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Well the "honeymoon" is over for Qlders who loved the loophole where if you had your car licence for 3 years and did your Q-Ride and passed, you could then go straight on to your Open Licence. This of course, was as long as you did your course on a above 250cc bike!

From the 1st of July 2008, ALL riders going for their licence must pass and then hold their RE (Restricted to under 250cc) for 12 months before moving to your Opens or R (Unrestricted).

Just had this confirmed by Qld Transport this afternoon as the wife has missed the boat by being slack.  On the other hand, I do not think there is a bigger than 250 scoot that is small enough for her to touch the ground properly anyway  

Scott:

From the 1st of July 2008, ALL riders going for their licence must pass and then hold their RE (Restricted to under 250cc) for 12 months before moving to your Opens or R (Unrestricted).

Another piece of brilliance from comittee management. They could have adopted the excellent LAMS scheme but no, we get this. Now what do you do if you're a big rider, CBR 250 or Virago 250? pfft. This is on top of having to hold your car licence for 12 months before being eligible for a motorcycle L's.

One other change is your pillion must be at least 8 years old. Wonder if the situation will be that I can double my little girl on a Mio 50 but not a Mio 100 same as being able to carry a pillion on car licence without delay or training and having to wait 12 months after getting a motorcycle licence (with training)

The Smart state or what?

Not very smart if you ask me (when it comes to licencing laws that is )

The LAMS system has heaps of merit and now that Vic is adopting, Qld is again, going to be out of sync with the other eastern states and others

I forgot to mention the pillion law but putting an age on something like this but then still allowing unlicenced 50cc riders to pillion is stupidity.

Yet another couple of reasons for someone with balls to make a decision at a federal level and standardise the rules across the country!

There has always been something weird about Qld.

I dont see a problem with people riding a 250cc or under for 12 months if they have NEVER ridden before.  But damm it's making things hard for people who might want to upgrade every 2 weeks likeNutters :)

Common sense never prevails with licencing changes.  At least with the old system, people were more likely to go to Q-Ride and actually learn on a 600cc or so bike before getting their opens.  Now you can ride a 125 or 250 around a few times for the 12 months then get GIVEN your open licence and can hop on a 1100cc rocket without ever getting close to one.  Tell me how that is clever.

Scott:

Common sense never prevails with licencing changes.  At least with the old system, people were more likely to go to Q-Ride and actually learn on a 600cc or so bike before getting their opens.  Now you can ride a 125 or 250 around a few times for the 12 months then get GIVEN your open licence and can hop on a 1100cc rocket without ever getting close to one.  Tell me how that is clever.

Does that mean because I got my RE licence in April this year I will automatically have my open licence next April?

This is getting beyond a joke for me!!!!....I'm already in a dispute with QLD transport about them "automatically" taking my Bike(scooter) learners off my licence cos I renewed it after july 1st 2007 - even tho my bike L's are still valid till 2009.-  Now they'e trying to tell me I have to go and learn to drive a car and have my car P's for a year only to be back where I started in 2004 ! I have now decided to take action.

grrrrr.

51NAH:

Does that mean because I got my RE licence in April this year I will automatically have my open licence next April?

Good question...like Scott, I would have gone for the open licence at the time, but the Q-Ride operator only had a 125cc scooter, so it was RE.

So does this really mean that after 12 months you automatically get the Open?

mttttt:

51NAH:

Does that mean because I got my RE licence in April this year I will automatically have my open licence next April?

 

Good question...like Scott, I would have gone for the open licence at the time, but the Q-Ride operator only had a 125cc scooter, so it was RE.

So does this really mean that after 12 months you automatically get the Open?

Guys, make the phone call and make sure you get the name of the person you spoke to.  I too will be interested to hear what this means to people like yourselves.

Sorry guys I am dumb as a post!

Hope I did not get your hopes up

Thought about it all the way home and worked out how stupid and confused I was.

I am confusing Open as in Learner/Provisional/Open and all the restrictions that come with each of them, with Under 250cc (Restricted) and Over 250cc (Unrestricted or sometimes called Open).

So to clear all up.

Under the old rules, if you had your car licence for 3 years (within a 5 year period) you could do your Q-Ride course and obtain your Understricted (R) licence and ride any capacity bike straight away.  If you had only had your car licence for less than that, then you were limited to 250 cc or Restricted (RE).

Some chose to just do the RE as they did not feel they would get a bike or scooter bigger than 250cc.  I think a couple of people here have done that.

R or RE is the class of licence you have, which means for a motorcycle, so therefore, in order to move from an RE to an R licence, then you have to do the above 250cc tests.  So another trip to Q-Rde or testing at a licence centre.

This is what everyone now has to do.  There is no special treatment and quick pass to R just because you had a car licence for 3 years. 

It may just stop a few older riders from getting back onto bikes because they do not want to have to ride a 250cc bike for 12 months after having ridden a big bike in the not too distant past.  In my opinion, a real shame and a mistake.

I REALLY APOLOGISE for messing this up. 

It is a change none the less, and seems to close a loophole and not really do too much to help improve the situation.  A 250 NSR 2 stroke is still "only" a 250 and a Restricted Rocket waiting for an inexperienced rider to hop aboard.

They should have used the chance to change a whole lot more.

PS If I am even more stupid than that and have gotten it wrong again - please send your bombs to me personally and I will go away for a while

Scooter HQ:

One other change is your pillion must be at least 8 years old

NSW has adopted the same rule for pillions, effective July 1, 2008 pillion passengers must be at least 8 years old,  instead of the old rule that required any pillion passenger be "tall" enough to reach the pillion foot pegs.

I have my "RA" license in QLD (i.e. no engine size restriction, but restricted to auto transmission - i.e. "twisties).  Alas, my ongoing lust for the classic Vespa aesthetic has gotten the better of me, and I am negotiating to buy a 1960's vintage/restored Vespa (150cc).  This new scoot (pretty much only to be used for weekend and/or club rides and the occasional pleasure cruise around town) is, of course, a "shiftie" (manual tranny).  The current LX150 will remain my main means of commuting/errand transport.

I will be calling Queensland Transport shortly to suss out my options...  but does any one have experience here?  Am I looking to upgrade my RA license to the full open "R" license - and can I do that with a 150cc classic scoot (something less than 250cc)?  ...or am I looking to add a separate "RE" designation to my license (in addition to the C & RA designation on it now)?  Can I do either of these with a demonstration of proficiency on the shifitie scoot in a QT road test, or will I need to attend another QRIDE session to get to ride this new scoot legally?

Let me also emphasize I have no interest in a "traditional" motorcycle, have never ridden one, and have no intention of learning to ride one (QRIDE or otherwise) solely in order to be able to ride the above mentioned manual transmission scooter.

 

hehe so i passed my QRide on Saturday, and then went to Dept of Transport and got my R license printed on my drivers license on Monday, incase of any possible hassles... how's that for sneaking in with the nick of time! lol

So in essence, I'm a R driver on a 50cc :( possible waste, but for now given financial restrictions and, in essence, how far i'd realistically ride my bike... the right move :p
 

Hi all, first post and all that!

This is for info only!

I got my RE licence post 1st of July after doing the Qride REA 6 hour course. I had my Open C licence without conditons (i.e. manual) for many years. Now I have Type: O Class: C,RE with conditions A plus a footnote on my driving history that the condition A is only for my RE licence. There are no provisions for REA or the like in their system so if I do get pulled over by the police I have to let them know what the deal is! From looking at my new licence now I have a Auto Car and Auto Bike licence. I rang and checked with Qld transport and it is ok but I will have to inform the police in the event of been pulled over. 

They have change the laws but no change to their computer system...Smart state!

Thanks for that Mick and Welcome.

It is stupid that they note the class on your licence and add the condition of being auto only in another place.

Another bureaucratic bungle with a stop gap fix that has been going on for years and will likely continue for many more.

I wonder if, when writing up a ticket, they incorrectly note the licence category or the conditions and you are able to contest the fine on the basis of incorrect info?

Most probably a waste of time