16.3 Motor Cycles & Motor Tricycles

Quick Answer: No passenger under age 8 on a motor cycle unless on a fixed seat in a sidecar. No more than one passenger unless there is a sidecar. All lamps on at all times, including daytime. No earphones. Under 125cc (or under 3kW if solely electric) is banned from expressways. Load limits: 500kg motor cycle, 600kg motor tricycle.

This Chapter Is on the Paper — Officially

If you need proof that Chapter 7 is examinable for taxi candidates, the Transport Department supplies it. The Guide to Taxi Written Test prints sample questions for both parts, and its third Part B sample reads: "Motorcyclist must not carry a passenger under the age of ______ unless he or she is carried on a fixed seat in a sidecar." The published answer is 8, referenced to page 103 of the Road Users' Code — which sits inside Chapter 7.

That single fact settles the study question. Part B is set on the whole Code, including the chapters written for road users you are not. Skipping Chapter 7 is skipping marks you were told about in advance.

Passengers: The Highest-Yield Rules

The age-8 rule and the one-passenger rule share the same escape clause — a sidecar — which is why examiners like them. Memorise the pair together: more than one passenger, or a passenger under 8, means there must be a sidecar.

The Code adds practical advice for carrying a pillion: ride with more caution than usual, avoid sudden changes of speed or course, and agree a signal such as a firm tap on the shoulder for the passenger to ask you to stop, because talking may be impossible.

Licensing Stages for Riders

The rider pathway parallels the licensing structure you learned in Chapter 1, and the numbers repeat:

• Learner riders enrol at a designated driving school for a compulsory training course, pass the written test and the competence test, then apply for a learner's driving licence.
• A learner must display approved 'L' plates front and rear, must not carry any passenger, must not ride at certain times of the day, and must not enter a road carrying the 'No learner drivers' sign.
• After passing the driving test, the rider is eligible for a probationary driving licence with additional restrictions, displaying a 'P' plate, and may apply for a full licence after satisfactory completion of a probationary period of at least 12 months.

That 12-month probationary period is the same figure that appears in the taxi written test's own eligibility rule (Section 1.2). One number, two uses.

Equipment, Lighting and Prohibitions

The daytime-lights rule is the one that surprises candidates who learned to drive elsewhere. In Hong Kong it is not advice for riders — it is a requirement at all times.

Positioning: Why the Bike Is Where It Is

The Code tells riders not to follow the drivers' "keep to the left" rule too closely, because a good view matters more:

• Under normal conditions, ride on the right-hand side of the traffic lane, just to the left of the lane line or centre line
• On one-way roads or dual carriageways, use the correct lane like other drivers but take a similar position within it
• On normal two-way roads, ride near the centre of the road, moving left to let overtaking vehicles pass
• Approaching junctions with traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, or other stopping places, take up position in the centre of the appropriate lane well in advance

For filtering, the rule is narrow: in slow moving or stopped traffic a rider may only ride slowly through gaps that can be driven through without danger, and if in doubt should stay in the traffic lane in the normal position.

Taxi transfer: a rider legitimately occupying the centre or right of the lane is not being obstructive — they are following the Code. Squeezing past them inside their own lane is the manoeuvre that produces the classic taxi-versus-motorcycle collision, and the Code separately tells riders not to overtake in the same lane as the vehicle being passed.

Signals and Loads

Riders use direction indicators to turn or move in or out, and may add an arm signal to reinforce their intention. But the Code warns that giving an arm signal means riding one-handed, which is dangerous, so arm signals should not be given for longer than necessary and at times should not be given at all. Expect a rider's signalling to be brief.

Load rules are numeric and therefore examinable:

• Maximum gross vehicle weight: 500kg (motor cycle), 600kg (motor tricycle)
• The load or storage box must not be wider than the factory-fitted handlebars
• The load must be mounted securely and symmetrically along the longitudinal axis
• You must not allow any load to touch the road

Section Takeaways

1. No passenger under 8 unless on a fixed seat in a sidecar; no more than one passenger without a sidecar.
2. Pillion passengers must wear an approved safety helmet; learners carry no passengers and display 'L' plates.
3. All lamps on at all times including daytime; no earphones; horn only to warn of danger.
4. Under 125cc / under 3kW electric — no expressways; no riding on footways or pedestrian only roads.
5. Loads: 500kg / 600kg gross, no wider than the handlebars, never touching the road.