A Great Big Hello From England!

[Spamulaspam]

At the moment the licensing laws are... If you are over 17 years of age you can legally ride up to a 125 on learner plates after passing your CBT (compulsary bike training) which you have to renew every 2 years. If however, you decide to obtain a full bike licence you have 3 options:-
1, You can pass the "small" bike test whereby you can only ever ride up to a 125.
2, Pass the "restricted" bike test. You can only ride a bike up to 33BHP for 2 years and then can ride anything.
3, Obtain your "big" bike licence which covers you for any CC straight away (you have to be over 21)
It has got a bit complicated now over here. To obtain any of the above you have to go through 4 stages...
Before being able to ride at all you have to complete your basic training. Its a day course that teaches you the very basics of riding safely on the road. Then its on to your theory test,which is all about the theoretics of riding and includes a hazard perception test which is all completed at a test center on a computor. Then if you pass this, its on to the modular 1 test which is completed at a special test center and involves U turns, slow riding, emergency stops and swerve test and....... then, phew! if you have managed to complete all this without failing its on to the modular 2 test. Thats a on-road assessment and entails mirrors, manouvering and speed etc.
Its a bloody nightmare getting a licence over here these days and majorly expensive!