No Mandatory RWT For Motorcycles!

The European Council has deleted the requirement for mandatory Road Worthiness Testing for L3e (that’s low-performance, medium and large size) motorcycles!

The latest documentation has suggested major changes by the council most important of which is the proposed regulation is to become a Directive and includes text such as, “Testing during the lifecycle of a vehicle should be relatively simple, quick and inexpensive.”

The documentation dated from the 3rd December 2012, continues regarding, the application to vehicles with a design speed exceeding 25 km/h and strikes through (i.e. deletes) the text relating to motorcycles that would have required mandatory RWT.

These following categories are know excluded:

  • vehicle categories L3e, L4e, L5e and L7e.

The definition in the text is “two- or three-wheel vehicle means any power-driven vehicle on two wheels with or without sidecar, tricycles and quadricycles”

For riders the most important aspects of the categories now excluded are:

  • Category L3e vehicle (two-wheel motorcycle), sub-categorised by:

(i) motorcycle performance, further sub-categorised into:
– A1 vehicle (low-performance motorcycle);
– A2 vehicle (medium-performance motorcycle);
– A3 vehicle (high-performance motorcycle).

  • Category L4e vehicle (two-wheel motorcycle with side-car).
  • Category L5e vehicle (powered tricycle), sub-categorised into:

(i) Subcategory L5Ae vehicle (tricycle

However in a footnote it would appear that Italy wants to include L1e, L2e and L6e and therefore these categories are now included in the document:

  • Category L1e vehicle (light two-wheel powered vehicle), sub-categorised into:

(i) L1Ae vehicle (powered cycle);

(ii) L1Be vehicle (two-wheel moped).

(b) Category L2e vehicle (three-wheel moped).

And Category L6e vehicle (light quadricycles), which includes the sub-category of

  • (i) L6Ae vehicle (light on-road quad);

This is our first reading of the document but it looks like motorcycles will be exempt from Mandatory Road Worthiness Testing and because the document is now referred to as a Directive (not a regulation) this means that the decisions on its application will be mainly left to member states. Reading the document we note that the Commission is not happy about this change.

In other words we in the UK will retain our MoT.

There are other major concessions made by Council such as the exclusion of small trailers not exceeding 3.5 tonnes (category O2)

These changes are major and reflect the unhappiness of the member states in relation to the Commission’s proposal which was seen as costly, impractical and unnecessary.

Motorcycle organisations in those countries where there is no Road Worthiness Testing will of course be pleased to have this news.

However what must be pointed out is that this is not the end but it’s the first of many discussions that will take place between the European Parliament’s representative committee (TRAN), the Commission and the European Council. Even so, it looks like a good day for motorcycling.

What is ironic is that the Council has kept Road Worthiness Testing for mopeds (2 and 3 wheeled and light quads). We wonder whether the riders’ organisations will take a position on these small PTWs considering that they have got what they wanted for their members.

Please note however, that you read this first on Right To Ride!

We must of course acknowledge our squirrel in Brussels for giving us the heads up about these changes.

Read the full article with background information and links on Right To Ride EU – Click Here
 

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