Tips for getting your full motorbike licence
Have you ever dreamed of riding a motorbike through twisty country roads on a fantastic summers day? Whether it’s a life-long dream, a mid-life crisis or you’ve been on a 125 for a while and fancy a more powerful bike, you’ll need a “big bike licence”. If you’ve not read it, take a look at my previous post about getting your first 125cc bike.
I’ve always been keen on bikes but never took the plunge until I was 34. I got my CBT, rode a 125 for a while, loved it and got my full licence a day after my 35th birthday.
When I went for lessons, I found it pretty tough. It’d been a while since I’d done any sort of training that wasn’t classroom based. I’ve spoken to a few people about this, as you get older it gets harder to assimilate information quickly. I had young folk on my course that seemed to find it easy. Hands up, I made a good few mistakes and even dropped my bike.
That’s all a distant blur. I’ve now had all sorts of adventures from big miles on a touring bike to short blasts on a sports bike to touring Florida on a Harley.
What is Direct Access (your “big bike” licence)
Direct Access is exactly what it says, going from never riding a bike to having a full motorcycle (Category A) licence and the ability to ride any size of motorbike; as long as you’re 24 years old. As mentioned in a previous post, I personally don’t recommend going straight onto a big bike. I’d advise riding a 125 for at least 6 months, preferably a year to see if you actually like biking, gain experience and make silly mistakes on a smaller, cheaper machine. Lots of bikers and most dealers will advise that going straight on to a big bike is the best option. It’s up to you what route you go down but here’s some information that might help you decide.
All motorcycle training schools will provide a Direct Access course, they all seem to be of a similar format and price. A popular training school in Edinburgh, Saltire has good, clear information on getting your full motorcycle licence. Some training schools don’t include the cost of a CBT and some require that you sit a CBT with them in order to take their Direct Access course.
There tends to be two formats: short (or accelerated) and long (or full). The one you take will depend on your experience on a 125cc. I took a long course and the first day on a 125 was pretty boring for me as I’d done lots of miles on my CBF125. I have a friend who recently passed and “blagged” the short course. He had next to no experience on a geared 125 but decided that he fancied the cheaper course and took a gamble. It paid off but might not for everyone.
I also know someone that rode a 125 for a while, watched lots of YouTube clips, took a few lessons on a big bike and passed his A2 first time. He was young and I suspect not everyone would be able to do that either.
A2 restricted motorcycle licence
If you’re under 24 then you can only get a restricted licence (Category A2) that limits you to a 35kw (46.6 BHP) bike. To get this licence, you need to do all the same tests, just on a lower powered bike. Once you reach 24 you’ll need to re-do, and pay for, the Mod 1 and Mod 2 (more on these below) on a bigger bike to get your full Cat A licence.
There’s another route called “progressive access” that allows young riders to get an A2 licence at 19, ride for 2 years then re-do the practical tests on a big bike as young as 21 to get a full Category A licence. You have to be seriously dedicated to biking to go through all that! Personally, I’d ride a 125 until I was old enough to do the Category A tests.
What tests are involved in getting a full motorcycle licence?
Since April 2009 the Category A motorcycle test has the following stages:
CBT (Compulsory Basic Training): a day or so of training so that you’re competent riding a 125. You can read more from DVLA here and Saltire here.
Theory & hazard perception: a computer based test similar to your car theory test except some of the questions are bike specific. The hazard perception part is the same. There’s info from DVLA here and Saltire here. The only way to prepare for this is by an app, DVD or book and going through the questions. I failed my hazard perception the first time. There’s a knack to it that you can only work out by doing a mock test.
Mod 1: what can only be described as Crufts on a bike! It’s a purpose made motorcycle test course that assesses your low-speed bike handling. You can get details of the Mod 1 format here and layout of the test area here.
Mod 2: is a 40 minute on road ride with an assessor. You can get more info from DVLA here.
My advice is to pick your school carefully; visit the school, read reviews, ideally go on a recommendation. Your instructor makes all the difference. Mine took a dislike to me and made me feel that I was doing everything wrong and knocked my confidence. I actually changed schools after my Mod 1 so my licence cost more and took longer than it should have.
I failed my Mod 1 first time by hitting a cone on the very last manoeuvre – totally gutted! I actually forgot that I was on the avoidance manoeuvre, remembered last minute and clipped the cone – instant fail. I told my assessor what happened and he said I should have rode back to him safely, told him what happened and he’d have let me run it again. As long as you carry out everything properly (safety checks etc), you don’t have to nail everything first time. Compose yourself, update the assessor and go again.
I also failed my Mod 2 first time. Apparently at the first spiral roundabout! I thought I was messing up left, right & centre. Turns out I got 1 minor and the roundabout major. I put it down to lack of confidence from my $hitty instructor hence changing schools to re-sit my Mod 2 which I passed no problem.
What does it cost to get a full / big / category A motorcycle licence?
Unfortunately, it’s not cheap to get your full licence. Here’s a rough cost breakdown:
| Stage | Cost |
| CBT | £160 - £175 |
| Theory app / DVD | £5 - £10 |
| Theory test | £23 |
| Direct Access | £695 - £850 |
| Total | £883 – £1,058 |
If you already have your CBT and plenty of experience on a 125 then you’re looking at £720 to get your full licence. You can possibly get it cheaper but check the ratio of students to instructors. A cheaper school tends to have a higher ratio than 2:1. As with everything in life, you get what you pay for.
If you’re even in any doubt, just ask. You’re paying to get your licence, if you’re not sure about something, ask your instructor.
If you fail any of the modules, you’ll have to pay more to re-take them. You’ll need to pay the test fee plus bike and instructor hire. Unfortunately, it’s not cheap!
How do I get experience for my big bike test?
Unlike practising for a car licence, you can’t just jump on a big bike with another rider and get some experience. You need to be with a certified instructor on a motorbike insured for learner riders, L plates, high-vis etc.
Not that I’m condoning breaking the law but if you can find some disused land and have access to a big bike then that might be an option. You’d need to trailer it out there or have someone with a full licence ride it there. If you get the land owners permission then there’s no issue.
I had a 125 when I was doing Direct Access so I bought some cheap plastic cones and went to an industrial estate to practice figure of eights etc. Even though a 125 is lighter, being good at slow speed manoeuvres will help you when you move to a bigger bike.
Top 10 tips for getting your big motorcycle licence:
Get the theory test out the way before starting lessons – it’s one less thing to think about and makes your feel like you’re half way through! This is a good app to help you prepare.
Make sure your gloves fit well and you can feel the controls through them. It makes life harder fumbling for the indicator with half an inch of baggy fabric past the tip of your thumb.
Strengthen your hands – especially your clutch hand before going for lessons. If you “drive a desk” like me then clutching a big bike for 7 hours solid will take its toll and you’ll have a jelly hand.
Get a feel for the “tipping point” of a big bike, ideally the one you’re going to learn on and never tip the bike that far. If you’ve ridden a light 125 for a while the weight and early tipping point will come as a surprise.
Pick a good instructor – ideally word of mouth or if you got on well with your CBT instructor, ask for them to take you on direct access.
Use the rear brake for slow speed manoeuvres. Braking hard on the front collapses the forks and can unsettle the bike at slow speed, especially when steering. Most of my early “incidents” on bikes have happened this way.
If you fall or drop the bike during your lessons, $hit happens, it’s not the end of the world, it’s part of the learning experience. Shake it off and crack on.
If possible, speak with an experienced rider. Even better a rider that has gone through the tests relatively recently. You can learn loads and get a confidence boost speaking to someone that’s been through the same experience.
Watch some YouTube clips to get a good feel of what’s expected. Here’s some good video’s for the Mod 1 & Mod 2.
Stay calm on your tests – easier said than done but go in with confidence and don’t waste your time worrying if you think you’ve done something wrong, concentrate on the next bit and get that right.
In summary
Getting a full motorcycle licence isn’t cheap and is quite involved. However, once you have it, you open up a world of opportunity and adventure. If you’re not sure if biking is for you, book onto a taster session, you won’t regret it.
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