UK Motorbike licence classes.

[transam]

It seems there are now many classes of bike licence in the UK and how to get one, way different to when I was a kid, which was up to 250cc on "L" plates, pass your test and ride what you like.

My question for clarity. 

My friend is coming to live in LOS, he has a 125cc Yamaha Grand Filano here. He does not have a UK motorbike licence, but on the back of his licence he can ride a 50cc moped with no licence, then the other m/c classes are blanked out, a friend told him LOS will give you a motorcycle licence on the "back of" the 50cc moped. I said I can't see that as he has never been on a bike in the UK.

 

I read that even to ride a 50cc thingy you must do some sort of test. If he is going to try and get a m/b licence on the back of his UK licence, will an AA/RAC driving permit say he has a m/c licence or will it say no licence, just  the 50cc thingy. 

 

Anyone know.....? 

[recom273]

No .. he can’t get a Thai bike license with this license, that’s just a basic entitlement that allows you to ride bikes up to 50cc, or a moped, however, some people might have been able to convert it to a Thai license, with a bit of luck.
 

He needs a license with an “A” prefix - I am unsure wether he can exchange an A1 or A2 for a Thai license, but for A riders, they can ride unrestricted. 

 

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by recom273

[MangoKorat]

Just take the Thai test.

[scubascuba3]

If he does the one day CBT then he'll get his licence updated then IDP will include the motorcycle stamp

[JayClay]

16 hours ago, transam said:

It seems there are now many classes of bike licence in the UK and how to get one, way different to when I was a kid, which was up to 250cc on "L" plates

When I did my CBT allowed you to ride up to 125cc max. Maybe it's changed.

 

16 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

If he does the one day CBT then he'll get his licence updated then IDP will include the motorcycle stamp

Are you sure about that? A CBT is an entitlement to learn how to ride. It's not a license to ride a bike without restrictions.

Edited September 8, 2023 by JayClay

[recom273]

15 minutes ago, JayClay said:

When I did my CBT allowed you to ride up to 125cc max. Maybe it's changed.

 

Are you sure about that? A CBT is an entitlement to learn how to ride. It's not a license to ride a bike without restrictions.

I think you need to ride a bike in the UK for 2 years and take a further test after passing the A2 test to have the entitlement to exchange your license here. I was just checking, the rules seems mad in the UK, it was much easier in the old day. Not that has any relevance to the OP, he has doobie squat, was just looking out of interest. 

[scubascuba3]

4 hours ago, JayClay said:

When I did my CBT allowed you to ride up to 125cc max. Maybe it's changed.

 

Are you sure about that? A CBT is an entitlement to learn how to ride. It's not a license to ride a bike without restrictions.

I'm not sure but a 125 would be enough here anyway

[JayClay]

42 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I'm not sure but a 125 would be enough here anyway

Yes but this thread is about getting a valid license. I'm highly doubtful that a CBT would be noted on an IDP as it's not a license.

[transam]

1 minute ago, JayClay said:

Yes but this thread is about getting a valid license. I'm highly doubtful that a CBT would be noted on an IDP as it's not a license.

The 50cc bike is, you can ride on a car licence, but the real bike licence is left blank, not licenced.

My point is, a guy says LOS will give a licence on the strength of the 50cc thing, I am questioning it....

[JayClay]

9 minutes ago, transam said:

The 50cc bike is, you can ride on a car licence

That depends on when your license was issued. The automatic inclusion of 50cc ended quite some time ago (at least 20 years)

 

I agree that you probably can't officially use that 50cc endorsement to get a bike license in Thailand. However I also don't imagine that every transport office is versed in the intricate nuances of driving licence regulations from all around the world so it wouldn't surprise me if some people had managed to convince somebody to give them a licence based on it.

 

I guess it's worth a try. If it doesn't work out then just do the full test here. It's not that difficult, although of course it's more time consuming than a direct swap.

[richard_smith237]

18 minutes ago, transam said:

The 50cc bike is, you can ride on a car licence, but the real bike licence is left blank, not licenced.

My point is, a guy says LOS will give a licence on the strength of the 50cc thing, I am questioning it....

This is my UK licence below.

- Endorsements for AM, A1, A1, A which are cr_ppy little moped 50cc thingys or a trike [A 71(3)].

 

At DLT Area 3 (nr Sukhuhumvit 99 in Bangkok) I received a Thai Motorcycle License based on my UK car licence.

I processed / applied for both MC and Car licences at the same time at the same time and had to do the basic 'transition' tests, i.e. watch video - colour blindness, peripheral vision, reaction & proximity (2 sticks) tests (no exam or outdoor practical etc).

 

I don't think the DLT know about or care about the endorsements on the UK driving licence.

I think the DLT simply see the 'Silhouette' of a motorcycle and thats good enough for them (or was). 

 

Thus: IF your overseas DL is in English and it has picture or Silhouette of any form of motorcycle on it, it may well be good enough to obtain a Thai MC licence. 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

11 minutes ago, JayClay said:

That depends on when your license was issued. The automatic inclusion of 50cc ended quite some time ago (at least 20 years)

I'm not so sure thats true... It seems the Opposite for me.

My first licence ontained in the 90's shows no endorsements for any motorcycle (see below)

The renewal, obtained in 2015 clearly has endorsements for smaller MC's (50cc scooters etc).

 

11 minutes ago, JayClay said:

I agree that you probably can't officially use that 50cc endorsement to get a bike license in Thailand. However I also don't imagine that every transport office is versed in the intricate nuances of driving licence regulations from all around the world so it wouldn't surprise me if some people had managed to convince somebody to give them a licence based on it.

Exactly this... 

 

11 minutes ago, JayClay said:

I guess it's worth a try. If it doesn't work out then just do the full test here. It's not that difficult, although of course it's more time consuming than a direct swap.

Agreed... its definitely worth giving it a try, just to save the time and hassle. 

 

Not so much as an eyebrow was raised when I showed my UK licence (when applying for MC and Car licence at the same time).

 

 

 

[JayClay]

39 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

I'm not so sure thats true... It seems the Opposite for me.

My first licence ontained in the 90's shows no endorsements for any motorcycle (see below)

The renewal, obtained in 2015 clearly has endorsements for smaller MC's (50cc scooters etc).

Well it's a mystery to me....

According to this link....

 

Quote

Car driving test passed on or after 1 February 2001:

Unfortunately, this won’t help you with bypassing any tests. You will have to complete the CBT in order to ride a bike. But on the plus side, you’re starting in a really strong position! You have a good understanding of the road and of driving theory. You should be able to pick things up quicker as you already know the basics.

 

Car Driving Test Passed Before 1 February 2001:

Lucky you! You’ve got a head start. You can ride a moped (max 50cc) without L plates! If you want to upgrade to a 125cc however you’ll have to take a CBT. We would always recommend the CBT, it gives you a good understanding, a reminder of all theory and just as importantly, the confidence to get on a bike!

However the UK government website talks of further changes in 2013. Whether they reinstated the moped allowance I don't know. If anybody here speaks government, then the link I found was https://www.gov.uk/ride-motorcycle-moped/licences-issued-before-19-january-2013 but I can't make head or tail of what it's saying (to be fair I only had a quick scan before giving up - I'm mildly interested, but not interested enough to put any brain power into it! :D)

[transam]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

This is my UK licence below.

- Endorsements for AM, A1, A1, A which are cr_ppy little moped 50cc thingys or a trike [A 71(3)].

 

At DLT Area 3 (nr Sukhuhumvit 99 in Bangkok) I received a Thai Motorcycle License based on my UK car licence.

I processed / applied for both MC and Car licences at the same time at the same time and had to do the basic 'transition' tests, i.e. watch video - colour blindness, peripheral vision, reaction & proximity (2 sticks) tests (no exam or outdoor practical etc).

 

I don't think the DLT know about or care about the endorsements on the UK driving licence.

I think the DLT simply see the 'Silhouette' of a motorcycle and thats good enough for them (or was). 

 

Thus: IF your overseas DL is in English and it has picture or Silhouette of any form of motorcycle on it, it may well be good enough to obtain a Thai MC licence. 

 

 

Yes, that's his licence, mine is the earlier card licence, with the can ride any bike cos I passed the test in 1965...........????

[transam]

1 hour ago, JayClay said:

Well it's a mystery to me....

According to this link....

 

However the UK government website talks of further changes in 2013. Whether they reinstated the moped allowance I don't know. If anybody here speaks government, then the link I found was https://www.gov.uk/ride-motorcycle-moped/licences-issued-before-19-january-2013 but I can't make head or tail of what it's saying (to be fair I only had a quick scan before giving up - I'm mildly interested, but not interested enough to put any brain power into it! ????)

That's a shame................????

[Goat]

2 hours ago, transam said:

The 50cc bike is, you can ride on a car licence, but the real bike licence is left blank, not licenced.

My point is, a guy says LOS will give a licence on the strength of the 50cc thing, I am questioning it....

Why dont you just ring up the Konsong. 

It will take two minutes and give you the right answer.

[richard_smith237]

On 9/8/2023 at 4:45 PM, Goat said:

On 9/8/2023 at 2:10 PM, transam said:

The 50cc bike is, you can ride on a car licence, but the real bike licence is left blank, not licenced.

My point is, a guy says LOS will give a licence on the strength of the 50cc thing, I am questioning it....

Why dont you just ring up the Konsong. 

It will take two minutes and give you the right answer.

Never ask a question you may not want the answer to.

 

And.. it'll be impossible to know if they'll issue an MC licence based on description alone. 

 

Thus: IF showing the card and then telling them its only for a 50cc MC the response is likely to be cannot... or a shrug... 

 

The best advice is for Trans' mate to go and apply for the MC licence with his existing UK Driving Licence and just see what he can get away with.

Edited September 9, 2023 by richard_smith237

[transam]

1 minute ago, richard_smith237 said:

Never ask a question you may not want the answer to.

 

And.. it'll be impossible to know if they'll issue an MC licence based on description alone. 

 

Thus: IF showing the card and then telling them its only for a 50cc MC the response is likely to be cannot... or a shrug... 

 

The best advice is for Trans' mate to go and apply for the MC licence with his existing UK Driving Licence and just see what he can get away with.

 

Yep, that will probably be the outcome, but thought I would ask here first.

 

It also made me think of Brit tourists who drive a car back home, will have the 50cc thing enabled on their licence, so now I assume they could use it to rent real bikes ..

 

 

[herfiehandbag]

On 9/8/2023 at 2:10 PM, transam said:

The 50cc bike is, you can ride on a car licence, but the real bike licence is left blank, not licenced.

My point is, a guy says LOS will give a licence on the strength of the 50cc thing, I am questioning it....

My UK licence allows me to ride a bike up to 50cc. When I went to get my Thai car licence they gave me a motorcycle license as well. That was 7 years ago mind you.

 

Apparently it was triggered by the little pictures on the back of the UK licence which covered your various entitlements.

[transam]

On 9/8/2023 at 4:45 PM, Goat said:

Why dont you just ring up the Konsong. 

It will take two minutes and give you the right answer.

And how do I point to one of the 3 motorcycles on the back of a UK driving licence, or even explain about the difference between the 3 to a bird at LTO......................????..........................????

[transam]

1 minute ago, herfiehandbag said:

My UK licence allows me to ride a bike up to 50cc. When I went to get my Thai car licence they gave me a motorcycle license as well. That was 7 years ago mind you.

 

Apparently it was triggered by the little pictures on the back of the UK licence which covered your various entitlements.

That is more or less what a guy told me, but being a bit cautious, I didn't want my friend having a problem on his bike and being found to not have a valid UK real bike licence....????

[Screaming]

You have to be insane to want to ride a motorbike in Thailand.....or maybe have a death wish.

[transam]

6 minutes ago, Screaming said:

You have to be insane to want to ride a motorbike in Thailand.....or maybe have a death wish.

That isn't the nature of the thread, besides the chap in question wants to use his bike for local use only, and he resides in a very quiet area......????

You sound like you have no adventure in you, fear everything, my friend is very different.......????

Edited September 9, 2023 by transam

[Ralf001]

27 minutes ago, transam said:

That is more or less what a guy told me, but being a bit cautious, I didn't want my friend having a problem on his bike and being found to not have a valid UK real bike licence....????

By law after 90 days one must get a Thai licence.

Might as well do it sooner rather than later.

[transam]

1 minute ago, Ralf001 said:

By law after 90 days one must get a Thai licence.

Might as well do it sooner rather than later.

I know, but if he has a UK bike licence he does not have to do any actually riding, straight forward process...????

[Ralf001]

1 minute ago, transam said:

I know, but if he has a UK bike licence he does not have to do any actually riding, straight forward process...????

Some transport dept require an IDP as well.

Based upon your previous posts the IDP will not contain a motorcycle endorsement.

[transam]

3 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Some transport dept require an IDP as well.

Based upon your previous posts the IDP will not contain a motorcycle endorsement.

Then you may understand why I started this thread........????

[Eloquent pilgrim]

 

Apologies if I’ve missed something here, but if he has a 125cc Yamaha here, what licence was he using to ride it when he was here before ?

[transam]

1 minute ago, Eloquent pilgrim said:

 

Apologies if I’ve missed something here, but if he has a 125cc Yamaha here, what licence was he using to ride it when he was here before ?

Just bought it for a song............????

[Eloquent pilgrim]

7 minutes ago, transam said:

Just bought it for a song............????

Not sure if I'm clear about this; but he's bought a 125 cc Yamaha in Thailand without actually being here, and hasn't riden a motorcycle before ... is that right ?