it was perfectly fine to go straight for the HGV class 1 (as it was then) licence, you didn't even need a full car licence, the car driving test waiting list was so long, many drivers did their class 1 test at 21 years old, and got the full car licence thrown in for free When the licence categories changed, they changed the test requirements too To gain an LGV Category CE licence (old class 1), many hoops had to be jumped through, all in the name of safety Firstly, a full car licence was a prerequisite for the Category C provisional, the minimum age requirement was 21 years old, then an LGV theory test, and a Category C test (Old HGV class 2 & 3 licence) Once a driver had held the Category C licence for 2 years, they could then start the Category CE training and test After a few years, the powers that be realised that new drivers were not forthcoming, so, they changed the rules slightly, after passing the Category C test, the driver could start training for the CE test immediately More recently, as in, last year, they changed the rules again, but, far more drastic Now, they have reduced the minimum age requirements to 19 from 21, now, you can go straight to CE licence from a full car licence Where is the safety in that? Not arguing, just explaining
I’m all for safety and training but it’s now so long winded to get a full bike licence that most young people just don’t bother and that’s why the number of young riders are falling. When I was 16 everyone I knew bar a few got a moped and some stayed with bikes after turning 17, now most 16 year olds just wait until they are 17 and get a car because it’s one practical test and your done . Also having experience on a motorcycle definitely makes you a better car driver.
My lad wants to do track days but all the sessions were during the week which as he’s at school and can’t interrupt any of his lessons wasn’t feasible. He’s a RS125 sat in the garage waiting for his test pass then he can do track days at certain tracks on. The only other way was to sumo race but they don’t race that often. He does however flat track when the chance arises.
Mallory Park, my local track, you can do track days on an A2 licence Alternatively, if he gets his ACU race licence, he can do any track, on any bike My son joined ACU, then booked a race school day at Three Sisters, other tracks are available, did the two part course on the same day, classroom in the morning, then three track sessions in the afternoon No Limits do track days at Mallory at weekends, but, it is about £30 more for a Sunday than a Friday
Was due to go out with a mate for a ride tonight, but it’s been raining on and off for the last couple of hours, so we’ve canned it, as the roads will be greasy and crap.
You can wait until you’re 24years old and by pass all of what my Son wants to do. But he loves the freedom of his bike and just how uncomplicated it is. I have bought a GasGas 700 SM that’ll I’ll ride for 2 years then he can have it once he has his A2 licence. Plenty quick enough even in restricted form. All of his peers are taking driving lessons or have passed and own cars, not a single one of them have a motorbike nor show that much interest in them. He’s taking driving lessons but won’t own a car for the foreseeable future as he’ll be at Uni next year and won’t be able to afford a car and bike, bike riding wins.
