Daytime MOT?

Anyone tried to MOT a bike without lights?
It seems from http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual/mc_contents.htm
that if rebuilding a old bike you can leave off all lights
and the reflector and be legal for use during daylight.
Do the MOT testers and police think this too?

 

Yes they do. I've never done it, though.

 

You can get a daytime MOT. Be aware though that if you're caught riding it
after lighting-up time, it'll be invalid.

I don't think there's a law which actually says "you must use lights" in
daytime reduced visibility. Not sure I'd be happy on a bike with no lights
though - bikes can easily disappear under a shadowy patch of trees even on a
bright day.

 

Yes its fine and legal, however you will be targeted by every Plod car you
pass so you need to make sure that every other aspect of the bike and your
own documentation is 100% legit.
Road traffic act, Construction and Use Regulations.
Road Vehicles Lighting, Exemptions.
http://tinyurl.com/275mbx





-

 

No you can't. There's no such thing.

No it won't. You'll just be guilty of using a bike at night without
lights.

 

well, there used to be.

hmmm. Just been studying RVLR, and it looks like there's no exemption for
not fitting or using lights as a general rule.

There's also a rule about maintaining them, and one about using them in
conditions of severely reduced visibility.

 

Exemptions-General
4.
(3) Nothing in these Regulations shall require any lamp or reflector to be
fitted between sunrise and sunset to-


(a) a vehicle not fitted with any front or rear position lamp,
-

 

When I was taken to court, admittedly many years ago (~1980) for
riding a bike with no lights fitted I successfully defended against
the charge of "failure to maintain statutory ... light" by reading the
relevant bits they were chargin me under and pointing out to the
magistrate the bits where they said "where fitted".

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (b.rogers at ifrance.com)
\`\ | /`/ DS#8 BOTAFOT#3 SbS#2 UKRMMA#13 DFV#8 SKA#2 IBB#10
`\\ | //'
`\|/`
`

 

The DPP was incompetent in taking you to Court. The law has always been
clear on this matter.

 

Woops, CPS but this was pre 1986 so down to Plod, never the best expert in
matters legal!

 

Indeed, it should never have got that far. And I really should have
thought to ask for costs or something. Still, the look on the face of
the plod as he walked out humiliated was worthwhile in itself.

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (b.rogers at ifrance.com)
\`\ | /`/ DS#8 BOTAFOT#3 SbS#2 UKRMMA#13 DFV#8 SKA#2 IBB#10
`\\ | //'
`\|/`
`

 

well, yes. But that applies only to vehicles not fitted, and there's a big
list of obligatory front and rear lamps. I suspect it's one of those grey
areas. There's no exemption in the list of obligatory lamps, which is
regulation 18:

18. Obligatory lamps, reflectors, rear markings and devices

(1) Save as provided in the foregoing provisions of these Regulations and in
paragraphs (2) , [(2A) and (2B)], every vehicle of a class specified in a
Table in Schedule 1 shall be fitted with lamps, reflectors, rear markings
and devices which :-

(a) are of a type specified in column 1 of that Table, and

(b) comply with the relevant installation, alignment and performance
requirements set out in the Schedule or Part of a Schedule shown against
that type in column 2 of that Table.

Now, you can read that in conjunction with regulation 4 to mean that no
vehicle requires any lights at all, in the daytime, since regulations 4 is a
foregoing provision.

I think the area you might run into trouble is later on:

24. Requirements about the use of front and rear position lamps, rear
registration plate lamps, side marker lamps and end-outline marker lamps

(1) Save as provided in paragraphs (5) and (9), no person shall :-

(a) use, or cause or permit to be used, on a road any vehicle which is
in motion :

(i) between sunset and sunrise, or

(ii) in seriously reduced visibility between sunrise and sunset; or

(b) allow to remain at rest, or cause or permit to be allowed to
remain at rest, on a road any vehicle between sunset and sunrise

unless every front position lamp, rear position lamp, rear registration
plate lamp, side marker lamp and end-outline marker lamp with which the
vehicle is required by these Regulations to be fitted is kept lit and
unobscured.

If you use it on the road in "seriously reduced visibility", it looks like
you'd have to have lights. The bugbear here is the definition of "seriously
reduced visibility" which is not defined. So if you're riding in mist, PC
plod can presumably decide that it's "seriously reduced visibility" and book
you.

 

You reckon, eh?

Where's sweller when you need him?

 

Starring as the romantic lead in a movie about the everyday lives of
train-driving folk. Trailer here:

 

don't suppose its actually called a daytime only MOT but they
definitely existed.

Otherwise veggie's drag bike wouldn't have been road legal as it
didn't have a head or tail light, just a brake light.

--
Adie
(replace spam with nickname to reply)

UKRM FAQ: http://www.ukrm.net/faq/
keeper of the ukrm faq for my sins

YZF-R1 : ZX9R E1 : GPz 750 turbo

MRO#11 BOTAFOF#7 BOTAFOT#130 DIAABTCOD#17 MIB#24 YTC#16 BOB#15 ex-UKRMMA#22 BOMB#11

 

I think the point, as I always understood it, was an MOT was granted on the
basis that it was for daytime use only. Light must work "if fitted", though
a rear reflector was required, can'r remember about the brake light. I've
had a couple done this way. The obligation was then to use the bike within
published Daylight Hours only. So not a different kind of MOT IYSWIM.

 

Strictly true as the vehicle is tested to ensure the equipment fitted
works (if it has no lights fitted then there's nothing to test). This
type of test is a normal MOT - the same as my bike and your bike come
under but because the lack of lights aren't tested its colloquially known
as a Daylight MOT

From the testers' manual:

"This inspection applies to: all machines, except those which have
neither front nor rear position lamps, or have such lamps permanently
disconnected, painted over or masked that are

- only used during daylight hours, and
- not used at times of seriously reduced visibility"

ding.

 

Are you stalking me?

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, platypus

That is, quite frankly, terrifying.

And where the **** was Ray Winstone?

It needed more Ray Winstone.

 

Yeah, why?