L plated mopeds/scooters

SpeedFreak · 26 Apr 2011 at 22:35

So my question is should they really be on the roads unsupervised? The reason I ask is that they seem more prone to reckless riding than any other road user. Recently one overtook me as I was starting a turn right. Fortunately I managed to stop before wrecking him. I also saw one a couple of years back dive into a cycle lane to pass a car stopped in the road about to turn left and hit another car that was coming out of the junction.

To me they are no different to cars in that the user is a danger to themselves and to others (although I fully accept that cars can cause much more damage to a third party) and should be treated as a learner motorcyclist with the same restrictions. What are your thoughts on it?

Semple · 26 Apr 2011 at 22:40

I agree, I wouldn't change the age as I loved my moped at 16 was nice to have freedom. But I think rather than a cbt "training" there should be a more vigorous test to prove that you do have road sense.

Mucky_Pup · 26 Apr 2011 at 22:40

SpeedFreak said:
To me they are no different to cars in that the user is a danger to themselves and to others (although I fully accept that cars can cause much more damage to a third party) and should be treated as a learner motorcyclist with the same restrictions. What are your thoughts on it?

?? L plated mopeds/scooters and motorbikes are the same, both allow unsupervised riding on the road, so I don't know what you mean by your last statement.

But yes I do agree, there does seem to be quite a number of bellends on mopeds, namely because it's the chavs first mode of transport until they either move on to be annoying and dangerous on 2 stroke 125 dirtbikes, or until they are old enough to get a Citroen Saxo.

Ghosteh · 26 Apr 2011 at 22:45

SpeedFreak said:
To me they are no different to cars in that the user is a danger to themselves and to others (although I fully accept that cars can cause much more damage to a third party) and should be treated as a learner motorcyclist with the same restrictions. What are your thoughts on it?

As said, they do have the same restrictions on them as learner motorcyclists, they're under 33bhp, and will have had to pass a CBT before being allowed out on the road.

Unfortunately, I don't see how they'd be able to change the rules simply for mopeds, it would have to be for everyone, and again, I don't really think they'd be able to do it.

SpeedFreak · 26 Apr 2011 at 23:09

Mucky_Pup said:
?? L plated mopeds/scooters and motorbikes are the same, both allow unsupervised riding on the road, so I don't know what you mean by your last statement.

Up to 125cc so not really a motorbike in the sense I mean.

Ghosteh · 26 Apr 2011 at 23:14

SpeedFreak said:
Up to 125cc so not really a motorbike in the sense I mean.

The only motorbikes that can ride on their own on L plates are 125's and below.

SpeedFreak · 26 Apr 2011 at 23:32

Ghosteh said:
The only motorbikes that can ride on their own on L plates are 125's and below.

I'll be honest, I don't know the exact ins and outs of the motorcycle restrictions, however the sense in letting unsupervised 16 year old males on the roads with one day of training is not a particularly good idea imo.

Ghosteh · 26 Apr 2011 at 23:37

SpeedFreak said:
I'll be honest, I don't know the exact ins and outs of the motorcycle restrictions, however the sense in letting unsupervised 16 year old males on the roads with one day of training is not a particularly good idea imo.

Yeah, the only thing a 16 year old can get on is a 50cc. I don't really see that as a good option either IMO, I don't see why they just have the limit set at 17 for 125's and just forget about the 50's for 16 year old.

liamgo · 27 Apr 2011 at 00:24

In theory it works, at the age of 16 you can only legally ride a moped that is capable of no more than 29mph which a cbt is more than enough training for, when you reach 17 your allowed a motorbike upto 125cc that has no more than 14.2hp which again is perfectly reasonable with only a cbt as training.

The problem occurs when kids illegally ride these mopeds/motorbikes by derestricting them, adding performance parts and going out and being silly because they're at the age where they think they're invincible. Instead of having a 16 year old plodding along at 29mph as intended they're now riding speeds of upto 55-60mph flat out everywhere, `buzzing from the rush of it which means they forget all of that training they learned during the cbt, same thing with 125s, instead of riding a gutless restricted bike thats capable of 65-70mph theyre ripping around at upto 100mph.

Bike manufactures never helped things either, take the aprilia rs125, thats a road legal track bike and up untill 2004 they came out of the factory with around 28hp and were sold to learners as learner legal bikes when in fact they weren't, only when these euro emission legislations came out were they restricted and fell into the learner legal bracket, but this only applies some 2 stroke 125 bikes.

its all a bit backwards tbh, take the bike tests, from 17 to 21 you can take a restricted bike test, which means you take your test on a 125cc bike and this allows you to ride any bike of any cc aslong as its restricted to 33hp for 2 years, or you can do your full test at 21 and ride anything you like, in theory you can have no bike experience at all, turn 21, pass your direct access and jump on a 200mph+ hayabusa, but if your 20 and youve been riding since 16 and go for your restricted license and you pass your only allowed 33hp for 2 years? wheres the logic?

Kaeo · 27 Apr 2011 at 04:37

I agree somewhat, in theory.

Though there is nothing different from it in the car test. You could easily pass your test at 17, buy a ferrari and kill ten people by driving on the pavement on the way home from the showroom.

Fact is, you can't justify not letting 16 year olds ride mopeds by suggesting that all 16 years olds are stupid, reckless and unsafe. I took my first CBT 2 months after my 16th birthday, been riding for almost 8 years now. Never ridden "stupidly", had a few close calls, due to the stupidity of other drivers (car), and never had a serious accident.

It's like anything you need a liscense for. There has to be a basic test of intelligence and ability, after that it's down to the persons own maturity and sensibility. Any bike, even a restricted 125, can be ridden fast and stupidly.

"Guns don't kill people, idiots with guns kill people."