UK - CBT Training

[Oldie]

There have been a few comments on another thread about this and I thought that it's a subject worth debating further. Anyone outside the UK will wonder what on earth we're talking about so here's a brief synopsis....

As part of the ever increasing complexity of gaining a motorcycle licence in the UK, new riders must first complete Compulsory Basic Training. This comprises a one day course which covers basic road traffic issues, familiarisation of basic riding techniques in a yard followed by a few hours on the road under supervision. It's not a test, in that you either pass or fail, but in practice you won't get your certificate at the end of the day unless you have shown an acceptable level of competence so, in effect, it is actually a test. The cost varies but can be around £125 / $160. All makes perfect sense. Even car drivers with a full licence must go through this process and are treated no differently than a complete novice.

Having obtained your certificate you are then allowed to ride any bike up to 125cc and with a max power of approx 15hp. You must display L(earner) Plates on both front and rear of the motorcycle. Upcoming changes in the legislation will mean that anyone passing on a twist 'n Go will be restricted to those type of bikes.

The CBT certificate is valid for 2 years. If you haven't progressed to a full licence at the end of that period you must re-take your CBT which will allow you to continue to ride a 125 with L Plates for a further 2 years etc etc, which many do.

The system works fine but riding with L Plates is generally regarded as hazardous due to the way "learners" are treated by other road users. Why this should be I do not know but we've all experienced it.

I'd be happy to keep the (sensible) CBT training and 125 restriction but I would strongly advocate that after, say, 1 year, or a fixed number of miles, the learner could take a short test to allow for the removal of L Plates, whilst still retaining the 125cc restriction.

Unfortunately, our lawmakers are highly unlikely ever to have ridden small bikes with L Plates and have no concept of how dangerous this can be (ok, slight exaggeration) so I guess that changes are unlikely.

The worst part of all of this is that those of us who obey the law are restricted/penalised most heavily whilst there is a growing number of riders who don't even sit a CBT, insure or tax their bikes and who are highly unlikely to face the full force of the law should they ever be stopped by the Police. Modern life

[kramnala58]

What is the rest of the process to get a full motorcycle license and how much does it cost?

In the US it varies from state to state. I got mine in NY. I simply had to pass a written test to receive a learners license (I can't remember if that is what it is actually called). I think it cost $20 and it was good for 1 year and could be renewed once without retaking the test. The test is basically rules of the road and a couple of motorcycle related question, but most questions are related to impaired driving.

With a learners license allows you to operate any size of bike but only one up, no pinion, and you must have a fully licensed rider who is at least 21 years old within 1/4 mile of you at all times.

When you feel you have enough competence you book a road test. I don't know how much that costs because I did the alternative method.

The alternative method is to take a two day, 10-16 hour motorcycle safety course with a registered school that costs between $200-$300. You do a little bit of class time but the majority of the time is spent on a bike on an enclosed course or circuit. At the end of the time the instructor puts you through a riding test on the circuit and you either pass or fail. If you pass, you are issued a certificate that you take to the department of motor vehicles and you are issued you full license which costs about $20, if I remember correctly.

Here is the crazy part ... you don't need to have ever operated a motorcycle to take the safety course, just pass the written test. Thus, if you successfully pass the course you can get a full license with only having ridden a bike for the duration of the class., which is what one of the guys I took the course with did. So basically, you can go from never having operated a bike before to being a fully licensed rider for $250-$350 and 10-12 hours on a bike. Sadly, this is one of the reasons a high accident rate is attributed to young riders who buy bikes far more powerful than they are yet capable of handling.

[you you]

There have been a few comments on another thread about this and I thought that it's a subject worth debating further. Anyone outside the UK will wonder what on earth we're talking about so here's a brief synopsis....

As part of the ever increasing complexity of gaining a motorcycle licence in the UK, new riders must first complete Compulsory Basic Training. This comprises a one day course which covers basic road traffic issues, familiarisation of basic riding techniques in a yard followed by a few hours on the road under supervision. It's not a test, in that you either pass or fail, but in practice you won't get your certificate at the end of the day unless you have shown an acceptable level of competence so, in effect, it is actually a test. The cost varies but can be around £125 / $160. All makes perfect sense. Even car drivers with a full licence must go through this process and are treated no differently than a complete novice.

Having obtained your certificate you are then allowed to ride any bike up to 125cc and with a max power of approx 15hp. You must display L(earner) Plates on both front and rear of the motorcycle. Upcoming changes in the legislation will mean that anyone passing on a twist 'n Go will be restricted to those type of bikes.

The CBT certificate is valid for 2 years. If you haven't progressed to a full licence at the end of that period you must re-take your CBT which will allow you to continue to ride a 125 with L Plates for a further 2 years etc etc, which many do.

The system works fine but riding with L Plates is generally regarded as hazardous due to the way "learners" are treated by other road users. Why this should be I do not know but we've all experienced it.

I'd be happy to keep the (sensible) CBT training and 125 restriction but I would strongly advocate that after, say, 1 year, or a fixed number of miles, the learner could take a short test to allow for the removal of L Plates, whilst still retaining the 125cc restriction.

Unfortunately, our lawmakers are highly unlikely ever to have ridden small bikes with L Plates and have no concept of how dangerous this can be (ok, slight exaggeration) so I guess that changes are unlikely.

The worst part of all of this is that those of us who obey the law are restricted/penalised most heavily whilst there is a growing number of riders who don't even sit a CBT, insure or tax their bikes and who are highly unlikely to face the full force of the law should they ever be stopped by the Police. Modern life

A lot of sense thank you.

A licence for a moped now but pass your test in the 70s and you can drive a Porsche Cayanne at 60mph over the 20mph speed bumps outside a school with parents dropping the kids off at school?

[Oldie]

What is the rest of the process to get a full motorcycle license and how much does it cost?

The process is complicated. It all depends what age you are when you apply but, for young riders, it may involve a number of stepped increases in power as each level is passed. It's a time consuming and expensive exercise which is why so many riders simply flout the law and ignore the whole procedure. This means that there are an ever increasing number of uninsured riders on the road. Done properly, I guess that the average cost to obtain a full motorcycle licence is £1,000 / $1300.

[Spaguar]

Here in Croatia (EU) we have 4 motorcycle driver's licence categories: AM, A1, A2, A. „A“ being the highest, with no age or bike size limitation. I taught it was a EU standard.
Never having any of the lower categories but having had a car driver's licence for 40 years, at the age of 58 I enrolled straight for the „A“ category. I had to pass the medical test first. The driving school provided a Yamaha XJ6 bike for me. After 2 hours on the training lot, I had another 13 hours city riding, being followed by a licenced instructor in a car behind me with whom I was in a radio contact. After that, I took my test and that was it. The whole exercise cost me some EUR 430. No need for renewal.
I enjoyed my supervised training and it made me confirm to myself that I still enjoy riding a bike after 3 decades off the bike. The following spring I bought my Forza.