Quad Bikes - Road Legal Or Off Road?

One of the most frequently asked questions we get- To ride one on the UK public highways you should
asked is about the legalities of Quad Bikes and if thehave the UK Standard Car Driving Licence which
are road legal ready to ride or just off road funmeans you can not drive a Road Legal Quad Bike
bikes. The difference is this:until you are 17 years old.
Road Legal Quad Bikes -- Road Legal Tyres are required for and Quad Bike
- All UK Road Legal Bikes must have a registrationto be used on the UK Roads. These can be identified
certificate or a V5 as it is known. Without a V5 thenby a small "CE" logo on the outer wall of the tyre.
the vehicle is not suitable for road use and should not- It is not necessary to wear a crash helmet on the
be used on a public highway.road as of the day this article was submitted. This
- Not all factory fitted lighting systems will conformbeing said, we always recommend that you wear a
with UK MOT standards. This is due to, in mostcrash helmet at all times for safety reasons.
cases, the switching system for side, main and high- Some Road Legal Quad Bikes and ATV's are
beam not being available.Homologated for use of more than one person. This
- Standard exhaust systems may not alwaysmeans that only certain machines can legally carry
conform with the harmonic legislation due to the bikepassengers even though they all have double seats.
being designed for off road use only.- Once a Quad Bike or ATV has been legally
- On a safety level, some fuel tanks do not complyregistered for the road, you must then have a public
with UK road regulations. This again is due to theQuad Bike Insurance policy before taking it out. For
construction of the tank and materials usedyour own safety it is always advisable to take the
- Should you wish to convert an Off Road machinenecessary training on how to handle a Quad Bike or
into a Road Legal Quad Bike it must firstly goATV. Should you purchase a New or Used Quad Bike
through the Ministry test for Homologation &or ATV from a recognized dealer in the UK, most of
SVA certification.them will advise where you can take lessons and
- Once the Bike has been tested, it must then betraining making sure you are competent before
retested every three years by a certified Ministry oftaking your machine on its first trip out.
Transport Testing Station.It is always advisable to take some sort of training.
- The output of the engine for a Quad Bike beingThen, once you have completed the course, you will
used of UK roads should be restricted to 18bhpbe far stronger mentally on how to ride and what
before being tested for the Homologation &the legislation is at that time.
SVA Certificate.