Motorcycle, scooter: modifications soon to be banned?

Motorcycle insurance
Motorcycle, scooter: modifications soon to be banned?


The two-wheeler community is taken by many uncertainties at the moment: motorcycle technical control, noise of two-wheelers in the spotlight and probable ban on modifications ... The noose is tightening on motorcycles and scooters in France . In particular in a context of European harmonization.
UK bill to ban modification of two-wheelers

It didn't take long for the news to cross the Channel: last week a bill was passed by the UK Department for Transport to outright ban all modifications to two-wheelers involving the engine and l 'exhaust. Objective of this measure: to achieve the objectives in terms of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Thus, engine reprogramming, change of exhaust line, modification of the air filter ... All these modifications which influence the level of pollution emitted by motorcycles and scooters are likely to be banned in the United Kingdom.

This announcement did not fail to provoke the ire of biker associations in the United Kingdom, which denounces a liberticidal measure. The MAG (Motorcycle Action Group) has positioned itself in particular: “I expected the lack of attention paid to motorcycles in terms of policies concerning recharging infrastructures [electric, note], but the proposals for anti-modification laws were a real punch, ”lamented Colin Brown, Director of Campaigns and Political Engagement for MAG.
A risk in France in a context of uncertainties surrounding motorcycle technical control and European harmonization

Could such a measure see the light of day in France? This seems far from unlikely, for several reasons.

Firstly, there are many uncertainties surrounding the motorcycle technical control in France. Postponed several times, it should normally see the light of day in 2023. Several points are under discussion, in particular concerning the level of decibels released by thermal two-wheelers. In addition, sound radars are being tested in several departments. Motorcycle technical control could therefore limit the possibilities of modifying two-wheelers.

Second, European harmonization is the order of the day. And the signals don't seem very positive for motorcycles. If the measure passes to the United Kingdom, it is highly likely that other countries in the European Union will follow.

Thirdly, we know that France is not very kind with "tuning" and more generally the modification of vehicles. Today in the automobile, it is almost impossible to modify your vehicle without losing its homologation. The practices which consisted of modifying one's car, in vogue in the 1990s and 2000s in particular, have completely disappeared in France following numerous restrictive laws in this area.

And when we see how difficult it can be to have a motorcycle that has undergone a retrofit approved, even though the legal framework is in place, we can imagine that the “non-ecological” modifications of two-wheelers have not. not a bright future ...