Is it legal to not have one? - (rear guard)

[Duc]

Trying to decide whether to go with a rear mud guard on my Cafe Racer or not...

Is it legal to NOT have one fitted?

(I do not require to re vin this bike if that makes any difference).

BTW: Anyone know where all the regs for VIN and WOF are?

[avgas]

You must have one - i got busted as mine is a little cut

[Gremlin]

the plastic rear fender on the arse of the bike that holds the license plate?

Not required... a lot of sportsbike riders removed them (ugly sob's they are)

[merv]

Try the Vehicle Inspection requirements Manual (VIRM) from LTNZ.

Here's the bike pages http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/certifiers/virm-in-service/motorcycles-v3.pdf

You can tell its written by non-experts. What does this gobbledegook really mean especially point 3 about the twin or close spaced tyres?

Summary of legislation
Applicable legislation
• Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Equipment 2004
Mandatory equipment
1. A motorcycle must be fitted with a mudguard over
each road wheel if it is reasonable and practicable to
do so.
2. A mudguard must cover no less than the width of
the tyre tread on each road wheel.
3. A motorcycle fitted with twin tyres or close-spaced
multiple tyres must be fitted with a mudguard over
each wheel on the rear axle that provides continuous
protection from a horizontal line tangent to the top
of the tyre tread to a line with a slope of 1:3 rising
rearward from the tyre’s contact point on the road.
4. The following vehicles are not required to be fitted
with mudguards:
a) a vehicle in an unfinished condition used under
the authority of trade plates and operated in
accordance with the Compliance Rule
b) a vehicle not capable of exceeding a speed of
30km/h.
Condition
5. A mudguard must be securely fixed to the vehicle
and must be constructed so that it does not present a
hazard to road users.
Modification
6. A modification that aff ects a mudguard must be
inspected and certifi ed by a low volume vehicle
specialist certifi er, unless the vehicle:
a) is excluded from the requirement for LVV
certification (Table 10-3-1), and
b) has been inspected in accordance with the
requirements in this manual, including those for
equipment, condition and performance.

[ceebie13]

Well this will be interesting. My CB is due for its first ever WOF in October and I lopped the rear fender off a few months back.

I'm hoping the tester will not even realise! Either that or the hugger will count as a mudguard!

[Duc]

Thanx for info and link Merv.

I ve decided to go with a rear guard anyway since I took the trouble and expense of chroming it and it looks pretty good.

[imdying]

My bike has a mudguard... it's called a number plate :yes:

[xwhatsit]

I'm going through the same thing, the mudguard-less cafés look really sweet, but it doesn't seem like you can get away with it. Now my task is to track down a mudguard, haha! Original bike has this square black huge thing, I want a round chrome classic thing. Wondering what would be a good donor bike.

[jonbuoy]

Arse, didn't even think about that, although modern bikes hardly have anything covering the rear tire. I might have to rig a few things up for my warrant.

[xwhatsit]

I might have to rig a few things up for my warrant.

That's the key right there. I'm sure I'm not the only one contemplating a fully detachable seat/light/guard arrangement that can be swapped in a couple of minutes? :)

[jonbuoy]

Yeah thats the plan mate, I haven't sold any of the bits I took off so I can put the back end back to standard if need be. It will look like a dogs dinner but as long as they can tick the boxes they need to we'll both be happy. Its only every six months.

[xwhatsit]

Yeah thats the plan mate, I haven't sold any of the bits I took off so I can put the back end back to standard if need be. It will look like a dogs dinner but as long as they can tick the boxes they need to we'll both be happy. Its only every six months.

We'll have to share the details of our WoF testers :laugh:

Useful for pillions, too, I suppose.

Today I remembered why rear guards are useful. Blatting down a supposedly `gravel' track, which was really dirt still wet from yesterday's rain, the guy in front of me on the GS500 managed to make quite a mess of my visor, jacket and headlight. Imagine with no guard! I wonder if you'd get a dirty back as well? I wear a satchel, and the cover flap on it quite often flips up with the suction effect my body creates. A chance of dirt/water (especially with a short café racer single seat) ending up on your arse?

[kiwifruit]

Down with spades!

[xwhatsit]

Down with spades!

Is that what you're yelling in your avatar?

[98tls]

As was said the only downside to no guard is when its wet it gets very dirty...Huggers do nothing.

[kiwifruit]

Is that what you're yelling in your avatar?

amongst other things, yes

[Steam]

...What does this gobbledegook really mean especially point 3 about the twin or close spaced tyres?

Brough Superior 800cc Straight Four, 1930's. They had twin rear wheels, with the drive train between them.
There is one at the Southward Car Museum near Wellington. Merv, you MUST GO THERE. It's more than you can take in one visit. http://www.southward.org.nz/viewgallery.php?id=4
I can't find a good picture of the twin rear sadly.

[merv]

Gee I've been to Southwards a few times and can't say I've noticed the twin wheels.

It was this bit I was having trouble with:

"that provides continuous protection from a horizontal line tangent to the top of the tyre tread to a line with a slope of 1:3 rising rearward from the tyre’s contact point on the road".

[Steam]

Gee I've been to Southwards a few times and can't say I've noticed the twin wheels.

It's down with the cars on the main floor, unless they've moved it. I'm off there next Saturday, there's an auction of various junk. Most excited! Junk! But this is:Offtopic: sorry.

[Mukura]

Gee I've been to Southwards a few times and can't say I've noticed the twin wheels.

It was this bit I was having trouble with:

"that provides continuous protection from a horizontal line tangent to the top of the tyre tread to a line with a slope of 1:3 rising rearward from the tyre’s contact point on the road".

I googled up this PDF with a picture - check out the last page for a diagram regarding the slope and tangent http://docs.google.com... (http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:rSKmraKFDUQJ:www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/virm-in-service-cert-wof-only/docs/trailer-7-tyres-wheels-and-hubs-v4a2.pdf+continuous+protection+from+a+horizontal+l ine+tangent+to+the+top+of+the+tyre+tread+to+a+line +with+a+slope+of+1:3+rising+rearward+from+the+tyre %E2%80%99s+contact+point+on+the+road&hl=en&gl=nz&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESj2bsT9Csw8Mk_TqvyLGlTf-Z_qcE0XJx0RxMucsycqM2Cu-aIwJoUZnrGbLF3ekJ81GhPSltDaiwUhdC5ofGDe71jGKONqXdc JfklORkxhCEToCN2fV7Fke0Sz54Ut3omK5Egb&sig=AHIEtbTYYlwc9qk2A9rIPoqJ9tjkP5_VnQ&pli=1)

The thing about this is that not a lot of modern production bikes look like this picture... the thing about nzta is that no one knows anything unless it's in their interest to know. I know from regoing my bike last year, they never even looked out the window at it - I could've told them anything I liked. At that time I also found out it's not a legal requirement to have a frame or engine number - and that you can just 'dream' one up if you like - for your own saftey of course if the vehicle gets pinched then you have paper work on your side (like that helps).

Moral of the story is one we should all already know too well :

A) You have to ride it, look after your own safety
B) Your mate might be following you, think about them
C) You don't have to be a rocket mechanic to have a starting salary of $55k+ and a company car for the biggest gang in NZ - so odds are you probably aren't a rocket mechanic, or any other sort of genius - let alone an expert in technicalities that very few people are even aware of (rear guards) - so if it looks kosher you are probably sweet.
D) Every now and then in life you will meet a know-it-all s.o.b - this is the point where you hit the switch to flip your plate up and ride like the wind son....

Hope this helps, or is at least marginally entertaining. Cheers