old trials fanatic Posted March 15, 2008 Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 In the process of getting my James ready for the dreaded m.o.t. as the Scottish i rapidly approaching So is there anything i need to do or make sure of as i have never m.o.t. d a trials bike before. Do i need a horn? reflector ? speedo? All advice appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daved444 Posted March 15, 2008 Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 If you are registering it as an original James and have a log book, all you need is a horn (no requirement for reflector, speedo or lights) as a special, I dont know what the requirements are Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old trials fanatic Posted March 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 Can i use a bulb horn or does it need to be constant tone? The m.o.t. tester didnt seem to know. Anybody had any problems with tyres? whats the rule on chain guards? What about tank and engine breathers? Am i worrying about nothing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest majestyman340 Posted March 16, 2008 Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 Can i use a bulb horn or does it need to be constant tone? The m.o.t. tester didnt seem to know. Anybody had any problems with tyres? whats the rule on chain guards? What about tank and engine breathers?Am i worrying about nothing Why not ask your tester to have a quick look at his testers manual, and clarify anything he isnt sure of? Better still find a tester who knows what they are doing, and may be sympathetic toward special class bikes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max1956bikes Posted March 16, 2008 Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 i am an mot tester,you must have a continuos sounding horn,get one from push bike shop with its own battery.you will need a speedo just make it look like it works as it is not tested.chain gaurd not needed for mot,if you have no lights make sure you dont have a switch.reflector the book says you need one,so while you are at push bike shop get a simple bolt on one.tank must not leak petrol,any breathers are ok but make sure not spraying on back tyre easy to put to drive chain.richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old trials fanatic Posted March 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 i am an mot tester,you must have a continuos sounding horn,get one from push bike shop with its own battery.you will need a speedo just make it look like it works as it is not tested.chain gaurd not needed for mot,if you have no lights make sure you dont have a switch.reflector the book says you need one,so while you are at push bike shop get a simple bolt on one.tank must not leak petrol,any breathers are ok but make sure not spraying on back tyre easy to put to drive chain.richard Thanks mate just what i needed. Had a feeling the horn needed to be continious. All the rest is ok too. The local m.o.t. man is nice but dim He is quite a reasonable bloke but he was busy and didnt have chance to check his computer. Just didnt want to waste his or my time. He did say if i didnt have an engine number, engine built from nos cases and as it's Villiers the plate is missing from the primary case, then for the m.o.t. it's not a problem ? Thanks for the input chaps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalshell Posted March 16, 2008 Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 (edited) rubbish for your p65 bike a continuos horn is not a requirement a bulb horn will suffice for your 'daylight' p65 mot a reflector is not needed you do not need a speedo to pass an mot, just illegal to ride on the road without one engine and frame no.s not a problem use a marker pen if you want but they must be the same as on the v5 Edited March 16, 2008 by totalshell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest majestyman340 Posted March 16, 2008 Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 rubbishfor your p65 bike a continuos horn is not a requirement a bulb horn will suffice for your 'daylight' p65 mot a reflector is not needed you do not need a speedo to pass an mot, just illegal to ride on the road without one engine and frame no.s not a problem use a marker pen if you want but they must be the same as on the v5 Wonder if you have taken a look at the online info regards bike MOT testing? Pretty helpful, and can save the hassle of needing to return bike for a retest, due to a few small things not being up to standard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalshell Posted March 16, 2008 Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 (edited) thankyou for the advice i did just as you said and ...... who was right??.. reflectors ''This inspection applies to: all machines except those which either have no front or 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'' horns ''A motor bicycle first used before 1 August 1973 may be fitted with a bulb horn.'' speedo no mention of speedo in entire mot regulations Extracts reproduced from the MOT Inspection Manual by kind permission of THE VEHICLE INSPECTORATE. and for Max from the same source ''The chain/belt must not have excessive slack and be in good condition, the guard must be secure and not fouling'' Edited March 16, 2008 by totalshell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdht Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 There does seem to be confusion amongst testers as to whether the horn needs to be continuous tone - my local guy said this was definitley the case and he has several old bikes. However as noted above the regs do say that pre 73 bikes can use a bulb horn. I got a bicycle horn from www.chainreactioncycles.com in any case so I used that. Speedos have to be fitted but don't need to work. Rear reflectors are not needed pre 73 but seem to suffer from similar confusion so I fit one to be in the safe side Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalshell Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 (edited) regarding speedos ( odometers not swimming trunks!) i have never in 15 years of 'mot-ing' p65 (and a 1972) bikes and pre-war cars for that matter, all without speedo's at 5 different garages over those years have i ever had the lack of speedo queried ( nor have i seen it mentioned on the test form) now it certainly is against the law to drive any vehicle on the road without a working odometer. my favourite MOt story was returning home 15 years ago in my 1927 trials Austin 7 with the ticket tucked in my barbour and been stopped by plod, who questioned if such a thing was road legal..... to whit i pulled out my 'ink still wet' ticket much to his surprise.. unconvinced as to the safety of a car with cable brakes and 'wobbly' wheels as he put it, he followed me home at a safe distance with his blue lights on as protection.. Edited March 18, 2008 by totalshell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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