Took my Bonneville for its MOT test today, although I was confident it has no issues likely to result in a fail, it's still a relief to be handed a no advisory pass. Not been a bad day weather wise either so went for a ride for an hour or so, really enjoyed it.
I lived in Holland for two years and it was the same there, no MOT's, though if we leave the EU this is unlikely to be adopted over here., not that I think it was even if we stay
I think having compulsory MOTs is a good thing, although looking at the state of some of the bikes I see I’m not sure everyone knows they’re compulsory.
i am always thinking of this we have no M.O.T here for bikes is it a good thing or bad? Still unsure as the n.c.t (m.o.t) for cars here is a bit of a joke as they are employed by a Spanish company so profit is king. My car failed because the spare wheel was 1 turn too loose had to pay half price again to get it retested. On the other hand some of the bikes i have tested here have some really bad faults i think it's who you buy it from e.g did they do the brakes-tires-oil etc.is more important than any test. I have seen tires with canvass showing and the guy selling it said they are good for anther few miles rant over
i am always thinking of this we have no M.O.T here for bikes is it a good thing or bad? Still unsure as the n.c.t (m.o.t) for cars here is a bit of a joke as they are employed by a Spanish company so profit is king. My car failed because the spare wheel was 1 turn too loose had to pay half price again to get it retested. On the other hand some of the bikes i have tested here have some really bad faults i think it's who you buy it from e.g did they do the brakes-tires-oil etc.is more important than any test. I have seen tires with canvass showing and the guy selling it said they are good for anther few miles rant over
Well as far as I'm concerned my bike is meticulously maintained all year round, in fact gets attention when not needed, to satisfy me basically. The actual MOT is only in my mind when it comes for renewal, not at any other time. As stated though, it does make me a bit edgy, will it pass, won't it syndrome, which is really just a state of mind I reckon
If it's on SORN then it doesn't require tax or an MOT (the whole point of declaring it SORN). Yes, you could drag it out of the garage, fuel up and ride it but that wouldn't make it legal, which your post seems to imply. SORN is not a way of avoiding taxing or MOT'ing a bike so I'm not sure why you consider the SORN system stupid?.
Out of interest as the law stands motorcycles are in a grey area as a lot of old bikes are far from standard, already there are cases/prosecutions being looked at as the points system that the DVLA has not yet put in place as it should would then determine whether your bike is legal as many of the bikes out there like bitsas do not conform :-(
It surprises me that Government have not made the MOT test for bikes far more stringent to be honest. The motor cycle driving licence is a bureaucratic case in point as I see it, aimed not really at licensing safer riders so much as raising revenue and discouraging people from wanting to enjoy the pleasures of those dangerous, anti social motorcycles. Why the MOT hasn't gone down the same road I have no idea. Additionally, no matter how well maintained a machine is and / or how skillful the rider is, they are no match for the state of some of our road surfaces, I have long since ditched riding in the dark for fear of pot holes.
No MOT or equivalent required here. In the US things like this are regulated state by state. Despite the state of California's reputation for being strictly regulated, as long as you pay license & registration fees on time, they don't seem to care. No emissions checks either [motorcycles only]. I prefer it that way. The less I deal with government regs. the happier I am. ...J.D.
It's an interesting one regarding older vehicles, recently they changed the law so that vehicles over 40 years old do not need an mot. Part of this is because modern mot testers do not fully understand old motors, a typical example is my old car: Front wheel bearing play is a requirement to allow for expansion,however no perceptible play is allowed on modern cars so a failure can result, also the modern test is in many ways totally unsuitable for application to very old vehicles. Interestingly, since the test was discontinued there has been no appreciable increase in accident's.. In my experience most owners of old vehicles know infinitely more about them than most modern mechanic's or mot testers.