A full motorcycle licence in NZ takes a minimum of 12 months on your restricted licence if you go through CBTA, or 18 months if you sit the standard practical test. CBTA is the only way to shorten that wait. It’s also a more demanding assessment than many restricted riders expect, so here’s what the 6F involves, what it costs and how to pass it first time.
Top Tips
- Two routes: CBTA from age 17½ after 12 months on your restricted, or the standard practical test from age 18 after 18 months.
- Timing: You can sit the CBTA 6F after 9 months on your restricted licence, then apply for your full licence at the 12-month mark.
- The ride: 25–30 minutes, mostly in higher speed zones, scored against 11 riding competencies with no coaching during the ride.
- Cost: NZTA’s $47.40 application fee plus your provider’s fee. Ornsby’s CBTA full assessment with 1.5 hours of training is $385.
- Free preparation: Every Ride Forever course, including Silver, is free when completed between 01/09/2026 and 31/12/2026.
Two Routes to a Full Motorcycle Licence in NZ
Once you hold your restricted motorcycle licence, the clock starts. How long it runs depends on the route you choose.
| CBTA full assessment | Standard practical test | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum age | 17½ | 18 |
| Minimum time on restricted | 12 months (assessment from 9 months) | 18 months |
| Who assesses you | NZTA-approved CBTA assessor | NZTA testing officer |
| Riding time | 25–30 minutes | 30-minute test |
| NZTA fee | $47.40 | $47.40 |
The NZTA fee is identical either way. The real difference is six extra months under restricted conditions: no passengers, no riding between 10pm and 5am, and LAMS-approved bikes only.
Nine months is when you can sit the assessment, not when you get the licence. Pass early, and you keep your certificate until you’ve held your restricted for a full year, then take it to AA or VTNZ.
What Is CBTA 6F?
CBTA stands for competency-based training and assessment. Instead of a one-off test with a testing officer, an approved assessor follows you around a set route and scores your riding from the moment you mount the bike until you get off.
At Ornsby, the CBTA 6F session takes about an hour: 25–30 minutes of riding depending on traffic, then around 30 minutes for paperwork, a debrief and your certificate. The route leans heavily on open roads because the 6F asks whether you’re ready to ride without restrictions.
Experienced riders who sat the old practical test years ago (or who’ve commuted on a restricted for a year without feedback) assume the 6F will be a formality. It’s a different standard, and habits that have crept in show up quickly.
What the Assessor Scores
At any point in the ride, you’ll be doing one of seven tasks: moving in, riding straight, riding a curve, intersections, overtaking, turning back or moving out. Each task is scored against 11 competencies, including:
- Looking, scanning, mirror checks and head checks
- Communication (indicating for at least three seconds and cancelling afterwards)
- Road positioning and following distance (two or four seconds, depending on conditions)
- Speed management and progression through traffic
- Stability and smoothness, including using both brakes to stop
Overtaking is entirely your decision. The assessor won’t tell you to pass anyone, so you may not overtake at all.
Immediate Failure Errors
Some mistakes end the assessment on the spot. They include exceeding the speed limit for more than 10 seconds, rolling a stop sign without a full stop and one foot down, crossing a solid yellow no-passing line, failing to give way so someone has to take evasive action, and any assessor intervention to prevent an unsafe situation.
Motorbike Full Licence Cost in 2026
The motorbike full licence cost for a full motorcycle licence test in NZ is made up of a fixed NZTA fee and whatever your training provider charges.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| NZTA full licence application fee | $47.40 |
| Ornsby CBTA full assessment + 1.5 hours of training | $385 |
| Ornsby LAMS hire bike (if needed) | From $110 |
| Ride Forever Silver | Free until 31/12/2026 |
| Re-assessment after a fail | Provider fee applies again |
With your own LAMS bike, the CBTA route comes to roughly $432 all-in. The practical test route costs only the $47.40, but it adds six months on restricted conditions and includes no coaching. Current motorbike licence prices for each stage are on our pricing page.
Allow for the chance of a re-sit, too. If you fail, NZTA requires you to be reassessed in full over the entire route, so the motorbike full licence cost rises by another provider fee.
How to Pass Your CBTA 6F First Time
Training isn’t compulsory, but NZTA recommends it before any CBTA assessment. These are the areas where restricted riders most often lose marks:
- Make observation obvious. The assessor asks for distinct head movements when you scan or check mirrors. If they can’t see it, they can’t score it.
- Ride at the limit, not well under it. Where conditions allow, you’re expected to stay within 5 km/h of the posted limit without exceeding it.
- Indicate early enough. Three seconds minimum before turning, changing lanes or leaving the kerb.
- Stop fully at stop signs. One foot down, every time, even with nothing coming.
- Check the bike before you arrive. The pre-ride check covers tyres, chain tension, lights, horn, mirrors, rego and WOF. A failed item stops the assessment before it starts.
- Wear the right gear. Approved helmet, long-sleeved front-fastening jacket, long pants, gloves and sturdy covered footwear.
- Get feedback before the day. A year of solo riding builds habits you can’t see yourself.
That last point is where training earns its fee. Ornsby’s CBTA training includes one-on-one sessions that target your weak spots before you’re assessed. NZTA notes that Ride Forever courses cover core competencies based on the CBTA assessment skills, and Silver is the level we recommend for riders preparing for their full, currently at no cost.
After You Pass
Take your CBTA certificate to a driver licensing agent once you’ve held your restricted for 12 months. You’ll fill out a DL1 form, pass an eyesight check, have your photo taken and pay the $47.40 fee.
Your full motorcycle licence in NZ then lets you ride any bike, at any time, with a passenger. NZTA advises building experience before carrying pillions, since the extra weight changes how the bike brakes, turns and balances.
Moving up from a LAMS bike to something bigger is a good moment to book Ride Forever Gold. Riders who complete an approved Gold course get 25% off the ACC motorcycle levy on every bike licensed in their name, for vehicle licences starting on or after 01/07/2026.
Ready for Your Full Licence?
The last step to your full motorcycle licence in NZ is one ride away. Ornsby Motorcycle Training’s NZTA-approved assessors run CBTA full assessments across Christchurch, Rangiora, Wanaka, Otago, and Southland, with late-model LAMS-hire bikes if yours isn’t ready.
Book your Ride Forever Silver while it’s free, then call Ornsby on (03) 980 8933 to lock in your 6F from the nine-month mark.