Dedicated to the preservation and use of pre 1976 british, european and american motorcycles

Message from the Machine Examiners

The Machine Examination is a safety inspection only, it is not a Tech Inspection. The Examiners are generally looking for items that are dangerous, sharp, loose, unsecured, fragile or leaking. They are also looking at items such as lockwiring of handle bar grips, or that the throttle returns to the idle stop.

Some of the more recent failures seen in the Register are listed below, but remember your motorcycle must comply with all of the mandatory machine requirements in MNZ Rule Chapter 6 (Para 6.20) Conduct of Competitions, and Chapter 10 Motorcycles Technical, and Chapter 23 Road Racing Classic.

  1. Clean your bike, wipe off the excess oil, fix the leaks.
  2. Clean your bike, wipe off the excess oil, fix the leaks, no more excuses.
  3. Race Numbers on the machine must be the same as on the blue card. If you do not present a blue card for each bike, it will not be given a Pass Sticker. (Each bike must be entered individually, even if two bikes are the same, ie a spare bike.)
  4. Spin-On oil filters must be prevented from undoing. Fit a hose-clip to the filter and secure the hose-clip back to the engine or frame.
  5. All oil retaining plugs/bungs/filter covers, must be secured/wired. Not just the engine sump, but any plug anywhere on the machine, that if it fell out then oil would drain onto the track. For example; from now on the Examiners will insist that all AMC/Norton Gearbox Detent Plungers are lockwired. If you want to avoid drilling thru the plunger housing, have a washer welded to it instead. Either way it must be wired.

There has been some discussion on what standard should be applied to Parade Bikes. Currently they are given an inspection similar to a Warrant of Fitness, but should they be held to the same standard as racing bikes, eg all their oil plugs wired? Your feedback to the Committee will be welcomed.

There are also discussions on simplifying the 'blue card' system, possibly get rid of it altogether. The Register still needs a system to ensure everyone has paid, signed-on, entered each of their multiple bikes, and had their machine/helmet checked, but there might be a less cumbersome way of doing it in terms of administration. Again, your feedback will be welcomed.