No more MOTs for our Norton's

Looks like no more MOTs for vehicles in the UK if they are over 40 years old

Looks that way from May 2018

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... hiness.pdf

Whilst this seems nice and convenient for us... it has to be one of the most illogical moves imaginable.

Que conspiracy theories about it being the thin end of the wedge to outlaw our old bikes from the road...

Fast Eddie said:

Whilst this seems nice and convenient for us... it has to be one of the most illogical moves imaginable.

Que conspiracy theories about it being the thin end of the wedge to outlaw our old bikes from the road...

Click to expand...

+1 to that ...

Fast Eddie said:

Whilst this seems nice and convenient for us... it has to be one of the most illogical moves imaginable.

Que conspiracy theories about it being the thin end of the wedge to outlaw our old bikes from the road...

Click to expand...

Perhaps not from 'the road' as such, my two 1956 vehicles have been MoT exempt for a few years now, under the pre '60 rules, no real change from my perspective, still very little use!

More likely is the UK eventually taking the approach implemented elsewhere to 'constrain' their use as daily transport in congested traffic conditions, get to work transport etc., through the expectation that they are used for 'organised events' and limited other use.

Let's be realistic, very few 40 plus vehicles are actually used daily and this kind of restriction would not limit many of us.

The upside can be greater interest from 'joe public' when the vehicles are 'on show'.

No matter the intent, I have to give them credit for writing a clear and concise rule. If that was written by the US government it would take 6 lawyers and an assistant to decipher it, and it would still end up before a judge to make the final decision.

Where I live seems like there are more and more older vehicles on the road, mostly cars it has to be said. Old VW camper vans, frog eyed sprites and the like. Mostly out and about at weekends.

My Norton is my daily ride (well it was until about a week ago), I have six bikes altogether, dating from 1955 to 2011, the Norton is definitely the go to one.

...and what about fuel?
Diesels are already one step better than a child molester.
Petrol is next.
Mark my words.

My Commando gets frequent use too, I don't want to be limited to parading it like a ploughing engine or a steam roller ...

Onder said:

...and what about fuel?
Diesels are already one step better than a child molester.
Petrol is next.
Mark my words.

Click to expand...

I live in Normandy!, this area of France would come to a complete stop without diesel! As it sometimes does when the delivery drivers go on strike!

UK did not go the whole hog and implement the EU 30 year recommendation. As for theories - as long as we don't go down the French historic registration route I don't care.

As someone from the Colonies, I don't have a dog in this fight, but I'm happy for you. The State I live in dropped yearly inspections for vehicles in the early '80s, and all of us said good riddance. The big problem here is uninsured motorists, and they are working on that. I use "Historical" Plates (30 years or older) on five old bikes at the current time. No annual renewal, but they are supposed to be used for "organized activities or test drives only" I know a lot of people who have them, and never get a second look. I think the wording is just to keep people from Historic Plating a '72 Chevy, and driving it to work daily. "Test drives" covers a lot of ground. If I'm out on my Norton in the evening or weekend, for a pleasure ride, who is to say it's not a "test drive".

Here in the Netherlands there has never been an annual inspecton for motorcycles. The idea behind this is that motorcycles are usually well maintained, and the technical status of the vehicle plays a very insignificant role in the accident statistics.
There is however an annual inspection for cars, for cars of over 40 years old require an inspection every two years, and cars of over 50 years of age are exempt from tech inspection.
With cars, also the tech status is insignificant in accident statistics, nor are uninsured drivers, Idiots playing with smartphones while driving are the major concern here.

Brithit said:

As someone from the Colonies, I don't have a dog in this fight, but I'm happy for you. The State I live in dropped yearly inspections for vehicles in the early '80s, and all of us said good riddance. The big problem here is uninsured motorists, and they are working on that. I use "Historical" Plates (30 years or older) on five old bikes at the current time. No annual renewal, but they are supposed to be used for "organized activities or test drives only" I know a lot of people who have them, and never get a second look. I think the wording is just to keep people from Historic Plating a '72 Chevy, and driving it to work daily. "Test drives" covers a lot of ground. If I'm out on my Norton in the evening or weekend, for a pleasure ride, who is to say it's not a "test drive".

Click to expand...

No limitations on use in the UK... yet.

I regard any ride on any classic bike as a 'test ride'!
It's what keeps me alert :mrgreen:

Brithit said:

I think the wording is just to keep people from Historic Plating a '72 Chevy, and driving it to work daily.

Click to expand...

There's a joker around here running Classic plates on a clapped-out late-Sixties Chevy truck assumedly driving to work on a daily basis, rust and all. Granted, my Norton gets driven to work "fairly" regularly, but it's not like it's my primary transportation as this guy's truck appears to be. I can only guess that, the way our legal system operates around here, rather than revoke this guy's plate, the State will eliminate the program altogether.

Nathan

Madnorton said:

UK did not go the whole hog and implement the EU 30 year recommendation. As for theories - as long as we don't go down the French historic registration route I don't care.

Click to expand...

Please can you clarify your reservations about the French system?

Since I am just about to get into that!

You will need to talk to Geoff Scales in the FRENCH section NOC. If not, if you register you bike as historic it can no longer leave France as it becomes like a government treasure. If you are just about to go there, then you will also be required to use EU approved motorcycle gloves - applies to pillion and the fine is E68.
The sooner we leave them and the rest of the eurocrap ideas behind the better.

I used to live in Arizona and for more years than I care to count motorcycles in Maricopa and Pima counties had to go through emission inspection! Mine you no other counties in the entire US had emission inspections for motorcycles. You would lean out the bike to pass then re-adjust it to run once the test was over. At one point they had you put your bike on the dyno rollers but not tied down just you sitting on the bike revving up to the speed required. That went away when one of the bikes "got away" and destroyed a printer and severely damaged the Harley! It served no reason but to put money in the states pocket. That whole thing went away about 8 years ago.

John in Texas

THE US Gov has emissions standards for vehicles sold in the US. The state of California has there own, tighter emissions standards for vehicles to be sold there. But most US states (maybe all?) do not emissions-test motos. As noted, each State of the "UNITED States" have there own regs re emissions testing for registration and, within each state, there can be different requirements (pretty much the same as firearms)!

Of course, lawmakers can change the laws whenever so a vehicle that does not have to be emissions-checked to operate in a certain area/state this year, could be banned in the same place next year!

All the US states' DMV sites list the emissions requirements and they are usually quite clear. California, for example, states that vehicles exempt from emissions testing are:

Gasoline-powered vehicles model year 1975 and older.
Natural gas-powered vehicles weighing over 14,000 lbs. .
Diesel-powered vehicles that:
Are model year 1997 and older.
OR
Have a gross weight rating of over 14,000 lbs.
Electric vehicles.
Motorcycles.

The DMV sites also list areas within states that may require testing while others may not. For example, in Texas, if you register a car in certain counties, it is required to be emissions checked each year; in most areas of the state, it is not.

I remember that Arizona had (at the time the emissions law was passed) a 13 year cut off. So if your car was 14 years old it didn't have to pass emissions. That came back to bite them because cars and trucks in Arizona don't suffer from salt rot and rust. So they went back and changed the law so that every vehicle made from 1967 on had to be smog tested. 1967 was the first year that manufacturers had to have emission controls on vehicles sold.

Wonder what is going to happen with gasoline and diesel power vehicles now that the UK and China are saying they won't make fossil fuel powered vehicles after 2040?

John in Texas