Bit of a funny smell about this

I saw an untaxed and unregistered dirt bike being unloaded from a trailer on a local green lane earlier and then ridden pretty irresponsibly up and down it

I called the police non urgent number giving the car and trailers details just to make sure then legged it as they arrived 🙂

On calling back later for an update I was told police had attended and spoken to the guy but everything was in order and no crime was being committed. I’m just staggered the bike could be legal, I actually know my bikes and it was hardcore plus had no plates or tax disc, helll it was even trailered there

Is it possible that a beat bobby, or PCSO for all I know, could be unaware of the legalities of using bikes on green lanes? The other possibility doesn’t bear thinking about…….

I’m a bit hacked off about this and arent exactly sure what to do tomorrow, thinking of a call to traffic police unless anyone can suggest a better department

Cheers

The motorbike owner also owns the land that the Green Lane/BOAT/RUPP/Byway goes over, or has the land owners permission ?

Unlikely, but a possibility.

legged it as they arrived

Oh, wow…

Possibly the landowner? Or someone who had their permission?

Edit, too slow.

do the rules apply on a BOAT? I have no idea btw
trailering it there suggests they were responsible users.

why did you leg it?
seems odd.

and really is it such a big deal to call the plod?

I’m sure they would rather be doing something useful with their time than wasting it with this

Sancho – Member
why did you leg it?
seems odd.

I was on foot with the kids in tow and really, really didnt need the hassle of an angry biker after the police had left

so why report it?

Trailering it there meant (unless they were there with the owners permission) that they were a load of &&&&s who think it is ok to ride where they shouldn’t do and screw things up for us legitimate riders. Bastards.
I loath it and all that happens is every so often so parent whinges and says that the council should provide somewhere for them to ride. Yeah tight.
As my dad says ” if you haven’t got a field, don’t buy a cow”
Rant over. Where is my beer?

Trailering it there was probably to save the tyres being shredded on the road, and as the plod identified, they were perfectly legal despite your moaning, and just think on how much money gets spent bicycle playgounds for the middle classes, when these bikes have nowhere to ride, just a fraction of the money spent on trail centres and some imagination and support from local councils would keep all parties seperate and happy.

think on before moaning, most of the tracks you ride on were ridden on by these bikes decades before the mtb was invented.

The other possibility doesn’t bear thinking about…….

What’s that then? That they are both shape-shifting lizards?

I’m with the OP. Its not in anyones interest for people to be using untaxed uninsured bikes. For a BOAT I wonder if the

My explanation is that the Police arrived several hours later and spoke to another bloke on a legal bike

A bit of googling suggests everyone needs tax insurance etc on BOAT, land owner or not. Is that correct? It makes sense to me its just an unsurfaced road. mate who is plod took me green laning and made sure I was insured

Blahdy blahdy blah.
So here’s the scenario Sancho, you (yes you) are bumbling along a BOAT/RUPP/County road/whatever, on your MTB (cos your’e legally entitled to) & someone on a motorsickle clips you, knocks you off your bike & stops to see if your’e ok. Your’e not though, youv’e bust your arm & are a bit shook up & probably a narked with the other guy.
But your’e not even bothered if he’s ‘legal’ or not?
Pull the other one, It’s got bells on.

What’s that then? That they are both shape-shifting lizards?

Well I, for one, welcome our shape shifting reptilian overlords.

Is it possible that a beat bobby, or PCSO for all I know, could be unaware of the legalities of using bikes on green lanes?

Possible? Yes. Likely? Yes.

My local plod informed me that the driver that nearly killed us all by taking the first exit at the roundabout from lane 2 (I was in lane 1) was legally entitled to take the 1st exit from lane 2. This is on a major A road, where traffic from lane 1 very often goes straight over the roundabout (i.e. 2nd exit).

that they were a load of &&&&s who think it is ok to ride where they shouldn’t do and screw things up for us legitimate riders. Bastards.

I am so glad we dont have this within the MTB community and we abhor the use of “cheeky trails”

Its about accepting that sometimes other users also want to use the same spaces as you and working out an amicable arrangement rather than calling one lot names. redsocks do it us then us to 4×4 or MX ers who knows who horse riders complain about

I often ride ‘cheeky’ but only at night

This guy was riding on a busy green lane at peak time with walkers, cyclists and horses about

What I hadnt mentioned until now was that there were 2 of them

The other rider was about 8 years old and his bike handling skills didnt inspire me
To repeat plod didnt think this was an issue on a busy green lane

Thanks

oh dear hypothetical paranoia on the forum and people not happy that the police dont agree with their views on who should be using their lanes.

I suggest people just allow others to go about their business and not get worked up about it

Just for reference:

Just to be clear if it is a BOAT it I’d a by way open to all traffic . And there circa road or other public place so from memory the biker would require insurance but not a tax disc or number plates.

Maybe they knew that you’d refer to them as “dibble and “plod” without really knowing what was done.

Blahdy blahdy blah.
So here’s the scenario Sancho, you (yes you) are bumbling along a BOAT/RUPP/County road/whatever, on your MTB (cos your’e legally entitled to) & someone on a motorsickle clips you, knocks you off your bike & stops to see if your’e ok. Your’e not though, youv’e bust your arm & are a bit shook up & probably a narked with the other guy.
But your’e not even bothered if he’s ‘legal’ or not?
Pull the other one, It’s got bells on.

And it was on a footpath/BW across private land and they had permission from the landowner to be there – same issue and no need for insurance etc.

Back to the OP.

I saw an untaxed and unregistered dirt bike being unloaded from a trailer on a local green lane earlier and then ridden pretty irresponsibly up and down it

It’s probably an MX so very unlikely to be road legal, as they’re not.

Why didn’t you have a word with them yourself before calling ‘dibble’, were your trying to get home for cbeebies?

foot in both camps here. a motorcycle ridden on a boat would have to be taxwed tested insured as though it was a motorway.. however.. if the rider is or has the landowners permission then they can ride what ever they want.. however.. they must do so in a reasonable manner as they could face prosecution for dangerous driving…

on the MTL whitworth last week couple of guys riding illegally were hered off moor by police helicopter in to the arms of waiting plod so some coppers know what they are doing..

Do you think motorcyclists moan about us riding Cheeky trails ?

Motorbikes need to be road legal (tax / insurance / etc) if they are to be used on a public highway regardless of status, as even if its a FP or a BOAT a highway is a highway. Even with the landowners permission, its not up to them to say what road traffic law / regs the user can break.

Even with permission and with legal bikes / rider, if there is a ‘danger of injury to a person’ the police could issue a Section 69 Prohibition notice, which usually means the vehicle is taken off them if they get another Section 69.

If someone wants to razz around on a (non road legal) bike no problem, it just has to be somewhere without public access, statutory noise nuisances aside that is.

Just realised that the funny smell, might be two stroke.

“I love the smell of two stroke in the morning” 😉

I’m on a boat ****, take a look at me
Straight flowing on a boat on the deep blue sea
Busting five knots, wind whipping out my coat
You can’t stop me ****, ’cause I’m on a boat

(direct video link not working harrumph)

Blahdy blahdy blah.
So here’s the scenario Sancho, you (yes you) are bumbling along a BOAT/RUPP/County road/whatever, on your MTB (cos your’e legally entitled to) & someone on a motorsickle clips you, knocks you off your bike & stops to see if your’e ok. Your’e not though, youv’e bust your arm & are a bit shook up & probably a narked with the other guy.
But your’e not even bothered if he’s ‘legal’ or not?
Pull the other one, It’s got bells on.

Under this scenario I wouldn’t care less if they had tax and the bike was “road” legal
It had no bearing on the incident
The biker was an idiot and ride like an idiot… Tax and insurance wouldn’t have changed that!

Under this scenario I wouldn’t care less if they had tax and the bike was “road” legal

Yeah your’e probably right, It wouldn’t matter one iota so just let him ride off into the sunset eh?

& what has the landowner’s permission got to do with it? You’ve got the ‘landowners’ permission to drive on the roads but you still should be legal.

Legal off the high way is different to on it. You don’t need tax etc if you have land owners permission. Of course it depends on who owns the land. The owner of the adjacent fields may not own the line of the high way. It could have been tithed hundreds of years ago to the parish etc.
If the bikes, which were not road legal by the sound of the OP, had permission then that’s their good luck. Wish I did. If not hang em.

From a very disgruntled trail rider who lost much of his rights when that **** Blair and his mates got to work. Spent years claiming lanes, running ACU authorised competitions on all sorts of rights of way, negotiating with councils, spent hours apologising for things I didn’t do just to see it all ruined by a few selfish gits who think they can buy a field bike and ride where they want.

And sod the grammar!
I’m off to visit the CTC forum,I don’t get cross there.
No one talks about cooking Salmon though.

& what has the landowner’s permission got to do with it? You’ve got the ‘landowners’ permission to drive on the roads but you still should be legal.

I think you are missing the point, you only need to be legal on the road – not off-road nor on a track. Which is why moto-crossers, GP bikes and track bikes/cars don’t need to be legal in any way – but Enduro bikes and rally cars do.

OP did right to call the police, though I would have been too lazy too. It’s up to the police to decide what action to take – indeed they could ignore the caller if viewed as pointless.

so here’s the scenario, im riding the lane and i get clipped by another mountain biker, probably riding down the hill faster than a trail bike and I end up with a broken collar bone or whatever, what then, no insurance, etc, but same issue, its just one of lifes incidents to deal with, and I wouldnt give a toss either way.

I’ve spoken to my son (yes he really is Constable Dibble) and he doesn’t have a clue what the OP is talking about, maybe it was another Officer Dibble. 🙂

I’ve spoken to my mate (Sgt Dibble/Henderson) & he’s looked it up. If your’e in/on a public place/area, in/on a motorised vehicle you need to be legal, IE, tax & insurance.

I did mention ‘landowners permission’ & he said ‘that’s got F/A to do with it’