Hi - flyingosca here, those of you with long memories will recall my numerous problems with my Yamaha xj900 trike and trying to get it ready for the MOT and ultimately (because VOSA changed their minds) the dreaded msva test.
Long story short the trike went thru the MOT and failed the sva on some 'stupid' little things.
1. Fuel tank cap was 18mm high, only 15mm is permitted although the fuel indiavtor on the other side of the tank which is the same height was ok because it does not fall under the regs.
2. Mirror edges were not 'round enough' even though they are brand new and carried the 'E' mark. My mirrors were 2mm radius and needed to be a minimum of 2.5....
3.Pillion rider foot rests were too square and stuck out too far....... ends need to be rounded.
4. Headlights on my trike are twin, and fixed together. they failed because they both dipped and had main beam. Only one is allowed to do each function so I have had to cut wires to reduce my lighting capability by 50%.
5. front mudguard was 'too thin' so I've had to fix some rubber 'edging' to it to make it less likely to cut someone if I ride into em... (I somehow feel that a plastic mudguard ain't going to be the thing that does the damage)...
6. They said the diff moved when the brakes were applied and as the trike is a hard tail this put extra strain on the rear axle where it is welded to the frame... Fair enough I suppose. When Richard Hammond in Cirencester looked at the problem for me they notriced a few crap bolts (one or two very loose) and a cracked weld so no wonder it moved!! The lads sorted the problem for me (thanks guys - do I get a discount next time?) now all that remains is for me to book it in for a retest and keep my fingers crossed for a freindly examiner!
watch this space!
