OFF THE WIRE
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/newstoday/article/1407898
Enthusiasts say motorcycle safety inspections long overdue
Thursday May 19th, 2011
Dealers, mechanics say motorcycle inspections should be part of changes coming to province's system C10
by alan cochrane Times & transcript staff
The provincial government is looking at the idea of making motorcycle safety inspections mandatory, and bike dealers say it can't come soon enough.
"It's definitely warranted and long overdue, but it's unfortunate that someone had to get killed before they started looking seriously at it," says Mike Milligan, owner of Milligan's Cycle Works in Grande-Digue.
Larry Northrup, president of Toys for Big Boys, the Honda and Harley-Davidson dealer on the Salisbury road in Moncton, says dealers have been lobbying for mandatory inspections for a long time.
"A lot of people do their own maintenance and it never hurts to have a second set of eyes look at your bike and double check," Northrup said yesterday. "We think inspections are a good thing, not because they will bring more business but because we want to make sure people are safe."
Premier David Alward said this week that his government is now planning a series of public consultations on New Brunswick's motor vehicle inspection system. The consultations were part of the Conservative Party's election platform last year.
Although no firm timeline has been established, the government expects to do it sometime before the end of this year. Alward says his first priority is that all vehicles on New Brunswick roads are safe. The consultations will include owners, operators, dealers, inspectors, manufacturers and any other stakeholders.
Milligan, who started out as a motorcycle mechanic in Nova Scotia in the 1970s, says he was very surprised when he moved to New Brunswick and found out that safety inspections are not mandatory.
Passenger vehicles in New Brunswick, and even utility trailers, must be inspected each year. Some vehicles, like buses and taxis, must be inspected twice a year. But motorcycles in New Brunswick have long been exempt from the rule.
That means an owner could drag an unsafe bike out of the shed after years of neglect and put it on the road.
"I've had people come into my shop with broken brake cables and calipers, fork seals leaking all over the place and they want me to make it go faster," Milligan said.
Mandatory safety inspections for motorcycles was one of the recommendations by a coroner investigating the death of Saint John lawyer Caroline Higgins, who was struck and killed by an inexperienced motorcycle rider last June. Coroner Greg Forestell also recommended a graduated driver's licence program for motorcycles, on-road testing and mandatory driver education for bikers.
Mike Comeau, assistant deputy minister of Public Safety, says motorcycle safety inspections will be just part of the consultations.
He said other provinces have revamped their inspection procedures. In some provinces, new vehicles don't need to be inspected until they are three years old. In some places, they aren't inspected until they are sold.
Under the current system, passenger cars must be inspected by a certified mechanic once a year.
They go by a checklist that includes tires, brakes, body, mirrors, windows, horn, lights, exhaust system and other parts of the car.
Cars that don't pass the safety inspection get a rejection sticker with an order to get it repaired immediately.
Const. Jay Doiron of the Codiac Regional RCMP's traffic enforcement unit said the current inspection system works well as it forces owners to make repairs to their cars.
Even so, the RCMP still come across cars with forged or home-made safety stickers.
RCMP check stops also turn up vehicles with illegally tinted windows, lift kits and other modifications that could render them unsafe.
Vehicles that are considered unsafe are reported to the registrar of motor vehicles, who can put a registration on hold until they are inspected. In some cases, custom vehicles are ordered to be inspected by an engineer.
In Nova Scotia, motorcycle safety inspections include the brakes, steering, handlebars, suspension, frame, exhaust system, chain or drive shaft, fuel system, tires, lights and other components.
Milligan says there are many hidden aspects of a motorcycle that could cause safety hazards and result in the rider losing control. For example, ball bearings inside the steering head could become jammed up, bushings can seize and leaky fork seals can allow oil to splash all over the brake shoes. Worn-out tires, broken teeth on a sprocket, a bad headlight or even a few loose screws could contribute to a catastrophe.
"Even though it's not mandatory, I have customers coming in for inspections because they want to be safe."
Northrup said there isn't even a set of standards in New Brunswick that mechanics can refer to.
For example, loud pipes have been a hot topic but there is no standardized way to even test a bike to see how loud it is and whether it conforms to the laws.
Milligan said one of the running excuses for not having mandatory safety testing in this province is that there isn't enough licensed or certified motorcycle mechanics to do the job.
"I believe that is true but that's no reason not to do this."
