In February 2009 I passed my motorbike test (first time with two minors, thank you very much), and now I’m on a two year restricted licence. If you are unfamiliar with motorcycle licensing law in the UK, I envy you, it’s a complete shambles of unintelligible nonsense, but I’ll do my best to explain:
The following are the four different types of full licence, not including provisional, ‘L plate’ licenses (adapted from direct.gov.uk):
P – Moped licence – Mopeds with an engine capacity not exceeding 50cc and a maximum design speed not exceeding 50km/h, minimum age 16.
A1 – Light motorcycle licence – Light motorcycles with a cubic capacity not exceeding 125cc and a power output not exceeding 11kW (14.6bhp), minimum age 17.
A2 – Full (restricted) licence – Motorcycles up to 25kW (33bhp) and a power to weight ratio not exceeding 0.16kW/kg. Motorcycle combination with a power to weight ratio not exceeding 0.16kW/kg, minimum age 17.
A – Full licence – Any size motorcycle with or without a sidecar, minimum age 21.
Even though I’m over 21, I chose to take the A2 route, simply because it’s a lot cheaper to do, this leaves me with a restricted licence, meaning until February 2011 I can only ride a motorcycle up to 33bhp (25kW). This seems pretty straight forward, but when you look deeper you’ll find it’s a very ill-defined, ambiguous law.
If you go out and buy a motorcycle that produces 33 bhp or less, then you’ve got nothing to worry about, the problem comes with restriction. It’s perfectly legal for somone with an A2 licence to ride a big bike, as long as that bike has been restricted to 33 bhp (25kw).
A company known as Fi International supplies restriction kits for pretty much any motorcycle, these kits work in the following ways, some washers that fit between the carburetor and the engine, restricting the flow of air/fuel mixture, and/or a throttle stop, that simply wont allow you to fully open the throttle. Both have essentially the same effect and both are blindingly simple bits of kit, yet some how they’ll cost you between £150 and £250! Why? Partly because Fi International are the sole UK importer of these restriction kits, and partly because people believe that to ride legally on a restricted licence, you need one of these kits and a bit of paper to prove you have one. Fi International seem to have us over a barrel.
But let’s look at the law (quoted from direct.gov.uk):
[Law MV(DL)R regs 42(1) & 69(1)]
Light motorcycle licence (A1): you take a test on a motorcycle of between 75 and 125 cc. If you pass you may ride a motorcycle up to 125 cc with power output up to 11 kW.
Standard motorcycle licence (A): if your test vehicle is between 120 and 125 cc and capable of more than 100 km/h you will be given a standard (A) licence. You will then be restricted to motorcycles of up to 25 kW for two years. After two years you may ride any size machine.
Direct or Accelerated Access enables riders over the age of 21, or those who reach 21 before their two-year restriction ends, to ride larger motorcycles sooner. To obtain a licence to do so they are required to
- have successfully completed a CBT course
- pass a theory test, if they are required to do so
- pass a practical test on a machine with power output of at least 35 kW
To practise, they can ride larger motorcycles, with L plates (and/or D plates in Wales), on public roads, but only when accompanied by an approved instructor on another motorcycle in radio contact.
You MUST NOT carry a pillion passenger or pull a trailer until you have passed your test.
I’ve put the important part in italics, notice all it says is You will then be restricted to motorcycles of up to 25 kW for two years. Nothing about restriction certificates, nothing even about how to restrict your bike, in short, paying £200 to have your motorcycle restricted is a complete farce.
But that’s not the end, there is still the matter of proof, if you don’t have one of those overpriced certificates from Fi International, how can you prove your bike is within the power limits if you get pulled over by the police? You can’t, that’s how. But that isn’t a problem, as the law quoted above also doesn’t say anything about being able to prove your bike is restricted, so if the police really think your bike is too powerful, they’ll have to confiscate it and test it.
So maybe it’s worth shelling out for the certificate after all, just to avoid that situation? Personally I don’t think so, firstly, I can’t find anything, anywhere, not even on Fi International’s website, that states their certificates are enough for the police to believe your motorcycle is restricted. Secondly, I don’t know of anyone who’s ever been pulled over and had to prove their bike is under 33 bhp, and can you really imagine the police going to all that trouble over quite possibly the vaguest piece of legislation known to man?
So as far as I can tell the best bet is to simply buy a used restrcition kit from somewhere like ebay, and fit it your self. These are quite easy to find, and will usually set you back about £25-£30, bargain! If I choose to buy a big bike that’s definitely the method I’ll be taking.
Of course another option is to buy a bike that produces as near to 33 bhp with out going over as possible, I’m currently compiling a database of motorcycles that fit this criterion, which I will be posting soon.
- MB
Some disclaimers:
- I am NOT a lawyer, and have zero qualifications relating to law. All I’ve done is research the best I can and use some common sense.
- I am NOT condoning riding a motorcycle that produces more than 33 bhp when you have a restricted licence, in fact I’m saying you SHOULD have your bike restricted, just don’t get ripped off by Fi International.
Copyright © Matt Bearman 2009 – Reproduction with out permission is strictly prohibited.
Other variant is possible also
Comment by Hemeguigeby on 3rd November 2009 at 12:17 am
Never underestimate the effectiveness of a straight cash bribe.
Comment by Virginie on 12th November 2009 at 5:13 pm
Just get hold of a second hand restrictor kit with a certificate but never fit the kit to your bike! If the fuzz pull you over and query the bikes power, just show them the certificate! The average bobby wont be able to tell if you have the restrictor kit fitted or not and theyre not likely to seize your bike, let alone test it, unless youve done some drastic road traffic offence for them to take it from you.
Comment by YammyB on 14th November 2009 at 11:44 pm
To do that the certificate would have to be ‘adjusted’ as they contain the bike’s details including VIN and engine numbers. Although the point of the original post wasn’t to help people avoid restricting their bike when they legally should, it was just to stop people paying ridiculous amounts for a few washers.
Comment by Matt Bearman on 15th November 2009 at 4:25 pm
Matt, the other ambiguity is with where the measurement is made. Measuring at the crank is prohibitively impossible and all restriction kits are calibrated according to the rear wheel Bhp measurement.
It is possible to buy a bike that produces MORE than 33bhp advertised by the manufacturers at the crank, but which ONLY produces 33bhp at the rear wheel. This bike would still be legal under current legislation. A bike producing about 40hp at the crank will produce about 33bhp as an estimate, at the rear wheel.
How would you prove this? A dyno print out of your bike is not a legal verification – meaning perhaps your bike could be taken?
Matt, do you know the law of police powers of seizure? Apart from the obvious, (pulling wheelies/excessive speed) what would count as reasonable grounds to take a bike?
I’m in the same position – being older than 21 but on a restricted licence – out of choice. Which is fine, and was a personal choice. My current bike produces less than 33bhp at the rear wheel – so i am fully legal.
Comment by julian bates on 27th January 2010 at 5:14 pm
i have been riding a gsxr600 on a 33bhp licence and it is not restricted and i have been pulled so many times and have never been asked if it is restricted
Comment by josh s on 12th March 2010 at 4:26 pm
If you do fit a kit yourself, surely there is nothing stopping you taking your bike to a rolling road and getting the BHP tested… then you can show the nice constable exactly what BHP your bike is making across it’s rev range, and it should even have the date and where you had it done on the paper so My Plod could verify it he wants… and that’ll cost you loads less than £200…
Comment by Tony on 16th March 2010 at 11:41 am
@Julian Bates – I would have thought as the law states 33 bph that the kits would restrict the hp to 33 at the crank, as that’s what bhp means. Having said that I think even if your bike was seized, the police aren’t likely to dismantle the bike down to the engine to measure the bhp, they’ll just put it on a rolling road.
As for powers of seizure, riding a bike over 33bhp on a restricted licence is tantamount to riding without a licence or insurance, so if the police have reasonable grounds to suspect you, they can take your bike.
@Josh – We’re all real proud of you…
@Tony – To be honest I wouldn’t even waste the money on getting the bike tested on a dyno, if you’ve got the restrictor in, then you’ve got nothing to worry about. Check out this article on MCN, it basically confirms my suspicions that the restriction certificates aren’t worth anything.
Comment by Matt Bearman on 16th March 2010 at 12:06 pm
I am under 21 .. 20 in september and took my test just after i turned 18. I first kept riding my cbr 125 for a few months until i upgraded to an aprilia RS 125 which produced 33 bhp. The engine in that malfunctioned so i got rid of it and bought myself a CBR 400 ( NC23 ). This produced 55 bhp and i had every intention of getting the bike restricted.. that was until I looked on FI international and saw the ridiculous prices for 4 cheaply made washers ( I could probably make them in the CNC machine at my university for less than £6 ). I rode around on that for about 8 months unresricted which takes me up to now. The engine blew when a con rod snapped and came through the crankcase so after fitting a cheap engine i got rid of it and have just purchased a GSXR 750. I have only a few months left on my restricted license and have no intention of having my beautiful GSXR siezed by the fuzz. This is my solution to the problem. find the diameter of your carb outlet ( take into account that the washer must fill the carb thouroughly to avoid being sucked into the engine destroying your cams / valves) cut out of the bottom of a heinz tin a circle measuring the diameter of your carb. Do some research and find out the diameter of the washer hole for your specific bike, drill a hole through your self made washer measuring the correct diameter and pop it into your carb outlet. Keep an eye on the washer as i dont know if the tin will rust while in your carb as the FI international ones are made from stainless steel… if you want you could probably cover the washer in some kind of sealant to prevent this ( if anyone has any good ideas as what to to seal it with let us know ). get the bike dyno’d if you want to be sure its at 33bhp and keep the certificate. Not only are you safe and legal but you are sticking it to the man that is FI international without breaking any regulations. The certificate is not actually a legal document so DO NOT BUY IT !! you are being rinsed of your money for something you dont want or need.
Stay Safe everyone
Keep it shiny side up
Comment by Ben on 23rd March 2010 at 9:15 pm
Keep an eye on ebay, there’s currently a set of GSXR 600 restrictors on there for £20, I’m sure a set for a 750 will come up eventually. I wouldn’t recommend making them out of bean cans though, if you don’t make them all exactly the same your carbs will be un-balanced, which will ruin the performance.
Definitely don’t buy the certificate, you’re right in saying say are completely worthless, and not at all legally binding.
Also, how do you mange to wreck so many engines? :p
– Matt
Comment by Matt Bearman on 24th March 2010 at 9:42 am
According to an article published in MCN there is no requirement in law to have a certificate to prove restriction. In the same article Carol Nash insurers say insurance companies don’t require a certificate either.
But…. it’s a good idea to have proof, by way of a receipt from a mechanic, that the kit has been fitted. That could save a lot of hassle, especially if you have to make an insurance claim.
Comment by Tim Woodcock on 1st June 2010 at 11:20 am