Returning Kiwi needing some advice on laws vs bikes please

[theclarkster]

Hi all, it's nice to join you in your community!. I have a question that I'm hoping you folks could help me with if possible?, that is.. what are the laws surrounding bike size vs where you can ride? (I'll explain).
Living in London for the last 11 years and being a frequent visitor to Paris, it's clear that commuting by mega scooter is VERY popular in Europe (especially around inner city and surrounding suburbs), and with the possibility of moving back to Auckland I am considering one of these big scoots (somethinig like a Piaggio X Evo - 125cc, X10 - 350cc, or MP3 Yourban 300cc) to commute from the suburbs via the motorway to town or beyond and wonder what the law dictates on scooters particularly.. are machines under a certain cc banned form motorways (I'm assuming a nifty 50 is a motorway no-no by default) or are there any weird laws/regs that I need to know about?.

Further, in europe they are generally allowed to park on footpaths in the city centre.. would this be allowed in Auckland/NZ?

As a matter of context I don't currently have any form of bike license but would consider doing a british CBT or Direct Access course before returning if that's easier than testing/learning in NZ.

Hope you folks can advise me in simple terms/plain english... I've checked out google for answers but even on nzta website I can't seem to find a clear answer.

Any advise is appreciated.

Cheers,

Darren

[Gremlin]

For motorway travel, mopeds (the 50s, low powered etc) are not allowed, but 125cc etc are fine. Whether you think you're going to be safe on one... is another matter entirely. Mopeds can be driven on a car licence, but must be <2kw, from memory.

Park on the footpath in Auckland CBD and expect a ticket for obstructing the footpath. There is motorcycle specific parking, there's a thread somewhere (or you can search the relevant council website) with locations.

Do CBT / Direct Access in UK before you come, then your full licence is transferrable to an NZ one. You'll also receive good training in the UK, which while demanding, will give you good skills. We have motorcycle instructors here for sure, but our version of the CBT doesn't exist yet.

[chasio]

For motorway travel, mopeds (the 50s, low powered etc) are not allowed, but 125cc etc are fine. Whether you think you're going to be safe on one... is another matter entirely. Mopeds can be driven on a car licence, but must be <2kw, from memory.

Park on the footpath in Auckland CBD and expect a ticket for obstructing the footpath. There is motorcycle specific parking, there's a thread somewhere (or you can search the relevant council website) with locations.

Do CBT / Direct Access in UK before you come, then your full licence is transferrable to an NZ one. You'll also receive good training in the UK, which while demanding, will give you good skills. We have motorcycle instructors here for sure, but our version of the CBT doesn't exist yet.

What he said ^_^

As for ride choice, I ran a Vespa GT200 (I'd have preferred a GTS250) for a couple of years and it was perfect for commuting, except for not taking a full-face under the seat. But it was FAR better than a mega scooter (and I'd guess the majority of bikes) for getting around in traffic. I'd really only go for one of those brick sh!thouses if I HAD to have the luggage space. But I'd rather a bike with a 3-way pannier set, personally.

If you like Vespas, they are pricey over here (but hold value brilliantly) so it might even pay to ship one over. The main site for looking at prices here is TradeMe (http://www.trademe.co.nz/). Maybe half the models you mentioned you probably won't even find on there.

And if you do end up getting your license here, there are plenty of decent choices that are LAMS compliant (i.e. learner approved) these days.