nicholastanguma
New York City
A Belgian chap over on the Speed Talk forum posted this a few months ago:
"The gov here implemented tech inspection every 2 years for oldtimers between 30 and 50, every 5 years when older than 50. The sad thing is that all mods are banned. They may only be original.
Right now about 50 % of all oldtimers here are banned from the road as a consequence. Mine included (for the only reason that I have an ITB fuel injection on the engine - rest is original...)
It sure is a victory for the purists.
I really start to hate the EU which is at the basis of this regulation. It has become sort of a communistic regime..."
Aghast, I asked:
"Does this leftist nonsense apply to motorbikes, as well? And what's going to happen to all those gorgeous performance modded 2CVs in France, and all those gorgeous performance modded VW Beetles, Porsches 911s, and NSU Prinz TTs in Germany, and all those gorgeous performance modded Fiat 500s and 126s in Italy and Poland?
Monsieur Belgian's reply was:
"In 2022 bikes equally will have to pass tech inspection.
And yes the VW Beetles, Porsches etc fall under the same nonsense."
This discourse took place in the Vintag Engine Tech subforum of Speed Talk, so clearly everyone in that thread is very much biased toward pro-vintage motoring legislation. I understand plenty of you reading may not care about vintage metal at all--fine, to each his own, we can still be entirely civil to one another.
Some folks on the ADVrider and Royal Enfield forums confirmed that yes, indeed, this anti-fun legislation now rules the EU. Non-EU countries apparently are still doing their own thing, for instance in the UK mods are still allowed on vintage vehicles (40 years and older) and the Netherlands allow anything for vehicles 50 years and older, etc. But presently unless there's some Divine Intervention, it seems the days of modification fun for both new and old vehicles are gone in Western Europe.
All that history, all that culture, all those annual events, all those businesses, just gone in a flash. Glemseck gone, the Sultans of Sprint gone, Wheels and Waves gone, the vintage rallyracing in Poland gone, the vintage roadracing in Italy gone, all that classic hillclimb racing in Germany just gone. What's going to happen to all those glorious old machines now that they're illegal and their annual venues are illegal? I'm so sad for Europe's enthusiasts right now.
"The gov here implemented tech inspection every 2 years for oldtimers between 30 and 50, every 5 years when older than 50. The sad thing is that all mods are banned. They may only be original.
Right now about 50 % of all oldtimers here are banned from the road as a consequence. Mine included (for the only reason that I have an ITB fuel injection on the engine - rest is original...)
It sure is a victory for the purists.
I really start to hate the EU which is at the basis of this regulation. It has become sort of a communistic regime..."
Aghast, I asked:
"Does this leftist nonsense apply to motorbikes, as well? And what's going to happen to all those gorgeous performance modded 2CVs in France, and all those gorgeous performance modded VW Beetles, Porsches 911s, and NSU Prinz TTs in Germany, and all those gorgeous performance modded Fiat 500s and 126s in Italy and Poland?
Monsieur Belgian's reply was:
"In 2022 bikes equally will have to pass tech inspection.
And yes the VW Beetles, Porsches etc fall under the same nonsense."
This discourse took place in the Vintag Engine Tech subforum of Speed Talk, so clearly everyone in that thread is very much biased toward pro-vintage motoring legislation. I understand plenty of you reading may not care about vintage metal at all--fine, to each his own, we can still be entirely civil to one another.
Some folks on the ADVrider and Royal Enfield forums confirmed that yes, indeed, this anti-fun legislation now rules the EU. Non-EU countries apparently are still doing their own thing, for instance in the UK mods are still allowed on vintage vehicles (40 years and older) and the Netherlands allow anything for vehicles 50 years and older, etc. But presently unless there's some Divine Intervention, it seems the days of modification fun for both new and old vehicles are gone in Western Europe.
All that history, all that culture, all those annual events, all those businesses, just gone in a flash. Glemseck gone, the Sultans of Sprint gone, Wheels and Waves gone, the vintage rallyracing in Poland gone, the vintage roadracing in Italy gone, all that classic hillclimb racing in Germany just gone. What's going to happen to all those glorious old machines now that they're illegal and their annual venues are illegal? I'm so sad for Europe's enthusiasts right now.