wwii axis reenactment forum

Is there any way of getting around the UK law that any outfit registered (not manufactured) after 1981 cannot have a RHS sidecar?

Also I've been told that having an oufit registered as a tricycle is illegal, and it should be registered a motorcycle with sidecar fitted.

Anyone shed any light on this?

Thanks

Von1papen

My understanding ,.. although I am not aware of any recent updates,... regardless of the age of the bike combo , if it was first UK registered after 81 ,... then it must have the side car on the left (near side).

No grey areas as far as I am aware , so no way around it . The law on this one is simple and clear.

It is illigal to register as a trike.

The illegal registration of these bikes as trikes is obviously out of my control, but my advice is as follows.
If you register a trike, you must insure a trike (not a motorcycle and sidecar). After three years you will need an MOT. Any trike MOT station should refuse to MOT it on the grounds that the wheels are in the wrong place as are the lights, indicators, etc. Any bike MOT station should refuse to MOT it on the grounds that it is not a bike. Obtaining an MOT for a bike from an MOT station that is not up to date with the current law, will not help as you will have an MOT for a bike but you will have a trike registration document. This will mean you are driving with no MOT and therefore no insurance. If you yourself first registered this vehicle then you only have yourself to blame. However if you were misinformed by a dealer and the dealer registered it for you I would think you have a good case for a refund. This applies to any motorcycle with the sidecar fitted to the right hand side of the bike with or without twin wheel drive.

UK legislation requires and states , that sidecars must be fitted to the left-hand side of motorcycles because of the implications for road safety, the Department is not minded to pursue changes in legislation to allow the use of sidecars fitted to the right-hand side of motorcycles. The legislation prohibiting the use of right-hand sidecars was enacted in 1980.” (Malcolm Fendick, DETR).

So the reason for this legislation is Road Safety

This also ties in with your bikes MOT. Ministry of Transport will only issue an MOT certificate to motorcycle combinations first registered after 81, if your side car is only attached to the left (near side) .

Only if first registered before 81 can you position the side car on the right.

I am sure if any changes have been made to Uk legislation , someone will say , and advise accordingly.

So basically there is no legal way to ride a cj750 combo on the road, unless it was registered in the uk before 1981.

Well that answers that question!

You can legally ride it in the UK, if when purchasing new from Cj after 81 ,... they can offer the option of positioning the side car on the left.

Or you can reconfigure to the left position yourself , or find a reputable UK company that can do it for you.

One of the downsides of re-enacting German with a post 81 registered bike !

ok for two penneth, if the bike has transmission to the side car such that if it is removed the bike has no transmission, then it is registered as a trike and not a M/c with side car. Most russian bikes are either m/c.s or trikes. I have had 2 of them both were registered as trikes. so that the easy bit. Getting an MOT is also most impossible cos no one wants to do the job.
graham