Triumph A2 Roadshow News

Triumph have launched an exclusive A2 Roadshow to allow motorcycle riders with only an A2 motorcycle licence to experience A2-Ready Triumph motorcycles. A2 licence holders will be able to test-ride a Street Triple S, Street Twin, Street Cup, Street Scrambler, Bonneville T100 Black or Tiger 800.

The first date was on the 15th June at Squires, but there are two more dates on the calendar (so far). The A2 Roadshow will be at the Triumph Factory Visitor Experience in Hinckley on the 19th June, and then will be at the Carl Rosner dealership (Sanderstead, London) on the 23rd June.

You can either book your test-ride via the Triumph A2 Roadshow webpage or you can take your chance and turn up on the day.

The A2 Licence allows you to throw your L plates away, ride on motorways, and take pillions. After two years you will be able to take your tests to get an unrestricted motorcycle licence. However you are restricted to riding motorcycles with a power output of no more than 35 kW (47 bhp) and with a power to weight ratio of not more than 0.2 kW (0.26 bhp) per kilogramme. You could ride a machine that normally makes more power than that but has been restricted to the maximum A2 power level as long as it does not exceed the maximum power to weight ratio and does not have a power output of 94 bhp as standard. There is no requirement to prove this (you do not need a certificate or any document to prove it), and you can restrict the motorcycle yourself if you know what you're doing, but you are legally required to make sure that your motorcycle does comply with the A2 Licence restrictions.

To get an A2 Licence you will need to pass a CBT (or have held an A1 licence for two years), complete and pass a Theory/Hazard Awareness Test, take and pass a MOD1 test at a test centre, then take and pass a MOD2 test on the road - both MOD1 and MOD2 tests must be taken on an A2 legal motorcycle of 395cc or greater. This may seem expensive and a lot of hassle, but with the right training you need only do it once in your life.

If you've held an A2 Licence for two years and want to get an Unrestricted Licence then you will need to take the MOD1 and MOD2 tests again on a motorcycle of 595cc or greater. So you could get a restricted Triumph now and then after two years unrestrict it to pass your unrestricted tests.