End Motorcycle Road Tax

Political petitions are not something normally sanctioned on this forum  . . . However, on this occasion, . . .
This one seems to be a sensible one that concerns, and would benefit us all as motorcyclists -  

Abolish road tax on Motorcycles => [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] <= Up to you of course    

They're wrong about the emissions.
They might use less fuel (well.. most of the time ), but without catalytic converters they can pump out some pollutants at hundreds or even thousands of times the level seen from cars.
Mythbusters ran some tests a few years backs and the results were pretty poor.
(There's probably a more scientific study out there somewhere though)

I suppose the flip side of the argument is the Gov turning around and stating that there will be lower rates of tax for bikes fitted with CC's, but higher rates for the older and more polluting ones.
Given a catalytic converter is going to add a few grand to the cost of a new bike, it's probably safer to keep our heads down.

I thought all bikes had to have Catalytic Converters already? I know some people remove them but they have to have them (at least in the EU).

I wouldn't pay much attention to something found out in a TV show in the US....

How about The Guardian and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research then?

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I didn't realise a lot of modern bikes do have catalytic converters though, so that 10 year old article probably isn't relevant to a fair percentage of bikes currently on the road.
...and the debate raged even then: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Still, it could be worse: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Emission laws are changing I believe. The larger and larger exhausts on most modern bikes aren't for cosmetic reasons. I think the emissions legislation Is tightening further over the next few years too.

It's not something we can avoid whether we like it or not.
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I signed anyway.

But without the tax collected, they wouldn't have any money to spend on those special features they provide for motorcyclists.

Like....

......erm!

All new bikes do have CC's on them but they restrict power so the first thing most people change out is the ugly/heavy/restrictive exhaust and replace it with some fancy akra/scorpion etc etc full system to get back them extra few bhp that they're convinced they need haha
So unless it become compulsory for the Mot (like a car) then they don't make much difference

dudeofrude wrote:All new bikes do have CC's on them but they restrict power so the first thing most people change out is the ugly/heavy/restrictive exhaust and replace it with some fancy akra/scorpion etc etc full system to get back them extra few bhp that they're convinced they need haha
So unless it become compulsory for the Mot (like a car) then they don't make much difference

Not necessarily true - a lot of new bikes now have the cat housed in a primary "silencer" under the engine, so even if the slip-on can is changed, the cat is still there. Similarly, manufacturers' own accessory exhausts, which sometimes get included in the deal as a sweetener, retain the cat. Yes, you can get de-cat pipes, but doing that usually needs a remap or Power Commander to put the fuelling right.

I suspect the main reason a lot of people change the exhaust is just to make a better noise, OEM exhausts being so boringly quiet now (Ducatis excepted!) and maybe to lose a bit of weight, not to get more power. Although in my case, with the Fazer8, it was because the original can was so goddam ugly - the fruitier sound is a nice bonus.

Back to the original point - I actually think the whole VED ("road tax", though it's not to pay for the roads, it's just another tax) system is illogical, for cars as well as bikes. My Fazer does 50-55 mpg, similar to my (diesel) car, so the CO2 emissions, which is what the system is suppose to be based on, must also be similar. But the tax on the car is well over £200. On the other hand, I probably do 3-4 times as many miles per year in the car - one factor that the current system takes no account of at all.

For a long time I've believed that VED should be scrapped and the equivalent revenue raised on fuel. That way the thirstiest (hence most polluting, at least in terms of CO2) vehicles, and those that do the highest mileage, would pay pro-rata. It would also, incidentally, save a huge amount in government admin costs. It can be done - France scrapped their equivalent a few years ago, though they still have tolls on most motorways and major bridges.