A2 Restrictions

[Calite]

So im booking myself in for my A2 over the summer (theory next week, yay) and have been (foolishly I know) looking at potential bikes.

Ive pretty much settled on an old 500 (GPZ/CB/ER/GS) since that seems like the most suitable bike I can afford (1-1.5k for a fast b-road/dual carriageway commute). My first choice would be a GPZ500 but depending on where you look the power readouts seem to vary from 47-57bhp (rather big difference from MCN to wikipedia with visordown and other sitting around 50). So with this in mind im still betting that a fair few horses will have escaped over the years and technically the bike would be fine. However I dont know what one of the random readouts an insurer will take from. How do you prove the bike is under the limit? Will a dyno readout be fine or will I have to buy a restrictor kit (lol) to get a super offishiol sertifikate of restriction, if the latter is true does anyone know the legality of just making one up in microsoft word and scanning it off?

Also anyone know of any other decent bikes that are a little heftyer than a 250 that can be ridden on an A2 for under £1500ish

tldr: Another "I dont fucking understand Brussels, what bike is fastest innit m8" thread, troll & move along.

[Taught2BCauti...]

Check this Official List for bikes you can ride on an A2 licence. You can filter on the 'Category' column.

Some of those on the list need to be restricted, some don't, because the power output is within the limit.

There's a few on the list that don't need to be restricted, that can be bought cheaply.
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Honda Varadero XL125(V8)
www.TheFutureIsHere.eu

[Teflon-Mike]

The law takes the manufacturers claimed power output from the brochure.
What any-one else says doesn't matter;
If a bike is declared by the maker to produce more than 35Kw.. it makes more than 35Kw end off.... it could have a dead squirrel in the carburetor intake, two spark-plugs missing, tappets clearances bigger than the budget deficit, and no pistons rings.... as far as plod's concerned YOU shouldn't be riding it....
Unless YOU have done 'something' to ensure that it is DEFINITELY restricted to beneath licence entitlement limits.
What you do is up to you... law doesn't make any suggestions, let alone place any requirements on you, OTHER than its up to YOU to ensure that it is within licence entitlement.... and be prepared to justify if not prove that if required to do so.
"Well the fella I bought it off said" is not something YOU have done to adequetly ensure restriction..
"Well its old, y'honour, innit.... wont have ALL the power the book said... and they always make the claims bigger, anyway, dunt they?" Wont wash
"Well, I looked on the net, and bike-spex.com said the one they tested only had 42rwhp so I reckoned that was good enough" don't count
YOU have to do SOMETHING.. positive to make it less powerful... AND be able to show so....
Buying a restriction kit? - shows some 'precaution' to ensure licence eligibility.. but doesn't show you have ENSURED bike is within limits.. kit, receipt for kit; official certificate of restriction that comes with kit.. really only shows you BOUGHT a kit.. law expects you to show that kit has been fitted, and works.... so you need a paper-trail that shows you have done something TO the bike and it is definitely 'modified' so as to be in licence regs. Letter of Restriction from a recognized mechanic or the like, maybe backed by independent dyno run... how much 'proof' you may want is up to you.. but onus IS on you to prove a bike the maker says isn't within your licence entitlement has been made so by you.
Meanwhile, back to the manufacturers declared specs being the only ones the law is concerned with, and the no more than 1/2 original power criteria of the restrictions; if a manufacturer declares a bike to make more than 70Kw/92bhp.. then again, you should not be riding it at ALL, it cant be restricted... doesn't matter if Which Magazine have refuted the manufacturers claims and shown that 90% of the bikes they sell only make half the claimed power... LAW goes by what the makers CLAIM.. end-of.

Onto the subject of whether you might ever be challenged to justify your restriction... THAT is another matter.. and the risks are all your own.. but if you want to ride something that the makers say makes more than 45bhp... YOU take the risk of being challenged and the onus to show you have done something to make it complaint... you don't have to buy a bike that needs restricting.
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[Taught2BCauti...]

The bikes on the Official List that have (RES) or (RESTRICTED) after them, need to be altered like Tef said.

The one's that don't, can be ridden as is without anything being done to them, and can usually be bought cheaper than the one's that need to be altered.
____________________
Honda Varadero XL125(V8)
www.TheFutureIsHere.eu

[Rogerborg]

[weasley]

[Matt B]

The whole A2 situation is crazy and full of contradictions.

Example - If you were doing a test on your own restricted A2 bike they say the examiner will want to see proof of restriction. However, "A dyno test certificate will not be accepted as proof of the restriction."

Funny how if they wanted to screw you over for riding not in accordance that's the exact method they would use for proof.

For proof of A2 restriction (at test) - "It must be on headed notepaper from a main dealer, official importer or recognised specialist, and must show the motorcycle’s registration number."

Recognised specialist, in what, and according to whom? Would they take that headed paper letter as total proof of restriction if it came to a legal case? Probably not.
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stinkwheel: He had an animated .gif of a cat performing fellatio. It's not socially acceptable. It can have real life adverse effects on other people.

[Rogerborg]

[josh95]

Hey mate, i guess you read my post aswell on the same topic. im doing my test next month.
I think a 90's 500 is probably what im going for aswell, interested to hear what one u choose im still undecided myself.

[Calite]

So... buy GPZ complete wth 20 year old dirt in the carbs and get it dynoed. IF it gets questioned just show the dyno readout and claim that it is adequatly restricted to accordance yada yada.... ffs mayby ill just grab a busa and pop a garret T25 turbo in it and call it a day, that makes a good first big bike yeah.

It seems the only definitive is buying a newish 250-400 from the government approved list as there is not set definition of what restriction actually means. Personaly I would rather get a bike without a restriction as choking up a bike so.that it runs otherwise to the designers intention just seems wrong in my mind.

[spannermonkey...]

I did my A2 test a while back and all the manoeuvres were easy, as being on a 125 is so light that I could do circle all day and figures of 8. With 18 months 100cc riding under my belt.

I moved onto a GS500K2, brought it at new, silly when your young, and sold it with over 30'000 miles, simple to learn and fix and really forgiving. I unrestricted it after a 6 months of riding as long as I didn't pass a copper at over the ton (it would top out at 118mph or so my mate told me when he looked over my shoulder from his cbr600). I kept the restriction paperwork but it was never checked.

The one thing I've always remembered, I had a friend who had money and he did the direct access thing and brought a lovely R6 and me on my GoSlow- GS500 as it was named. He would out run me in a straight line, thats easy but the fool couldn't corner for toffee. I personally think A2 if your young enough is the best route, made me a better rider than many of the DAS lot I had ridden with, as I had been riding longer on a whole host of machines.

Enjoy it, what ever you choose.
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Current machines - Aprilia RS250. Kawasaki H1A 500. Past machines - Kawasaki ZX7r P6, Yamaha RD250E (the one that got away), BSA Racing bantam (revs over 10'000 sweet as), Yamaha RXS100, Suzuki GP100, Suzuki GS500K2 - best all year machine ever - come rain, sleet and snow just epic.

[Beehive Bedlam]

[Rogerborg]