UKs oldest motorcycle shop closes after 120 years..

Tippie said:
There are hordes of school age teens here on the new transformers looking 125 bikes from many manufacturers, all with the loudest Akra pot on them. Generally throwing away a lot of the safety they learned at the extremely thorough learning and licensing process here in Norway, following way too close to cars generally, but also not dressed for meeting the asphalt. A small percentage will keep on bikes but most go to cars, mainly because of the climate.
If we cave to the EU demands of TUV/MOT for bikes here it will be very difficult with so few bike workshops so widely spread throughout this long skinny country, and many owners with a few bikes. So far the fact that roadworthiness has been a virtually non-existent factor in mc related accidents the rider organisation has managed to keep it out.
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The EU/TUV was put into effect in France 2 years ago.
80% of motorcyclists haven't followed. A lot of test centres are closing.
None of my bikes has been tested.
Problem arises if you sell, you need a clean test.
Paul
 
Paul Marx said:
The EU/TUV was put into effect in France 2 years ago.
80% of motorcyclists haven't followed. A lot of test centres are closing.
None of my bikes has been tested.
Problem arises if you sell, you need a clean test.
Paul
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That surprises me a little , Paul........ ( although I don`t doubt that`s the case ) ........

In the UK you need a current MOT in place or you are prevented from renewing your Vehicle Tax ....... and insurance companies will almost certainly treat your cover as terminated if you suffer an incident .... ( whether it`s your fault or not ) .... and your vehicle is untaxed / has no current MOT .........

Read the ( very ) small print in your policy if you doubt this........

If they can find an excuse to wriggle their way out , they will ....... guaranteed ..........

This also applies to breakdown cover ....... my current purveyors of peace of mind .... ( the RAC ) ...... sends me reminders when my two bikes tax and MOT are due ......... If they lapse , then my contract with them has been terminated .... ( by me ) .........

I used to be in the habit of letting MOT cover lapse for a few days , or a week or so , before getting it renewed ...... just because it may not have been convenient , or didn`t seem to matter if I was a couple of days late renewing it ........ Now I make sure it`s all done in plenty of time ........

It seems things are a little more relaxed , sur l`continent ....... ! ............

Not so for us , the incontinent ........ :) .............


Although ....... If you have a Historic Registered Vehicle over here ... ( over 40 years since first registered ) ..... then you don`t have to obtain an MOT ........ But I wouldn`t mind betting an insurance company would still get iffity if you put in a claim , and one wasn`t in place ......... legal requirement or not ..........
 
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rocketonarail said:
That surprises me a little , Paul........ ( although I don`t doubt that`s the case ) ........

In the UK you need a current MOT in place or you are prevented from renewing your Vehicle Tax ....... and insurance companies will almost certainly treat your cover as terminated if you suffer an incident .... ( whether it`s your fault or not ) .... and your vehicle is untaxed / has no current MOT .........

Read the ( very ) small print in your policy if you doubt this........

If they can find an excuse to wriggle their way out , they will ....... guaranteed ..........

This also applies to breakdown cover ....... my current purveyors of peace of mind .... ( the RAC ) ...... sends me reminders when my two bikes tax and MOT are due ......... If they lapse , then my contract with them has been terminated .... ( by me ) .........

I used to be in the habit of letting MOT cover lapse for a few days , or a week or so , before getting it renewed ...... just because it may not have been convenient , or didn`t seem to matter if I was a couple of days late renewing it ........ Now I make sure it`s all done in plenty of time ........

It seems things are a little more relaxed , sur l`continent ....... ! ............

Not so for us , the incontinent ........ :) .............


Although ....... If you have a Historic Registered Vehicle over here ... ( over 40 years since first registered ) ..... then you don`t have to obtain an MOT ........ But I wouldn`t mind betting an insurance company would still get iffity if you put in a claim , and one wasn`t in place ......... legal requirement or not ..........
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I registered a scooter for the first time, 1979 never previously registered in UK. I had to declare it an historic vehicle which taxes it at zero cost effectively. A month later I was contacted by the Vehicle insurer’s association/ body that informed me that my scooter wasn’t insured and that as a taxed vehicle it has to be insured unless SORN. Apparently it’s part of Continuous insurance scheme- so you don’t get a couple of days grace any more. Still a grey area with regards to the “ roadworthy condition” part of your insurance contract - some classic owners are getting an MOT even if not legally obliged to do so as proof of roadworthyness. As you say Insurance companies know how to charge but paying out is a different dept.
 
If you don't legally need tax and MOT on an historic vehicle then I don't see how an insurance company can use this situation as a valid get out clause unless they inform you that it is the case when you take out the policy. Having said that they will never miss an opportunity to refuse to pay out.
"Sorry vicar but you opted for our never pay out policy" Monty Python
I think they have just removed the requirement for an MOT test on motorcycles in Portugal by the way.
 
There's still no requirement for an annual vehicle inspection in the IOM as long as you keep the vehicle taxed every couple of years. You can voluntarily take your vehicle for a test each year, but on the basis even a day after having passed the test it could be found to have a fault, why would you bother unless you were wanting them to try and find faults for you (which is frowned upon by the test centre)?
There are probably dozens of insurance claims each week on the IOM and AFAIK none of them have been refused on the basis the vehicle hadn't had an annual vehicle inspection. However, if the police had impounded the vehicle following an incident and it was found to be defective in any way which did/could have contributed to the reason for the incident then that might be a different matter.
 
The EU control here (mot/tuv) is a right now this instant report, luckily not bikes....yet. If it says brake pads need 4mm material or whatever, 4.01 will pass, same for everything. Like Andy says, it is not proof it is all good tomorrow.
 
Had an accident last November on Kermit (1200 Mirage 1979), not had a MOT for a few years, just logged on to tax when required , paid nothing. Insurance company (Peter James) paid out, no issues concerning MOT.
Mind you after coming round in ambulance the police did say there was no tax on Kermit, once I explained it was a historic vehicle no further action.
Andy
 
Tippie said:
The EU control here (mot/tuv) is a right now this instant report, luckily not bikes....yet. If it says brake pads need 4mm material or whatever, 4.01 will pass, same for everything. Like Andy says, it is not proof it is all good tomorrow.
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Same for the TÜV here in Germany.

If you suffer an accident that can be traced to a mechanical failure relating to roadworthyness the day after a test, they will wash their hands in innocence. Absolutely no way to make them liable for anything.

Even though these institutions may have their merits here and there, they're the next best thing to printing money, no way getting around them.

piet
 
rocketonarail said:
That surprises me a little , Paul........ ( although I don`t doubt that`s the case ) ........

In the UK you need a current MOT in place or you are prevented from renewing your Vehicle Tax ....... and insurance companies will almost certainly treat your cover as terminated if you suffer an incident .... ( whether it`s your fault or not ) .... and your vehicle is untaxed / has no current MOT .........

Read the ( very ) small print in your policy if you doubt this........

If they can find an excuse to wriggle their way out , they will ....... guaranteed ..........

This also applies to breakdown cover ....... my current purveyors of peace of mind .... ( the RAC ) ...... sends me reminders when my two bikes tax and MOT are due ......... If they lapse , then my contract with them has been terminated .... ( by me ) .........

I used to be in the habit of letting MOT cover lapse for a few days , or a week or so , before getting it renewed ...... just because it may not have been convenient , or didn`t seem to matter if I was a couple of days late renewing it ........ Now I make sure it`s all done in plenty of time ........

It seems things are a little more relaxed , sur l`continent ....... ! ............

Not so for us , the incontinent ........ :) .............


Although ....... If you have a Historic Registered Vehicle over here ... ( over 40 years since first registered ) ..... then you don`t have to obtain an MOT ........ But I wouldn`t mind betting an insurance company would still get iffity if you put in a claim , and one wasn`t in place ......... legal requirement or not ..........
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We don't have vehicle tax of any sort.
The insurance companies have all said that they'd cover motorcyclists without the equivalent of MOT. Business is business and 80% of us haven't had our bikes tested.

As for relaxed on the continent, it depends where. The Continent is vast.
The French so far have managed to dispense with the law and order mentality prevalent in certain countries. Long may it go on.
The majority of MOT centres in France are run by Dekra, a German company with a large stake in European test centres who pushed for the MOT to be adopted for two wheelers in France. May their shareholders rot in hell.

Paul
 
MOT in UK is only valid at the point of testing, all the test points are of a minimum safety standard- couple of days later and anything could happen . MOT is valid for 12 months unless you test up to a month early then it’s valid for 13 months- something I could never get my brain round. When registering a vehicle for the first time ( import, barn find etc) you must prove it is in roadworthy condition, an MOT would do this but I have used “ vehicle has been inspected by marque specialist and deemed to be 100% original and in roadworthy condition..” this has been accepted and has no legal standing whatsoever.
We did have a customer crash after having a sucessful MOT test and the Police did notify our shop that they would be carrying out engineering report on wrecked bike. I didn’t do this particular test but it was found the rider had been smoking “stuff” and we heard nothing more.
Years ago I used to be able to issue a red ticket- not only a VT30 advisory but a red dangerous to ride certificate, which meant you couldn’t ride it home from test station. I only issued one on an AE50 Kawasaki and he got nicked by the Police. You are allowed to ride to & from test station even if it fails and does not need tax, providing you take shortest route home.
 
pf1 said:
I just registered my CB160 Honda and had to prove nothing about its roadworthyness.
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Did you have to send pictures of bike? Was it on old log book? UK or import? They won’t register a pile of bits or an incomplete bike and sometimes require an inspection. Last one I did they wanted pictures of front, back sides, engine & frame number. I’ve never been asked for inspection but it has happened.
 
It was on a NOVA with receipts, no pictures, a dating letter from the VJMC the only question was because I followed some on line advice and said the bike was bought in the USA but I bought it in the UK. I sent the receipt and that was it.
 
When I went to register the Triton I built I had to hire a van, load it up and take it to my nearest inspection centre which at the time was in Stanmore, NW London.
The examiner got in the back of the van and gave me points for various original items such as wheels (inc the brake drum), frame, mudguards etc. I managed to accumulate enough points to have bike registered as a Norton and I was given an age related, non transferable Scottish registration.
Needless to say as soon as I got the bike home the valanced and borrowed mudguards were torn off and replaced with alloy ones!DSC_0813~2.JPG
 
Nicely done, BTW after losing a bunch of stick-on wheel weights I bought a set of these, I get the tyre bloke to balance with stick on and then swap them over.
www.ebay.com.au

BEST CHROME SPOKE WEIGHTS AVAILABLE! Fit Yamaha/Suzuki/Honda/BMW/Triumph 8pcs | eBay Australia

No-Mar's unique design with a uniform width also allows multiple weights to be stacked on a single spoke plus the ability to adjust the position along the spoke for the most precise balance. (Cone-shaped weights which attach to the spoke nut allow neither.).
www.ebay.com.au
 
I have never lost a stick on wheel weight, in fact I re-use them, peel off the double sided tape and put new on, clean the rim properly and remove them at next tyre change. You can't get lead weights here any more and I prefer them as they are very easy to trim to exact requirement.
 
It's the same for Elizabeth St in the Sydney CBD, where, when I was a kid more than 50 years ago, fuck me, that was the centre of the NSW Motobike scene. Every brand had a large shop, except for Harley Ducati and Laverda. From maybe 15, it's now down to 1 small branch of a bike accessories shop. Really sad from the boom days back then. And out in Suberbia it's the same, there few and far apart.
 
As a teenager we would regularly visit half a dozen or more wreckers looking for parts, most were in walking distance of each other. It was common to leave your bike parked at one while you tried the others. I visited the last wrecker in Auckland about a year ago and he’d just sold and had his place emptied out by a guy down the line doing online stuff. I’ve dealt with him too but it’s not the same as rummaging around the shelves yourself
 
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