Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > what's the mininmum legal spec for road use.

[Felix]

Why would you NOT want a brake light?

Even a small bright LED jobbie is better than nothing. When I had my RS on the road, I put a LED light right above the number plate on the same bracket wired it to the brake. It still allowed me to run race body work with no cutouts.

[DJ Tera]

Thats what I'm planning on doing to mine, get a carbon race seat and integrate some LEDs for brake/tail light and indicators

[Redsps]

would probably keep rear light anyway, since it is not really using any wasted space and will still fit in with single seat fittings as planned.
After all, don't want to be hit from behind.

[Real McCoy]

Although its not "illegal" to not have a brake light it is advisable....BUT i can assure you its not a legal requierment for DAYTIME USE
if you run up a push bikes ar$e then you would still be liable,lights or no lights.

I supose its just a legal loophole that needs closing

[DJ Tera]

Originally posted by Karls fila 999s

if you run up a push bikes ar$e then you would still be liable,lights or no lights.

no witnesses, no accident!

[Rushjob]

Oh no, not again.....
Didn't we do this to death a few months ago?
The long & short of it is that if you use your road bike on the road, it needs all the lights it came with as standard.
That's why they are there.

[Redsps]

If if was, I certainly missed it.
This is just what I mean, you just can't a definate straight answer.
have spoken with a couple more peeps on the phone tonight, who rekon they know all there is to know about this subject, what do i get even more conflicting info.
Is the question here i must ask is this. Is the bike being used everyday, in all conditions all the time, as it rolled out of the factory, built to uk transport regs in their entirity, which covers everything but the kitchen sink.
Or as a occasionally item used during the daytime only, mostly in good weather conditions, where only minimal items would be required.
lets go back some years, bikes did not have all the item fitted as standard now.
I'm all for safety etc, no matter how short the distance might be travelled.
But I think there should be some give and take somewhere.
Just me ranting again, but that me folks.

[Real McCoy]

Originally posted by Rushjob
Oh no, not again.....
Didn't we do this to death a few months ago?
The long & short of it is that if you use your road bike on the road, it needs all the lights it came with as standard.
That's why they are there.

If you remove the lights altogether, they do not need to be fitted for the bike to be legal

ie track bodywork
see above for legal requirments

[Edited on 17-8-2004 by Karls fila 999s]

[Edited on 17-8-2004 by Karls fila 999s]

[Rushjob]

Karl....
Be very careful when giving out advice for things like this.
I am sorry to say that you have either not read, or have read and misunderstood the legislation involved.
Once again,people are mistaking the MOT requirements with what is necessary for a vehicle to be roadworthy.
The contents of Table 2 of Schedule 1 of the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989 are what you need to read and comply with.

Front position lamp - Schedule 2: Part I - A solo motor bicycle fitted with a headlamp is exempt from fitting.

Dipped-beam headlamp - Schedule 4: Part I A vehicle first used before 1st January 1931 is exempt.

Main-beam headlamp - Schedule 5: Part I - the following exemptions apply -
A vehicle having a maximum speed not exceeding 25 mph;
A vehicle first used before 1st January 1972 and having an engine with a capacity of less than 50 cc;
A vehicle first used before 1st January 1931.

Direction indicator - Schedule 7: Part I the following exemptions apply -
A vehicle having a maximum speed not exceeding 25 mph;
A vehicle first used before 1st April 1986;
A vehicle which is constructed or adapted primarily for use off roads (whether by reason of its tyres, suspension, ground clearance or otherwise) and which can carry only one person or which, in the case of a motor bicycle combination, can carry only the rider and one passenger in the sidecar.

Rear position lamp - Schedule 10: Part I - exemptions- None.

Stop lamp - Schedule 12: Part I - the following exemptions apply
A vehicle having a maximum speed not exceeding 25 mph;
A vehicle first used before 1st April 1986 and having an engine with a capacity of less than 50 cc;
A vehicle first used before 1st January 1936.

Rear registration plate lamp - Schedule 15 - exemptions - A vehicle not required to be fitted with a rear registration plate.

Rear retro reflector - Schedule 18: Part I - exemptions - None.

( The part where it mentions off road vehicles relates to trials / motocross type bikes only and not to road bikes which are mainly used on a race track. )

This is the legal standard you would have to meet if going to court - a daylight MOT is not worth the paper it's written on if it is produced to a cop who knows traffic law.

There was a lengthy debate on this a while ago ( hence my initial comments ) but it seems to have gone awol as I can no longer find it on the search utility.

[Real McCoy]

I have been stopped a couple of times in N Yorkshire by police and the vehicle inspectors,each time on the CRF moto.
No lights and the rest of it, the only ticket i got after mucho head scratching was for an illegal can.
Did you not see the program on m&m i think it was,police cops or something like...where they nicked the geezer with pattern bodywork etc, they called out a spesh trained bod to nick this guy but was unable to (even after holding him for several hours)
When you road reg an off road bike for road use it has to be inspected for "road worthyness" this was done for mine last year and no mention of lights were made infact the inspecter went out of his way to advise me were to get an after market wiring coil for winter.
Iv yet to here of anyone being prosecuted for no lights etc , unless they were fitted but not working/ or it was night.
Thats in 15 yrs of enduro /supermoto riding