Minor Legality Issues

[Raven]

Had a short cruise around the new forest earlier, and when stopped at one point one of Hampshire's finest constanblary felt neccesary to point out that;

a) Grill style headlight protectors aren't road legal and
b) A tax disc must be displayed to the front and left of the rider (mine was by the chain, and covered in so much crud he couldnt see it was only a copy ).

It wasn't anything formal, he just mentioned it on his way back from the burger van to his car, but can anyone tell me if this is true or complete and utter b*llocks

[Robster]

Had a short cruise around the new forest earlier, and when stopped at one point one of Hampshire's finest constanblary felt neccesary to point out that;

a) Grill style headlight protectors aren't road legal and
b) A tax disc must be displayed to the front and left of the rider (mine was by the chain, and covered in so much crud he couldnt see it was only a copy ).

It wasn't anything formal, he just mentioned it on his way back from the burger van to his car, but can anyone tell me if this is true or complete and utter b*llocks

Jeez it's gotta be slow news day down your way for Plod to bother about nit-picking like that.

[Zenarchy]

I think point b is true, though doubt they'd be that bothered about it. I think you'd need a pretty bored cop to do anything other than tell you to move it.

Not sure about the first one though.

[AIRWOLF]

Don't know about headlight grill but loads of 4x4s have them, and what about the classic bikes from war time ? they ride round with those blackout grills on.

The tax disc he is correct, pity he had nothing better to do.
what bugs me is; all our details are known before the police stop us, so why do we need a tax disc at all

[Annette]

You saw a policeman in the New Forest............................................ .


He must have been lost

Point b ir correct but as for the grill - don't know why, unless he thinks you won't be getting enough light thru to see properly at night

[russh]

My TA was deliver from new from the dealers with the tax disc on the chain guard, therefore technically illegal!

[Cie]

The grill is illegal, because it distorts the headlight beam I believe.

[Stormforce8]

The grill is illegal, because it distorts the headlight beam I believe.

ROFL - Cie - you just hate any kind of 'bling' on a bike.........

Headlight guards in themselves are not illegal - I remember reading somewhere that there has to be a set minumum of light passing through any guard/cover so pretty much all aftermarket stuff for both bikes and 4X4s that are available would comply - I'll have to see if I can find it again.

As to the plod in the Forest - must have been a very bored 'jobsworth' to take time out of his lunchbreak to point out what he felt was illegal on your bike.

It's just this type of smallminded policing by a very small minority of plod that really winds me up, and gives the rest of them a bad name.

Personally I would have challenged him on it and told him to stop being such a KNOB (but you were lucky with the tax disc copy)

[Raven]

Thanks for the quick replies everybody . I moved the tax disc to the front as it wasn't exactly what you would call hassle, it was only by the chain as thats where the dealer put it . The headlight guard can stay there until it is confirmed that it is defiantly illegal . To be honest, it doesnt block that much light from coming out, even less when I get that HID kit fitted .

The rare meeting with a (probably lost and bored) cop wasn't much hassle either, only took 30 seconds of my time, and wasn't a formal "pull over, show me paperwork, let me give you a lecture and p*ss you off" etc so I'm not gonna winge this time .

[Mabels Old Man]

Surely small minded policing would be actually booking somebody. All he did was point out a couple of illegal points in a friendly manner. Let's be fair plods never going to win is he?


Small minded is two bikes and a traffic car parked on a roundabout on the way in to Porthcawl on a sunny Saturday pulling bikers for noisy exhausts, small number plates and dark visors.

Porthcawl is a seaside town where bikers meet on most weekends