Thinking of buying a scooter for the first time? Here are a few things for you to think about.

Getting on the road

Firstly you have to pass CBT (Compulsory Basic Training). This was introduced on 1 December 1990 for all new provisional licence holders of both mopeds and motorcycles. All learner riders need to complete CBT before riding on the road (with the exception of riders who have passed a full moped test since December 1990).

Full car licence holders qualifying after 1 February 2001 must also complete a CBT course before riding a scooter on the road.

CBT is not a test, and there is no exam - it’s a day course of training that you are required to complete satisfactorily and all test centres will try their hardest to get you through it first time.

Your CBT will last for 2 years and you must display L plates during the whole of this period. You may retake CBT before this period is up or you can go on to get a full licence.

There are 3 categories of full licence to aim for:

Category P – moped.

Sub-Category A1 – light motorcycle licence, which restricts riders to any bike up to 125cc and a power output of 11kW.

Category A – standard motorcycle licence.

Moped and Motorcycle tests normally consist of two separate parts – a theory test and a practical test.

Finance

Buying a scooter on finance is a great way to be able to get yourself on the road very quickly. However, it may be worth working out if you can afford to pay for it outright, as you may end up paying almost double what the bike is worth. Make sure you look into the deal properly before you agree to it.

Power

A 50cc scooter will reach a top speed of around 30-40mph. 100cc will reach about 50 mph, 125cc will reach 60 mph and 250cc 75 mph. You have to remember that if you’re riding on a provisional licence you cannot ride anything more powerful than a 125cc.

Theft

Theft has always been something to think about when owning a scooter. It is so important to store your scooter safely and always ensure it has some sort of chain or lock on it. It has been known that people selling scooters have had phonecalls from “buyers” organising a time to view the bike, then not turning up and coincidently the bike being stolen within the next few days.

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