To Ride A Men's Bike Legally Means You Need To Undergo The Motorcycle Test But It's Not That Difficult

To be eligible to ride a bike, you have to be 16 years old, but over 17 to ride a motorcycle of an engine capacity of more than 50cc. You also have to have some compulsory basic training (CBT) to validate your provisional driving licence. This will also determine the type of bike that you are legally allowed to drive. Lessons should be taken at an approved instructor's and can last for around two weeks depending on how quickly you learn and want to get on the road. Care is recommended when riding a bike because riders are more at risk of an accident than car drivers and proper clothing is required with the helmet being compulsory.

Theory test for motorcycle

If you are holder of a provisional driving licence, you will have to get your theory test done before applying for a practical one. You will have to bring photographic evidence of yourself (photograph plus signature, the paper driving licence or passport will do) as well as your driving licence. The test is done on a touch screen computer where the person must answer 50 questions in 57 minutes and is allowed a maximum of 7 mistakes to obtain a pass. 15 minutes will be allowed to the person to get used to the computer with ready assistance if needed. At the end of the session, the computer will tabulate the results and give the results.

Motorcycle practical test

The practical test is divided into module one and module two, both of which must be passed to obtain the licence; though they can be booked at the same time, one module must be passed before the other one can be taken. If you fail module one on the first try, you must wait for three working days before you can retake it and 10 working days to retake module two. DSA (Driving Standards Agency) provides a practical test 9 weeks after booking though it can vary from county to county and time of the year; you will need your licence number (if lost, you should contact DSA to get the number) and a fee of £31 for the bike theory test and £15.50 for module one test (£15.50 for weekday evening/weekend/bank holiday; £15.50 on weekday and £15.50 on Saturday for disqualified drivers) and £75 for module two test (£88.50 for weekday evening/weekend/bank holiday; £150 on weekday and £177 on Saturday for disqualified drivers). The test can be booked by post, phone or online. Documents needed for the practical bike test include the theory test pass certificate, the licence (photo and card), CBT and module one pass certificate.

Module one test lasts for 20 minutes and is off the road in a safe area which is also called the motorcycle manoeuvring area. It includes wheeling the bike and putting on stand, doing the 8 figure, U turn, slow riding, cornering and controlled stop/emergency stop/hazard avoidance exercises. You will get a pass certificate if you make less than 6 mistakes otherwise you will have to retake the test. Module two test is the on road test and lasts about 40 minutes. It includes an eyesight test, riding in various traffic conditions, pulling out of a parked vehicle, hill riding if possible and independent riding to see how well you can do on your own. For this test, a radio will be given to you to follow instructions while being followed by the examiner. To get the pass certificate, you must make less than 11 rider faults. If you make a dangerous fault (involving real danger to you and people in the surroundings/property) or a serious fault (could prove to be dangerous), you will not get module one or module two passes.

Types of motorcycles you can ride

There are 2 types of motorcycle licence (though the practical test is taken on a bike of 75cc to 125cc) namely the A1 test (light motorcycle licence) where bikers can ride vehicles up to 125cc only and the A licence (standard motorcycle licence) where the test is done on a bike of 120cc but less than 125cc after which you will be allowed to ride bikes up to 25kW only for two years. Riders over 21 may bypass the two years restriction and go for a practical test on a 35kW bike while those who reach 21 within the two years restriction may take an additional test on a 35kW bike to get the standard motorcycle licence.

Motorcycles are becoming very popular now with a broad range of models for the rider to choose from. They provide an easy means of transport to get you from one place to another be it for a casual ride in the countryside or to go to work. If you are into bikes, shopping for one itself can be fun and the choice will be based on what you really like and other pre-requisites like how tall you are, how you can put up with the weight of the bike etc. The first thing before you can fully enjoy your bike and brand new experiences is to get your motorcycle licence and passing the test though.