should i risk riding a derestricted bike at 16?

Question

i am planning on getting a bike on the road at 16 but mopeds at 30 mph are guttless. i currently ride a 125 kawasaki offroad so im sure youll understand my situation. should i risk riding de-retricted or put up with 30 mph bike?

Answer 1

I would get the moped and get it fully legal, licence, cbt, tax, mot, insurance. then you could have it de-ristricted and there is minimum to nil chance of getting caught aslong as you stay within speed limits and stay legal just remember before getting mot'ed to have it put back to normal

Answer 2

your 16 and to you another year is 1/16th of your life and that is still quite small.

BUT you have 74/90ths of you life to live.... you are risking reducing that considerably.

in 5 years time when you have the degree and the business accumen. you will NOT get that choice job that pays the biscuit as the guy who gets it will not have a criminal conviction. and will be able to be insured to drive the company cars!!!!! THAT IS THE IMPACT you are risking..

NO INSURANCE IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE it is imprisonable

Your bike and therefore you will not be insured

sound harsh.....

In the UK last year 2008 there were 960 odd MOTORCYCLE FATALITIES. MOST of these were qualified riders. WHAT MAKES YOU BETTER THAN THEM.

You risk increasing my insurance premiums you risk killing me if we are on the same bit of road and you risk causing the gov'nt banning motorcycles altogether. Other than your BMX bike which you have jumped off of the kerb into the path of other cars to the sound of the horn or expletives.. you have no road experience..!

Be a man at 16 and ride a moped or wait until you are 17 and then get a 125.



I've been teaching kids to ride mopeds for over 30 years and they all want to squeeze that last ounce of speed out of their bike

To be honest if you want a fast moped buy a kreidler from the 1970's or an FS1E yamaha again from the 1970's not a scooter or a aprilia or a reiju or a drakon as these modern machines will be a money pit needing to be rebuilt every 4000-6000 miles.

Even Aprilia admit the psitons and bores are not meant to last more than that!!

Answer 3

Like other have said it's a huge risk. Personally I wouldn't take it because at 17 you can legally ride a 125cc on a provisional licence as long as you have a CBT. You only have to wait a year. In that year you can gain valuable road experience on a 30mph bike, as mentioned before the roads are a lot different to off roading. At the end of the day if you get caught how would you feel. You could also end up getting your bike confiscated. I'm glad you asked the question, you should at least be aware of the consequences.

Hope you make the right decision.

Answer 4

Don't do it. Full stop. Not only are all the above comments valid (you could lose your license, court appearance, etc) but the bigger concern for me is if you're involved in an accident. If the bike is derestricted underage then your insurance is invalid. If your insurance is invalid and you cause an accident then the poor person that is on the receiving end can't claim off of you and will end up either footing the bill for all the damage you've caused, or they'll take you/your parents (as you're a minor) to court to reclaim the damages which will cost a lot more.



To consider riding illegally shows a blatant disregard for the safety and wellbeing of all other road users and those that do it are those that give the rest of us bikers a bad name.



If you don't want to drive at 30mph, walk.

Answer 5

It depends on your location. I wouldn't try it anywhere in the UK where scooters are so closely patroled. However in the USA especially in the southern states, scooters are still widely considered 'toys' and not as legitimate transportation.

NC TN & KY law books state that 49cc scooters have to be governed to 30mph, to qualify for lic, tax, insurance, and tag exemptions. That being said, all the scooters I've seen and bought sofar, have been sold fully derestricted. Some folks have gone so far as to purchase a small framed 125cc-150cc scooter and sticker-whip it to look like the exempted 50cc. Long as you watch your speed and don't do thing that gets the wrong kinda attention, you'll probably get away with it. Even though, as you stated it is still a risk....

Answer 6

You are also going to push the speed limit and you are going to get pulled over. That is a given. I got alot of tickets and more warnings in my first year on a bike. They are going to check your bike, you will get caught. The only question is, Are you willing to deal with the consiquences of getting caught.



I've road on asphalt for 32 years have owned over 14 bikes, now have a sport touring bike and a DRZ400. And when I go south on vaccation I have a ball renting mopeds. There is fun in any size bike, and there are things to learn and challanges with any size bike. It's all good mon.

Answer 7

mate i feel ya being 17 and in your situation only about 3 months ago, and im gonna put myself in the **** for saying this but if in all seriousness you have a back track - and by that i mean a proper off road trail to get to your destination - it wouldnt be too bad just tring it one day, obviously not all the time though cause people will start asking questions. if not its best just get your motor bike L plates, its only 4 or 500 bucks and that way your completely legal. i have a 90 cc thumpster and i used to ride it to work even though its impossible to get them registered, only because there was a dirt trail across the road, through the bush and across another road straight to my work. other than that, ill be a party pooper and go with the crowd, dont risk it on a main road.

Answer 8

if you live in the uk,and ride a moped registered before 1st august 1977,so the old R reg and back,it's perfectly legal to ride one of these,most will do between 45-60mph.however,if you prefer something a little more modern?,i'd run the risk of a de-restricted ped.better to be judged by 12,than carried by 6!!.

Answer 9

to tell you the truth mate everyone in here is going to say no because they dont want to look bad, but i know many friends who had mopeds at the age of 16 who were riding round with derestricted bikes with pipes & 70cc kits and even a few with no L Plates, they were never pulled over its just a risk you have to decide yourself, if your doing silly speeds on it and trying to show off you will probably get nicked but if you drive it sensibly and just use the speed in the right places you would probably be ok

Answer 10

The idea of restricting mopeds to 30 was one of the most stupid ideas to come from the Government. It actually puts the rider at more risk because there you are holding up a long line of traffic. It does not take long before drivers of cars and lorries are taking risks to overtake you.. They are supposed to be restricted but I say they are safer unrestricted. You must make the decision though, not on the basis that 30 is gutless, but on the basis that 30 is dangerous.

Answer 11

simply put no ? if you are planning on doing the serious legal bike owner/rider thing, then ask yourself whats the penalty for getting caught by the plod, then the repercussions of high insurance premiums for many years to come, where as do it legally and your worries are over in a couple of years and no restrictions, no brainer really think about it, also if you have a collision you are technically not insured and insurance companys dont need many reasons to avoid paying up, hope this helps. sounds harsh but it will be worth the wait.

Answer 12

As you say, it's a risk.

You're risking your driving licence, a fine, a court appearance, your future ability to get insurance & your life.

If you think it's worth gambling all of this, then go ahead.



Just as an afterthought, you have no on road experience either - you don't tend to get junctions, traffic, pedestrians, police, road signs, diesel spills, etc., off road....

Answer 13

you could risk it, but you probably shouldn't.



Mind you, if you're stupid enough to ask about it, then we probably can't stop you.



If you do though, I hope you get caught and the book thrown at you.