MOTs for Bikes In France? Non!

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daveuprite
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Re: MOTs for Bikes In France? Non!

Post by daveuprite »

This is partially a debate about enthusiast biking as opposed to utilitarian biking. Enthusiast bikers use bikes for bikes' sake. They want the experience of being on two wheels for its own sake and often take a keen interest in the design, engineering and maintenance of their bikes. The MOT is probably less relevant to this group because they run their own regular checks anyway - it's all part of the ownership experience.

But there is also a large group of perfectly legitimate and valuable bike-users, who use two wheels because they help them with their commute or as cheap utilitarian transport. This group has less reason to be involved in the detail and culture of 'biking', so perhaps less involvement in day-to-day maintenance. Many will adhere to service schedules for their bikes/scooters by simply returning them to the main dealer for maintenance, and they are therefore theoretically safe and sound. But there will be others with older but functional commuter bikes who haven't the first clue how to check brake pad wear, bearing play etc etc. I guess it's this group who most need a compulsory check to keep them safe.

Maybe there could be a periodic compulsory check that's mainly visual, not expensive, and can be done at existing car testing stations - just to make sure the basic safety items are all good. Tyre tread/wear, brakes, hoses, bearings, chain/sprockets etc. That would probably be enough to prevent a few disasters. Perhaps it could be incorporated within a very basic quick one hour motorbike/scooter maintenance 'lesson', to encourage riders to look after the bike better themselves, so that something is done to actually improve things over time?
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mark vb
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Re: MOTs for Bikes In France? Non!

Post by mark vb »

daveuprite wrote: Fri Apr 30, 2021 10:38 am This is partially a debate about enthusiast biking as opposed to utilitarian biking. Enthusiast bikers use bikes for bikes' sake. They want the experience of being on two wheels for its own sake and often take a keen interest in the design, engineering and maintenance of their bikes. The MOT is probably less relevant to this group because they run their own regular checks anyway - it's all part of the ownership experience.

But there is also a large group of perfectly legitimate and valuable bike-users, who use two wheels because they help them with their commute or as cheap utilitarian transport. This group has less reason to be involved in the detail and culture of 'biking', so perhaps less involvement in day-to-day maintenance. Many will adhere to service schedules for their bikes/scooters by simply returning them to the main dealer for maintenance, and they are therefore theoretically safe and sound. But there will be others with older but functional commuter bikes who haven't the first clue how to check brake pad wear, bearing play etc etc. I guess it's this group who most need a compulsory check to keep them safe.

Maybe there could be a periodic compulsory check that's mainly visual, not expensive, and can be done at existing car testing stations - just to make sure the basic safety items are all good. Tyre tread/wear, brakes, hoses, bearings, chain/sprockets etc. That would probably be enough to prevent a few disasters. Perhaps it could be incorporated within a very basic quick one hour motorbike/scooter maintenance 'lesson', to encourage riders to look after the bike better themselves, so that something is done to actually improve things over time?
Hmmm, I don't really agree with that generalisation. I know of superficially 'enthusiast' bikers, who came into biking later on in life and after they passed their test bought the latest super-dooper sportsbike or whatever because it was expected of them and they want to blast along the roads looking cool and maybe go to races but know little if anything about mechanics.... some of these bikes even go to the dealer to have their chains adjusted when the swing arm starts to get scuffed from an overly loose chain! Conversely, utilitarian biking quite often equals enthusiastic and mechanically competent owners, but I agree not always (in the 'good old days' it invariably did). Laws, like the need for an MoT, are often made with the lowest common denominator in mind and those who have little need of that law are inevitably caught up in them even though they, maybe rightly, think it is a waste of time for them. But as I said, a second expert opinion is always useful from time to time, even for those who think they know it all 😄 The thoughts in the last para are already in place... with the MoT test, and owner can watch it from the viewing area and ask questions after it's completed.
daveuprite
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Re: MOTs for Bikes In France? Non!

Post by daveuprite »

Yeah, I agree there's a fair few generalisations in there.

Part of the problem is with the more recent bikes, many of which just aren't designed with simple home maintenance in mind.

Even going back to a 2005 bike, which I completely dismantled for parts in 2012. A Kwak ZX10R. I have a reasonable set of home tools, sockets etc for most normal jobs, but several fasteners needed special tools or difficult double-jointed extension bars etc and lots of stuff is hidden behind multiple plastic shields. And that's on a lightweight sportsbike. God knows what working on a new Pan-European would be like.

Being a sad bastard, I quite like watching these youtube videos that show the inside of the BMW factory or the KTM factory or whatever, and show all the robots and people bolting everything together. From which you can sometimes tell that the manufacturers don't really want you dismantling all this stuff. They want the bikes dealt with exclusively by their dealers with bespoke tools at 75 Euros per hour.
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