Although he didn’t nick me, he did give me a VRN (Vehicle Rectification Notice).

He missed that my pipe was not street legal but saw my tiny flexible number plate which was covered in mud, and I was running mousses (he pressed the valve and no air escaped). Fair enough, I know mousses are not legal, so I’ll take that one.

However, he also said my bike was defective as it needed mirrors, indicators, and tyres which were not knobblies. I said my bike had passed its MOT with no indicators, no mirrors and the same tyres which are E-certified and are sold as road legal.

The copper said my options were either to take the VRN in full or tell a magistrates all about it. As I knew I was dodgy on the number plate and mousses, I took the Vehicle Rectification Notice. I have refitted the indicators, popped the mirrors back on, and put my MOT numberplate back on. But the tyres are legal. The MOT tester signing off the VRN agrees with me but won’t sign off the tyres unless I change them, which seems crazy. What can I do?

Answer

While the police officer is wrong about the tyres (they are definitely E-rated and meet the standards for a road tyre), the VRN is all or nothing. You said the copper was wrong (and he is) about the tyres, and motorcycles do not need either mirrors or indicators, so he was wrong on that too. But he’s right about the number plate and mousses.

You could get new tyres which your tester confirms are road legal, and when they wear out, spoon your old legal tyres back on. Personally I’d take the quiet life. Arguing with a copper is a much riskier proposition for you than it is for him. And you’ll get nicked on the mousses and number plate.

You have to get the mousses out anyway, and your tester is quite properly saying he cannot say the fault imagined by the copper is rectified when he is popping the same tyres on again, just with inner tubes, rather than mousses. He could put the same brand and model of tyre back on, confirm they are road legal and then you can meet the VRN.

You probably met a rural area officer who’d been briefed by road traffic officers and just got himself tangled. A roads policing officer wouldn’t have nicked you for incorrect things but he’d have had you for the pipe. This rural community officer gave you a wrong-headed VRN but didn’t nick you and missed your non legal pipe. I’d suck up the VRN.

If you are going to ride a bike with modifications, don’t advertise it. A tiny plate is catnip to any copper, road policing or not. Likewise, a loud pipe, but you are the first person I have come across who has ever been found to have a mousse.

If you are riding a quiet and visually unremarkable off-road capable bike then you are unlikely to get police attention. A ‘nick me’ pipe and plate are really good ways of getting noticed.

Andrew Dalton

Adventure Bike Rider – Jan/Feb 2024