Public Servant Lifestyle

The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) guide us through the certification of motorcycles.

Vehicle Type Approval - Motorbikes/Scooters

A system of mandatory EC ‘whole vehicle’ type approval has been framed under Directive 92/61/EEC which will require that motor cycles are approved to a selection of separate technical Directives in respect of various systems and components and are then approved in complete form as a whole vehicle. This will allow the registration of an approved vehicle in all EU Member States.

The separate technical Directives under 92/61 cover the following items (92/61 covers 2, 3 and some light 4 wheeled vehicles):

Full List of Applicable Subjects

Brakes

ID of Controls

Audible Warning

Stands

Passenger Hand Holds

Unauthorised Use

Statutory Plates

Lamp Installation

Masses & Dimensions

Registration Plate Space

Max power / torque /max speed

Speedometers

Tyres

Lamps

External Projections

Rear-view Mirrors

Air Pollution

Fuel Tanks

Anti Tampering

EMC

Drive by noise

Coupling Devices

Seat belt anchorages

Glazing, wash/wipe

EC whole vehicle type approval to 92/61/EEC is available now and from 18 December 1998, all EC Member States were obliged to register vehicles that hold approval to 92/61/EEC.

Approval became mandatory throughout the EC for all new types of motorcycle introduced after 17 June 1999 and will be mandatory for existing types (i.e. types that were being registered in a Member State before 17 June 1999), from 17 June 2003.

The vehicles referred to in this directive shall be defined as follows:

Moped, i.e. two or three wheel vehicles fitted with an engine having a cylinder capacity not exceeding 50 cm³ if of the internal combustion type and a maximum design speed of not more than 45 km/h

Motorcycles, i.e. two wheel vehicles with or without sidecar, fitted with an engine having a cylinder capacity of more than 50 cm³ if of the internal combustion type and/or having a maximum design speed of more than 45 km/h

In addition for the purposes of type approval:

type of vehicle: means vehicles belonging to the same category (two wheel mopeds; three wheel mopeds; motorcycles; motorcycles with sidecar; motor tricycles; quadricycles) and constructed by the same manufacturer, having the same chassis and the same type designation given by the manufacturer.

A type of vehicle may include variants and versions;

Variant: means vehicles of the same type with differences which may relate to:

the shape of the bodywork,

the mass in running order and the maximum technically permissible mass (difference in excess of 20 %),

the type of power unit (spark ignition, compression ignition, electric, hybrid, etc.),

operating cycle (two or four stroke),
cylinder capacity (difference in excess of 30 %),

number and configuration of cylinders,

power (difference in excess of 30 %),

operating mode (of electric motors),

number and capacity of traction batteries.

Variants may include versions;
version: means vehicles of the same type and, as the case may be, of the same variant displaying differences which may relate to:

power transmission (automatic or non automatic gearbox, transmission ratios, gear selection method, etc.),

cylinder capacity (difference of not more than 30 %),

power (difference of not more than 30%),
mass in running order and maximum technically permissible mass (difference of not more than 20 %),

other minor modifications made by the manufacturer concerning the essential characteristics contained in Annex II of the directive.

This material is crown copyright, used with permission of the Vehicle Certification Agency.

More information available in Motorcycles