The Student Room Group

How much will it cost to go from nothing to a A1 motorbike licence?

Including provisional licence, lessons with motorbike hire etc.
Original post by sandvika
Including provisional licence, lessons with motorbike hire etc.


About £700. Ish. Depends on your age (I'll assume you're 24+ as below that you'll have to do your A2 33bhp restricted license) and location.

It cost me roughly...

Theory £30? - lessons for mod 1 slow part £100 - lessons for mod 1 faster part £100 - mod 1 plus bike hire and lesson before £120 - lessons for mod 2 £180 - mod 2 plus bike hire £170.

Also you can probably use a helmet and riding jacket from the riding school but it's worth buying your own sooner rather than later if you're going to buy a bike.


Posted from TSR Mobile
Remember to factor in motorbike insurance too. This place apparently is by far the cheapest https://www.thebikeinsurer.co.uk/
Reply 3
Borrowing gear isn't really a good idea. How many times has the helmet you're entrusting your life to been dropped on the floor???
Budget £500 to get some gear. Whilst you can legally ride round in nothing more than your underpants and a skid lid it's a bit stupid really.
At the very least you want some decent boots, jacket, trousers, gloves and a skid lid. It's possibly to spend a heck of a lot more on gear but 500 notes will get you something to get you started.
Reply 4
Original post by JC.
Borrowing gear isn't really a good idea. How many times has the helmet you're entrusting your life to been dropped on the floor???
Budget £500 to get some gear. Whilst you can legally ride round in nothing more than your underpants and a skid lid it's a bit stupid really.
At the very least you want some decent boots, jacket, trousers, gloves and a skid lid. It's possibly to spend a heck of a lot more on gear but 500 notes will get you something to get you started.


Do you think I should get my own bike first too then?
Reply 5
Yeah mate, I wouldn't borrow gear. You've no idea where its been. Always better to get a fresh new helmet.

I plan on getting my provis' while I'm at uni and buying some gear. Hoping to find a riding buddy who'll let me ride pavillion. There's a site called Bikestop that has some gear for new riders if you look under Riding Styles on the nav bar. I haven't bought anything from there but I'd still recommend searching it on whatever search engine you use.
Original post by sandvika
Including provisional licence, lessons with motorbike hire etc.


Depends if your 24 or not... If you are then all you need is a CBT (£110) then the full bike License course which is like training and a test for £500 or £600 for more training, thus making it certain you don't fail.

So we have about £700 so far, also your gonna need to take a theory test which is minor, like £25.

However if your not 24 then you still need to get you CBT first... then do the A2 Course which again is £500 or £600. So now you can ride up to 45 Horse Power so long as the bike is no more than 100 BHP unresticted. Once you have been riding for 2 years on this bike with no offenses you will be able to claim your full license for free... kinda... you have to pay something small for the license to get sent to you but you don't need to take any more tests.

So as you can see, the price is the same for everyone but you can get yourself on a big bike much faster if your already 24


Also: You shouldn't really get lessons for a motorbike, first take in as much knowledge from the CBT then go and get a few months of practice on the roads.. then the big bike courses are more full of training so you don't need lessons for that either
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 7
Original post by sandvika
Do you think I should get my own bike first too then?


Get your CBT first.
Reply 8
Original post by JavaScriptMaster
Depends if your 24 or not... If you are then all you need is a CBT (£110) then the full bike License course which is like training and a test for £500 or £600 for more training, thus making it certain you don't fail.

So we have about £700 so far, also your gonna need to take a theory test which is minor, like £25.

However if your not 24 then you still need to get you CBT first... then do the A2 Course which again is £500 or £600. So now you can ride up to 45 Horse Power so long as the bike is no more than 100 BHP unresticted. Once you have been riding for 2 years on this bike with no offenses you will be able to claim your full license for free... kinda... you have to pay something small for the license to get sent to you but you don't need to take any more tests.

So as you can see, the price is the same for everyone but you can get yourself on a big bike much faster if your already 24


Also: You shouldn't really get lessons for a motorbike, first take in as much knowledge from the CBT then go and get a few months of practice on the roads.. then the big bike courses are more full of training so you don't need lessons for that either


Original post by JC.
Get your CBT first.


So I should get my provisional liscence then CBT then motobike, and practice on my own then just take the tests without lessons?
Reply 9
Also, what exactly can I do with just a CBT? (which roads and what power bike?)
Reply 10
CBT is mandatory. It basically teaches you how to ride a bike and stay upright. Up to 125cc. No motorways.

"Most learner motorcycle and moped riders must take compulsory basic training (CBT). You then have to pass your full motorcycle test within 2 years or you’ll have to take CBT again.

After you’ve completed your CBT, you can ride a moped or a motorbike up to 125cc and with a power output of up to 11kW on the road. You must use L plates (L or D plates in Wales) until you pass your full motorcycle test."

https://www.gov.uk/cbt-compulsory-basic-training/overview
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by sandvika
So I should get my provisional liscence then CBT then motobike, and practice on my own then just take the tests without lessons?


oh i forgot to mention you need a provisional license first lol yea you need that from the start so thats like 50 quid

Yes... but your gonna have to practice on your own with a 125 so you cant go on motorways but practice going on dual carriageways at least so u get used to high speeds
I take it by A1 you mean the full 125cc license?

A1 Light motorcycle up to 11 kW (and a power-to-weight ratio not more than 0.1 kW per kg) and 125 cc CBT, theory test, practical test 17
A2 Standard motorcycle up to 35 kW (and a power-to-weight ratio not more than 0.2 kW per kg), bike mustn’t be derived from vehicle more than twice its power Direct access route - theory and practical
A - Unrestricted motorcycles in size/power, with or without a sidecar, and motor tricycles with power output over 15 kW Direct access route - CBT theory and practical (you must be at least 24)
Progressive access route - held an A2 licence for a minimum of 2 years - practical test (21 or over) 24 (direct) or 21 (progressive access)

In any case the cost will be the same for whatever your first license is going to be. I paid about £700 to do a 5 day course inc. CBT for my A2 license. Just bare in mind you'll need to go back and redo MOD1&2 to upgrade to the next license.

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