Road safety – Yellow vest and A2 license mandatory, retrofit pending: bikers toast in 2016! –

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Yellow vest and A2 license mandatory, retrofit pending: bikers toast in 2016 !

Road safety - Yellow vest and A2 license mandatory, retrofit pending: bikers toast in 2016! -

Since January 1, motorcycles over 106 hp can finally circulate freely in France … provided they are among the rare models to Euro4 standards, pending the official text ruling on the retrofit! As if this exasperating indecision were not enough, 2016 also marks the obligation to have a yellow vest on a motorcycle …

Since January 1, motorcycles over 106 hp can finally circulate freely in France … provided they are among the rare models to Euro4 standards, while waiting for! As if this exasperating indecision was not enough, 2016 also marks the obligation to hold a yellow vest on a motorcycle and on a scooter and to start motorcycle training with the A2 license, regardless of age. Explanations.

No retrofit … but still more restrictions !

Since the beginning of the year, French motorcyclists have been able to ride on motorcycles whose power exceeds 106 hp – after some three decades unfairly restricted! – provided they are fitted with ABS (compulsory in 2016 on all new two-wheelers over 125 cc) and that they meet the Euro4 standard, now imposed on all new models (see box below -against). 

Euro 3: how much longer ?

The entry into application of Euro4 since January 1 on new 2016 vintage motorcycles (either new or renewed models) does not fortunately sign the death sentence for motorcycles that do not meet this standard..

The marketing of new motorcycles of the previous generation (homologated Euro3) is authorized until the end of the year, in order to sell the considerable stock in concessions (roughly, the current majority of the offer).

In 2017, if this "flow" is not completely finished, manufacturers will still be able to market some of them, up to 10% of the volume sold in 2016 (by model). After 2017, however, all new motorcycles sold must be Euro4 homologated..

Among the rare motorcycles concerned available from January 1 (let’s say rather on Saturday 2!), Let us quote the, accessible in "Full Power" for a few months already thanks to the relevant administrative forcing of Ducati (read). 

Among the competition, motorcycles over 100 hp meeting Euro4 standards are new products unveiled in the second half of 2015, the official launch of which is yet to come. They will therefore not be available at dealers for several weeks, at best by the end of the month according to our information.. 

This is the case, for example, of the new BMW R Nine T Scrambler, Honda Crosstourer, Kawasaki ZZR1400 and ZX-10R, Triumph Speed ​​Triple and Explorer or even of the Yamaha FJR1300 and MT-10, and of the KTM Super Duke GT (read our ). 

On the other hand, no official text has yet been signed by the government to validate the free movement in "Full Power" of all the other motorcycles of more than 106 hp meeting the previous standards – the overwhelming majority -, despite the pressure of associations of bikers and manufacturers to clarify the retroactivity of tuning, commonly called "retrofit" (read our).

This means that at the moment it is impossible to buy a new Euro3 motorbike in free version, including some of the more recent ones like the Yamaha R1 or the Aprilia RSV4 released in 2015 !

This immobility, as annoying as it is unfair, also prevents the owners of motorcycles currently restricted to 106 hp from legally "jumping the slack" on their motorcycle to put it back in the original configuration….

To justify its slowness, the government relies on the fact that the European Parliament is certainly forcing it to end the "French exception" on, but that its directive does not apply de facto to motorcycles of previous generations.. 

In other words, the retrofit and its conditions are at the discretion of the French State, which intends to take advantage of it to dictate its rules: one thus plans to limit the retroactivity of the tuning to only motorcycles equipped with ABS….

Must have a high visibility vest for 2 and 3-wheelers 

If the government is voluntarily stalling when it comes to giving bikers the freedom to which they legitimately have access (remember that no power constraint is exerted in cars, regardless of the age of the driver or the car), its repressive methods do not take any delay !

Thus since January 1, 2016, all bikers and scooter riders must be in possession of a .

This obligation does not imply (yet?) The wearing of the life jacket while driving, but to have one "in a storage of their vehicle (net, trunk)", specifies the official text. Size shade !

In the event of an inspection, the fine for missing a life jacket on board the motorcycle or scooter is 11 euros. And if you don’t wear one in an emergency stop, the plum reaches 135 euros ! 

Two other important details to take into account: from the moment it is CE approved, this "high visibility" vest can be any color other than yellow (orange, for example, like those used in public works), even if a large majority of vests sold in stores adopt fluorescent yellow.

Moreover, a simple armband like those worn by cyclists is not enough: the decree setting the terms of this obligation explicitly mentions a "garment worn on the upper body" such as "chasuble, jacket or vest"..

A2 license for all !

Another new constraint ready to fall on the helmet of bikers in 2016: the obligation to start training with, regardless of the age of the candidate. Until now, only those under 24 had to go through the "A2 box", which restricts driving to (47.5 hp). Above this age, training could begin directly with the so-called "big cube" permit (A permit). 

Ironically justified by the "end of the limit to 100 hp of the power of motorcycles" at the time, this measure scheduled for early 2016 arouses the concern of many professionals in the sector, who fear a drop in the number of motorcycle license registrants..

And once again, the iniquity of this measure has something to stand up to since no such restriction is imposed when passing the automobile license. !

Concretely, the government estimates that a driver of 18 years (even 16 years in accompanied driving) can perfectly begin at the wheel of a Ferrari of 500 hp, but that it is imperative that a motorcyclist of 30, 40 or 60 years cut his teeth for two years on a motorcycle of barely 50 hp…

Gloves soon mandatory

Finally, the last measure concerning two and three-wheeled users, the compulsory nature of which was announced last fall by: the obligation to wear gloves on motorcycles or scooters, as recommended by the .

Originally scheduled for January 1 – definitely! -, this new law has not yet officially entered into force, while the Council of State votes a decree specifying in particular the approval standards imposed on said gloves. 

This obligation is – for once – in the right direction, insofar as it will encourage all users to be well equipped, a reflex already widely followed by almost all bikers (with a few exceptions, especially in summer in city).

However, it would be fashionable for this measure to be accompanied by financial compensation (lower VAT, for example), in order to help bikers and scooter riders to cope with the additional expense but also to equip themselves. correctly. However, nothing seems planned in this direction at present … Too bad. 

We console ourselves with a positive event for bikers in 2016: the implementation next February of the interfile traffic experiment. The picture at the start of the year is therefore not completely black for two-wheeled users. !

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