Code 1 in short
- Learner's licence code
- Code 1Regulation 99(1)(a) — a motor cycle with or without a side-car, or a motor tricycle
- Driving licence it leads to
- A1 up to 125 cm³, A above thatRegulation 99(4)(a). A1 also covers an electrically propelled machine
- Minimum age
- 16 for 125 cm³ or less, 18 for anything largerSection 15(1)(a) of the Act. There is no 17 for motorcycles — that age belongs to light motor vehicles
- Supervision while learning
- None requiredRegulation 99(2)(a) exempts a motor cycle from the accompanying-driver rule outright
- Carrying a passenger on a learner's licence
- Not permittedRegulation 99(2)(b) — the learner's licence does not authorise it at all
- What differs in the test
- The vehicle controls area onlyRegulation 104(2)(a)(iii). Rules of the road and road signs are the same as for every other class
The supervision rule works differently for a motorcycle, and this is the part that gets misreported
For a car, the rule is familiar: a learner must be accompanied by, and under the direct personal supervision of, a licensed driver seated next to them — or immediately behind them where they cannot be seated next to them.
For a motorcycle it does not apply. The regulation carves out, in the same sentence, a licence relating to a motor cycle or to a vehicle with no seating accommodation for a passenger. A Code 1 learner rides alone, lawfully, from the day the licence is issued.
That has to be read together with the very next paragraph, because the two are easy to get backwards. A motorcycle learner's licence "shall not authorise the holder of it to drive a motor cycle on a public road while carrying another person". So there is nobody sitting behind you, and there is not supposed to be: the pillion is not a supervisor's seat, it is empty until you have your driving licence.
This is also why the ordinary rule about carrying passengers is not a contradiction. A motorcycle with an engine over 50 cm³ may carry a passenger on a pillion with foot-rests, or in a side-car — but not while the rider holds a learner's licence.
The ages, exactly as the Act sets them
Worth reading carefully, because the three ages in the Act are often reported as a ladder that applies to everything. They do not.
| Licence | Minimum age | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Motor cycle, tricycle or quadrucycle up to 125 cm³, or electrically propelled | 16 | Section 15(1)(a)(i) disqualifies anyone under 16 for such a licence |
| Light motor vehicle learner's licence — tare up to 3 500 kg | 17 | Section 15(1)(a)(ii). This is a car age and does not apply to motorcycles |
| A motor cycle over 125 cm³, and any other licence | 18 | Section 15(1)(a)(iii) — "in the case of any other licence, is under the age of 18 years" |
One learner's code, Code 1, covers motor cycles and motor tricycles. What changes with engine size is the age at which the Act stops disqualifying you, and which driving licence — A1 or A — you can go on to.
The nine controls a motorcycle applicant is examined on
As numbered in the Department of Transport learner-driver manual. This is a different diagram with different numbering from the car, which is why a car study guide is the wrong material for you.
| No. | Control | What it is asked about |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gear lever | Changing gear, together with the clutch |
| 2 | Clutch | Disengaging the engine from the gearbox, and joining the brakes just before standstill |
| 3 | Left and right rear-view mirrors | Monitoring traffic behind you, and checking before you change anything |
| 4 | Front brake | Applying the front brake and activating the stop lamp |
| 5 | Throttle | The twist grip: regulating fuel to the engine, and raising or lowering your speed |
| 6 | Indicator light switch | Signalling an intention to turn or change direction |
| 7 | Rear brake | Foot-operated. Used with the front brake, not instead of it |
| 8 | Handlebars | Turning the machine |
| 9 | Fuel tank |
Two brakes on two separate controls is the whole difference from a car, and it is where the combination questions come from: stopping uses 4 and 7 together, and the clutch joins them immediately before you come to a standstill. Braking distance is longer on a wet road, longer at speed, and longer with a passenger.
The rules that only apply to you
Rules of the road is a shared section — you answer the same questions about speed limits, stop signs and overtaking as every car applicant in the room. But a handful of rules in it are about motorcycles specifically, and they are fair game.
A helmet is compulsory for the rider and for any passenger: one specially designed for use with such a cycle, that fits properly, with the chin strap properly fastened under the chin. "Fits properly" and "fastened" are part of the requirement, not advice.
You must be seated astride the saddle with your feet on the front foot-rests, and you must have at least one hand on the handlebars. All the wheels must be in contact with the road surface at all times — which is the regulation that makes a wheelie an offence rather than a stunt.
Motorcyclists ride in single file, except while overtaking another motorcycle, and two riders may not overtake the same vehicle at the same time. Where a road is divided into lanes, each lane counts as a road for that purpose.
Nothing may be carried in front of you unless it is small, securely attached or in a proper carrier, and does not block your view or your control. You may not take hold of another moving vehicle. And a motorcycle may not tow another vehicle at all.
The mistake
Revising a car cockpit. The controls area is the only part of the test tied to your class, and on a motorcycle almost every answer is different: two brake controls instead of one, a throttle instead of an accelerator pedal, no rear-view mirror in the middle of a windscreen, no windscreen. A car-based guide will have you confidently answering the wrong list.
The second is assuming someone has to ride with you. They may not — the pillion is off limits on a learner's licence — and looking for a supervisor is how people talk themselves out of riding lawfully alone.
Practise the controls for your class
Ten free vehicle controls questions with a written explanation on each. Sign in and set your licence class to motorcycle and the questions follow it, so you are answering about a throttle and two brakes rather than about a rear window.
Start the free controls practiceCommon questions
What learner's licence do I need for a motorcycle?
Code 1, which covers a motor cycle with or without a side-car and a motor tricycle. It is one of only three learner's licence codes, and it is not the same numbering as the driving licence codes A1 and A.
How old do I have to be to get a motorcycle learner's licence?
Sixteen for a machine of 125 cm³ or less, or an electrically propelled one. For anything larger the minimum is 18. The age of 17 that you may have read about belongs to the light motor vehicle learner's licence and does not apply to bikes.
Can I ride alone on a motorcycle learner's licence?
Yes. The supervision requirement in the regulations expressly does not apply where the licence relates to a motor cycle, so a Code 1 learner rides unaccompanied.
Can someone ride behind me to supervise?
No. A motorcycle learner's licence does not authorise you to carry another person on a public road, so there is nobody on the pillion until you hold a driving licence.
Is the motorcycle learner's test different from the car one?
Only in the vehicle controls area, which follows the class you applied for. Rules of the road and road signs are exactly the same material for every applicant.
What is the difference between an A1 and an A licence?
A1 covers a motor cycle without a side-car with an engine not exceeding 125 cm³, or one propelled by electrical power, and it carries authority for a side-car machine or tricycle within that engine size. A covers a motor cycle over 125 cm³ and includes everything A1 allows.
Do I have to wear a helmet on a learner's licence?
Yes, and so does any passenger once you are entitled to carry one. The helmet must be designed for use with such a cycle, fit properly, and have the chin strap properly fastened under the chin.
Sources
- National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000 — regulation 99(1)(a)"Code 1: Motor cycle with or without side-car or motor tricycle" — the learner's licence code.
- National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000 — regulation 99(2)(a)The holder of a learner's licence must be accompanied by and under the direct personal supervision of a licensed person seated next to them, or immediately behind them where that person cannot be seated next to them — "except where such licence relates to a motor vehicle having no seating accommodation for a passenger or to a motor cycle". This is the exemption that lets a Code 1 learner ride alone.
- National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000 — regulation 99(2)(b)"A learner's licence in respect of a motor cycle shall not authorise the holder of it to drive a motor cycle on a public road while carrying another person."
- National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000 — regulation 99(4)(a)The driving licence codes. A1: a motor cycle without a side-car with an engine not exceeding 125 cubic centimetres, or propelled by electrical power, including authority for a side-car machine or motor tricycle within that engine size. A: a motor cycle without a side-car with an engine exceeding 125 cubic centimetres, including everything A1 authorises.
- National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996 — section 15(1)(a)Under 16 disqualified "in the case of any licence for a motor cycle, motor tricycle or motor quadrucycle having an engine with a cylinder capacity not exceeding 125 cubic centimetres or which is propelled by electrical power"; under 17 in the case of a learner's licence for a light motor vehicle; under 18 "in the case of any other licence".
- National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000 — regulation 104(2)(a)(iii)The examiner must be satisfied that the applicant knows the controls of a motor vehicle of the class to which the application relates — the only class-specific part of the learner's test.
- National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000 — regulation 207(1)No person shall drive or be a passenger on a motor cycle, motor tricycle or motor quadrucycle, or be a passenger in an attached side-car, on a public road unless wearing a protective helmet specially designed for use with such a cycle, which fits properly and of which the chin strap is properly fastened under the chin.
- National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000 — regulation 309Duties relating to a motor cycle: feet resting on the front foot-rests and seated astride the saddle; a passenger only on a machine over 50 cubic centimetres and only in a side-car or astride a pillion with foot-rests; no more than two persons on the machine; nothing carried in front of the driver unless non-bulky and securely attached; single file except when overtaking another motor cycle, and no two riders overtaking the same vehicle at once; no taking hold of another vehicle in motion; at least one hand on the handlebars; and all wheels in contact with the road surface at all times.
- National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000 — regulation 330(g)No vehicle may be towed where the towing vehicle is a motor cycle, motor tricycle, motor quadrucycle or pedal cycle.
- South African Learner Driver Manual, Vehicle Components and Controls (Department of Transport, v1.00, June 2012) — §1.2 and §1.3The nine numbered motorcycle controls and the manual's own sample questions: the throttle regulates fuel to the engine, the front brake lever activates the stop lamp, stopping uses the front and rear brakes together, the clutch joins them immediately before standstill, and stopping distance is longer on a wet road, at higher speed and with a passenger.
Last updated 2026-09-21.