Riding without a license.
 

Might do a run to Mongolia/Central Asia/ Caucuses on a couple of CG125's this summer with a mate who has plenty of moto x experience but no bike license. He has a CBT but that's about all at the mo.

I never had my license checked in 7 months on the road...or i can't remember it being checked...and with an IDP they stamp all the cats anyway...

...what do people think? Any hassle?

You make yourself vulnerable for crooked police if motorcycles require a permit in those countries. With all you're papers ok, it doesn't tend to be a problem to get away without paying. But if they 're not, you're in a bad bargaining position... .

I drove a bus to Mongolia from London last year on a car licence......like you say the IDP covers everything......you should be fine. Good luck

No license = no insurance. Tell your mate not to be such a selfish twat - he should get the license. Bikes cause less damage than cars generally but you could still ruin someone else's life. In addition, any kind of medical or repatriation insurance is likely to be void if he does not hold a license for the vehicle he drives. A serious ding will cost him about $100,000 USD just to get home.

I'd rather not get flamed by the "it's all part of the adventure" brigade, so save it chaps; this is just my opinion.

Sherlock :nono:

hehe. Fair enough Docsherlock...i don't think insurance is upto much either really...but i spose we all have our own opinions. All those scrappy bits of paper i collect from various borders with the words 'insurance' haphazardly scribbed; i can't believe you'ed see the light of day with a crash.

Thanks for the tips. Thats the thing i'm worried about...being vunreble to dodgy police in places like Russia.

Yes, but Joe, what would you do if, whilst riding with your mate, he crashed, bust his spine and his insurance refused to pay out 'cos he was riding without a license? Leave him there? Re-mortgage your house to get him home? For the sake of doing the bike test, this could create much hassle, not just for him, but also for anyone he was traveling with. You gotta think outside the box with this stuff. Believe me, an insurance company likes something like this as it makes not paying out ssooooooooooooo easy for them......

you cant get an IDP without a full licence.

Not so. My Mrs got a full HVG license when she hasn't got one on her UK license and I got a bike one when I don't have that on my UK license. As Joe says, they just tick/stamp all the categories.

In W Africa the cops weren't interested in the IDP though; only my UK license. Can't speak for elsewhere but if you've got a valid IDP which covers the country then you are licensed so any condition in the local insurance (even if its any use) which says you have to be licensed is satisfied. By way of illustration, when I got a California truck license yonks ago I was covered under that license to ride bikes up to a certain size (can't remember what now). The fact that I had never passed a bike test there or here was irrelevant as I was legal.

The key question is a moral one not a legal one. Is the rider safe to ride not only for his own sake but also, and more importantly, for the safety of others?

From the AA.

An International Driving Permit (IDP) is valid for 12 months form the date of issue. Recognised internationally it normally allows the holder to drive a private motor vehicle when accompanied by a valid UK driving licence...


...An IDP is a permit for use in conjunction with your driving licence, not in place of it. In some countries, you risk being fined or worse for relying solely on an IDP.

So despite what your IDP may or may not say it's only allows you to drive/ride vehicles in the categories for which your full national licence is valid. Aside from certain exemptions based on local laws (for instance a Brit coming to France with a valid car - category B - licence is allowed to ride a motorbike up to 125cc and 15bhp with it, as there is a convention agreed between the two countries).

Of course you may find that in Mongolia the same thing applies, and that national law allows people to ride motorbikes with their car licences, or maybe with no licences at all? Or who knows maybe your mate could take a motorbike test in Mongolia and get a licence there?

exactly mate. even though they tick all the boxes there may be one rozzer who wants to double check this with your actual licence. and still Quintin your mrs actually had a valid full licence with which she acquired an IDP. (I think on reading your post?)

morally your spot on I think. I can drive a car, have done a few times, around scotland a few years ago, can make it do anything I want-dont have a licence though, and after growing up a bit and getting a bike I see the point. Its like I have a CBT, but I aint gonna ride on m'ways or with a pillion or a higher CC. Im not qualified! simple. you wouldnt go deep sea diving if you didnt know how to operate the gear rite? thats just asking for trouble; you really want to run the risk with johnny law in a foreign country. still though welcome to the 125cc tourers club JoeSheffer lol

If it's on your IDP I guess you'll be fine. Haven't ever came accross police asking for another license when presenting either my proper or international drivers license. Once in Russia chances are slim they can actually read what's on your license (unless it's printed in cyrillic somewhere that it's only valid together with your UK license).

Interesting to hear they do that in the UK. In Australia, they only validity stamp the categories for which you have regular licence, usually car and/or bike. For the other categories they put a different stamp against them saying NOT VALID.

Garry from Oz.