>Frequently Asked Questions

No. If you are learning to ride, it is likely you do not have your Learner Licence yet and so can not legally ride on the road. Ornsby Motorcycle Training will supply a suitable hire bike for you to learn-on.

Please wear sturdy footwear and long pants—the assessor may refuse to test riders who are not properly attired. We will supply a Helmet, jacket and gloves. You must bring suitable identifcation—either; a (car) Drivers Licence, passport or student ID.

Under the Competency-Based Training & Assessment (CBTA) system—you must successfully complete the CBTA 6R assessment (takes approximately 11⁄2 hours). Once you successfully pass your assessment you will be issued with a certi cate which you need to present, along with paying the application fee, at an approved licensing agency. They will then issue you with your Restricted Licence.

For a list of NZTA approved licensing agents click here

Under the Competency-Based Training & Assessment (CBTA) system—you must successfully complete the CBTA 6F assessment (takes approximately 1 hour). Once you successfully pass your assessment you will be issued with a certi cate which you need to present, along with paying the application fee, at an NZTA approved licensing agency. They will then issue you with your Full Licence.

For a list of NZTA approved licensing agents click here

No. To get your Learner, Restricted or Full Licence, you will need to visit an approved NZTA licensing agency and pay the application fee. They will then issue you with a temporary paper licence until your plastic card licence arrives in the post.

For a list of NZTA approved licensing agents click here

By Law, the minimum clothing and safety gear a Motorcycle rider riding on the road must wear is an approved helmet. However, smart riders wear an approved helmet that also provides eye protection, plus motorcycle speci c long pants, boots, jacket and gloves.

Any motorcycles up to 250cc which is LAMS compliant (NOT on the Prohibited Motorcycles list)—or— any motorcycle 251cc to 660cc which is on the Approved Motorcycles Over 250cc list. Please note: a LAMs motorcycle may NOT be modi ed beyond the manufacturers standard specification. Click here to view these two lists

A rider on a Learner Licence may ride any LAMs approved motorcycle—for more information on LAMS
approved motorcycles click here.

A rider on a Restricted Licence may ride any LAMs approved motorcycle—for more information on LAMS
approved motorcycles click here.

Only a rider with a Full Licence may take a pillion passenger. Riders on a Learner or Restricted Licence are
prohibited from taking a pillion passenger.

By Law, a pillion passenger must wear is an approved helmet, have a seat large enough for both the rider and
pillion, and have footrests.

Yes. It is an offense not to display both at all times—even if you have both but have no fixed an up-to-date label.

Yes. You can book one of our hire bikes when you book your course.

Yes—tell us what you need when you book your course.

Under the Competency-Based Training & Assessment (CBTA) system—there is NO MINIMUM time restriction before applying for your Restricted Licence—the only restriction is you must be at least 161⁄2 years of age. However, to get your Restricted Licence you must sit and pass the Competency-Based Training & Assessment (CBTA 6R / Restricted).

Under the Competency-Based Training & Assessment (CBTA) system—the MINIMUM time restriction before applying for your Full Licence is 12 months. To get your Full Licence you must sit and pass the Competency-Based Training & Assessment (CBTA 6F / Full).

Once you have been issued with your Learner Licence you are legally entitled to ride a motorcycle on the road
within the restrictions set for this licence class. These restrictions are:

• You must not ride between 10pm and 5am.
• You must not carry any passengers on your motorcycle or moped or in any sidecar.
• You must not tow another vehicle.
• You must always have a learner (L) plate attached to the rear of your motorcycle or moped.
• You must only ride a LAMS approved motorcycle. For a full list of LAMS approved motorcycles click here.

Once you have been issued with your Restricted Licence you are legally entitled to ride a motorcycle on the
road within the restrictions set for this licence class. These restrictions are:

• You can drive on your own between 5am and 10pm.
• You must not carry any passengers on your motorcycle or moped or in any sidecar.
• You must not tow another vehicle.
• You must only ride a LAMS approved motorcycle. For a full list of LAMS approved motorcycles click here.
• You can remove the learner (L) plate attached to the rear of your motorcycle or moped.

When you are ready to learn to ride. If you are under 16 you can get your basic handling test completed before your birthday but you can’t sit your theory test and apply for your learner licence until you are 16.

The Basic Handling Skills Test (BHST) is a test of your ability to control and ride a motorcycle—successfully passing the BHST is a requirement for getting your Learner Licence. The test is undertaken in a non-public environment (such as a car-park or private road), where you will be ask to demonstrate a level of competency in controlling a supplied LAMs approved motorcycle through a number of different exercises. The test takes approximately one hour including the brie ng from the assessor. Please note: the BHST is NOT a learn-to-ride lesson—if you have not ridden a motorcycle before you will NOT PASS. We recommend all riders regardless of experience level, undertake Learn to ride: One-on-one rider training prior to attempting the BHST.

No. Only an approved NZTA licensing agent can take you through the theory test.

For a list of NZTA approved licensing agents click here

All The Gear, All The Time. Under the ATGATT philosophy, a rider should wear complete motorcycle safety gear at all times—and not reduced what they wear at times when the perceived risks are less (such as nipping down to the shop).

All riders attending a Ride Forever course are required to wear suitable protective gear (minimum: helmet / motorcycle specific jacket / boots)—instructors may refuse training to riders who are not properly attired. Please ensure your bike has both a current Warrant of Fitness and is Road Registered. Instructors WILL refuse training to riders who turn up to course on a motorcycle without a current WOF and/or Registration.

All riders must bring their current Drivers Licence. Instructors WILL refuse training to riders who turn up to course without a current Drivers Licence.

If you are on your Learner Licence, you are required by Law to have an L-Plate fitted to your motorcycle.

For the Ride Forever Bronze course morning tea and coffee is provided. On the Bronze, Silver and Gold course,
lunch will be taken during the on-road group ride at a cafe at your cost.

No, unfortunately because they are registered as a car they don’t qualify for the subsidy. The course has to be completed on a registered motorcycle or scooter.

Yes. Ornsby Motorcycle Training has LAMs approved Suzuki V-Strom 650 that can be hired for Ride Forever
training. You can arrange this at the time of booking through this website.

No. You will still need to undertake the Competency-Based Training & Assessment (CBTA) CBTA 6R assessment—but the Ride Forever Bronze course is great preparation for this as it gives the instructor an opportunity to provide feedback on the areas you may need to practice in preparation for the CBTA 6R assessment.

No. You will still need to undertake the Competency-Based Training & Assessment (CBTA) CBTA 6F assessment—but the Ride Forever Silver course is great preparation for this as it gives the instructor an opportunity to provide feedback on the areas you may need to practice in preparation for the CBTA 6F assessment.

We established the Ornsby Road, Track & Cornering School (Ornsby RTC) to offer tuition to riders in small groups where much of the focus is on improving the single skill area that we get the most questions about— cornering. However, we do also cover other intermediate and advanced skills. We host Ornsby RTC courses on a race track as it offers the perfect environment in which to hone and practise skills without distractions or hazards (like car drivers or bad road surfaces)—you can simply focus on applying what you are shown.

Ornsby RTC courses are a natural progression after the Ride Forever courses and will bene t all riders—you DO NOT need to have a desire to get involved in competitive bike racing to attend RTC courses, the skills learnt are just as applicable for road riders who want to improve their riding as they are for novice or intermediate race riders looking to be more competitive.

You DO NOT need to ride a ‘sports’ bike to attend RTC courses—we’ve had riders on all types of bikes: superbikes, adventure bikes, cruisers, road bikes and even scooters…!

We offer both a half-day and whole day as we nd many riders new to this type of training will fatigue at about the four-hour mark. The whole day / 8 hour course allows us more time to cover theory and is more in-depth.

All riders must wear protective riding gear: a full face helmet, motorcycle specific gloves, boots, protective leather or textile jacket (with armour) No Kevlar jeans or street jeans, fashion jackets or hoodies, basketball boots or street shoes are permitted on the track.

We hire bikes for Learn-to-ride training, Ride Forever courses & both BHST and CBTA assessments. Unfortunately we can not hire bikes for Ornsby RTC track based courses.

We established the Ornsby Adventure Riding School (Ornsby ARS) to provide training to riders in small groups where the primary focus is on improving skills and competency in riding on dirt or metal roads. Courses are hosted in multiple locations using a mix of both tarmac and shingle/metal public roads. This offers the perfect environment to hone and practise skills and apply what you are shown.

The Ornsby ARS Level 1 course is aimed at riders (regardless of how long they have been riding) with limited or no off-road riding experience. The Ornsby ARS Level 2 course is aimed at riders who have completed the Level 1 course—or have some (limited) off-road experience but are relatively new to Adventure riding.

All riders must wear protective riding gear The minimum is: a full-face helmet / gloves / motorcycle-specific jacket and pants (with armour) / boots—instructors may refuse training to riders who are not properly attired. As off-road riding gets dirty, we recommend wearing Adventure suitable gear as opposed to road riding gear. No street jeans, fashion jackets or hoodies, basketball boots or street shoes are permitted.

Simply—NO. Ornsby ARS courses are designed primarily to teach the skills to ride the many metalled and B-Roads across New Zealand with competence—not to teach the skills required for any form of off-road competition.

For the Ornsby ARS Level 1 course: Taking to the Shingle—yes.
For the Ornsby ARS Level 2 course: Going Back of Beyond—no. It is a requirement for the Level 2 course that you must ride an Adventure style bike. If in doubt whether your motorcycle is suitable—ask us.

Both the Ornsby ARS Level 1 & 2 courses include a mix of tarmac and shingle (metal) road riding—it is, therefore, a requirement that all motorcycles are Road Registered with a current Warrant of Fitness. However, we can arrange off-road rider training on a one-on-one basis—please get in touch with us for more information.

Sorry—no. Ornsby ARS courses are for two-wheeled motorcycles only.

Sorry—no. We hire bikes for Learn-to-ride training, Ride Forever courses & both BHST and CBTA assessments. Unfortunately, we do not hire bikes for Ornsby ARS courses.

Who cares… just ride!