Riding motorbikes

Information and questions about driving in Andalucia, buying or importing cars and motorbikes plus legal issues surrounding taxes and licenses.
Torrox_campo
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Riding motorbikes

Postby Torrox_campo » Tue Oct 23, 2018 12:15 pm

I am thinking of buying a 125cc motorbike here to travel short distance between my house and the coast.
Am I ok to ride with uk car license?
I am non resident with NIE document and owning a house here, can I buy and register the bike as owner?
Please give any advice and they are greatly appreciated.

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costakid
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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby costakid » Tue Oct 23, 2018 1:42 pm

Depending on your age your licence may cover a bike plus a 7.5 tonne lorry. It depends on your age or when you passed your test. Modern licences don't even allow you to tow a retailer. You would still ned to do the CBT in the uk i guess.

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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby El Cid » Tue Oct 23, 2018 5:01 pm

If you have held a car license for 3 years, you are allowed to drive a motorcycle up to 125cc.

This applies to UK and Spanish licence holders. It is not necessary to have anything on your licence regarding a motorcycle class, it is a Spain only concession, for example if you drove on a Spanish licence in the UK it would not be allowed.

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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby Torrox_campo » Tue Oct 23, 2018 6:26 pm

Thank costakid and ElCid for your replies.
I believe you can ride less than 125cc bike in the uk with car license but was surprised, reading from this forum, that you can ride 125cc bike in Spain.
I am over 60 and have been holding uk car license more than 30 years so I can ride this 125cc bike is that correct?

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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby El Cid » Tue Oct 23, 2018 6:54 pm

Correct.

Sid

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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby Torrox_campo » Tue Oct 23, 2018 7:00 pm

Thank you El Cid. One thing less worrying about. Next one is bike insurance perhaps the current Spanish owner will give some advice.

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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby john the baptist » Tue Oct 23, 2018 8:00 pm

You can with a uk car licence ride a 125cc under i believe 15cv (horsepower) I say this because you can buy a new scooter 125 cc which will be great.
You CAN NOT however get an 2T (2 stroke) Aprilia RS 125, they are no 4 stroke how both these racing road bikes can do 180 kph with some modifications.
I bought loads of bikes and scooters in my time in spain ironically Im going to finally exchange my UK licence for a spanish one and will be asking for advice.
The photo ones run out every 10 years and with brexit it might be a good time to change. as for insurance if you buy a second hand bike and cheap go linea directa who are good but its not fully comp but the break down service is excellent and they speak english if you need it.
if you want fully comp then go to Mapfre but they will be spanish only. Im with linea directa for house car and bikes. I hope this helps.

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costakid
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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby costakid » Tue Oct 23, 2018 9:09 pm

Torrox_campo wrote:Thank costakid and ElCid for your replies.
I believe you can ride less than 125cc bike in the uk with car license but was surprised, reading from this forum, that you can ride 125cc bike in Spain.
I am over 60 and have been holding uk car license more than 30 years so I can ride this 125cc bike is that correct?
No one can ride a 125 bike in the uk without passing the CBT so I think you will need that if you are using your uk licence even in Spain.

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costakid
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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby costakid » Tue Oct 23, 2018 9:10 pm

found this online

If you passed your driving test before 1 February 2001 you can legally ride a moped (up to 50cc) with no L plates, without taking a CBT course or the full moped test. In this instance you will, however, need to take a CBT if you want to ride anything larger than a 50cc moped.

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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby john the baptist » Tue Oct 23, 2018 9:49 pm

in the uk its CBT with permanent L plates and no passengers. In Spain any UK Car licence except if your 17 you will be able drive a 125cc. Id recommend a 125cc scooter, if you can got for the yamaha or the new Kymcos. If you want a motorbike well there are 100's of different types. Just to **** your interest they are coming out with an absolute brilliant 4 wheeled scooter NOT a quad. I believe you dont even need a helmet legally but obviously its recommend. This scooter can never fall over and parking is so easy as you literally gently get off it and push or pull it into a tiny space vertically on a road. with all round ABS you can fly around the round about and speed humps. (not like id recommend it of course).

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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby El Cid » Tue Oct 23, 2018 10:35 pm

costakid wrote: No one can ride a 125 bike in the uk without passing the CBT so I think you will need that if you are using your uk licence even in Spain.
Not true. Anyone holding a licence for a car can drive a 125cc motor cycle (power limited) as long as they have had that car group on their licence for 3 years.

This applies to any licence which is valid in Spain. This is a specific Spanish law, and if they say you can do it, you can. UK rules are completely irrelevant.

Sid

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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby costakid » Wed Oct 24, 2018 7:40 am

I get that but if you are avoiding taking a Spanish test surely the UK licence rules must apply.

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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby Torrox_campo » Wed Oct 24, 2018 8:14 am

john the baptist wrote:You can with a uk car licence ride a 125cc under i believe 15cv (horsepower) I say this because you can buy a new scooter 125 cc which will be great.
You CAN NOT however get an 2T (2 stroke) Aprilia RS 125, they are no 4 stroke how both these racing road bikes can do 180 kph with some modifications.
I bought loads of bikes and scooters in my time in spain ironically Im going to finally exchange my UK licence for a spanish one and will be asking for advice.
The photo ones run out every 10 years and with brexit it might be a good time to change. as for insurance if you buy a second hand bike and cheap go linea directa who are good but its not fully comp but the break down service is excellent and they speak english if you need it.
if you want fully comp then go to Mapfre but they will be spanish only. Im with linea directa for house car and bikes. I hope this helps.
Thank you for your advice the bike I am thinking is a Honda pcx 125 which is a 4 strokes engine.
Linea directa sounds great Ill give them a call if I'll get that bike.
Last edited by Torrox_campo on Wed Oct 24, 2018 8:22 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby Torrox_campo » Wed Oct 24, 2018 8:17 am

costakid wrote:found this online

If you passed your driving test before 1 February 2001 you can legally ride a moped (up to 50cc) with no L plates, without taking a CBT course or the full moped test. In this instance you will, however, need to take a CBT if you want to ride anything larger than a 50cc moped.
Yes this is what I understand the law in the uk, may be I need a CBT test after all.

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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby Torrox_campo » Wed Oct 24, 2018 8:21 am

costakid wrote:
Torrox_campo wrote:Thank costakid and ElCid for your replies.
I believe you can ride less than 125cc bike in the uk with car license but was surprised, reading from this forum, that you can ride 125cc bike in Spain.
I am over 60 and have been holding uk car license more than 30 years so I can ride this 125cc bike is that correct?
No one can ride a 125 bike in the uk without passing the CBT so I think you will need that if you are using your uk licence even in Spain.
El Cid wrote:
costakid wrote: No one can ride a 125 bike in the uk without passing the CBT so I think you will need that if you are using your uk licence even in Spain.
Not true. Anyone holding a licence for a car can drive a 125cc motor cycle (power limited) as long as they have had that car group on their licence for 3 years.

This applies to any licence which is valid in Spain. This is a specific Spanish law, and if they say you can do it, you can. UK rules are completely irrelevant.

Sid
I am more confused ! Which one is right? Do I need a CBT test to ride 125cc bike in Spain?

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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby El Cid » Wed Oct 24, 2018 8:32 am

Royal Decree 818/209 Article 5 Section 7


7. The permission of classes B, B + E, C1, C1 + E, C, C + E, D1, D1 + E, D and D + E does not authorize the driving of motorcycles with or without sidecar. However, the persons who are in possession of the valid Class B permit, with a seniority of more than three years, may drive within the national territory the motorcycles of class A1.


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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby john the baptist » Wed Oct 24, 2018 9:08 am

and just to add the Gib police of clamping down heavy on this as obviously a driving licence is not enough to ride into gib on a 125cc. I believe they have a lower limit of 100cc which essentially mean 50cc. ironically these are the bikes that all the La Linea tobacco smugglers use. Coincidence??? They may claim it stops the kids from accidents however there are so many fixed speed cameras in gib now and mobile radar with police that speeding is a nightmare 50kph can change to 30 very very quicky with little warning if you dont know.

It in theory stops anyone traveling from say up the costa to get tobacco as 50cc is too small for autovia. Also for many years I had an Isle of Mann licence from when i lived there, had it in spain for years and linea directa had no problem with it. what they may do which i thought was strange was to send someone to look at the bike to see that my new machine was actually new and rideable and i was not just an insurance scammer. This happened on my first 2 bikes but after that no problem.

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costakid
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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby costakid » Wed Oct 24, 2018 10:00 am

I guess you are UK based with a holiday home in Spain. If so for what it takes to get a CBT I would get one. Belts and braces as they say. So easy to pass.

Also the Guardia can be having an off day and make your life hell as we all know so i can't believe Sid is not advising getting a CBT. The Guardia make it up as they go along if they want to fine you.

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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby El Cid » Wed Oct 24, 2018 11:12 am

I know a number of people who have driven 125cc bikes on a UK car licence and insured them OK in Spain.

The Guardia will not create a problem as almost all 125cc bikes in Spain are ridden with a car licence and they would be very busy if they stopped them al and fined them.

The Guardia would not have the slightest idea what a CBT was. Also a CBT is only usable (without a test) in the UK with a provisional licence and provisional licences are not valid in Spain.

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Re: Riding motorbikes

Postby Torrox_campo » Wed Oct 24, 2018 12:35 pm

I have talked to the owner, the bike belonged to his wife and she has been riding it with car license legally. I am getting some insurance quote and the owner is finding out how to transfer ownership at the trafico in velez managa.
Thank you all for the comments.


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