If there was no WOF would you keep your bike up to standard?

[cheshirecat]

As here what the UK Gov are considering
http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news--general-news/no-mot-test-for-classic-bikes/19394.html

[Katman]

If a vehicle is still operational after 50 years there's a fair bet it's owned by someone who has it in sound condition.

[cheshirecat]

Plus if it was a Tiger Cub probably not running long enough to have an accident

[Voltaire]

Would seem pretty sensible to me as most classic bike owners know far more about their bikes than modern bike owners. When I lived in Ireland a few years back motorcycles and campervans did not have to do MOT's....result: lots of rusty shit box campervans and bikes in poor condition. My BSA Lightning on the other hand was in perfect order.

[dogsnbikes]

Always keep my bikes in better than WOF standard and some are 30 years old and more road worthy than some late model bikes I see,Classic/vintage owners are passionate about their cars/bikes

[Gremlin]

Ride it far too much in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night to not maintain it. WOF's are more just the waste of time than anything else. Shops do all the work maintaining my bikes, but then I have several services on each bike a year, not like some that might have 1 or 2 services a year.

That said, even with our WOFs, I've seen some shockers of cars trying to pass through...

[buggsubique]

Ride it far too much in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night to not maintain it...

+1 (2345678etc)

[droid]

[Indiana_Jones]

This has been mentioned on a few of the classic car forums I use.

I say fair enough in some regards, most classic owners love and look after their cars well. Sadly there will always be that 1% of people who won't. I reckon the MOt should be only for every 2 years on a classic rather then the 1 year as it stands.

-Indy

[SMOKEU]

Even if there was no WOF required I'd still pay close attention to the things that really matter such as tyres, brakes, steering, suspension, lights, indicators and anything else that really affects my safety. I wouldn't want to be riding a death trap after all.

[Indiana_Jones]

Even if there was no WOF required I'd still pay close attention to the things that really matter such as tyres, brakes, steering, suspension, lights, indicators and anything else that really affects my safety. I wouldn't want to be riding a death trap after all.

+1.

Always keep an eye on the brakes, oil, lights etc on the Wolseley.

-Indy

[Conquiztador]

We know that if there was no WOF some prics would ride/drive death traps. But the question was to us as individuals, so I will answer it from my point alone:

No I would not care to keep my bike up to WOF standard. I would have straight pipes, I would make modifications without caring re the legality, I would fit additional bits without caring if the regulations allow me to, and I would remove shit that I did not want (frontguard being one).

But my bike would always have brilliant brakes, have good lights and be in a top running shape.

[Voltaire]

WOF's are a joke, I've taken a bike thru a WOF with 20 year old tyres and 30 year old brake hoses....... and been knocked back because the headlight dips to the right....two years after they did the WOF's and Vin. The main thing that should be checked is the driver and that never happens...... :facepalm:

[The Baron]

It does sound good but as said already we will always have the 1%.

Some sort of road worthyness needs to be there. 2 yearly or 5 yearly ?? Maybe through car/bike clubs.

Maybe hot rods will come back into fashion.

[Robert Taylor]

Even if there was no WOF required I'd still pay close attention to the things that really matter such as tyres, brakes, steering, suspension, lights, indicators and anything else that really affects my safety. I wouldn't want to be riding a death trap after all.

Sadly not everyone has that ethic and the WOF system whilst far from perfect or rigid enough is in part to protect people from themselves. Ive seen stuff pass through that shouldnt have, over the years.

[scumdog]

Maybe hot rods will come back into fashion.

You mean they're NOT in fashion??:confused:

But given the crappy condition of some cars/bikes when we DO have WOFs imagine the place if there was no requirements to have a roadworthy vehicle.

[quickbuck]

But given the crappy condition of some cars/bikes when we DO have WOFs imagine the place if there was no requirements to have a roadworthy vehicle.

Ummm,
The way I see it, there will be STILL a requirement to have a road worthy vehicle, it is just that it won't be looked at every 6 months by a man in a white coat.

It is really the same as it is now, is it not, except the man in the white coat gets $40 every 6 months to look at the vehicle, and put a sticker on it.

See, it is the owners responsibility to keep their vehicle up to the Standard to be road worthy (as you know surely scummy), otherwise the man in the white car, with the blue coat can pull out his pink sticker book, and you are walking the rest of your journey.
The WOF inspection is just a snap-shot in time.

Now, as far as the poll goes, of course I would keep my motorcycle up to a WOF Standard (Well, actually above it), but then I do value my life, and my investment. Not that I have a 1960's vintage bike, but the rule applies to all my vehicles.
It is a shame others fail to see the need to, but a chap called Charles Darwin has a theory on those types.... It is a shame they have to share the road with other innocent parties though.....
Might be a generalisation, but those types would never appriciate, or own a classic motorcycle in any case.

[=cJ=]

Yeah, servicing would catch most issues with my bike if there was no WOF. Safety stuff (brakes, tyres etc) is pretty much a no brainer, I get it fixed 'cos I don't like being sore...

To be fair though, I'd rather still have to do a WOF and not have to pay rego :p

[bsasuper]

Some states is australia do this, can have implications with traffic accidents and insurance, and the popo run very lucrative testing stations.

[FJRider]

I spent a few years in Singapore (NZ Army) ... no WOF there, but vehicles had to be roadworthy ... and VERY heavy fines if they were found not SAFE. Also there was NO registration ... just a "Road Tax" system based on ENGINE SIZE. (ALL VEHICLES) The bigger the motor ... the more you pay.

[bsasuper]

I spent a few years in Singapore (NZ Army) ... no WOF there, but vehicles had to be roadworthy ... and VERY heavy fines if they were found not SAFE. Also there was NO registration ... just a "Road Tax" system based on ENGINE SIZE. (ALL VEHICLES) The bigger the motor ... the more you pay.

This would be great, but we dont have the population to support such a system, one of the reasons why we are a very heavily taxed country.

[FJRider]

This would be great, but we dont have the population to support such a system, one of the reasons why we are a very heavily taxed country.

Bullshit ... Their population at the time was only slightly higher than ours ...

And the "Road Tax" for my 76 CB750F1 was $750 (NZ) for a full year. This was 1979-81 remember ...

Heavily taxed country ... :killingme

[Bad Biker]

As I do now I would keep all may vehicle up to a safe road worthy standard.

Like others I wish to stay alive and having a independent check the vehicle over for $40 is fine with me.

Doesn’t stop other idiots from trying to kill you on the road.

The WOF only says the vehicle was safe at time of check not for the following 6 months so most people keep their vehicle up top standard on their own accord.

[bsasuper]

Bullshit ... Their population at the time was only slightly higher than ours ...

And the "Road Tax" for my 76 CB750F1 was $750 (NZ) for a full year. This was 1979-81 remember ...

Heavily taxed country ... :killingme

Well you just said it, your living in the past (as the song goes, I'm living in the 70's).Its now 2011:eek:

[FJRider]

Well you just said it, your living in the past (as the song goes, I'm living in the 70's).Its now 2011:eek:

At that time ... the rego cost for a bike was about $130 ... and people moaned about the cost THEN ...

And I expect Rego costs to go up from what they are now ...

[scumdog]

Well you just said it, your living in the past (as the song goes, I'm living in the 70's).Its now 2011:eek:


So why would that sort of idea NOT work just because it's 2011??:blink:

[FJRider]

So why would that sort of idea NOT work just because it's 2011??:blink:

It WOULD work ... and solve a multitude of issues ... if rego costs on ALL vehicles was based on engine size ...

[gatch]

Most places wouldn't know what to check on a bike. It's a joke.

I went to vtnz once, took all of 3 minutes. Tires have tread, electrics work, nothing obvious made a clunk noise and the rear brake locked up when you stood on it.

That was it. Hand over your $35, here's your sticker, fuck off out of the way, NEXT !

I don't really fuss over how the bike looks, so long as it is mechanically sound I am happy. I don't need some inconsistent douche to tell me my wheel bearings are poked.

[Banditbandit]

We know that if there was no WOF some prics would ride/drive death traps. But the question was to us as individuals, so I will answer it from my point alone:

No I would not care to keep my bike up to WOF standard. I would have straight pipes, I would make modifications without caring re the legality, I would fit additional bits without caring if the regulations allow me to, and I would remove shit that I did not want (frontguard being one).

But my bike would always have brilliant brakes, have good lights and be in a top running shape.

Yeah .. that would be me .... Safety aspects completely up to scratch .. but mods which are probably now illegal . such as pipes ..



Most places wouldn't know what to check on a bike. It's a joke.

I went to vtnz once, took all of 3 minutes. Tires have tread, electrics work, nothing obvious made a clunk noise and the rear brake locked up when you stood on it.

That was it. Hand over your $35, here's your sticker, fuck off out of the way, NEXT !

I don't really fuss over how the bike looks, so long as it is mechanically sound I am happy. I don't need some inconsistent douche to tell me my wheel bearings are poked.

Yeah ... I took the 1250 in for a warrant at VTNZ and this old guy put on an old pudding basin helmet (leather sides and all) and took it around a concrete carpark in the pissing rain to check the brakes .. I was worried ... worried he'd lock it up and drop it .. the next time one of them held the brake levers while his mate tried to turn the wheel with his hands ... it passed ... really good test (yeah right ...)

[The Pastor]

We know that if there was no WOF some prics would ride/drive death traps.
.



They already do, they just dont have wofs.

[Paul in NZ]

Its safe to say it wouldnt trouble me either way. I'm pretty sure I keep the bikes up to snuff safety wise and am very fortunate to have a WOF guy that knows old bikes and their owners.

[awa355]

You and me 'might' keep our bikes/cars up to scratch, but, what about all the other clowns out there on the roads with defective brakes, tyres ( in particular), There may be a lot already, irrespective of the law now, but would be a hell of a lot more without any wof.

[imdying]

If there was no WOF then no I would not keep them up to any particular standard, I'd probably find something old to ride around on and never do anything I didn't need to to it.

[Brett]

A WOF is not the benchmark imo. There are a few things which are pretty critical to rider safety that a WOF will not pick up/doesn't often pick up. I make it my responsibility (whether my bike has a WOF or not) to ensure that what I ride is safe, and this far surpasses what is covered in a WOF inspection. If I didn't have to have a WOF, only think I might consider would be running slicks on the road so that I don't have to swap rims for track days (but modern tyres are pretty bloody good anyway, I loved the Supercorsa's I used to have on my GSXR) and would probably run the bike without side mirrors...I usually check with a turn of the head anyway.

[cheshirecat]

So far we've got 90% keeping their Bikes roadworthy, cic pass WOF and only 3% not doing so. Is this the same as we have now with the WOF, if so we don't need it and so save the Government some admin so they could put the resources to more useful ends like being useful and cost effective to the population they are acting for or even the Police dounut fund. Rant rant rant rant . . . .
Interesting to see what our boys in blue find when they pull bikes over - are 90% roadworthy?

The 6% couldn't give a what'sit I reckon are die hards who would look after their bikes anyway.