Motorcycles for learner and restricted riders
Motorcycles riders with a learner permit or restricted licence can only ride certain motorcycles.
You can only ride certain motorcycles if you have a:
- motorcycle learner permit
- restricted motorcycle licence.
This is known as the ‘Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme’ (LAMS). If you don’t follow these rules, you may be fined.
Search safe bikes to find one with an anti-lock braking system.
Approved motorcycles
Approved motorcycles, must:
- be in a standard form, as produced by the manufacturer
- not be modified in a way that increases the power-mass ratio
- have a power-to-weight ratio of 150 kilowatts per tonne or less
Unless they’re in the ‘non-approved’ list below, motorcycles are automatically approved if they meet one of these criteria:
- have an engine capacity of 260cc or less
- were manufactured before 1960 and are 660cc or less
- currently available electric powered motorcycle.
Non-approved motorcycle rules
You can’t ride the vehicle if it has:
- an engine modified to make it more powerful, by someone other than the manufacturer
- a power-to-weight ratio of more than 150 kilowatts per tonne
- an engine capacity of more than 660cc.
Sometimes, we may not include a motorcycle on the approved list if:
- it’s unsuitable for learners
- it appears more frequently in crash data.
Getting a motorcycle model approved
We update the ‘learner approved’ list regularly as suitable new models are approved, however the list is not exhaustive.
If you want us to add a motorcycle model to the list:
- check it meets ‘approved motorcycles’ criteria (see information above)
- check whether it appears on the ‘non-approved motorcycles’ list
- write to us and include the following information about the motorcycle model:
- make
- model
- year of manufacture
- engine number
- vehicle identification number or chassis number/frame number
- cubic capacity
- tare weight (plus the source of the information provided)
- power at the crankshaft (plus the source of the information provided)
- justification of why it should be learner approved.
Send your application to [email protected]