manzanofran Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 Can someone clarify exactly what is required on your machine for road trials after registration & number plate. Do I need a speedo? horn? anything else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_scorpa3 Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 To be honest, no one seems to bother with speedos, a horn would be a good idea if you got stopped by the police but most important is a legalish looking number plate, an MOT and a tax disc. Plus the MOST important road traffic insurance, which the sec of the meeting can supply for a small fee when you sign on if your own policy excludes trials. We will be scrutineering the bikes for the Colmore Cup Novogar in March, but all we check is that the throttle self closes and there are rounded ends to the levers. Everything else is the riders rersponsibility. We wouldn't notice if a bike was taxed or not. The big numberplate is a bonus because it makes the bike look more legal as it travels past all covered in mud. Hope this helps. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalshell Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 (edited) understand this from the start just because your bike has an mot certificate does NOT mean it is road legal. for a day light mot on a modern bike.. you'd need a continuos tone horn ( electric) as well as working brakes and bearings and lights (if it has any) ( eg rev 3's some had moulded rear lights in the fenders they must work... if it doesnt have them they dont need them..) to be road legal a bike must have an mot, insurance, visible road fund licence (tax disc) a number plate of the correct size and a speedo. to be caught without any of the above would almost certainly mean 60 pounds and 3 points minimum for each offence, no insurance would probably cost you 3 points and a couple of hundred quid. no road tax would cost you 75 pound and back tax to the date it was last paid or the date of manufacture whichever is the most recent. to be honest i can understand scrutineers finding themselves in a legal mire and the checks outlined above are fair.. however how much more responsible would it be if the ACU produced a checklist for scrutineers for road trials . this would demonstrate a responsible attitude and ensure conformity for all trials. organisers could demonstrate that they had done there best to ensure that bikes were legally compliant and promote responsible/ safe bike useage potential road trial scrutineers check list tax disc mot certificate speedo horn correct size number plate self closing throttle brakes connected fuel cap closed chain guard road legal tyres helmet gloves boots noise test Edited February 6, 2009 by totalshell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the addict Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 (edited) Keep things as they are now,riders responsibility,we're all big enough to know what's legal and what isn't and know the risks for riding slightly legal. Pretty much most of the time Trials are held on very minor roads and not main ones so very rare to see any Police and when you do I am sure they know the score and leave alone. I am sure clubs could do without the agro of checking legality of bikes and telling some riders they have to go home due to something not correct on their bikes. Did a trial near Birmingham a couple of years back and half the field got stopped,don't think much happened though. The extra insurance is worth it when available at the paddock but not all events offer this and I cant remember who runs it but it will as Pete says cover you for the trial as your normal insurance wont. I knocked big Dave off his bike at a T Junction at the Wallace years back, any one else and he would have been pushed in front of the oncoming car for sure and the consequences of that doesn't bare thinking about.Luckily i hit him up the chuff at only about 30mph and he stood his ground and I came off worse, Edited February 6, 2009 by The Addict Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamjayzee Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 It's not much different ot raod rallying. You should find out what is or isn't legal and then take your own stance, but if the cops know about an event, they are generally sympathetic. Some of the barely roadworthy WRC cars limping to service are no way legal, but the spirit of sport often prevails. You take your own viuew, but best do it from a position of knowledge.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamjayzee Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 Sorry about all the typos; it's late and I have imbibed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_scorpa3 Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 understand this from the start just because your bike has an mot certificate does NOT mean it is road legal.for a day light mot on a modern bike.. you'd need a continuos tone horn ( electric) as well as working brakes and bearings and lights (if it has any) ( eg rev 3's some had moulded rear lights in the fenders they must work... if it doesnt have them they dont need them..) to be road legal a bike must have an mot, insurance, visible road fund licence (tax disc) a number plate of the correct size and a speedo. to be caught without any of the above would almost certainly mean 60 pounds and 3 points minimum for each offence, no insurance would probably cost you 3 points and a couple of hundred quid. no road tax would cost you 75 pound and back tax to the date it was last paid or the date of manufacture whichever is the most recent. to be honest i can understand scrutineers finding themselves in a legal mire and the checks outlined above are fair.. however how much more responsible would it be if the ACU produced a checklist for scrutineers for road trials . this would demonstrate a responsible attitude and ensure conformity for all trials. organisers could demonstrate that they had done there best to ensure that bikes were legally compliant and promote responsible/ safe bike useage potential road trial scrutineers check list tax disc mot certificate speedo horn correct size number plate self closing throttle brakes connected fuel cap closed chain guard road legal tyres helmet gloves boots noise test Yes, to be 100% correct all of the obove and more should be checked on every bike, but the onus for this must rest on the competitor and not on the organisers. A bike MOT should take 20 minutes, so if every machine was checked to this standard there would be no road trials. The more we check, the more we can be held liable for not checking correctly. One thing that I do believe we should do for all road trials, is that road insurance should be part of the entry fee unless a rider opts out signing a declaration to say their own insurance covers trials. At our one big national last year, only nine from 116 riders took out the extra insurance (and I was one of them) I struggle to believe that the other 105 all had insurance that covered them for trials. This is potentially a much bigger problem than riders riding on the road without a rear reflector. All my own personal opinion you understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_scorpa3 Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 By the way, providing you are 21 and have no more than six (I believe) points on your licence, the road insurance is just Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalshell Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 (edited) all nice arguments...... from way back in the 1950's. in todays society you cannot stand back and say 'nowt to do with me' you have to show reasonable steps were taken to ensure the safety not only of the competitors but also the other 60 million people in the country who might legitamately expect the motorcycle coming toward them to be road legal. then come the day, and it will, when your asked to stand up in court and place your hand on the bible you can say. ''I took all reasonble precautions to prove that the vehicle was road legal'' the nice disclaimer at the bottom of entry forms about not holding anyone anywhere responsible for death or injury during the trial will one day be tested. I for one would not like to be the one who argues the case for a club who didnt check for any evidence of legallity... to actually perform mots at scrutineering would be unreasonable but is it really not of any value to check that the bike actually has an mot and insurance.. what be your defence for not doing so.. Edited February 6, 2009 by totalshell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_scorpa3 Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 You may well be right, however so long as we run under the rules of the ACU and every rider signs to say that they have read and understand the rules and regulations as laid down in the handbook and the national sporting code, then there is no requirement for the club to inspect machines to a road legal standard. If our club was ever put in the position that we had to ensure every rider and every machine was fully licenced, road legal and of a good mechanical standard, then we would simply not run road trials. How many clubs would be prepared to accept that kind of responsibiliy? I'd hazard a guess the answer would be... none. Only my opinion you understand, there's brighter people than me writing the rules. Perhaps John Collins might be a better person to comment with a little more authority on this subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_scorpa3 Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 Here is the official list for machine examination as specified by the ACU. Trials Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougalthedog Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 Surely in the case of a collision on the road, with a member of the general public, any inurance whether it be the riders own, or optional for the event, would be completely useless if the bike was not road legal. i.e. MOT, Tax, horn, speedo etc. Therefore the only legal otion is to have a fully legal bike and adequate insurance, anthing else is pointless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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