As a beginner motorcyclist in New Zealand, you’ll hear the term LAMS frequently bandied about in conversation. The Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme was implemented in October 2012, with LAMS governing what motorcycles it deemed suitable for beginners to start their riding career on.
The big upside is that LAMS has brought more choice than ever in terms of what you can ride. However, there are still restrictions in place.
Prior to 2012, Kiwi learners and restricted licence holders were limited to bikes with a maximum capacity of 250cc, while learner riders also had to contend with a somewhat ill-advised maximum speed limit of just 70km/h.
When NZ adopted LAMS, Kiwis on their Ls and Rs were no longer faced with these limits. Instead, a new set of rules was adopted.
The LAMS framework covers any road registered motorcycle under 660cc which has a power-to-weight ratio up to 150kW per tonne, but there are other aspects that also come into play, including a ban on altering the power output of the bike in case it nudges it past the magic power-to-weight ratio.
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There’s also a full list of motorcycles that are under 660cc but not LAMS approved, including some gems of the bad old days of 250 race replicas. Much of the non-approved list consists of two-stroke options such as the 250cc GP replicas of the late 1980s and early 90s; there are also other bikes that simply fall outside that power-to-weight ratio limit.
Make sure you check the list before you buy, as it’s not a guarantee a bike under 660cc will automatically be LAMS-approved.
In the 10 years since LAMS was adopted, we’ve seen a huge change to the NZ motorcycle landscape for the better.
Small capacity bikes have largely fallen out of favour with the 250 class, but investment into developing up and coming riders has exploded alongside the introduction of LAMS.
LAMS has also opened up more premium brands such as Triumph and Ducati to the learner class and even Harley-Davidson briefly had a LAMS offering in the Street 500.
The only real negative that has come from LAMS is the neutering of the 650cc class of motorcycles. Previously these were the first stepping stone towards a big bike and often provided a fun all-round package. The very first LAMS models offered in NZ were these bikes with restrictions on the throttle and intake. While these were easily circumvented in LAMS form, they hit a proverbial brick wall in acceleration that was very noticeable once the restriction kicked in.
While in the years since we’ve seen dedicated LAMS spec bikes such as Yamaha’s 655cc MT-07, those unrestricted full power (or high output) models have become a rarity. This is due to a lack of demand.
However, the benefits of the LAMS class far outweigh this minor change in the landscape and you can now purchase a 60hp 650 class machine to learn on for around $10,000 new.
There’s now much more choice and as a result there is a bike the right size for any learner. If you’ve been on the fence about learning to ride, there’s no better time than the present to jump on two wheels and ride a LAM.
