Motorcycle Controle Technique is Imminent in France

[Tango]

Looks like the Controle Technique (MOT) is close to being introduced in France. 

Motorcycle lobby groups have fiercely opposed it over the years, but it looks like the French government have finally caved in to pressure to introduce it.

Details are still sketchy and there's a lot of speculation over what will be covered by it and the implementation of testing stations. Testing stations for cars are independent from garages or dealerships, so setting up independent testing stations for bikes could take some time.

There's a lot of speculation around how the test would treat modifications to bikes, with rumours that owners would be encouraged to keep original exhausts, amongst other things. This could have a big impact on the secondhand bike market, where many bikes have been modified and OEM parts may no longer be available to return older bikes to original specs. Obviously it could also have a big impact on the custom bike scene too.

Interesting times ahead.

[Buckster]

17 minutes ago, Tango said:

Looks like the Controle Technique (MOT) is close to being introduced in France. 

Motorcycle lobby groups have fiercely opposed it over the years, but it looks like the French government have finally caved in to pressure to introduce it.

Details are still sketchy and there's a lot of speculation over what will be covered by it and the implementation of testing stations. Testing stations for cars are independent from garages or dealerships, so setting up independent testing stations for bikes could take some time.

There's a lot of speculation around how the test would treat modifications to bikes, with rumours that owners would be encouraged to keep original exhausts, amongst other things. This could have a big impact on the secondhand bike market, where many bikes have been modified and OEM parts may no longer be available to return older bikes to original specs. Obviously it could also have a big impact on the custom bike scene too.

Interesting times ahead.

Good to see government protecting people from themselves.

[Pedro]

The way it's been implemented in Portugal is that you have to have different test lanes like they do for cars and trucks, so test centers had to have that built, then you assume that they will do the same checks as in cars, legal tires and emissions and whatever, and they "should" not pass illegal modifications. After the test centers being made, which will take at least 2 to 3 years, you'll have to give the people training on motorcycles because of health and safety, which will take a year or two more. It'll not be the end of all things, but small plates, small turn signals, exhaust systems with no catalyst, etc, will perhaps be filtered out, not to mention completely different motorcycles like cafe racer or scrambler builds will start to go through the "special" tests like race cars and trackday cars 

In France, though, bikers will properly protest and delay all that a few years.

 

BTW, in Portugal every modification is illegal, so a different screen or different shocks theoretically made a bike illegal. "Theoretically" being the imperative word here.

[Buckster]

1 minute ago, Pedro said:

 

In France, though, bikers will properly protest and delay all that a few years.

They will be burning all sorts of shit, the news will be entertaining for a while and the government will wax on about violent biker gangs and France will turn into a shithole for anyone that rides a bike.

[Tango]

1 hour ago, Buckster said:

They will be burning all sorts of shit, the news will be entertaining for a while and the government will wax on about violent biker gangs and France will turn into a shithole for anyone that rides a bike.

The difference in France is that client journalism in support of the government is almost non-existent. If anything, the media is more likely to support the bikers than the government! 

[Tango]

1 hour ago, Pedro said:

The way it's been implemented in Portugal is that you have to have different test lanes like they do for cars and trucks, so test centers had to have that built, then you assume that they will do the same checks as in cars, legal tires and emissions and whatever, and they "should" not pass illegal modifications. After the test centers being made, which will take at least 2 to 3 years, you'll have to give the people training on motorcycles because of health and safety, which will take a year or two more. It'll not be the end of all things, but small plates, small turn signals, exhaust systems with no catalyst, etc, will perhaps be filtered out, not to mention completely different motorcycles like cafe racer or scrambler builds will start to go through the "special" tests like race cars and trackday cars 

In France, though, bikers will properly protest and delay all that a few years.

 

BTW, in Portugal every modification is illegal, so a different screen or different shocks theoretically made a bike illegal. "Theoretically" being the imperative word here.

The biker groups have been protesting for many years and forced previous government back-downs, but it looks like the government is now facing down the bikers. 

Yes, the implementation is the next hurdle, which looks like it could drag on, but the government are pushing for the bike CT to come into effect later this year, ready or not!

[Buckster]

The thread title is a bit misleading, I thought when I read it that the French were wanting me to teach my trail braking masterclass over there.

[Sir Fallsalot]

3 hours ago, Pedro said:

The way it's been implemented in Portugal is that you have to have different test lanes like they do for cars and trucks, so test centers had to have that built, then you assume that they will do the same checks as in cars, legal tires and emissions and whatever, and they "should" not pass illegal modifications. After the test centers being made, which will take at least 2 to 3 years, you'll have to give the people training on motorcycles because of health and safety, which will take a year or two more. It'll not be the end of all things, but small plates, small turn signals, exhaust systems with no catalyst, etc, will perhaps be filtered out, not to mention completely different motorcycles like cafe racer or scrambler builds will start to go through the "special" tests like race cars and trackday cars 

In France, though, bikers will properly protest and delay all that a few years.

 

BTW, in Portugal every modification is illegal, so a different screen or different shocks theoretically made a bike illegal. "Theoretically" being the imperative word here.

They were talking about bringing in that type approval shit here many years ago where you had to buy genuine parts not aftermarket ones and parts like brake pads were included in that, they were even on about not changing the tyre the bike came with so if your bike came with a shit tyre from new you were stuck with it thank fuck it never went anywhere.

[Pedro]

14 minutes ago, Sir Fallsalot said:

They were talking about bringing in that type approval shit here many years ago where you had to buy genuine parts not aftermarket ones and parts like brake pads were included in that, they were even on about not changing the tyre the bike came with so if your bike came with a shit tyre from new you were stuck with it thank fuck it never went anywhere.

Consumables like tires and brake stuff is just nonsense, from a practical standpoint. But overly burocratic countries like Portugal have a way of being too restrictive on legislation to a place where legislation does not connect with the real world.

[Tango]

1 hour ago, Pedro said:

Consumables like tires and brake stuff is just nonsense, from a practical standpoint. But overly burocratic countries like Portugal have a way of being too restrictive on legislation to a place where legislation does not connect with the real world.

France like bringing in lots of legislation...........and the French like to ignore legislation! The French are very inventive at finding loopholes or ways around rules, it's a national sport!

[boboneleg]

36 minutes ago, Tango said:

France like bringing in lots of legislation...........and the French like to ignore legislation! The French are very inventive at finding loopholes or ways around rules, it's a national sport!

My mate in Brittany is complaining that fuel is running short as the protestors are blocking the refineries .

[Clive]

2 hours ago, Sir Fallsalot said:

They were talking about bringing in that type approval shit here many years ago where you had to buy genuine parts not aftermarket ones and parts like brake pads were included in that, they were even on about not changing the tyre the bike came with so if your bike came with a shit tyre from new you were stuck with it thank fuck it never went anywhere.

Jeez the memories of Bridgestones and Yokohama tyres.. 

It was like dancing on ice using them in the wet, not much better in the dry.  

[XTreme]

Just now, Clive said:

the memories of Bridgestones and Yokohama tyres.

Oh yeh.......fucking lethal!

[Clive]

1 minute ago, XTreme said:

Oh yeh.......fucking lethal!

I can remember the 1st time I fitted TT100,s to a bike, the grip they had even at standstill, made turning the bars seem much harder to do, I checked them several times as I thought the pressures were low causing the heavy steering.

Nope just more grippier. 

[XTreme]

52 minutes ago, Clive said:

I can remember the 1st time I fitted TT100,s to a bike, the grip they had even at standstill, made turning the bars seem much harder to do, I checked them several times as I thought the pressures were low causing the heavy steering.

Nope just more grippier. 

Get to the first corner and the thing would just lean over.

Bit of a transition from the square Jap ones!

[Clive]

Just now, XTreme said:

Get to the first corner and the thing would just lean over.

Bit of a transition from the square Jap ones!

The rear tyre on the Suzuki GT550 looked almost square fresh off the showroom floor.

[XTreme]

10 minutes ago, Clive said:

The rear tyre on the Suzuki GT550 looked almost square fresh off the showroom floor.

Cheng Shin?

[Clive]

1 minute ago, XTreme said:

Cheng Shin?

Na...Bridgestone..

CST...decent tyres.  

[skyrider]

maxxis

[Clive]

11 minutes ago, skyrider said:

maxxis

Correct  CST manufacture them.

[XTreme]

36 minutes ago, Clive said:

Correct  CST manufacture them.

You know your Chinkies Clive!

[Clive]

2 minutes ago, XTreme said:

You know your Chinkies Clive!

 

Yum Yum!.

[MooN]

the last but one time the french govt tried to bring in bike MOT's they wanted to make shear bolts and screws abligatory for everyting including fairings et so that only certified workshops could work on them. I seem to remember I joind the Paris demo for that one...

One of the problems here now is that one of the largest mot empires, namely DEKRA, is owned by a prominent friend of the govt ( doesn't matter what govt) and is constantly lobbying for this to be made law, The govt are blamimg it on the EU but the french arent stoopid knowing full well ( as Tango rightly pointed out) that the Frech have been world champions at agreeing to, and then simply ignoring, EU rules for the last 2 decades. it was supposed to come into being end of last year but the govt said they'd shelved it as bien inapplicable but some cuntin the road safety organisation, backed by the DEKRA lobby took the question to the constitutional cout who decided that legally the govt couldn't do that so i t went back on the table and the govt keep trying to "forget" to do anything about it but the same bunch of cunts who are either financially interested or whos sole interest in life is fucking up everybody elses, keep bringing it up.  The saga has been running for  at least as long as I've been here.