The provisional license
To ride a motorcycle on the road you must have a provisional
license. This requires you to:
- Be at least 17 years old (16 for a moped)
- Have a driving licence which allows you to ride motorcycles
(catagory A)
That licence can be any of the following:
- A provisional driving licence with motorcycle entitlement
- Full car licence. This automatically provides provisional
motorcycle entitlement
- Full motorcycle licence
- Full moped licence. This provides automatic provisional motorcycle
entitlement if you're aged 17 years or over
Provisional motorcycle entitlement
This entitles learners to ride a motorcycle
- Up to 125cc
- With a maximum power output of 11kW
Learners who wish to ride a side-car outfit can do so with
a power to weight ratio of not exceeding 0.16kW/kg.
With provisional motorcycle entitlement you must not
- Ride on motorways
- Carry a pillion passenger
- Ride without L-plates (or D-plates in Wales)
All new provisional licences showing motorcycle entitlement
issued from that date are valid until the holder's 70th birthday.
How to get a licence
If you don't already have a licence with provisional motorcycle
entitlement then collect a D1 form ( driving licence application
) and a D750 form ( photocard application ) from a Post Office
or from DVLA ( 0870 240 0009 ). Complete the forms and send
them to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre ( DVLC ) at
Swansea. If you want to ride a motorcycle make sure you tick
the 'with motorcycles' box or you will automatically get a provisional
licence for a moped and car.
