Anti-green bike modifications likely to be made illegal
New measures by the Department for Transport (DfT) clarify their position to accelerate green initiatives.
It was revealed recently in a meeting with the National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) that modifying or customising a motorbike could be made illegal if the modification would generate more pollution.
This proposal would rule out many modifications to performance exhaust systems and power commanders. The proposals have also been designed to stamp out the practice of modifying electric bicycles and e-scooters to make them faster and more powerful.
The terms are laid out in DfT’s ‘Future of Transport’ review amid a series of other plans across the transport industry to help the UK reach its ‘Net Zero’ carbon emissions target by 2030.
"Although we are pleased to learn that riders will not be banned from modifying their bikes if this does not reduce environmental performance or increase speeds beyond a particular motorcycle’s design specification, this leaves several areas where legitimate reasons to modify could still be denied," said Craig Carey-Clinch from the NMC. "There is also a large question mark about how the proposals will affect older motorcycles."
"We welcome the DfT’s willingness to discuss these matters in more detail and to include the NMC and its members in work to design regulations that are proportionate, but we remain strongly concerned that the proposals have been inspired by issues that do not apply to the majority of motorcycling, but to a much narrower range of mainly electric products."
"Engine modifications often improve how a bike runs and the freedom to be able to make these changes must remain. But it does seem clear that in the drive to reduce vehicle emissions and to decarbonise all vehicle types, it seems that at the very least, modifications that lead to increased emissions from petrol motorcycles and cars are likely to be outlawed."
If you’d like to find out more, you can visit the DfT website here.
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