builder new legislation

[bobdo]

Anyone see the Speed Channel coverage of the Carlisle meet?
I caught a comment from a bike builder saying there is going to be
new legislation by 2008 where bike builders will need to be certified.
Anyone know anything about this? I can't imagine it will affect already
titled cases, but it still sounds like it will be a pain. Especially for those
who are trying to make a living. The soap opera guys will probably be alright.
I'd hate to see the small time guys forced out & the successful guys have to
be limited to restrictions. Some of those guys are truly artists & shouldn't
have their hands tied.
Bob

[Baytown]

Disagree mate.
After watching a certain TV shows about a US family bike building team, I often doubt the long term safety of some things that they create or modify. Engineering certification can only be a good thing for the purchaser.
A static bike for display only vs a safe long term rider are two differnt things, and if I ever had that sort of money to spend on a custom bike, I'd want it to be up to high standards of engineering.

Best wishes.

Ken.

[INLINE4NUT]

Baytown,well put! I to believe its a good move for all the reasons you mention! It will seperate the Men from the Boys!

[20scout]

AMEN to that Baytown! You can build a bike just for show, but somewhere, someone is going to try to ride it. I think they need to put some kind of standards with regulations from something like this from happening.

[Jack_Hester]

What would being certified encompass? I plan to do a custom frame around a Harley 45 engine, and a BT 4-speed. No choppers for me. Just a small racer. My welding will be done by a fellow who is 'certified' on all ferrous metals that may be used in a power plant environment (where I work). He's also 'certified' in non-ferrous metal repairs. But, I'm only interested in the ferrous. Is there something else that I need to be concerned about in this certification?

Jack

[petri]

You only have to look at the aviation industry to see what regulation and certification lead to. Ask any A&P mechanic.

Howard

[Magic]

I'm gonna join the pro-certified bunch....Building unique one off Motorcycles or any Transportation vehicle for that part should be regulated. Putting together a unique beautifull vehicle doesn't give it any special statistical safety advantages over anyothers. Handling under all road conditions would be a major factor itself, along with durability in those condions of use. I already see that the threshold of safety has been pushed with the current custom M/C's being built...What looks Radical and extreme has always been looked upon as IN with the world we enjoy...For example: Ridged frame with a raked out extended front end with a 21 in thin lightwieght wheel along with 117cu in Hi-Po engine and lets not leave out the apehanger bars...might as well make it a hand shift! That may not be extreme at all if I could imagine it although riding down the road in traffic in todays world...not just a Sunday ride would be foolish at least, let alone irresponsible. Just because we ride and enjoy it lets not forget about other people in this world and keep our sport safe. I ride ridgeds and handshifts, along with sidehacks...That's the sport. Merlin in Pa.

[exeric]

Years ago, Florida had a yearly inspection process that assessed the safety an functionality of your vehicle. That applied to motorcycles as well. There were still, the spooky looking choppers of questionable fabrication but the inspectors weren't looking at the quality of welds or the metalurgical content of the frame and forks. With nit wits like you see on that particular "Chop-u-Drama" it probably would be a good idea to have some regulatory standarads. However, you know darn well that government regulations will make it tougher on the restoration business as well. I'm kind of all over the map here on opinions so I'll just say that I would only be in favor of a well thought out and simple plan that would be aimed at the big volume bike builder. And then, only on frames, forks, and handlebars.

[exeric]

In thinking about this more, I am of the opinion that there should be no regulation. I think it would cripple the aftermarket bike industry and take all of the fun out of custom bike building. If you had to get a motorcycle frame certified like you do with aircraft components, that would be the end of reproduction knucklehead and panhead frames and companies like "Competiton Distributors" would cease building early H-D frames for the few existing engines out there. Why is this an issue all of a sudden. I can't recall ever hearing about a custom frame or fork failure that caused injury or death. I'm sure it's probably happened but most bikers get killed by blind grannies and cell phone yakking morons.

[roland]

I could not agree with you guy's more, I work for a custom motorcycle shop and the work that gets done here is to a very high standard, but they have bikes here that are just unrideable not mechanicly unrideable but phsycally unrideable, for any distance that is. The bikes get certified by the state for highway use and i really do not know how they pass because none of them have mufflers on them, which i believe is a state requirement for any new bikes, so will it make any differance if the people working on them have to be certified i don't think so but it would give a little piece of mind that the bike is built to a safe standard.

[LouieMCman]

Not that I'm for any kind of regulations, but I definitely question the engineering and safety of a lot of custom bikes I see.
Would you buy and ride a bike like this?

Louie

[20scout]

I hate to have big brother breathing down my neck all the time the way it is now, but I think something reasonable should be enforced. We all know how missguided things can get when it comes to the government being in control of things too. Here in the construction industry, we have all kinds of inspections (construction, plumbing, electrical ect.) and thousands of horror stories to tell. Most of the time it involves the contractor being too big for his own britchs and doing the way he wants to and the inspector correcting him. I look at it as cheap insurance for me and the inspection helps prevent future problems. If your in the buisness, you should know what you can and can not do. Most of the do-it-yourselfers don't, and can get into trouble. If your a professional and you can prove what you are doing is safe and lodgical, you should have no problem passing an inspection. Now the flip side of the coin is how intence of an inspection, who regulates and inforces it? Most of us in the antique motorcyce buisness are by far more knowledgable than the most of the inspectors. If I could be guarenteed that the inspection would not be some kind of joke and not just some means of revenew for the state/feds, I would be in favor. But I doubt that it would be possable but still feel it should have some kind of standards.

TR

[T. Cotten]

Fear not, art is protected by our Constitution, even Discovery Channel pop-art.

But what gets registered for the street is a different matter altogether from a catalog cut'n'paste that will probably only grace a foyer anyway, or hang in a disco.
States have the right to regulate vehicles, and to license servicepersons. Bureaucratically, it is easier to control the machines than the people, and easier to sneak through legislation as well.

To protect our own rights, we must defend the ludicrous along with our rickety rustbuckets. LouieMCMan's 'period custom' example might scare him, and milktoast legislators as well, but it looks like a serviceable barhopper to this cautious old fart. Especially for the barrio. (Of course it would have to be irrefuseably cheap!)
Even if no one would pay money for it, it should still remain legal.

Tanks covered with razorblades sound like something that should be illegal, just to protect anyone lit enough to produce and ride such a machine for themselves, right?? So there goes the full scope of our freedom, reduced to what has been certified and sanctified by committees of the masses for the good of the masses.

Bottom line is that the AMCA is not a motorcyclist rights organization, and politics has not been its historical mission.
If it is decided that it should be,...and that may be inevitable..., then
let us not waste effort upon deciding where our personal tastes draw the line. Let us instead invest in holding the line by supporting friendly legislators.

If it isn't obvious, there are already very important organizations dedicated to doing just that.

...Cotten

[servicardenise]

This gives way to some serious discussion as to how safe motorcycles must be to constitute big brother's requirements. If anyone is into Abate, they are aware of all the legislature with regards to safety being discussed. They now have airbags on motorcycles and we don't have exhaust that even smells anymore. Consider this, when they get involved in the process it will be much more prohibitive and costly. I hope it won't be the case but it usually is. I was certified to weld and it was expensive to undergo the process of becoming so. I am certified to teach special education and they take great chunks of cash every five years. That isn't mentioning the classes you are required to keep up on. It usually involves money and someone getting in on the action.
Denise

[rickgeo]

Being a govt. employee for 25 yrs, I have a high degree of suspision,that this whole issue is being crafted to feed that 800 pound gorrilla we know as the "federal govt" ie: EPA, NHTSA,etc,etc.

(question:could the so called "factory manufacturers" have initiated this whole thing?)