Another morning, another petition

It seems that virtually every morning I open my post or check in with my favourite forums, there’s another ‘pro-biking’ petition to the UK government protesting against this or that.

Increasingly, these petitions are focussing on issues within the EU that affect motorcycling, and whilst it’s good that riders are aware of euro-legislation it would really help if the people who start these petitions actually researched what is in the pipeline ACCURATELY… or simply left it to the experts.

I won’t even offer up the link to the latest because it’s so factually inaccurate, it’s best buried without delay, but I will run through some of the major claims the petition makes.

Firstly the anti-tampering measures WILL NOT “automatically become UK law soon” as the issue is still in the committee stage in the EU, and thus the correct people to write to are your MEPs, not to send a petition to the UK government.

Second, the proposals do not ban the use of “aftermarket parts”. As the proposals currently stand, the ban would be on the use of parts that change the performance characteristics of the machine – ie different size sprockets and tyres, power commanders, exhausts.

Third and fourth, the proposals do not “ban filtering” or “motorcycles over seven years old in urban areas” – this is confusing the proposed EU regulations with what’s going on in France, which is purely the concern of the French government, though it might impact on visitors, but it is NOT EU legislation. (Incidentally, as a former courier who spent half a million miles despatching mostly round London entirely on air-cooled bikes they do not “blow up in traffic” either).

Please don’t waste your time serving up links or signing petitions like this. They are factually incorrect and only serve to confuse the issue and to dilute the efforts of the people who really know what’s going on and how to fight the EU at their own game – in the committee room and with authoritative reports and paperwork.

If you want to stay in touch with the issues, join the MAG activists mailing list which wilk keep you updated with what’s going on and explain precisely what you can do about it – you don’t even have to be a MAG member though I recommend you join simply to bolster their fighting funds.