Virginia Motorcycle Safety Inspections

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Virginia Motorcycle Safety Inspections

by Kent

Before you take your bike down to the local inspection station, you can save yourself some grief even if you're not much into doing your own "wrenching". A Phillips screwdriver and a couple of minutes is about all it takes to replace a turn signal bulb or a brake light. Changing a tire is best left to someone with the skill and equipment to do the job, but you can take a look yourself to see if it's needed. Below are some general guidelines passing the Virginia motorcycle safety inspection.

BRAKES

If your motorcycle was originally equipped with both front and rear brakes, then both must be functional. If it was manufactured after July 1, 1974, then it must have either a split service brake system, or two independently actuated service brake systems that act on the front as well as the rear wheel or wheels.

The brake linings cannot be worn to less than 2/32 of an inch in thickness and they cannot be broken or cracked to the point that they are no longer firmly attached to the shoe or disc pad. If the pads are riveted on, then the rivets cannot be loose or missing. Whether your brakes are the brake drum type or the disc (rotor) type, the drum or disc cannot be so scored that would impairs braking. They also cannot be worn beyond the manufacturer's recommended limit. Bent rods, missing cotter keys or lock nuts, frayed or broken cables, or any misaligned parts can cause you problems also.

The master cylinder, wheel cylinders, and brake hoses or lines must not leak. Hydraulic lines or hoses cannot be crimped, abraded, broken or restricted and they must be installed so as to prevent damage or abrasion by contact with the frame or other components. Make sure your fluid level in master cylinder is not below full mark unless the level recommended by manufacturer is clearly marked.

SEAT, STEERING AND SUSPENSION

Your frame cannot be so bent or damaged that it's a hazard to proper operation and your wheels must not be so out of line that steering and control is affected. The steering-head bearings must not be loose, broken, defective or out of adjustment. Your handlebars must not be loose, bent, broken or damaged such that it affects proper steering, and the handlebar grips cannot extend to a height in excess of 15 inches above the saddle level.

Shock absorbers must not be broken, worn, missing, defective, or disconnected, and they must function properly. The suspension system springs cannot be broken or sagging. The seat (or seats) must be securely fastened and you have to have footrests for each passenger.

TIRES, WHEELS, AND RIMS

Your tires cannot have any cuts or wear to the point that the fabric is visible and you must have at least 2/32 of tread depth. They cannot have knots or bulges in the sidewalls or any evidence of a broken belt under the tread or of the tread separating from the fabric. Also, they cannot have been recut or regrooved.

Check bolts, nuts, lugs or spokes to make sure they are not bent, loose or missing. Your rims, or wheels cannot be so bent, cracked or damaged that it affects the safe operation of your motorcycle. Wheel bearings cannot be excessively worn or out of adjustment.

MUFFLER AND EXHAUST SYSTEM

You have to have an exhaust line or tailpipe if your bike is designed to have one, and it must be properly secured. Your muffler cannot have a cutout or a bypass and it cannot have been patched up. You can't have any leaks at your manifold gaskets, muffler and muffler connections, or at any point in the exhaust line, nor can your tailpipe opening cannot be pinched or mashed.

LIGHTS

You have to have a functioning headlight (either one, or two, but not more), and it must shine straight ahead. You can also have two "auxiliary headlamps". The headlight lens and reflector must match and the lens cannot be cracked, broken or rotated. Both the lens and the lens reflector must be clean. Modulating headlights that switch between high and low beam at a rate of 200 to 280 flashes per minute are OK, provided they are equipped with something that prevents flashing of the headlight when headlights are required to be lighted. The high beam indicator has to turn on when you have your high beam on and off when the low beam is on.

You have to have a tail light mounted near the rear of your bike and it must turn on when your headlight is on. You also have to have a working rear license plate light. Turn signals are not required, but if you have them they have to work. They should be at least 9 inches apart and 20 inches above ground level. You must have a brake light and it must turn on whether you press the foot brake or use the hand brake. There, however, are a couple of exceptions to this brake light rule. The first is that you don't have to have a brake light if you have an antique motorcycle that was not originally equipped with a brake light. The second exception is that if your motorcycle was manufactured prior to January 1, 1972, the front wheel brake control does not have to activate the brake light.

With the exception of the headlight, lenses on the rest of your bike cannot have pieces broken from them, but they can have one or more cracks provided an off-color light does not project through the crack or cracks. Also, you cannot have wire, lens or plastic covers, any other materials which are not original equipment on any of your lights, nor can you have any colored material placed on or in front of them.

OTHER

Electrical switches must work, be conveniently located and your electrical connections cannot be defective. Your horn must work and be heard 200 feet away. Warning lamps must work and cannot have been altered. You must have a rear view mirror and it cannot be cracked, broken, peeled, tarnished, have sharp edges, or reflect more than one image. It must also be mounted securely and provide a view of the road 200 feet to the rear.

Neither your windscreen nor it's supports or installation components can obstruct your vision. Your gas tank, carburetor, breather, and any other parts of your fuel system must be secure and not leak fuel. Make sure your gas cap fits securely.

The text above is a very condensed paraphrase of the Virginia Safety Inspection Manual. If you'd like more information, see
http://leg1.state.va.us/000/reg/TOC19030.HTM.

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