Motorcycle vehicle knowledge and riding technique
This section checks that an A1 rider understands the machine and rides it with technique rather than luck. In Hungary A1 means a motorcycle of at most 125 cm³ and 11 kW, with three-wheelers up to 15 kW, ridable from age 16.
Pre-ride check
- Tyres: pressures checked cold, tread depth at least 1 mm, no cracks or embedded objects.
- Chain: roughly 20–30 mm of slack on most machines, lubricated, no tight spots; a dry chain eats sprockets.
- Brakes: lever and pedal firm, fluid at level, no leaks. Know whether your bike has ABS or CBS and what that feels like when it works.
- Lights and horn: headlight, both brake-light switches, indicators.
- Fluids and mirrors: oil level, coolant, mirrors set so you see the lane edge and a sliver of your own shoulder.
Riding technique
- Braking: both brakes together, the front doing most of the work; on gravel or in the wet be gentler and more rear-biased.
- Cornering: brake and shift down before the bend, look through to the exit, keep a steady throttle.
- Low speed: rear brake and slipping clutch give balance in traffic and U-turns.
- Countersteering: a gentle push on the bar in the direction of the turn starts the lean.
Worked example
You enter a tightening right-hander a little too fast. The right response is steady throttle, eyes further through the corner, and more lean - not grabbing the front brake mid-lean. Reasoning: braking while leaned over stands the bike up and eats the grip you need; extra lean and vision tighten the line safely.
Traps
- Rear brake only at speed: weak stopping and easy to lock.
- Fresh tyres and new brake pads need a bedding-in distance before full grip.
- An over-tight chain destroys the gearbox output bearing.
- Riding with the fuel tap or choke wrongly set and blaming the bike for poor running.