MOT Failed today - lessons learned....Passed OK!
 

Not a bad fail, three items - one half expected since I tried to set the headlight alignment up during daylight, it was quite a bit out.

The other two items however, might be of interest to others:

1) No separate reflector present.

Even though the rear light lenses have reflectors built-in, its not good enough and if it had not failed on other items the tester would have fitted a stick-on reflector, I've bought one to fit to the number plate.
Can go on the rear number plate as long as it does not obscure any of the main letter markings.

2) No pillion footrests, when a pillion seat is present.

Laughable really, I'm still using my SL exhausts and plan to fit the proper rear footpegs with the low level silencers I now have so that wifey can go on the back if she wishes. I took the existing home-made footpegs off as they look a bit naff but, now have to refit them just for the MOT.
Beware SL owners if you are part way through a seat conversion and have not fitted any pillion footrests - dont go for an MOT 'till you do!

As an aside - the MOT station is computorised and worked fine apart from having to wait 45mins for the printout even though it appears the test was actually finished before this :)

Nice to have a ride out though!

Frank

Sounds very anal re. the pegs. I can give you the number of a Ducati friendly mot station ;) He looked at one of mine and said "sound like a Ducati should and it's nice to see tyres properly used".

Is that a new requirement?

I don't think I have ever had a bike with a seperate rear reflector and have not had any MOT problems.

It's been a requirement for as long as I can remember.

interesting on point 2 Frank. Does it still count if the pillion seat is covered by a cowl?

Apparently NO, I asked the same question - as previously I'd used a standard seat but I also have the seat cover that I bought separately from Ducati - if the seat is covered so that 'it can't be used' then pillion footrests are not required.

Lessons learned - retest booked for tomorrow - just going out to fiddle with the headlight now its near dusk!

Frank
DSC Webteam

I was at a bike dealer's a couple of months ago when somebody was getting their R6 MOT'd. The dealer took the bike to the local MOT garage, but it came back as a fail for having no pillion pegs. They took a cowl off one of the bikes in the showroom, fitted it & took it back to the MOT garage. It passed.

Further to my post above, the seat cowl on an R6 replaces the pillion perch, as opposed to covering it.

Hmmmm - 1:10am and just got finished.

Fitting the Reflector and refitting the home grown rear pegs - 5mins.

Headlight alignment - 2 hours! :eek:

Something has always been amiss with the fairing on my bike - it takes forever to line the soddin thing up and even then I always have to haul in a most non-sensitive fashion to fit the mirrors, no matter how loose I leave all all the other fittings. I'm starting to think the front fairing mount might be twisted in some way.

But - I digress - that wasnt tonight's problem....

The aftermarket hi-rise screen I had fitted previously (3 years ago!) was actually fouling and pushing on the top edge of the headlight surround. I've tried to help it recover its shape by pushing some hard rubber under the plastic frame to help stiffen it but, it looks like I've only just got the alignment correct vertically.

Here's a final handy tip I've just created - horizontal beam adjustment - hard to do on a fully faired SS, usually a fairing off job but, I've fitted two nuts tight against each other on the ends of the adjustment bolt. Its now possible to adjust the bolts by reaching up inside the fairing with a 10mm spanner.

Shame mine all had to come off to discover this :mad:

More - Later....

Frumpy Frank

Ahhh...you're not using the MOT station I use are you Frank? The tester there is the grumpiest bloke in christendom and seems to hate Ducatis. Every time I take my bike for a test he's prodding, poking and tutting about the way the bike is built and the way it's maintained.

Last time I took it there was just to get the chain and sprockets changed. All the time he was doing the job he was tut-tutting that the chain and sprockets were knackered. It just made me feel like shouting "I KNOW THAT YOU *&^%&(* WHY D'YA THINK YOU'RE REPLACING THEM"