Spoke with the local traffic police office trainer yesterday
Tyres basic rules.
Must NOT have "NHS" Not to Highway Standard" stamped/moulded into the side wall.
Must HAVE: MST and or an "E" mark Stamped/moulded into the side wall.
The current MOT test states the following:
Examples of unsuitable tyres:
a. side car tyres or car tyres on a solo machine
(note side car outfits may be fitted with ‘solo’
type tyres on any wheel);
b. Motocross or similar tyres, i.e. tyres where the
space between tread blocks is substantially
greater than the size of the blocks themselves;
which do not have MST (multi service tyre) with
an ‘E’ in a circle or an ‘e’ in a rectangle moulded
into or on to the tyre wallAll other stamps meaningless and the tyre must adhere to the following up-to-date MOT test standards...
Direct LINK here (click on)
###########################https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... 2-vehicles###########################Make certain you go to the OFFICIAL .GOV web site and check the rules have not changed as they change something almost every month while we stay in the EU.Police will look for the NHS stamp and on MX type tyres to show they are unsuitable for road use and also look for the "MST" and/or "E" stamps to show they ARE suitable for road use.....and check for wear/damage as any other car/bike tyre.
Must also conform the Road Traffic Act in that it is a pneumatic tyre inflated with air/nitrogen via a valve that can also let air out so the tyre pressure can be adjusted. Apparently as long as you have a valve where you can inflate the tyre it does not seem to matter what is also inside it..or rather they probably would not bother to look except in the case of an accident.
----------------------------------------------------------
Statutory Instruments
1986 No. 1078
ROAD TRAFFIC
The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986
pneumatic tyre
a tyre which—
(a) is provided with, or together with the wheel upon which it is mounted forms, a continuous closed chamber inflated to a pressure substantially exceeding atmospheric pressure when the tyre is in the condition in which it is normally used, but is not subjected to any load;
(b) is capable of being inflated and deflated without removal from the wheel or vehicle; and
(c) is such that, when it is deflated and is subjected to a normal load, the sides of the tyre collapse.
--------------------------------------------------------
Quentionable approach: is that over the legality of thick inner tubes (Some are NHS), other solid mousse type inserts and rim sealing inner tubes, puncture repairs.
If you have an accident on the road then the use of these, just like under inflation/over inflation outside of the manufacturers specifications for the use of the tyre on the road...the use of whatever will be taken into account when deciding the reason for any accident.
Although when on an unsurfaced lane lower inflation levels are recommended by manufacturers for tyre performance. The issue arises when you emerge back onto the surfaced roads.
My personal thoughts are that a properly inflated road legal trail/enduro rear tyre is safer than a soft trials tyre above 30mph.
However the new tranch of police "traffic" officers is not as well trained as previously and having been stopped by two dedicated motorcycle traffic police while riding my KTM EXC during a local motorcycle speed awaireness initiative (I live on a well known motorcycle road with lots of accidents).
The officers said my speedo was illegal (does not work unless the front wheel is turning)
The officers said my plastic (KTM OE) petrol tank was illegal
The officers said my (KTM OE) exhaust pipe was illegal
The officers said my wavey brake discs were illegal
The officers said I needed rear view mirrors
The officers said I needed indicators
I put them right on all those issues....
Meanwhile on the Cannington bypass where I was stopped doing 45mph in a 60mph zone, the usual Sunday riders were speeding past loudly at well over 60mph....
They didnt check the engine and frame numbers on my bike that I had picked up the day before (Saturday) and had a alloy number plate with stick on numbers, no ignition lock and no tax disc displayed.
Indeed they didnt bother with a PNC check on the registration (Not yet registered in my name) and didnt bother to check the engine and frame numbers matched the registration.
Considder this for a while and considder how many trail bikes are stolen and what you would think about the actions of the "Police Traffic Officers" had your bike been stolen recently.
Standard have dropped and some may recall the issue I and others had trying to get the police to take action on an obviously stolen KTM EXC advertised on e-bay.
Yet some nimby landowner can get the police out to harrass and issue s59 Police warnings to respectable and considderate trail riders for using a totally legal ROW and lie to the local Council and NP Authorities without fear or repercussions.
It does make me angry.... ohh I seem to have gone orf on one again...