Mon Jul 20th, '26...

Morning Martin & All from sunny, Southern Utah!

Currently it is 86F, heading for 88F, with more threats of thunderstorms this afternoon. We did have one roll through yesterday while we were in church. got the vehicles wet, but that was about it. Nothing measurable. Today, probably the same. A slight breeze now, but later the winds will be out of the W @ 8 to 9mph.

Our granddaughter is doing fine (so far). She is full of it... energy, that is. Her fun thing to do is cartwheels. And because she's small for her age, she can do them pretty good. BUT NOT IN THE HOUSE! :rolleyes-2x:

I think, though she's already wearing out poor grandma. Yesterday I had to take her for a walk around the block, just to give grandma a break! :run1:

Today, they are in sewing. I'll go out to the garage soon and continue my cleaning it up, so I can get to things. I still need to finish up that AZ05 and get it registered.

Eggs, (real) bacon, toast & OJ to push start the morning. Pepsi(s) for later.

Anyone :bl13:, have a great day on the roads! :hat3:
 
Weaselinsuit said:
More of a cult.....ure

Government departments are referred to as Ministries up here. They do share the need for byzantine traditions, sermonizing and questionable tax deductions.
Click to expand...
No doubt to make them sound more benevolent, like they know what's good for you better than you do. What they don't do is guilt you into compliance.
 
The MOT that Martin is referring to is the annual UK Ministry of Transport Test that vehicles in the UK have to undergo once they reach 3 years old. I know that many other European countries have no such test (and the French motorcyclists are currently actively resisting the recent application of such a test), however, personally I have absolutely no problem with this roadworthiness test. For those not mechanically minded or willing to do basic maintenance (and I would suggest here in the UK that is the vast majority of drivers/riders :rolleyes: ) it provides an invaluable check on the safety of a vehicle. I have two cars and three motorcycles to get through the test each year, it's hardly an onerous task! Most failures are down to simple things like headlight/sidelight bulbs not working....that would indicate the the owners were never checking such items...even the day before they knew the vehicle was going to be tested!

For anyone curious, there is a MOT Testing Manual online https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mot-ins...ivate-passenger-and-light-commercial-vehicles If you can't get to sleep then it's good reading, but it also highlights a few misconceptions. Relating to Martin's particular situation (and yes, I realise he is in Austria, not the UK) If you google 'will I fail an MOT if my brake discs are below the manufacturers min limit' the answer is inevitably 'yes', but the guide actually says:

1.1.14. Brake discs and drums​

A brake disc or drum must be significantly worn before you should reject it. Being worn below the manufacturer’s recommended limits is not a reason in itself.

Interestingly enough, this clause has been applied by the tester of my outfit as the Flexit's brake disc is almost certainly below a limit (which is not on the disc) but the tested braking efficiency passes the test, so he passed it!

Finally, my 11 year old, 110,000 mile Dacia Duster is in for it's test tomorrow, and despite the fact it is also undergoing a full service at the garage that will do the MOT test, I will be checking everything I can, later this afternoon...... just in case :D
 
There is nothing wrong with these tests if they are reasonable, executed properly, and achieve a determined and reasonable goal. The problem is that all to often they turn in to nothing more than bureaucratic exercise to satisfy the paper tiger rather than to achieve their intended goal.

Case in point;
On a previous motorcycle that I had purchased used the previous owner had replaced the OEM mufflers with aftermarket ones, removed all of the exhaust baffles, cut off the inside tube that leads to the outlet, and then drilled three 1/2" holes in each muffler end plate. It was insanely loud with flames shooting out the rear. I don't know how he could have enjoyed riding it like that. I immediately welded the holes shut and welded a longer outlet tube to the inside of the end plates. This quieted it down enough that it was fine to ride and I never did anything else. It was much quieter than a lot of Harley's, as well as quieter than buses, heavy trucks, etc.. One day there was a motorcycle cop pulling every motorcycle that was going by over. He gave tickets to every motorcyclists whose motorcycle did not have an OEM exhaust on it and did not have a baffle that prevented him from inserting a rod in to the exhaust. This is a misconception and is not required. Many OEM motorcycle exhausts have no such restriction, that is not the way that the muffler works. He didn't care, and it didn't matter whether it was loud or not, you don't like it go to court and contest it was his response. What an A-hole.

I researched the rules surrounding exhaust systems. The simplified version is that replacing/modifying the exhaust is perfectly legal as long as the changes do not result in the vehicle being louder than the configuration that it came out of the factory with. I could go and get a vehicle inspection report that stated that it passes this test and take that to court to get the fine dismissed. I went to two vehicle inspection garages that were certified to do inspections on motorcycles to ask about the inspection and what kind of paperwork they would give me. They did not have a clue what the requirements for inspecting exhaust systems were, and they did not have a clue what the law was. I kept pressing them for information and what it finally came down to was that if they did not see the Honda (in my case) and D.O.T. compliance statements on the exhaust they failed it. I told them that that is not the law and not what they are mandated to do. They are mandated to perform a decibel level test under prescribed conditions and record the results. They had no decibel testing equipment, they had no idea what the requirements were, they had no idea what the law was, they knew nothing about it. Not an OEM exhaust they aren't passing it, or they might if it wasn't to loud. They couldn't tell me one way or the other until they heard it, which would only happen if I paid them for the inspection. It was simply a money grab. Getting the inspection certificate is required to have the fine dismissed so you have no choice, you have to pay them to do it. The test is not satisfying the intended purpose of making sure that the exhaust is not unacceptably loud or dangerous. Getting the inspection was completely pointless as the documents that a judge would need based on the law aren't being provided.

The government bureaucracy was satisfied because they issued a law. The inspection facilities were satisfied because they made money for doing nothing. Nothing was being achieved by the whole process other than satisfying the paper tiger, and lightening my wallet. The inspection would have cost about the same as the fine- isn't that a coincidence?- and would not have guaranteed me a win so I just paid the fine to be done with it.

This became a huge cash cow for police forces. They were all doing this all over the province. Subsequently there were so many of these cases that a judge in one jurisdiction got really pissed off about how all of this was being done and how people were being abused and taken advantage of by the police and the prosecutors. The law required that the modified exhaust system have a DB sound level that is higher than the OEM exhaust DB sound level for the modification to be illegal. He demanded to know how the police and the prosecution know that this is the case. He demanded DB readings to support all of these charges. He demanded that the prosecution produce their certified list of the exhaust DB test reports from the manufacturers for every vehicle that was being fined so that they could prove to him that the vehicles exhaust is now louder than it was with the OEM exhaust. Of course they could not provide any of this because they had no such list. They also did not have a DB sound level for any of the vehicles that were ticketed. Essentially all they had was an officer stating that, in his opinion, it was to loud. He had a fit. He told the prosecutor that if ever another such case is brought before him without proper evidence to suppoirt the charge he was going to hold the prosecution in contempt. He sent a warning letter to the local police that if they issued another such fine without proper supporting evidence he was going to hold them in contempt for wasting the courts time. He then dismissed dozens of fines that were pending in his jurisdiction without even looking at them. If someone was fined for an exhaust system related offence of any kind he ordered the city clerk to recind it immediatly. This led to judges doing something similar in several other jurisdictions. All this led to the police stopping issuing these fines and the whole thing faded away.

I am willing to bet that nothing in the law or the process has changed and, gievn enough time, some police force will start this all over again as it is an easy ticket and a good cash cow.
 
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