Back in June, I wrote this blog post about getting a 125cc scooter in Spain, where all you need to ride a motorbike up to that size of engine is a valid driver's licence.
I rode that scooter all Summer and loved it. It was great for nipping down to the coast, Lidl shopping trips or leisurely rides along the stunning coastal roads of the Axarquia region. It never complained or struggled, even when carrying myself, my wife and our beach gear.
Sadly, though, the same can't be said for longer trips or those involving the motorway. Even with only me on board, it was hard to keep up with traffic. And once it hits a hill, forget it. It often maxed out at 60kph. This means cars travelling at upwards of 100kph crept up behind disconcertingly quickly.
As a local runaround, it's awesome, and for an intro to the world of motorbikes, it's been fantastic, but after a few weeks, it was clear: We're gonna needa bigga bike! (Hum the Jaws theme here!)
So at the end of Summer, as soon as I returned to Northern Ireland, I started making arrangements to get a 125cc bike, get some lessons and get my licence. Simple, you'd think. Think again.
I don't know the history of how we ended up with such a messed up pathway to motorbike riding, but here we are.
Unlike Spain, in the UK you can't just buy a 125cc scooter/motorbike and ride it on a car licence. No, you first have to do a thing called the "CBT", which stands for Compulsory Basic Training.
It consists of about half a day of training with an instructor, with a basic assessment at the end of it. If you reach a minimum standard, you get your "CBT" certificate. This then allows you to ride a bike up to 125cc in size, with restrictions. You can't carry a passenger or go on the motorways. And you must display L plates.
According to government websites, it should cost £130-170, which isn't too bad. Only it's not £130-170 in the real world. In the real world, the cheapest price I was quoted was £250. And appointments were scarce. Most were booked 3-4 months in advance.
I got talking with an instructor and asked why it was so expensive. Insurance. Getting insurance is really difficult and very expensive. He also said there was a lack of instructors, as the number of people taking up motorbiking is dwindling.
In the car world, you take one test, and that's that. Not so in the bike world. There are three bike tests, four if you count the theory, each allowing you to ride motorbikes with different-sized engines.
A1 is the first test you can take. It allows you to ride a 125cc bike without L plates or restrictions. Then there is the A2 licence, which allows the riding of up to 400cc. Then you have the full A licence, which allows you to ride any bike.
(Note: The actual bikes for each licence are rated on power output, not engine CC size, but for the sake of this post, I'm putting the rough equivalent in cc, as it's what most people understand.)
The age at which you can take each test is different. A1 minimum age is 17. A2 is 19 and A is 24.
Keeping up? Good.
If you are over 24, you can bypass the CBT, A1, and A2 licences and go straight for the A licence. But if you are under 24, you must first sit the lower class (A1/A2) licence. Plus, if my understanding is correct, you can't just do the A2 licence, no matter how old you are. You'd first have to do the CBT.
Still keeping up? No? Don't blame you. It's a mess. Is there any wonder fewer and fewer people are bothering to take up motorbiking?
And that's the sad thing in all this. Granted, I'm a very latecomer to them, but motorbikes are a great form of transport. They are far more efficient than cars and cause way less congestion. Plus pump out way less nasty fumes.
Motorbikes are a win/win for everyone. For governments, city planners, car users and the riders themselves. So, getting a licence should be as simple and safe as possible. Not stupidly complex and expensive.
Anyway, back to my experience.
The sole reason for me to get a licence was to ride a more powerful scooter in Spain, a 400cc one to be precise. For which I'd only need the A2 licence. But, due to the daft way the licences progress, I'd also have to do the CBT, so in the end, the instructor I settled on advised me just to do the full A licence and bypass all the others. This did present a challenge for me. I've no interest in geared motorbikes (scooters are automatics), but to do the A licence, you must ride a 650cc motorbike, which are almost always geared.
As a lifelong cyclist, I'm used to the levers on the bars working the brakes. It's the same on a scooter. But on a geared motorbike, the right lever is the front brake (like a bicycle), but the left is the clutch. The gears are controlled by the left foot and the rear brake by the right one.
So it's been a steep learning curve, trying to overcome decades of muscle memory! But here I am, two lessons in and just about getting to grips with it all.
I'm doing weekly lessons, and according to the instructor, I should expect to be ready for my test around the end of Jan '25. I think it'll be longer, but he's the expert!
Because of the way I'm getting my licence, bypassing the CBT and going directly to the A licence, I haven't got a 125cc bike, because without doing the CBT I woudn't be able to ride it! But I might, so I can get in some extra pratice between lessons. We'll see how things progress.
If everything goes according to plan, I'll sell my little Spanish 125 around spring next year, and then the search for a bigger scooter begins. Unless I get bitten by the "proper" motorbike bug. I must admit, I'm already looking at 650cc adventure-style motorbikes, so who knows!