Light motorcycle

Honda Varadero 125 (2007)

Honda Wave (2007)

Hyosung XRX 125 (2001)

Zündapp light motorcycle KS 80 Super (1983)

Sachs XTC 125 (2011)

KTM 125 Duke 125 (2011)

As light motorcycles small are motorcycles called, over a displacement cc of more than 50 but not more than 125 cc feature. Regarding the lower cylinder capacity limit, different regulations apply in some cases.

Definitions

Europe

According to EC directives 92/61 / EEC and 2002/24 / EC for the type approval of two- and three-wheeled vehicles, motorcycles without sidecar of EC vehicle class L3e and motorcycles with sidecar of class L4e are designated as light motorcycles in the European legal circle , if they meet the "B" feature (up to 125 cm³, up to 11 kW / 15 PS) of Directive 97/24 / EC, Chapter 7 ( anti-manipulation ). The same characteristics apply in EC driving license law.

Germany

According to the Vehicle Registration Ordinance (FZV) of March 1, 2007, Section 2 No. 10, a motorcycle with a displacement of more than 50 cm³, but no more than 125 cm³, is defined as a light motorcycle . The nominal power must not exceed 11 kW. A complete alignment of the national term in the FZV (licensing law) to EU law has not yet been achieved, while the driving license law has already been fully adapted to EC law (no 50 cm³ limit).

Anyone who acquires a class A1 driving license in Germany also receives a class AM driving license (small motorcycles up to 45 km / h and moped with 25 km / h).

Light motorcycles are license-free (Section 3 (2) No. 1c FZV) and tax-free according to the Motor Vehicle Tax Act. You must have your own official registration number in accordance with Appendix 4 Section 1 Paragraph 1 FZV. The size of this license plate is independent of the initial registration with a maximum width of 255 mm and a fixed height of 130 mm (reduced, two-line license plate; former "80" license plate; as well as agricultural tractors). Regular motorcycle license plates measuring 18/20/22 cm × 20 cm are now also permitted. Light motorcycles have to undergo a general technical inspection every two years.

driving licence

To drive a light motorcycle in Germany, a class 1b or A1 driving license is required, which can be obtained from the age of 16. A class 3 or 4 driving license also entitles the driver to drive if it was acquired before April 1, 1980.

Due to the implementation of the third EU driving license directive in national law, the driving license class A1 is the first level of a tier driving license (motorcycle driving license), although a practical test is still required.

The EU regulation valid in Great Britain, Spain, Italy, France and other countries, which allows holders of the regular class B driving license to drive motorcycles up to 125 cm³, was only implemented in Germany in December 2019 when the German Federal Council made the change decided that light motorcycles can now also be driven with a car driver's license.

history

When the light motorbike was introduced into the StVZO on April 1, 1980, the specifications were: Displacement up to a maximum of 80 cm³, maximum output at a rated power speed of no more than 6000 / min and a design-related maximum speed of maximum 80 km / h. In order to drive a light motorcycle, a class 1 driving license limited to light motorcycles could be obtained at the age of 16 . The political aim of the regulation was to replace the small motorcycles without speed limit (popularly known as " open 50s ") , which had fallen into disrepute as loud and accident-prone, with vehicles with more torque and a significantly lower speed level. This and the limitation to 80 km / h promised a gain in safety and significantly quieter vehicles. The restriction to 80 cm³ is due to an intervention by the German two-wheeler industry, which feared losing its quasi-monopoly on the market. Above all, Japanese manufacturers had various models with 100 cm³ and 125 cm³ displacement according to the definition of a light motorcycle that was already common in many European, Asian and American countries at that time.

The class 1b driver's license was called "80s driver's license" in everyday language. Models from the German manufacturers Zündapp , Hercules , Kreidler and the motorcycles from the Austrian manufacturers Puch and KTM were of high quality . Also products from the Japanese manufacturers Yamaha and Honda . Japanese manufacturers initially offered simpler air-cooled versions, later followed by higher-performance models with water cooling . The leading German manufacturers, on the other hand, first brought expensive water-cooled models onto the market and only later offered air-cooled basic models. From 1981 scooters with an 80 cc engine were also offered. Particularly successful and popular of the 80-scooter was Vespa P 80 X brand Piaggio .

Due to the limitation of the rated power speed to 6000 / min, the attempt by Honda in 1981 to establish a model with a four-stroke engine with the Honda CY 80 with an output of 5.6 HP at a speed of 8000 / min - in addition to the two-stroke engines common at the time - failed . An exemption for the maximum speed was refused by the Federal Ministry of Transport, although the measured noise and power values ​​of the CY 80 were below the two-stroke engines available on the market. The introduction of the Euro 3 emissions standard (2006) ultimately meant the end of the two-stroke engine in light motorcycles.

Current regulations

On February 14, 1996, the displacement for light motorcycles was increased from 80 cm³ to the current value of 125 cm³ and the power was limited to 11  kW . Since January 1, 2017, the Euro 4 emissions standard (including OBD ) as well as a standard anti-lock braking system or, alternatively, a combination brake have been in force for newly registered light motorcycles . Euro 5 has been in force for new type approvals since 2020 and for all type approvals from 2021.

Web links

• The Moped Museum
• 3. EU Driving License Directive 2006/126 / EG

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Third EU Driving License Directive ( Memento of the original from July 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in: MOTORRAD 2007/05 
2. ↑ New driving license classes from January 19, 2013 (PDF; 74 kB), announcements from the ADAC Legal Center of January 19, 2011
3. ↑ A1 Driving motorcycles with a driver's license? | ADAC. Retrieved December 26, 2019 . 
4. ↑ Article 1 No. 13 of the ordinance amending road traffic regulations of November 6, 1979, Federal Law Gazette I p. 1794
5. ↑ Article 1 No. 3 of the ordinance amending road traffic regulations of November 6, 1979, Federal Law Gazette I p. 1794
6. ↑ MOTORRAD 6/1981, p. 46
7. ↑ See the twenty-second ordinance amending road traffic regulations of February 14, 1996 ( Federal Law Gazette I p. 216 ).
8. ↑ Motorcycle catalog 2017, p. 7.
9. ↑ Dina Dervisevic, dde: Euro 5 for motorcycles from 2020: First exhaust gas values, then OBD II and volume. August 22, 2019, accessed February 21, 2020 .