Motorbike riding in Germany

Honest John Back Room » Legal matters
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Wed 23 Apr 2008 18:49
Motorbike riding in Germany - gmac
I know there are some bikers on here so although not for cars this may be of interest to them, especially if they are planning a trip to the Nurburgring.

I had a conversation with a colleague today regarding tyres and motorbikes in Germany.

If you have non-standard tyres on your bike - by non-standard I mean having maybe brand n tyres on when the bike manufacturer recommends only brands x, y and z - you have to have a stamped and signed waiver from the tyre manufacturer even if you are riding a bike registered in another country.
These are easily available on the 'net but I wonder how many UK riders could get caught out by this ?

This also prevents people changing tyre sizes. For example, a few years ago some CBR600 riders (PC31 model) were swaping the standard 160 rear for a 180. This technically makes the bike illegal in Germany as Honda only recommend a 160 rear tyre for this model.
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Wed 23 Apr 2008 19:52
Motorbike riding in Germany - jc2
In Germany the TuV inspection(MoT equiv)is different to ours;the vehicle can only be fitted with parts approved by the manufacturer and shown in the registration documents;for example,if you buy a set of alloy wheels for your car,they will come with a document showing that they are approved for your car and it is your resposibility to go to the registration authorities to have them added to your registration documents.A friend of mine fitted different handlebars to his motorcycle and the TuV would not accept them till he presented a certificate from a qualified engineer acceptable to the TuV stating that they would not affect handling or control.The registration documents will list all approved tyre sizes.This does not affect tourists.

Edited by jc2 on 23/04/2008 at 19:56

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Wed 23 Apr 2008 22:39
Motorbike riding in Germany - Simon
>>This does not affect tourists.

I think that is the key phrase on the point above. The way I understand it is that where tourists vehicles are concerned, they basically have to be fully road legal as dictated by the laws of the country that they have come from.

I am actually going to the Nurburgring (on a bike) in about three and a half weeks and have done research into the whats and wherefores etc. One thing that sticks in my mind was about one guy that is planning to take his track car on a trailer to the Nurburgring. He was not planning on driving this car other than on the Ring itself, but in order to be able to do this legally he has got to have the car MOT'd in the UK and taxed in the UK too. The point being that the car has to be fully road legal from the country it is visiting from to comply with the German rules.
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Wed 23 Apr 2008 22:43
Motorbike riding in Germany - gmac
He was not planning on driving this car
other than on the Ring itself but in order to be able to do this
legally he has got to have the car MOT'd in the UK and taxed in
the UK too.


Unless he has a closed track session booked this would be because during public sessions the Ring is classed as a toll road.

The previous comment regarding vehicles complying with where the vehicle is registered is not true otherwise UK cars on summer tyres would have to be accepted in Alpine ski resorts in winter which is not the case.
If you have an accident in Germany in winter and do not have winter tyres on your car you will have some explaining to do as to why you consider you do not require them when everyone else does.

Edited by gmac on 23/04/2008 at 22:47

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Wed 21 Feb 2024 16:26
Motorbike riding in Germany - Ali Peberdy

Hello.... regarding this post, I am wondering whether legislation has changed at all since 2008. I am asking as a biker who has added parts to my bike, things like a crud catcher, fender extender, shorter brake/clutch levers, headlamp guard, butterfly valve covers, Barkbuster handguards to name a few.

A recent Facebook post told a story of a biker who had been fined €1200 by German police for having aftermarket parts for which she could not produce TuV paperwork/certification for. Other bikers also replied with comments that they too had been stopped/fined. So the last sentence of your original article would imply these fines were illegally obtained as these bikers were all tourists. Are you able to clarify the situation and/or offer any advice as to how to go about communicating with a German officer if stopped?

Any help would be gratefully appreciated :)

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