Light fuse and stand well back....

[AD345]

Apropos of the thread about alleged "selling out" and numerous comments about "do more for accident prevention" I throw out this comment:

Be careful what you wish for.

It doesn't take much imagination to envisage a scenario whereby the govt. proposes something like the following:

$100 levy rise (reviewed in 12 months against motorycle accident rates)

Legislation that brings in
Mandatory Hi-Viz vests
Mandatory evidence of rider training every 5 years
All bikes over 600cc to have full fairings
All bikes registered as new after 2011 to have ABS brakes.
Mandatory full face helmets for on-road riding
Govt. specified levels of protective equipment including types and amounts of armour
New class of bikes introduced as being pillion-passenger-worthy. All other bikes to be single rider only

..and no doubt a myriad of others

Instant public support as being kind and caring towards those mad buggers on bikes and cue the implosion of broad based motorcyclist actions as we dissolve into eternal squabbles.

*bang*

[Conquiztador]

Add to that:

- Compulsory training before allowed on road with bike
- Reduce learner size to 125cc
- No modifications allowed. NONE! Without a Certification inspection.
- Only "approved" (expensive!) tyres allowed on road bikes.
- Zero tolerance of alcohol in blood when riding.

And if you think I'm gone crazy, these are rules already in place in other countries...

[mctshirt]

Mandatory Hi-Viz vests

NOOO!!!!!!!!!!! Not the Hi-Viz vest!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anything but the Hi-Viz vest!!!!!!

Marlon Brando didn't get to be a Wild One in a Hi-Viz vest

[slofox]

- Compulsory training before allowed on road with bike

This one I think is not such a bad idea...as long as the training is not provided by some fly by night cowboy who knows nothing and is not prohibitively expensive...

[rainman]

It doesn't take much imagination to envisage a scenario whereby the govt. proposes something like the following:

$100 levy rise (reviewed in 12 months against motorycle accident rates)

Legislation that brings in
Mandatory Hi-Viz vests
- OK
Mandatory evidence of rider training every 5 years
- Maybe, have to see the details but not a terrible idea
All bikes over 600cc to have full fairings
- Not the cruisers, I imagine
All bikes registered as new after 2011 to have ABS brakes.
- OK
Mandatory full face helmets for on-road riding
- OK
Govt. specified levels of protective equipment including types and amounts of armour
- OK
New class of bikes introduced as being pillion-passenger-worthy. All other bikes to be single rider only
- Can't see why, but OK
..and no doubt a myriad of others

Add to that:

- Compulsory training before allowed on road with bike
- OK
- Reduce learner size to 125cc
- OK (was 50cc when I grew up)
- No modifications allowed. NONE! Without a Certification inspection.
- OK, within reason
- Only "approved" (expensive!) tyres allowed on road bikes.
- Maybe
- Zero tolerance of alcohol in blood when riding.
- OK

What's the big deal?

[Bald Eagle]

What's the big deal?

or maybe we could go completely nuts and elect a government led by a bunch of profit driven puppets ... oops sorry already done ..

[avgas]

Either way will not change the way I ride or what I ride.

Considering the Nazi testing station guy reckons the headlight is too low, I don't think it would be too bad.

[Dadpole]

This looks like a wish list for the anti-bike brigade. "Make it so difficult and expensive they go away"

Legislation that brings in
-Mandatory Hi-Viz vests
No need. Some reflective striping perhaps.
-Mandatory evidence of rider training every 5 years
A cash cow for a Govt agency perhaps, or AA to run.
-All bikes over 600cc to have full fairings
No protection there apart from possible increased visibility.
-All bikes registered as new after 2011 to have ABS brakes.
That would limit them to a handful of models and possibly nothing under 500cc.
-Mandatory full face helmets for on-road riding
OK
-Govt. specified levels of protective equipment including types and amounts of armour
That would limit you to a very narrow range approved by some desk jockey in Wgtn and no doubt require the lot to be inspected every six months.
-New class of bikes introduced as being pillion-passenger-worthy. All other bikes to be single rider only
Currently covered by WOF. IE pillion pegs etc.
- Compulsory training before allowed on road with bike
Would depend on cost and who does it. If AA run it would be expensive and dubious value - another cash cow
- Reduce learner size to 125cc
OK
- No modifications allowed. NONE! Without a Certification inspection.
Sufficient limitations now.
- Only "approved" (expensive!) tyres allowed on road bikes.
Decided by the same desk jockey who won't allow toe sliders on boots because they encourage "dangerous corner speed".
- Zero tolerance of alcohol in blood when riding
Should be for driving too.