A1 motorcycle license
In the same way that to drive a car, you need to have an official license in order, to drive motorcycles of up to 125 cc you need to have an A1 license. In this sense, it is important to know how to obtain this permit, as well as what type of vehicles it allows to drive.
In 2006, the European Union urged member countries to create a system of homogeneous driving licenses for the entire territory of the Union. As a result of this requirement, the A permit arises. This type of license is made up of the categories: AM, for mopeds, as well as the A1 driving licence, the A2 and A licences, which allow motorcycles of different displacements to be driven.
This change in Spanish legislation became effective with Directive 2006/126/EC , which established the need to modify all active driving licenses in Spain, so that they were adapted to the European model. In this way, a series of new categories were also created, eliminating the old format, so the old 125 motorcycle license was renamed A1 license.
Of course, the good thing about this permission format is that each one includes the previous one. In other words, the A1 driving license also allows you to drive mopeds (AM), while the A2 allows you to drive the A1 motorcycles and the A allows you to drive any two-wheeled vehicle that exists.
A1 motorcycle license
When talking about motorcycle licences, there are several common questions, one of the most common is usually: at what age can you get a motorcycle license? . In this sense, you can take the A1 exam for motorcycles, when you are already 16 years old.
The A1 motorcycle license only allows you to drive motorcycles with a displacement of 125 cubic centimeters , slightly less than 15 HP of power, with a power and empty mass ratio of 0.1kW/kg.
Another common question is, does the class A1 driving license authorize driving motorcycles with sidecars? The answer is, it depends. Motorcycles with sidecars are considered three-wheeled vehicles, so the license allows them to be driven as long as they do not exceed 15 kW of power . For higher power tricycles an A permit is needed.
A2 motorcycle license
What driving license authorizes to drive motorcycles with a power greater than 35 kW? The answer is the A2. And if you’re wondering, up to what displacement can you drive with the A2? The truth is that there is no limit , although there is for power, which in no case may exceed 48 hp, that is, 35 kW. In this sense, the age to obtain this permit is 18 years.
Regarding the A2 license, the law is somewhat ambiguous and diffuse, since at no time does the legislative text speak about exact CV, but rather it is expressed only by kW . In the same way, nowhere in the revised law is a limitation to the displacement expressed, so that the maximum CC depends on the dimensions of the engine .
This characteristic of the A2 can be dangerous, especially when buying a motorcycle, so we remind you that the limit is 35 kW of power, that is, about 48 CV. So that you know how to calculate the difference yourself, to go from kW to CV you have to divide the kW by 0.736. If what you want is to perform the opposite operation, from CV to kW, you will only have to multiply the CV by the same number.
In this sense, the license does allow you to drive motorcycles with higher power, as long as they can be limited. What allows you to buy a large displacement motorcycle, limit it and, once you can obtain the A license, eliminate the limiter.
Motorcycle license A
This driving license enables you to drive any type of motorcycle , without limitation to power, as well as any tricycle. In other words, you have an open bar to buy and enjoy the most powerful motorcycle you can find.
In order to take the A card exam and obtain the permit, you need to be 20 years old, although you will not be authorized to drive tricycles of more than 15 kW until you are 21 years old.
How to get the A1 permit?
If you meet the basic requirement of having reached the age of 16, then you will have to pass a psychophysical aptitude test, as well as a medical examination. If you have passed both, you will be able to take the exam which, like the car exam, consists of two parts, one practical and one theoretical .
The theoretical exam is divided into two parts; a general one that consists of 30 questions about the highway code and in which you cannot make more than 3 errors, plus a specific one, with 20 questions about motorcycles and that only admits 2 errors. The good part of this exam is that, if you pass both parts, you will not have to do a theory again to obtain the higher permits (A2 and A) and, if you have a type B car license, you will only have to do the part bike specific to the exam.
If you pass the two theoretical tests, you will have to carry out two practices, the first on a closed circuit and the second on the street. For the second, you will have a helmet with Bluetooth so that the examiner can give you instructions from a car that will follow you while you drive.
Finally, if you have had a B driving license for three years or more , you can drive type A1 motorcycles without having to get your license.
Now that you know how to obtain your permits, do not forget that when driving a motorcycle you must have all the safety elements, such as a helmet and protective clothing. Don’t forget to always have a battery starter so you don’t get stranded at some point.
