BSA + Learner

[Greybeard]

My son is showing some interest in getting a motorcycle licence so we can do BSA club events together. I'm thinking about buying a smaller BSA for him to ride. When I looked at the government website it uses kilowatts as a measure of power. I don't know if his first BSA would have to be 125 Bantam or would something with a larger capacity be OK; I'd prefer a four-stroke.

Who understands the rules for learners in the UK?

[Angus]

HI GB.
Not sure I still understand the rules as my son’s seems like a ling time ago now (8 years).
Anyway, here is what I know/ think
Step one CBT this would allow him to ride something like a bantam as the limit is 125cc and they are way less then 11KW, I don’t know of any BSA 4 stroke of 125cc capacity or less
Step 2 A2 licence this would allow him to ride upto 47hp/35kw, your A10 
What we did for Luke, we setup a course for him with a local company that took him through CBT and onto A2 in one hop over a couple of weeks, not cheap about £700, 8 years ago but that then gave him options of what to ride
Happy to chat about it is you PM me a number

[Butch (cb)]

And a Bantam would be a good way to put anybody off.

[Greybeard]

And a Bantam would be a good way to put anybody off.

Do you know if a C15 would be within a UK learners power range?

[BagONails]

HI GB.
Not sure I still understand the rules as my son’s seems like a ling time ago now (8 years).
Anyway, here is what I know/ think
Step one CBT this would allow him to ride something like a bantam as the limit is 125cc and they are way less then 11KW, I don’t know of any BSA 4 stroke of 125cc capacity or less
Step 2 A2 licence this would allow him to ride upto 47hp/35kw, your A10 
What we did for Luke, we setup a course for him with a local company that took him through CBT and onto A2 in one hop over a couple of weeks, not cheap about £700, 8 years ago but that then gave him options of what to ride
Happy to chat about it is you PM me a number

Coo its changed a bit since I did mine then:
Yam FS1E - 16'er special on L plates at 16
Anything up to max of 249cc on L plates at 17, most of us went for Yam RD's, Suzi GT's or Honda CB's (boring!)
Pass your test possibly within weeks of your 17th birthday and go and buy a Kwaka H2 750cc, Laverda Jota or Suzuki GS1000

What could possibly go wrong? or WCPGW if you prefer.  (sorry to say but Beezer's didn't excite us very much in 1978, funny how things change eh. )

[Angus]

Do you know if a C15 would be within a UK learners power range?

I dont think so as the limit is 125cc and C15's are 250. Unfortunately the limit is both the up to 125cc and below 11kw

How about a BSA Beagle 

[Topdad]

Butch don't know about a bantam putting someone off my pet small BSA hate was the Barracuda and who could forget the starfire ,if ever there was an engine trying to turn  itself inside out before it started it was that!
Neil, sorry haven't a clue mate with these new rules but really hope your son catches the BSA bug!

[groily]

Butch don't know about a bantam putting someone off my pet small BSA hate was the Barracuda and who could forget the starfire ,if ever there was an engine trying to turn  itself inside out before it started it was that!

With you Topdad!
C15s were bad enough in my experience - took my test on one back in 1971 at sixteen-'n-a-bit - but the extra oomph of the later 250s was a triumph (pardon the pun) of marketing over common sense.
I actually envied a mate who had a D14/4 which always worked except when he crashed it (often), while I remained mostly uncrashed - probably because the 250 wasn't running often enough! The B40s (the ones with the roller bearing down below anyway) seemed to be pretty good, by comparison - but no good for Learners back then  . . .  Other friends really liked (and some still do) their much-beefed up 441s and B50s, which did seem to be quite reliable - by the standards of the day anyway. Unless you compared any of them with one o' they new-fangled Honda things  . . . There was quite a rash of CB360s by the early-ish '70s as I recall, with a lot of smug owners  . . . .
What a Learner can have today, I just don't know. How about one of the modern AJS 125s? Probably made of Chinese Cheese, but they don't look bad some of them, and good reports are to be found. If they are under the Kw limit, which I'm guessing they must be.
Here in France I see hundreds of hopefuls running around with 2 way radios following instructions from an instructor in a car - they seem to be able to ride 450-ish twins, under supervision. Not sure if they can ride anything at all bar a 49cc thing without being under instruction though  . . .
While it's tempting to complain that it's all got too darn complicated, I was reminded a couple of days ago when my daughter took a test ride on a Yamaha MT10 that I am quite pleased she and her man have been through the formal training. When she had a Honda Blackbird and him something even more frighteningly powerful, I did used to worry a bit when they told me war stories that probably weren't all that exaggerated.

[Minto]

Doesn't it depend on your age any more. I thought you could do a direct access course on a bigger capacity bike if you were over twenty something. That may have been longer ago than I care to remember though.

[Minto]

I've just looked on the gov web page and it seems that if your lad is over 19 and has a full car license, with provisional MC entitlement he can do his learning (and messing about for up to two years) on any bike not exceeding 35kw. A C15 would be well within that, as would an A10 I think.
Jase

[Angus]

Doesn't it depend on your age any more. I thought you could do a direct access course on a bigger capacity bike if you were over twenty something. That may have been longer ago than I care to remember though.

Yep that is what my son did for his 21st birthday present from me  . He did ask/want it honest and still rides even to work on a nice day and I get reports of the A10 being sighted outside Halfords.

my pet small BSA hate was the Barracuda and who could forget the starfire ,if ever there was an engine trying to turn  itself inside out before it started it was that!

Hey  my first 'big' bike was a Starfire took my test on it and still have fond memories of it and look at buying one, even though I probably spent more time fixing it then riding it   

GB I have just tried to re-read the gov and other details of what and when, it is confusing, best bet is to pop into a motorcycle shop or a motorcycle training centre and ask

[Minto]

Ah so more haters of the b25, I had a Triumph!!! TR25W for a couple of years and can honestly say, it was bar none, the best bike I ever had for riding in London, started first kick every time, minimal maintenance, and so much fun in busy traffic. Not sure what I'd make of it now but still miss it.

[Rex]

I'd have to agree. B25s and similar were good bikes for older sensible riders who actually did maintenance and didn't expect to beat RDs etc.
Trouble was, that wasn't who rode 'em back then..

[muskrat]

G'day Fellas.
Down here (the lucky country) anything made before 1960 and up to 660cc can be ridden by a learner.
These BSA's are on the list. BSA B50SS Gold Star, BSA B34 500 Gold Star, BSA Gold Star,  BSA A10 650Golden Flash, BSA A10 Super Rocket,     BSA    A50-500 Royal Star,  BSA A65L 650 Lightning, BSA A65SS 650 Spitfire, BSA A65T 650 Thunderbolt.
Some quite quick modern bikes are on the list. PDF attached.
Cheers    

[Black Sheep]

My younger son learned on a B175 Bantam with 125 transfers... Oddly, when I informed the insurance company of my intention to fit a 125cc barrel and piston, they wanted to quadruple the premium. I never quite got round to reducing the capacity and we went with another insurer.
Anyway, he loved that bike, toured Ireland on it, still has it and still rides it along with his monster GS BMW.