Beginner biker confusion?

Ok, so I did my cbt and I'm riding a little 125cc cruiser, now I'm 18 and naturally once I'm 19 I want to upgrade to an a2 license (the a1 seems a tad pointless to me)
I'm not too bothered either way, just darned confused, does the a2 allow you to ride any bike as long as it produces no more than 33bhp or is it restricted to a 250cc
See I'm seeing honda shadow 750's listed as a bigginner bike because they are below 33bhp, are these legal on an a2

So… You have to do your theory and then your practical tests. Tests plural. Module 1 which is off road then module 2 which is a road test.

Once passed, the A2 licence allows you to ride any bike with a maximum of 46.6bhp. That means you can ride a larger bike which has been restricted. However, there are restrictions on which bikes can be restricted. Basically, the restricted bike must not have originally had more than 92bhp. There's no restriction on engine capacity. So yes, a Honda Shadow 750cc (restricted) would be perfectly acceptable.

http://www.swinton.co.uk/bike/licence-types/

I have read about the new UK licensing and I can understand how anybody would be confused. I'm also saddened that you have to go through this idiotic nonsense. I started riding 250cc bikes at the age of 15. These regulations stink and you have the sympathies of every rider in the US.

Stop your nonsense, Yanks. I've seen TONS of videos of crazy Yankees crashing Sports Bikes right outside the dealership. You won't see many these kind of videos from Europe, I believe.
We start slow, and work our way up. Trust me, I started on a 3.5BHP Honda Cub, now on a 140BHP Triumph Speed Triple 1050.
I've been riding for a decade; but I still have a 125cc Yamaha WR125X which is my daily commuter & a Yamaha YB100 which is a 'backup' bike. Call me crazy, but I prefer The WRX over my Speed3 And I LOVE my Speed3! So that tells something…
Ditch your cruiser since it must be making only 8 or so BHP and must weights around 200kg… If your cruiser is slow doesn't means all 125cc bikes are. Trust me, My WRX is capable of destroying exotic cars in the crowded streets! She just ate a V8 Vantage… Hungry for a Veyron!

In the UK, and other areas of Europe, the Governments don't want lots of road fatalities. Why the US Govt has a different attitude is unknown.

From the GUK Government website (not an insurance comapny)
"Category A2

You can drive motorbikes with a:
power output up to 35kW
power to weight ratio not more than 0.2kW/kg
The motorbike must also not be derived from a vehicle of more than double its power."

Doesn't seem that difficult to understand.