drama at my M.O.T. testing station.

so , took my xj600 to my local mot testing station today, (thats a yearly "ministry of transport" vehicle examination). part-way through the test ,the examiner put the bike on the centre stand, the stand colapsed and folded under, bike fell over on its side , with the examiner laid across it,
i had just had the bike on the stand a half hour before. it was rotted , where the "H" centre cross piece is welded on, probably rotted from the inside as it was not visible,
sent for another, from ebay , but that will also be 30 years old.
just a few scratches on crashbars.
oh , bike passed the test.

 

Just out of curiosity, what does it take to fail the test?

 

Just don't kill the examiner, I guess

 

May not be worth it with international shipping and all, But I would be willing to have you send me the one you have coming to use as a reference piece for dimensions, and make you a matching one out of fresh steel. I have tons of DOM pipe from making roll bars. if your interested PM me we can work out any details. if not, hope the one you have coming is in good shape.

 

well is mainly a safety check , so , brakes are tested on a rolling road, and efficiency recorded, all lights checked, horn checked headlight alingment.
steering head bearings, suspension damping , wheel bearings , suspension linkages, cycle parts checked for tightness., vin number checked.
a fail would be any of the above, not conforming, so apparently a stand is not a safety issue,
also curiously, a speedo is not part of the test?

thanks for that offer," new" one is due on tuesday cost £30 gbp, i,ll inspect it then
thanks

 

Glad my state has no vehicle inspections...although my xj550 should easily pass.

It reminds me of when I got my motorcycle license. In 1985 the driving test was conducted in a parking lot, driving through cones, etc.

I had a borrowed XJ550 and practiced for all of 1/2 hour when I took the test. As I accelerated on the first part of the driving test, the bike ran out of gas. Then when I switched to reserve, it took a few tries to get it running. Already nervous, now I was frazzled. I was able to do the rest of the test with only one incident where I put my foot down to keep from dropping the bike while maneuvering through cones.

I passed, but I distinctly remember the examiner said "You passed...barely..." I think she had mercy. Since I was 24 years old with a perfect driving record since 15 yrs old, I think she figured I wasn't some young kid going to do dangerous things.

I went straight from the DMV to the dealer and brought home my XJ550, which I still have today.

 

yes but are you really glad,?
has your 550 been on a brake test machine ? ,in the last few years, would you know if they are up to scratch?
could there be loads of moron bikers riding around in your state, on dangerous machines,
yes ,yours may be fine and looked after, as is mine, but how many are'nt ,
its not always a good thing

 

Even though my 1980 XJ650 (UK) is now MOT exempt, (over 40 years old), as a safety check, I've chosen to continue to get it tested.