A lot went wrong with the new catalog of fines, also with the car toll - but in another project, Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) pushed through his ideas, and did so in a fairly silent manner. As of this year, drivers aged at least 25 who have had a driver's license for five years are allowed to drive light motorcycles. These are motorcycles and scooters with a displacement of up to 125 cubic centimeters and 15 hp.
The condition is that the driver has attended a training course that ends without an examination. Nine lessons in the driving school - then you will have the authorization.
After a good six months it becomes clear that the upgrading of the car driver's license has led to a little buying frenzy in the two-wheeler industry. In the first half of 2020 there was an increase of 45 percent in light motorcycles to almost 16,000 units, with light scooters it was even 68 percent compared to the same period in the previous year (2020: almost 15,000), according to the German Motorcycle Industry Association (IVM). "As you can see, many have been waiting for the regulation that motorists can also drive light motorcycles with little effort," says Reiner Brendicke, General Manager of the IVM.
Motorists aged 30 to 35 want to drive fast scooters
For him, the increase in new registrations is "strongly linked to the changed driving license regulations". The numbers show that. He justifies the significantly higher increase in scooter sales with the fact that "many motorists now use a scooter as a second or third vehicle". Scooters are easy to drive, take up little space and are much cheaper than a car. Not surprisingly, the instructors benefit from the mandatory training. "We have a clear increase in driving schools," says Dieter Quentin, chairman of the federal association of driving instructors. These are mainly 30 to 35 year old drivers who want to drive scooters.
But did what critics feared happen? Have there been more accidents in the small motorcycle class? Because of such questions, Scheuer received massive criticism from different directions for his advance a year ago, with always the same fears: The German Road Safety Council (DVR) and the Federal Association of Driving Instructors' Associations did not consider the proposal to be sensible. They all warned of a lack of driving skills due to incomplete training and, as a result, an increase in the number of drivers killed and seriously injured.
However, it is still unclear whether the scenario has occurred. "A detailed statement cannot be made at this point in time," says Matthias Haasper, head of research at the Institute for Two-Wheel Safety. The ordinance is still young and driving school operations were discontinued throughout Germany due to the pandemic until the end of May.
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In addition, according to Haasper, an age-class-dependent special evaluation is necessary for the new regulation of the 125cc class. "Drivers who now drive scooters are older, experienced in traffic and thus clearly less at risk of accidents than younger people aged 16 and over who mainly drive light motorcycles," says Haasper. A differentiated driving license requires a special evaluation of the accident. What is certain so far is a further, general decline in the number of motorcyclists involved in accidents, "especially this year from January to April," says Haasper. According to the Federal Statistical Office, there were 11.6 percent fewer traffic accidents with motorized two-wheelers compared to the previous year during this period. This includes the group of light drivers - but is not shown separately.
But which motorcycle models are suitable for which type of rider? The selection is large, we are presenting five vehicles from different types:
For rough legs: KTM 125 Duke
The little beast is by far the most popular light motorcycle in Germany. The small machine is visually almost identical to the big Dukes from KTM. This is also typical for other manufacturers. The undisguised motorcycle is at a technically high level, for example thanks to the electronic power injection. The Duke costs 4728 euros. Naked bikes like the KTM and fully faired sports machines dominate the light motorcycle class. The prices are between 3500 and just over 5000 euros.
For aspiring female racers: Yamaha R 125
The R 125 is a fully faired racing motorcycle in bonsai format. She looks like her big super sporty sisters, only smaller. With a price starting at 5116 euros, it is one of the expensive light engines, but it offers technologies that are unusual for this class, such as an anti-hopping clutch. The 142 kg lightweight creates a top speed of 120 km / h. The machine is driven by a water-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke engine, which is common on light motorcycles.
For carefree connoisseurs: Vespa Primavera 125
When you think of scooters, you have Vespa in mind. The motor scooters from Italy are cult worldwide and widespread in Germany. No less than four scooters from the Piaggio Group, to which Vespa belongs, are in the first four places of the best-selling light scooters last year. Above all the classically elegant Primavera 125 at a price of 4610 euros. Scooters are easy to drive and ideal second vehicles for the city and for trips to the countryside. This is also convenient for two.
For modern romantics: Schwalbe L3E
The former two-stroke swallow from the former GDR has cult status today. Govecs, a manufacturer of electric scooters from Munich, has taken over the name of the bird under license and is now recreating the originally crackling swallow with a quiet electric motor and optically pretty close to the original. The scooter runs 90 things, comes around 90 kilometers and it takes around five hours to charge the batteries at the domestic socket. The price is 6990 euros.
For utility value lovers : Kymco Agility + 125i CBS
Kymco is the largest manufacturer of scooters from Taiwan and has been represented in Germany for over 25 years. The company has several 125cc scooters on offer, including the Agility City and Like II, two models among the top ten sold in 2019. The Agility is the more popular and cheaper scooter at 2143 euros. The tank is unusually under the running board for stability. The wheels are narrower and taller than European scooters like the Vespa. This is why the Kymoco looks more airy and is easier to move.
Icon: The mirror