New EU legislation against UK Bikers

[GRUMPYGIT]

Do you REALLY want someone like this representing your interests? A lobbyist who cannot spell and puts forth scare-mongering statements with no basis in fact? A child could pick holes in this argument.

I don't disagree with the sentiment, just the methodology. The petition LOOKs like a two-minute spur-of-the-moment knee-jerk, bashed up after a long night on a box of cheap wine - and will likely get treated as such, in an era when serious lobbyists carry $2000 briefcases, attend $500-a-plate “fundraisers” and whisper quietly in influential ears.

As has been stated already – where are the large companies which will be most affected by this proposed legislation? Probably having quiet words with their local MPs or MEPs about investment, employment, exports and votes – the things that really matter.

“...Air-cooled machines that could blow up in traffic...” – oh FFS!!!

As JG said - I'd be more inclinbed to think of it as an April Fool's gag, delivered late.

You don't seem to believe that this is a serious issue , well it is because MAG (motorcycle action group) arranged a big ride in last September about this and as for all the associated businesses that support motorcyclists with aftermarket kit well the EU doesn't care a shit about them. If they want to pass legislation that we have to ride around in cat suits they will do their best to bring that legislation in. Have a look at the MAG site if you don't believe it.This is NO APRIL FOOL Link below.


http://www.mag-uk.org/en/campaigns

http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/s...&highlight=mag

[Tomintoul]

Surely the bike mfg who make money on licensing of aftermarket parts pattern, the aftermarket parts lobby, heck Harley Davidson, who thrive on folks customizing bikes have some sort of political pressure?

This reeks of a Bavarian protectionism....but I could be wrong.

Right, because BMW owners don't use aftermarket kit. Never heard of Touratech? And why the fuck would we be being protectionist? Just so you know, Germany in general and Bavaria in particular tends towards free-market liberalism because we make the stuff here and flog it around the world. Protectionists tend to make shoddy crap and want to make their stuff competitive by making everyone else's comparitively more expensive. It's Johnny Frenchman who has the protectionist tendencies.

In fairness, a lot of this is bollocks. The 7 year old bike ban thing is actually a French proposal to ban ALL vehicles over 7 years old from town centres and won't make it into any legislation. I read an article on this recently (I think on Ash on Bikes or Visordown) that was explaining the whole process and how the UK Govt was intending to push back against it.

TC, the TüV can be a bit of a bugger, but my local one's sound and has let me get away with a few things on the understanding that when I come back for the next visit (in 2 years) I've remembered to remove the offending article. It's a bit different for aftermarket gear, although a lot of the stuff you get here comes with the relevant bit of paper that you take along and then the part's entered on the equivalent of your V5 without any issues. It's not really that much different to the MoT, although we only have to go every 2 years rather than every year and this being Germany, everything needs an official piece of paper.

[Matt fe2o3]

Hope it all works out. More regulations are only oppressive. Good luck.

[petrolheaduk]

Unfortunately not!!!!!!

April 1st joke,surely

http://www.ridersarevoters.org/how-t...s-progressing/

"banning bikes over 7 years..."

And...
http://www.ridersarevoters.org/developments-in-france/

[petrolheaduk]

It's a coincidence that the MEP suggesting that abs is fitted to all bikes has the headquarters of Bosch. In his area?

Surely the bike mfg who make money on licensing of aftermarket parts pattern, the aftermarket parts lobby, heck Harley Davidson, who thrive on folks customizing bikes have some sort of political pressure?

This reeks of a Bavarian protectionism....but I could be wrong.

[Precis]

And SWITCHABLE ABS would be a "bad" thing? Bearing in mind this would be on new machines only?
As any riding instructor will tell you, a locked rear wheel is the inevitable result of an emergency stop for most inexperienced riders. Too often this also means a face-plant.
As with cars, once the technology becomes common, the price drops to the point that shopping trolley-type cars now have not just ABS, but an extra line of software code that gives them traction control too.
Since last year, it's been illegal to sell new cars in the Australian state of Victoria that don't have ESP - a world first. There was an outcry that no new cars would be sold under about $70k and it would be the death of dealerships all over the place. What happened? a very few cars aren't sold here - but you can buy them over the border & drive a few hundred km home - but most manufacturers found that they COULD specify ESP from their factories - and every shitbox Toyota, Foird, Mazda and Suzuki now offers it - and prices actually stayed the same - or went down.
While I don't agree with the concept of deskilling the human and upskilling the machine, giving people access to active safety technology that means you don't need to rely on passive safety technology can only be a good thing. In other words, "Avoid the crash rather than survive it".

Grumpy: I don't doubt it's a serious issue and that some form of change in legislation is inevitable; what I'm saying is that resistance of the type offered by the woman who set up the petition will be futile because it is amatuerish, whereas that offered by Ridersarevoters is obviously more polished, measured, considered - and hopefully knows when and where to effectively push back.
Admittedly it's been 15 years, but last I had anything to do with MAG they were a bunch of hairy oiks in tatty gear and oil-stained jeans on leaky, smokey old wrecks, holding up traffic and making a lot of noise. As a biker, I was offended by the way they ran their protest! So what effect would this have on "ordinary" people? Just get up their noses, I expect - and not sway public opinion in their favour one iota.
I sincerely hope that MAG have moved on from the 1970s picket-line mentality to something that's more likely to have an effect - and in today's climate, I'd say that would be by addressing anything that's about jobs, export revenue and with the environment a distant third.
Put a Pound, Euro or dollar value to it and point out the cost - not to the individual but to the public puirse - and you have something that a sympathetic editor can pick up and blow up - until then, it's just background noise.
(Former instructor, editor and agitator here!)

[BigSteve]

Cheers Grumpy, have added my X to the list....

As Cpl Jones would say...."They don't like it up em Capt Manwearing"......Ba**ards.....

[ScatmanJack]

I too have just signed the petition allbeit from my UK address. aka my Skin an Blister living in Horsham !!

[dadsafrantic]

so when does this all hit the usa?