Just passed my A test...what can I ride?

ringo74

Hi all,

I recently passed my test for the A licence. Looking at 250s and 400s at the moment. What can I legally ride? It seems to be a grey area from what I've heard.
Thanks

Pigeon Reaper

Anything up to 33BHP. You could get a bigger bike and restrict it. Apply for the full licence as the restriction is for two years from the issue date. There aren't that many 250 or 400s that are at or close to the 33BHP anymore.

Krusty_Clown

ringo74 wrote: »

Hi all,

I recently passed my test for the A licence. Looking at 250s and 400s at the moment. What can I legally ride? It seems to be a grey area from what I've heard.
Thanks

Exactly the same thing you could ride the day before you passed your test (for another 730 days anyway). Congrats.

j@utis

Pigeon Reaper wrote: »

Anything up to 33BHP. You could get a bigger bike and restrict it. Apply for the full licence as the restriction is for two years from the issue date. There aren't that many 250 or 400s that are at or close to the 33BHP anymore.

true true. I have to stick with my cbr250 here for another half year (dammit!). but nobody can forbid you from drooling over 600's or bigger bikes (I want that fireblade NOW!)

murphaph

Pigeon Reaper wrote: »

Anything up to 33BHP. You could get a bigger bike and restrict it. Apply for the full licence as the restriction is for two years from the issue date. There aren't that many 250 or 400s that are at or close to the 33BHP anymore.

This isn't true. You can ride anything up to 25kW(33HP) or anything with a power:weight ration of 0.16kW/kg. Many big fat cruisers are much more powerful than 25kW but are so heavy they fall under the restriction. Heck...I have a 92 Yamaha TDM850 79BHP and when divided by the gross design weight it's 0.15kW/kg so legal. The law doesn't specify which "weight" to use, so I use the GVDW stamped on the chassis. If you want to see how the law should have been written to comply with the 2nd directive in driving licences you could look at the UK legislation.....watertight!

paulieeye

I heard recently that the power restriction and power:weight ration is only a european directive and has never being written into irish law. You cant be prosecuted for it and if you crash a bike over the restriction limit that you shouldnt be riding your still insured.

Anyone know if this is true or just some bull-shiiter pretending to know more than everyone else??

pa990

paulieeye wrote: »

I heard recently that the power restriction and power:weight ration is only a european directive and has never being written into irish law. You cant be prosecuted for it and if you crash a bike over the restriction limit that you shouldnt be riding your still insured.

Anyone know if this is true or just some bull-shiiter pretending to know more than everyone else??

lots of Eu law.. is just that EU law.. its never written in to irish law books.. but it is still valid. And we are obliged to abide by it


directive
noun
a directive from the front office instruction, direction, command, order, charge, injunction, prescription, rule, ruling, regulation, law, dictate, decree, dictum, edict, mandate, fiat; formal ordinance.

murphaph

pa990 wrote: »

lots of Eu law.. is just that EU law.. its never written in to irish law books.. but it is still valid. And we are obliged to abide by it


directive
noun
a directive from the front office instruction, direction, command, order, charge, injunction, prescription, rule, ruling, regulation, law, dictate, decree, dictum, edict, mandate, fiat; formal ordinance.

That's wrong anyway. An EU directive is not a law. It's an instruction or set of instructions to be implemented in the individual member states through national legislation. We did attempt to implement the 2nd driving licence directive but made a balls of this area of it and so the law is very loose. I'd also be highly surprised if anyone would ever face prosecution and/or an insurance company walking away because of riding a bike in excess of 0.16kW/kg. Sure I've been stopped a few times now and the guards for a start never question the restriction despite my riding 'big' bikes. I believe MAG Ireland's position is that the law certainly allows you to ride anything up to the p/w resstriction and the 33HP is irrelevant.

It's never been tested in court and until the 3rd driving licence directive is implemented I expect no change.

murphaph

paulieeye wrote: »

I heard recently that the power restriction and power:weight ration is only a european directive and has never being written into irish law. You cant be prosecuted for it and if you crash a bike over the restriction limit that you shouldnt be riding your still insured.

Anyone know if this is true or just some bull-shiiter pretending to know more than everyone else??

They made a poor attempt at writing it into irish law. I ride bikes outside the restriction and I firmly believe I am within the law as it stands.

a_ominous

paulieeye wrote: »

I heard recently that the power restriction and power:weight ration is only a european directive and has never being written into irish law. You cant be prosecuted for it and if you crash a bike over the restriction limit that you shouldnt be riding your still insured.

Anyone know if this is true or just some bull-shiiter pretending to know more than everyone else??

There was a radio programme during the week. Can't recall station or time to check podcasts, but there was a guy talking about motor insurance. He could have been from a company or industry. One point he made was that the insurer will pay out to a third party but not to the person who caused the injury. As I understand it, motor insurance has to at a minimum cover third parties. And IIRC he also said they will seek to get compensation from the driver. As I understand it, third party also covers passengers in/on 'insured' vehicle.
So I wouldn't be counting on getting a non-restricted bike repaired with a compensation payout. They're won't be one if the rider is at fault. I'm not a lawyer, but insurance companies don't get rich by paying out when they don't have to and will use every means possible to avoid payouts.

Hotblack Desiato

paulieeye wrote: »

I heard recently that the power restriction and power:weight ration is only a european directive and has never being written into irish law. You cant be prosecuted for it and if you crash a bike over the restriction limit that you shouldnt be riding your still insured.

Anyone know if this is true or just some bull-shiiter pretending to know more than everyone else??

It's complete BS (except maybe for the insurance bit.)

S.I. No. 352/1999: ROAD TRAFFIC (LICENSING OF DRIVERS) REGULATIONS, 1999.

Motorcycle engine size restriction.
17. A person granted a provisional licence for the first time on or after the commencement of these Regulations to drive vehicles in category A and who on obtaining a certificate of competency in that category is subsequently granted a driving licence in that category, shall, until a period of two years after the grant of the latter licence, be restricted to driving only those vehicles in the said category which have a power output not exceeding 25 kW or a power/weight ratio not exceeding 0.16 kW/kg, or in the case of vehicles in the said category with sidecars, with a power/weight ratio not exceeding 0.16 kW/kg.

Note the erroneous (compared to the intent of the EU directive) use of the word 'or' which means that a bike over 33hp is fine so long as it meets the power to weight limit, e.g. full power GL1500 with 100hp!

What your insurer decides to cover or not is up to them really. If you are on a restricted licence and ride a bike which is not within the limits of your licence, then you are really riding unlicensed (criminal offence) and your insurers would be perfectly legally entitled to refuse any claim by you. However, third parties cannot lose out as a result of your illegality, so they would be paid, but the insurer is then entitled to sue you for their loss.

Run_to_da_hills

You can't go wrong getting a clean Bros 400, although good ones are getting scarce.