Licensing rules, A1 category limits, and documentation
Domain 9 covers what an A1 licence actually lets you ride, how you obtain it, and what you must be able to show. This is where candidates lose easy marks by mixing up the A1, A2 and A limits.
A1 category limits
- Minimum age: 16.
- Engine capacity: maximum 125 cm³.
- Power: maximum 11 kW.
- Power-to-weight ratio: maximum 0.1 kW/kg. All three technical limits apply at once - a 125 with 15 kW is not an A1 machine, and neither is an 11 kW bike that is too light for the ratio. The A1 category also covers A1-approved three-wheelers up to 15 kW.
The ladder upwards
- A2 from 18: maximum 35 kW and 0.2 kW/kg, and not derived from a machine of more than double that power.
- A from 20 if you have held A2 for at least two years, otherwise from 24.
Training and tests
Motorcycle training in Denmark is done through a driving school; there is no private practice on a motorcycle as there is for a car. You take a theory test and a practical test on the bike. The theory test covers all nine domains, including first aid and vehicle knowledge.
Documents and equipment
- Carry your driving licence when riding; produce registration and insurance if asked.
- Compulsory third-party insurance (ansvarsforsikring) is a condition of the registration being valid.
- Helmet for the rider and any passenger, properly fastened.
- The bike must be registered, roadworthy, and have any required inspection up to date.
Worked example
A 16-year-old finds a used 125 cc bike with 13 kW and a kerb weight of 120 kg. The capacity is fine, but 13 kW exceeds the 11 kW ceiling, so the machine is not A1-legal. Had it been 11 kW, the ratio would be 11/120 ≈ 0.09 kW/kg, which passes - but the absolute power limit is what fails here. It cannot be ridden on an A1 licence.
Traps
Checking only engine capacity. Forgetting that the ratio is calculated on the registered kerb weight. Believing a full A licence is needed to carry a passenger on an A1 bike - it is not, if the machine is approved for two people. Riding while a withdrawal is in force, which is treated far more seriously than the original offence.