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[St] UK MSVA and Ride Report



Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!
(This is a sigh of satisfaction)

I finally made it out on an extended ride here in the UK on my Triumph. The
occasion was for me to take it down to the MSVA testing center in
Southampton. My bike is not yet registered in the UK, so it is currently
very illegal to have out on the road EXCEPT to drive to my MSVA appointment.
For such an occasion, I had considered taking an appointment in Edinburgh or
Cardiff, just to make a real trip of it. I opted for a less ambitious trip,
just in case the LEO pulling me over didn't agree with my reading of the
letter of the law.

First, I had to deal with a brief period of idiocy. I narrowly averted
panic, when my bike wouldn't start. I went through everything in my head.
Cut off switch? Check! Clutch lever pulled in? Check. It was turning, but
not catching. Weird...it never has problems starting. Before I burned out
the starter motor, I went back in the house, read through a troubleshooting
check list, and it jogged my memory. Side stand is down! I have to put it in
neutral! Phew.

Having extracted my head from my rectum, I was ready to go.

I didn't want to be late for my appointment. This was a non-refundable 78
GBP test, so I had left myself two hours. Southampton isn't that far, but
just in case, I decided to get there quickly. I shot down the A31 from
Farnham toward Winchester. Wide open highway through most of it, some
straights, lots of long sweepers, and beautiful scenery. I couldn't have
picked a better autumn to be in England. And today was no exception. Chilly,
but not too. Sunny with a few puffy clouds. My favorite conditions.

I was soon turning onto the M27 to complete my drive do Southampton. I was
50 minutes early for the appointment. I still had to top up (test must be
done with a full tank later I learned this is to assess the full GVW while
wet, this and the speed rating are checked against the tires on the bike to
ensure that the tires fitted will support the weight and speed of the
bike...this has more to do with people building custom rides than my
almost-stock ST). I also grabbed a half-pint and a veggie burger at the
local pub while I watched a rerun of England's WC qualifier against
Belorussia. I found myself being quite impressed with Heskey. The guy has
got to be the hardest working lowest scoring striker ever. I mused at the
fact of Walcott's recent ascendency and my being in Southampton. If you
haven't guessed yet...I'm a huge fan of the beautiful game.

The test was uneventful. I'll jot some notes at the end of the email so as
to not bore the non-UK based people. But let me just say this. I will
forever snicker from this day forward whenever anyone who lives in the U.S.
ever complains again about government bureaucracy. I had heard of the UK,
the nanny state, and all that. But it ain't nothin until you've experienced
it. For getting my bike registered in the UK, I have to have the following
documents:
1. Insurance (a struggle when your vehicle isn't already registered in the
UK)
2. Proof of identity (that's no problem...passport)
3. Proof of address (again not  a problem...utility bill will do)
4. HM Customs and Excise form stating it was imported and state of duties to
be paid (or not, in my case)
5. Original title of ownership in the U.S.
6. Letter from Triumph saying when they built it and where (April 2001)
7. MOT Test certificate (extensive test to see that it is a road-worthy
vehicle) [29 GBP for test]
8. MSVA Test certificate (near as I can tell, the MSVA is IDENTICAL to the
MOT test, with just a few other checks, but everything that was already OK'd
on my MOT was RECHECKED!) [78 GBP for test]

The test having been passed I set off. It wasn't the most ambitious of
trips. A334 out of Southampton, hooking up with the A32, and then back home
on the A31. As I set off, I had a huge warmth in my heart. I've so missed
riding. The A334 wasn't much. It is frequently punctuated first by
superstores then by cute English towns. The last 3 miles or so, it opened up
and there was some nice riding between Shedfield and Wickham.

At Wickham, I turned north. A few small towns dotted the road as I headed
back toward Alton, where I would meet up with the A31. The road was in great
condition, 2-3 mile stretches of English country road, marked by the
occasional slow-down for a town. I've driven a lot of these roads since I've
been here, and always thought to myself...I've got to get my bike
registered! And I was right. Getting closer to Alton, I got the idea in my
head. My bike still has a California plate on it. I must get a picture of my
California bike in some typically English setting before it is tagged with
the typical great yellow number plate that everyone else has. So I got a
photo of it outside of an English pub...CA plate prominently placed.

As I got close to Alton, I happened upon Bahnstormer (
http://www.bahnstormer.co.uk/), a local BMW dealership I had been to years
ago. Looked at the BMW sport helmet. It's nice...but a little pricey. I made
a brief stop at Jane Austen's house to take a picture for my Aunt (an
author, who loves Jane Austen), then shot back up the A31 the last few miles
to Farnham.

Ok...maybe that's a pretty boring ride for those of you from this part, but
for me, it was bliss. There were a number of B roads that I strongly
considered taking, but for this, my first ride, I wanted to keep it simple.
It's not the Pyrenees, it's not Eidelweiss tours, but it was everything I
wanted, and it kept me legal. Now I just have to take Gavin up on his offer
to do a little riding soon.

So my last hurdle to get my bike registered has been cleared. AFAIK, I just
need to walk into a DVLA office (which I plan to do tomorrow) and pay my
registration fee.

------
Notes on the MSVA. If you're considering importing a bike to the UK, there
might be somehelpful hints here.

Like I said above, I think this is pretty much a second MOT test. Here's
what I learned from this.

The more stock your bike is, the better. He looked on the silencer, the
mirrors, the windscreen, and many other places for a marking that indicated
it was a part ok'd for use in the European Economic Area. At one point, he
couldn't find the marking on the exhaust (its way up near the collar that
attaches to the exhaust system). He started talking about the fact that it
HAS to have the marking, or it doesn't pass. He also remarked on my stock
windscreen, and the fact that it has the large bead across to top edge. He
talked specifically about aftermarket windscreens that have a very thin
edge, and the fact that these are not acceptible (anyone with a ZG out
there?). He checked balls on the end of the brake/clutch levers, front edge
of the front fender for sharpness, clearences of cables. There was nothing
that he didn't look for. He even asked about the sensor for the my sigma
bike computer and what that was for (he was fine with it, but he wanted to
know what is was). So if you're bringing a bike over to the UK (that's not
already EU type-approved) that has custom anything on it, I would suggest
holding onto your stock bits and fitting them on for the test. He even
hinted that the seat I have (custom Corbin seat), wouldn't necessarily be
acceptible.

The U.S. (or at least California) spec Sprint ST (at least mine) uses a
SYMETRICAL headlight pattern, neither dipped right or left. I saw this for
my own eyes, as he had me participating and actually on the bike, moving it
around, getting it in place for tests, etc.

In addition to the fine-toothed comb over the parts, he ran a pylon down the
side of the bike while I was sitting on it, checking for protruding bits. So
if you have some custom nifty body work, un-nifty your bike for the test.
Stock is better. Again, this is mostly for custom jobs, but still...

The other tests are: brake test (front and back), vehicle weight, headlight
pattern test, tests of all light systems, hazard lights are a must (not
common on most bikes in the U.S.), noise (puts a microphone next to the
exhaust can, and if it blows too loud, you lose), and basic emissions.

On things like rebuilds on forks and shocks, if there is nothing visible to
show that the rebuild happened, I wouldn't worry about it. But if there is,
be prepared for questions.

This has been quite an experience. If I had known the level of bureaucracy,
I might not have bothered. But in the end, shipping it and doing this stuff,
was far cheaper than buying a new bike here. Which was the plan to try to
avoid. And as long as I don't sell within a year of importing, I pay zero
duties on it. And that's a good thing!

Finally, take a look here for some photos of my California bike in the
English countryside:
http://web.mac.com/chittums/The_Chittum_Site/Chittum_Family_Albums/Pages/CA_Moto_in_UK.html

-- 
Peter Chittum
'01 BRG ST
Farnham, Surrey, UK
(formerly: San Jose, CA, USA)
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