What is an A1 motorbike licence?

The A1 motorcycle license is a type of bike license that can be taken by riders aged 17 and over. It sits between the 16-year-old accessible moped (AM) license, and the A2 motorcycle license.

If you are aged 17 or 18, it’s the only motorcycle license you can applied for.

How to get an A1 motorcycle license

If you are over 17 and want to ride an A1 class motorcycle, you’ll need a valid license with provisional motorcycle entitlement.

Next, you’ll need to complete your CBT (compulsory basic training). Once you’ve completed the CBT, you can ride an A1 class bike with L plates on the road until your CBT expires.

The CBT lasts for two years. If you haven't taken and passed the A1 motorbike test during this time, you can retake the CBT again.

You cannot take pillions or ride on motorways during this stage.

Remember: you will also need to insure your A1 class motorcycle to legally ride on the road.

Once you have your CBT and also a valid theory test certificate, you can then take the two-part practical A1 motorcycle test. This must be done on a bike between 120cc and 125cc with a power not exceeding 11kW (14.75bhp).

What is an A1 motorcycle, and what bikes can be ridden with an A1 license?

Once you have an A1 license, and as long as you have suitable motorbike insurance, you can now ride any motorcycle up to 125cc and 11kW (14.75bhp) without L plates. You can also ride on motorways and carry pillions.

The 125cc and under class (i.e. bikes you can ride on an A1 license) is possibly the most crowded class in motorcycling today.

All the major bike manufacturers have machines in this category, so it’s really up to you to decide on the style of machine that’s right for you. In addition to ample sub-125 machines from the big Japanese four, there is now an increasing amount of competition in the A1 bike class from the likes of Lexmoto and other Chinese manufacturers.

Whether you’re looking for sports bike styling such as the Yamaha YZF-R125, need a more traditional commuter like a Honda CB125, or something a bit left-field like the streetfighter styled KTM125 Duke, there really is something to emulate the look and feel of pretty much any class of big bike.

What are the cheapest A1 bikes to inure?

There are no hard and fast rules when determining which 125cc A1 bike will be the cheapest to insure. As a rule of thumb, more expensive bikes with “sportier” styling are likely to attract higher premiums. Newer bikes will also typically be more expensive to insure than equivalent older models, although this might not always the case.

Because motorcycle insurance quotes depend on a multitude of factors – not just the bike, but also the personal circumstances of the rider, it’s always going to be easier to find the right A1 bike insurance for you by comparing the market with a motorcycle comparison service.

If you haven’t bought your A1 bike and the cost of insurance is a deciding factor when choosing which bike to go for, you can compare different makes and models of A1 bikes for free via Biker Insure. Simply enter your details once, and then run new quotes on the system after selecting a different A1 motorcycle.

If you already own an A1 bike and are on the lookout for 125cc motorbike insurance, simply enter your reg number into the system, plus your personal details and the type of insurance you are looking for. The system will compare 25+ motorcycle insurance brokers in the UK to find the right insurance for your A1 bike.

Find out how much you could save on your 125cc A1 class motorcycle today:

Not riding with an A1 bike licence? Don't worry, you can compare motorcycle insurance whether you have a full class A motorcycle licence, or are riding with an A2, A1 or moped (AM) licence.