Commission plan to ban superbikes backfires

Date: 26/02/1998

By Myles Neligan

A STUDY by a leading research institute which concludes that there is no evidence of a link between motorcycle engine power and road accident rates is expected to turn the tables on a three-year European Commission campaign to ban high-performance bikes.

As a result, Industry Commissioner Martin Bangemann could be left with little choice but to order France, the only EU country where these machines are outlawed, to abolish its restrictions on single market grounds.

The Commission had been hoping that the findings of the Dutch Road Vehicles Research Institute (TNO) study would support its call for a ban, and had promised to act on whatever conclusions it reached. Given that pledge, it will now come under intense pressure from the motorcycle lobby to explicitly rule out a power limit at EU level.

The Commission's attempt to ban so-called superbikes began in 1995 with a proposal to harmonise ways of measuring motorcycle power across the EU. Although the main purpose of this was to eliminate technical barriers to trade, the original proposal also set a maximum limit of 100 brake horsepower, or 74 kilowatts, in the interests of road safety.

This proposed restriction was reportedly included at the request of Bangemann, who cited a 1989 study by German research group BAST on the dangers of superbikes to support his argument for an EU-wide ban.

However, it was withdrawn in the face of concerted opposition from the European Parliament. MEPs argued the ban would harm the European motorcycle industry and would do nothing to reduce road accident statistics.

As a compromise, Parliament and the Council of Ministers agreed to approve the plan without setting a maximum power limit. They also asked TNO to investigate the safety record of superbikes to establish whether there was a case for prohibiting their sale and registration.

If the Commission does bow to pressure to rule out a ban, the French law would then be in breach of single market rules.

"The logical conclusion of this is that France must repeal its ban on the registration of superbikes. While for now it is essentially a matter for the French authorities, we will be agitating to ensure that the conclusions of this report are followed through," said British Labour MEP Roger Barton, a biking enthusiast who wore white motorcycle leathers during a showdown with Bangemann when the draft proposal was discussed in Parliament.

Simon Milward, secretary-general of the Federation of European Motorcyclists, described the TNO study "as a victory for common sense", adding: "Most accidents involve smaller machines, and are the result of inexperience on the part of riders and car drivers alike. It makes far more sense to concentrate on additional training for all road users."

Agnes Boucheron of the European Road Safety Federation agreed. "We are not too perturbed by this. Our main concern is to ensure that all road users, whatever the power of their vehicles, are made aware of the dangers of driving and are encouraged to observe the speed limit," she said.