MOT

[Seabeowner]

Anyone else seen this?
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-4888010/Cars-older-40-years-exempt-MOT-test-2018.html

[Nurse Julie]

About time too but.....i personally think its a bad move from the safety aspect. The DfT are assuming we are all experts in maintaining our old bikes to a high standard of safety. Well, I could never admit to having enough knowledge to ensure my bikes are 100% safe, I want an expert to look at it for me and advise me. I have seen bikes recently out on the road and I dare to say on this forum also that are death traps and should fail an MOT. Just my thoughts on it.

[Seabeowner]

Agreed. There is a danger that the inexperienced will see this a cheap way to get on the road with no checks. Unchecked bikes that have been off the road for a few years could be lethal.

[Trigger]

Stopped to help a guy on a pre 1960 BSA who had broke down on a Classic bike run in the Wolds. Surprised that none of his fellow bikers stopped to help him out but, his tank liner had failed and blocked the carb, while I was giving him some support I noticed that both his tyres had more cracks in them than the Daytona salt lake. He said that it did not matter because the bike was exempt from MOT's and he never goes over 40MPH 

[matthewmosse]

I've had a frame snap from internal corrosion weeks after passing mot and brake shoes cast off their lining 300 yards from the mot test centre. Neither fault was visable and I'd have noticed the lining starting to come loose if it had been giving much warning when I did a new rear tyre a few weeks previously. I'm not going to loose any sleep over mot exemptions, it will make my life slightly more convenient thanks to only one mot station in a good location where I can skive off down the shop and they do really bad service so bike Mot for me does mean a 60 mile round trip to a village with no shops and standing around waiting. Small saving there. Frankly the closer bike shop who do mots I'd want the bike mot'd again after those monkeys had been near it, they fitted my cb550 with a tyre but without a rim tape last time I used them, lasted all of 14 miles, blew out at 60mph giving me quite a scare. I reason my time is better spent checking it myself, and some slow speed shake down runs rather than the first trip out on a rebuilt bike being direct to mot place on some pretty punishing roads. Bit of a plus really.

[Bryanj]

But do remember that when you take out insurance you agree to keep the vehicle in a "Safe and Roadworthy condition" so the man with his cracked tyres would have real problems!!

[petermigreen]

Cynical maybe but isn't this an opening for insurers to walk away if you have an accident in/on an MOT exempt vehicle. Whether you are at fault or not insurers will claim vehicle unroadworthy and you can't prove it was.
Humbug.
Peter.

[Bryanj]

No they actually have to PROVE it' was unroadworthy

[Green1]

I'm very undecided on this topic.
Iv never had a bike or any other vehicle fail but I have seen some incredibly dangerous vehicles.
My brother is a mechanic and tells me about a new death trap that comes in every day.
The most worrying thing is when he points it out to customers and they just don't care.

I find an MOT is rather pointless as it only tells you a vehicle is safe at moment of test things can fail at anytime. I had the brakes fail on a Transit as it was driven off the ramp at the test station after it passed.       

[hairygit]

I tend to agree with Julie on this one. My 1958Landrover is already exempt, but I get the fitter at work to give it a thorough look over twice a year, and it goes on the rolling road every 3 months for a brake test, just for peace of mind. (Landrover drum brakes are a pain to set up and balance) Recently I have noticed a few bikes on here where people continue to use or carry on building dangerously defective bikes, and how many car drivers often get 2 or more tyres replaced as it's MOT time, obviously knowing they are unsafe, but with no MOT......

Sent from my X6pro using Tapatalk

[Nurse Julie]

The chap I now use for my MOT's always praises me on the way my bikes are totally safe, regularly maintained and checked over fully before I take them for their tests. I have had 7 MOT's done recently and all passed with no advisories, so I'm doing something right I suppose.(Well, him indoors is doing it right!!!)
For anyone that's interested, here are the relevant doc's for the new changes. You can still have a voluntary annual MOT if you wish.
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/roadworthiness-testing-for-vehicles-of-historic-interest

[Trigger]

There are loads of vehicle's on British roads that do not require MOT's or road fund licence, don't mater how old they are. Can you guess what vehicle it is ? 

[Green1]

Recovery trucks, Milk floats, Cherry pickers and I'm sure there's more

[Trigger]

Recovery trucks, Milk floats, Cherry pickers and I'm sure there's more

You are not old enough to remember Milk floats 
A clue, they are some of the heaviest on the road and don't see many in a city 

[Green1]

Most plant is exempt so I'm going to guess a mobile crane
I remember milk floats until fairly recently we used to have 6 pints a day delivered. Bloody expensive