Daylight MOT !!!!

testastretta

testastretta

New member
Booked my bike in yesterday for MOT - having explained beforehand that it was for a 'Daylight MOT', confirmed with test centre that my understanding of what was required agreed with them.

Bike duly passed MOT but tester handed me two bits of paper - the MOT and an additional Remark sheet which stated ' Bike had no lights fitted at time of test'. I asked if that covered me if I was stopped by police - reply yes. Last evening I decided to pop into local Police station and asked :

whilst my bike has been given an MOT pass, is there any difference in what the police regard as legal, versus what's required to pass MOT - police officer had never heard of daylight MOT, was very polite and offered to phone and speak to Dumbarton based officer of Strathclyde Traffic Division. Response (passed to me via the local cop) : if you want to ride your bike on public roads you need lights. In other words, according to this, if I get pulled in, I'm going to be regarded as illegal.

I suggested that this was at odds with all I had heard and indeed contradicted what I had also seen on TV in a program featuring Traffic Cops down south - where they pulled a biker for same thing only to concede (on camera) that biker was in fact legal - by which time the biker had been delayed into hours of darkness and had to organise his pal to pick him and his bike up !

I am now utterly confused (and concerned) about this whole scene - I don't know who/what to take as gospel and since its Strathclyde Police I am most likely to encounter, on basis of last night I'm in for a hard time ?

So , I now have a bike with road tax, insurance and an MOT - and worried about going out on it.

Its quite clear that this experience must be getting encountered up and down UK, and I feel it has to be clarified and applied consistently - so what's the right course of action to take, anyone got any advice/thoughts.

Oh, and incidentally, when I initially asked the tester what the additional piece of paper was he explained it contained his remarks and that 'there is no such thing as a daytime MOT'


Help !!
Ronnie
 
Trial bikes etc are MOt'd on basis of no lights etc all the time.
Go and watch the Scottish 6 Days and there are 500 bikes without a light between them all running on the public road between sections and often with a police escort!
If tester issues on basis of a daytime Mot then the bike must be presented with NO lights fitted as I understand it.
If you have lights fitted they must work etc and comply with the full MOT regs.
You MUST have a horn for the test (that emits a continuous sound) but you don't need a speedo for the test.
However when you go on the road you MUST have a speedo and a working horn.
The only problem you have with a daytime MOT is as you point out that if Police decide light/visibility is poor then you could be prosecuted for no lights.
Other matter to consider is if you have a brake light fitted or not.
Generally Trials bikes won't have one but they are not capable of much more than 40mph. Presume you are planning riding quicker than that?
You are encountering Police ignorance because it is fairly unusual in cities.
Up here it is very common and no issues.
At the end of the day it is the Fiscal that would raise a prosecution and the Fiscal will be more aware of the law surrounding this, and if not I'm sure you or your solicitor would prompt him/her!:)
 
Dont think you need a speedo at all, some of the vintage bikes dont have them, however, that wont cut any slack if your done for speeding anywhere and some of the vintage bike owners have put electronic bicycle speedos on their machines for this purpose.
 
Dave G said:
Dont think you need a speedo at all, some of the vintage bikes dont have them, however, that wont cut any slack if your done for speeding anywhere and some of the vintage bike owners have put electronic bicycle speedos on their machines for this purpose.
Click to expand...
Getting off topic a bit here, but in the back of my mind I'm sure that a speedo is a legal requirement for all vehicles first registered after 31st September 1929 but doesn't seem to be included in the MoT.
 
Thanks Everyone

Just want to say thanks to everyone for reading my post and the subsequent advice which has been very helpful and encouraging - I realise I omitted the detail of how my bike was presented, so apologies for that. Once again thanks for feedback so far and any more to come.

Crazy thing is, last year I often ran around with bike in 'track mode' on roads and wasn't overly concerned (in my own ignorance) about getting pulled over, and now this year when I put more thought into doing things right, I get thrown by the response from Traffic last night. My bravery diminishes a little with every Spring !

This is how my bike was presented for MOT. I had previously contacted them to confirm that brake light wasn't required :

no headlights, no indicators, no brake light, no rear reflector. My running light housing was still in place to cover the hole but no wiring to it and no bulb.
switchgear on left handlebar was retained (for horn) but amended by me to run off battery/chassis as I have the racing front wiring loom installed.
Regulation plate.
Termi non-cat pipe and Termi endcan.

I stuck one of those wee bar-end mirrors on, not very pretty but actually very effective.

I'm probably going to instal a brake light of some description - although its not required - I prefer my riding pal and other road users to be able to see when I'm braking.

I was on phone to Ducati Glasgow earlier (booking bike in to get fuelling looked at by George) and Harry suggested phoning VOSA at Bishopbriggs. I'm going to read the link that Geoff kindly pointed me to first.

Thanks again
Ronnie
 
Derek said:
Getting off topic a bit here, but in the back of my mind I'm sure that a speedo is a legal requirement for all vehicles first registered after 31st September 1929 but doesn't seem to be included in the MoT.
Click to expand...

I have had several bikes tested over the years which were for daylight only use and you are quite correct Derek.
NO requirement for the MOT but if on the road you must have a working speedo.
 
Guys, I have two bikes, 1934 Norton and 1957 Ariel trials neither of which have lights. MOT's no problem but there is no such thing as a daytime Mot, tester just notes " no lights fitted". Derek, the requirement for a speedo came in on 1st Jan 1937 so my Norton dosn't have or need one (but if one is fitted it must be working). My understanding of the lights situation is "one fitted all fitted" so no brake, parking, reading! or anything. Covering is not an option, if fitted, must be working. :flash:(like this!)
 
That's also my understanding and I've had bike without lights MoT'd in the past on that basis. Thanks for the clarification on the mandatory speedo date. I knew it was around that time somewhere.
 
Just thought i would say well done to all that helped out to answer on this thread, just goes to show what a wealth of knowledge we have on this forum and how many helpful people are on here!
Got a question that the police could not answer? no problem, just get yourself on this forum!! :D:D
 
If its anything like bicycle safety regs you'll find its covered by differing bits of legislation some of which contradict or conflict with each other! Pedal bikes have their appropriate manufacturers testing currently based around a British Standard but in the process of going to CE normalised so the manufacturer builds the bike to that, in the UK we then add in our own requirements eg a bell which used to have to conform to an iso standard, that iso standard no longer exists so the wording says fit a bell but doesn't define it as an audible warning device! you then add in the complexity of using a bicycle on the road and there is the RTA to consider on lighting/reflectors etc. I'd think motorbikes are the same, the safety part of the MOT alters at a different speed to the RTA legislation which causes confusion and ignorance :(

I'll not get into the wording of how the method of testing is open to interpretain by an individual test house but after 5 years in the implementation of the bicycle EN standard its only just coming to light that there might be a problem in the words not the test!

We are in consultation with government and wil probably go down a general protection safety standard rather than legislation so we can alter the standard without requiring a change in the law every time we need to modify bits of the wording.
 
also if the bike came fitted with daytime running lights your not allowed to switch them of or remove them
 
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