New UK motorcycle licencing regime will come into force on the 19 January 2013
January 18, 2012
Posted by:Maria Mingoia
A new licencing regime for motorcyclists has been announced by the Driving Standards Agency which aims to limit the size of motorbikes that teenage riders and motorbike insurance policy holders will be able to own and use.
Motorcyclists under the age of 19 will only be able to ride bikes up to 125cc in capacity and under 21s will be limited to 47bhp machines. Under the new regime, 17 to 19 year olds can only gain a licence for a bike with a maximum capacity of 125cc and 15bhp by taking the test with a similar specification. 19 year old drivers can then do another test or undertake extra training to qualify for a bike of up to 47bhp. This must be done on a machine of 395cc plus capacity and a brake horsepower of between 33 and 47. At the age of 21, riders will have to take another test or more training before they can legally ride a more powerful bike. Drivers over 24 will be able to take a single Direct Access test in order to immediately qualify for riding bikes of any capacity and power. The Direct Access test will be taken on a machine of at least 595cc and 54bhp.
This will of course mean that it is going to be very expensive for younger motorcyclists to get their licences and may put them off learning altogether. However it will mean that younger, inexperienced, motorcyclists will not be able to ride more powerful bikes which will limit the speeds they can reach . The new regime will have limited impact on older , inexperienced riders. It will be interesting to see how this will impact on the numbers of motorcyclists in this Country.