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You will need to complete CBT if:
- you want to ride a moped (a moped has an engine not over 50 cc with maximum design speed not exceeding 50 kilometres per hour (km/h) which is approximately 31 miles per hour)
- you want to ride a motorcycle
If you obtained your car licence before 1 February 2001 you do not need to complete a CBT to ride a moped.
What does CBT involve?
The CBT course involves five elements:
A. introduction
B. practical on-site training
C. practical on-site riding
D. practical on-road training
E. practical on-road riding
The five elements have to be completed in sequence, although the order of the exercises within the element can be varied. You will only move on to the next element when your instructor is satisfied you have learnt the necessary theory and demonstrated the practical skills to a safe basic level. Trainees must, by law, receive a minimum two hour on-road ride in Element E.
Certificate of completion (DL 196)
When all five elements have been satisfactorily completed, a certificate of completion, called the DL196, is issued. This is a legal document which validates the relevant entitlements on your driving licence. It is important that the holder of a DL196 considers the following points:
- a DL196 certificate validating a provisional moped or provisional motorcycle entitlement lasts for two years - CBT will have to be retaken if both theory and practical tests are not passed within the two year certificate life
- for moped entitlement only, if you pass your car driving test whilst your DL196 is still current or complete a CBT course and obtain a DL196 after passing your car test, the certificate is not subject to expiry, you will therefore need to keep your DL196 certificate safely. Please note that this applies to mopeds only, for riding motorcycles as a learner the DL196 remains valid for two years
Once you have your certificate you are advised to take additional training to pass your theory and practical tests and qualify for a motorcycle or moped licence. You must take the DL196 certificate with you when you go to your practical test.
Where and how much?
Only instructors certified by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) can teach CBT at an approved training body (ATB). ATBs must have instructors who have successfully completed a two day assessment and have sites approved by DSA for off-road training.
The cost for the course varies typically from £90 to around £160. Most ATBs offer the loan of machines and helmets for the course. The cost of CBT may be incorporated into the cost of a full training course that leads to a motorcycle test.
Rules for learner drivers
Before you start to drive, you must:
- hold a valid, provisional driving licence for Great Britain or Northern Ireland
- make sure that any vehicle you drive is roadworthy and properly taxed and insured
It is important to learn safe driving practice from the beginning of your driving career because bad habits are hard to break.
It is unlikely that anyone except an approved driving instructor (ADI) would have the experience, knowledge and training to teach you properly. Learning safe driving habits from the start will improve the safety of yourself and other road users.
If you want to practise your driving with an accompanying driver, the accompanying driver must be over the age of 21 and must have held (and still hold) a full licence, in the relevant vehicle category, for three years.
As a learner driver you must display 'L' plates ('L' or 'D' plates in Wales) in a conspicuous position on the front and rear of the vehicle you are driving.
Minimum age you can take a test
You can take your theory test once your provisional licence becomes valid.
Normally, for car drivers, the earliest date your provisional licence can become valid is your 17th birthday, however you can apply for the licence up to three months before your 17th birthday.
So, if you apply for your provisional licence before you are 17 you will still have to wait until your birthday before you can take your theory test.
For more information about applying for a provisional licence.
Disability living allowance
If you are receiving disability living allowance at the higher rate your provisional licence will come into effect when you are 16, but you can apply for it within three months of your 16th birthday.
Standard motorbikes
To move on to full-sized bikes, you need to complete the CBT and Theory Test, if you haven’t already done so. (Both certificates last for two years – any longer and you need to go through the procedure again.)
The practical, road-going bike test is next.
Depending on your age and the bike you ride on the test, you may be limited as to the size of bike you can then ride.
For example, anyone under 21 can only pass on a category ‘A’ bike (between 121-125cc and capable of 100kmph) and will be restricted to bikes ‘up to 25kW with a power/weight ratio not exceeding 0.16kW/kg’ for two full years. Confused? Your instructor, examiner and bike dealer will all be able to point out what that means in practice.
Once they reach 21, these riders can take an Accelerated Access course allowing them to ride any bike.
Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) and Theory Test
Whether you’re aiming to ride a moped on a provisional licence or the latest super-charged street-legal racing bike, you need to complete these first.
The CBT is where you actually learn to ride a bike: how to start and stop, turn and go, and quite possibly how to fall off – at low speeds! It usually takes the best part of a day. Starting with a run-through in the classroom, you move on to an off-road location such as a car park where you learn the basics. When you are ready, you take your new skills out on the road. Your instructor will be looking for mastery of the controls of the bike, but also for road sense, safety, awareness and confidence.
The Theory Test is designed specifically to reflect the unique dangers and rules of two-wheeled transport: even those with full car licences need to sit this. You can book your Test via the Driving Standards Agency website./
Direct Access Scheme
Anyone aged 21 or over can take the Direct Access course allowing them to ride any bike. It’s designed for people who have never ridden before and want to start on bigger bikes.
Part one: complete the CBT and pass the Theory Test.
Part two: with the preliminaries out of the way, you are ready to progress to a larger bike, probably 500cc, and a course designed to get you through the test. This will take anything from three to five days. Your instructors will recommend how much training you need.
Starting off road, in a car park for example, you will learn to control the bike at low speed before anything else. Expect lots of repetition and lots of frustration (at first) but before you know it you will be taking your new skills out on the streets. (You can even pass your Direct Access test on a Harley)
Most DAS courses will see a small number of learners working with one or more instructors. It’s quite intensive and tiring, so the biker lifestyle of riding all day and drinking all night may have to wait.
The test itself will last anything from 20-60 minutes, depending on conditions and how quickly the examiner is satisfied with your performance. It’s the two-wheeled equivalent of the car test – there’s no such thing as a three-point turn on a bike with no reverse gear.
Never stop learning
The best motorbikers aren’t necessarily the fastest, and they certainly aren’t the most aggressive. They are those bikers who never stop learning: refining their own technique, registering more about road and traffic conditions, understanding the capabilities of their machine. These are the riders who are consistently safe and benefit from cheaper motorcycle insurance policies.
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