Motorcycling in the UK runs on a different rulebook from driving a car. The licence is earned in stages that depend on your age and the power of the bike, the insurance market is smaller and prices risk more sharply, the MOT is cheaper but the tyre law is different, and the maintenance that keeps a bike safe is done by the rider far more often than by a garage. This section covers the rules from the first day on a moped to an unrestricted licence, and the upkeep that a rider is expected to do between services.
- Almost every new rider starts with Compulsory Basic Training. The CBT certificate (DL196) lets you ride a 125 cc bike with L-plates for two years, without a pillion and not on motorways. It is training, not a test, but it can be refused if the instructor is not satisfied.
- Licence categories are AM (mopeds, from 16), A1 (up to 125 cc and 11 kW, from 17), A2 (up to 35 kW, from 19) and A (unrestricted, from 24 by direct access or from 21 after two years on an A2 licence). Each full category needs the theory test plus the two-part practical: Module 1 off-road and Module 2 on-road.
- A helmet is compulsory and must meet ECE 22.05, ECE 22.06 or the older British Standard BS 6658:1985, or carry a UKCA or CE mark that shows equivalent protection. Other protective clothing is not compulsory in law, and insurers cannot refuse an injury claim because you wore jeans.
- The minimum tread depth for a motorcycle over 50 cc is 1 mm across three-quarters of the tread width with visible tread on the rest; for a moped of 50 cc or less the tread only needs to be visible. The MOT fee for a bike is capped at £29.65.
Getting a licence, stage by stage
The route starts with a provisional licence and a CBT day at an approved training body, after which you can ride on the road on a bike up to 125 cc with L-plates. To lose the L-plates you take the motorcycle theory test, then Module 1, a set of manoeuvres on a closed pad including a swerve and an emergency stop at a measured speed, and Module 2, a road ride with an examiner. Which licence you come out with depends on the bike you test on and your age: a 125 gives an A1, a bike of between 20 and 35 kW gives an A2, and a bike of at least 40 kW gives a full A licence if you are 24 or over, or 21 and have held an A2 for two years. Progressive access means the practical tests must be taken again at each step; the theory test does not. A car licence passed before 1 February 2001 carries a full moped entitlement; a later one still needs the CBT to ride even a moped.
Motorcycle insurance: why it prices the way it does
Bike insurance uses many of the same rating factors as car insurance, but the weightings differ. Engine size and power sit at the top, along with the rider's age and experience on that class of bike, where it is kept overnight, and whether it is a commuter, a weekend machine or laid up in winter. Theft is the dominant loss for many models, so a Thatcham-approved lock, a ground anchor or a garage moves the price more than it would on a car, and some insurers will not quote for high-theft models parked on the street. Comprehensive cover often costs little more than third party, fire and theft on cheaper bikes because the insurer's exposure is small either way. The rules on no-claims discounts, excesses and disclosure are the same as for cars, and the guides in the car insurance section apply.
Maintenance a rider does at home
Motorcycles ask for attention between services in a way cars no longer do. Chain drives need cleaning, lubricating and tension-checking every few hundred miles, especially through a salted British winter; belt drives ask for far less but not nothing, and the belt drive maintenance guide covers tension, alignment, cleaning and the damage to look for. Tyre pressures matter more on two wheels than on four, because the tyre is also the suspension of last resort and the contact patch is the size of a credit card. Brake pads, fork seals, the coolant on liquid-cooled engines and the battery on a bike that sits for weeks all fall to the owner. The reward is that a well-kept bike passes its MOT easily, since the motorcycle test covers lights, steering, suspension, brakes, tyres, wheels, the frame, the exhaust and the drive chain or belt.
Riding through a British year
Winter is the hard season: salt corrodes fasteners, alloy and chains within weeks, cold tyres take miles to reach working temperature and grip on a damp road drops sharply. Riders who lay up a bike over winter should keep the insurance in force or declare it off the road with a SORN, keep the battery on a maintenance charger and store it with a full tank to limit condensation. In summer the risk moves to other road users and to heat: a full-face helmet and proper gloves are the minimum most experienced riders wear regardless of the temperature, and a bike that has stood in the sun will have tyre pressures above the cold figure in the handbook.