MOT requirements for headlights

Hey guys,
I saw these custom headlights and they look awesome but would they pass MOT or any other requirement to be road legal?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=9UTZZqPeUOo

you need side light low and main beam for it to be road legal and the leds count as the side/park light and they have low and main beam so it should be road legal and pass a mot no problem if you like them and they wont jsut get a cheapy road legal light off ebay and wire that in for mot should just be unbolt that one connect the new one up then wiretie it on and it will pass

STOLEN from a Mercedes sight,
Not too sure if the same laws apply to bikes but still a good post :slight_smile:
I like the look of them headlights in the clip, i’d get em and fit em :wink:

Motoring law is actually quite simple.

Construction and Use regulations are the presiding laws covering what you can and cannot have, no sharp edges etc.

With regard to Lights, the rules cover headlights (main and dip beam) Position lights (sidelights), brake lights, indicators, number plate illumination and Fog lamps.

All vehicles must have at least 1 rear fog lamp, a means of seeing on a dark road (headlights main and dip) a position lamp on each corner (4) a lamp to “evenly and fully” illuminate the rear number plate, a pair of indicators on each side of the vehicle which can be seen clearly from the front and rear and be visible from the side, a pair of brake lights.

“visible” means from a position 25feet to the front and rear with an eyeline between 2 and 4 feet from the ground (both heights and continuously inbetween).

Lights must have specified wattages e.g. headlights between 35 and 65 watts, position lights between 4 and 7 watts (5w nominal) brake lights 21 to 25watts, indicators 21 to 25watts, rear fog light 21 to 25watts.

Note there is NO mention of brightness except that they “must not dazzle”

They may not be coated or covered (no tinted films etc)

They must be white or amber to the front, red to the rear (indicators red or amber), Amber to the sides, headlamps must be white.

No lamp may be green (except a doctor or emergency medical professional on an emergency call) NO LAMP or lightsource that is visible from the outside of a vehicle may be Blue or appear that it might be blue whether turned on or not… this may seem odd but means you cannot put dummy blue lights or a jam jar painted black (for instance) on the vehicle so that someone may think it would be blue if illuminated (eg it looks like a police rotary lamp)

The LED problem is related PURELY to the wattage, most LED lamps are a maximum of a watt or so and therefore fall foul… HOWEVER you can now get 5watt “sidelight” LED lamps that would be fully legal.

Note however that “daylight lamps” that are in addition to standard position (sidelight) lamps, additional brake lights (the “extra” eye-line light strips) spot lamps etc are NOT covered and therefore outside the law and can be whatever you like ( however you cannot use a spot or flood lamp on the rear of the vehicle even as a reversing light) the only requirement are that lamps “must not dazzle” can only show the “correct” colour for their position and (the one that gets most people into trouble) IF a lamp is FITTED it MUST WORK and comply… its an offence for the lamp not to work, so a blown bulb (even in an “extra” lamp) is an offence… to make it legal you must REMOVE the wiring.

The DEFENCE for a non working lamp is "it was ok when I checked it before starting THIS journey… a blown bulb or fuse would be covered but a missing bulb or wiring would not… whereas its a defence in law, most police would still write the ticket and it would need to be argued in court… I’ve never known it fail (done it myself several times) as its impossible to guarantee your bulbs will not fail on a journey and you are expected to check them, tyres, oil, water, fuel before starting EVERY journey.

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to simply answer the question “daytime” lights and “LED strips” ARE FULLY legal at ALL TIMES IF they do not dazzle, are the right colour, are IN ADDITION to the required STATUTORY lights.

You CANNOT retrofit (replace) filament lamps with LED lamps UNLESS the LED lamps are of the required legal wattage (some new types are)

You CANNOT retrofit (replace) filament HEADLIGHTS with LED or HID lamp units.

ANY new vehicle CAN be fitted with LED low wattage and/or HID headlights ONLY if FACTORY FITTED not retrofitted, nor replaced, nor fitted by the dealer before or after delivery ONLY AT THE VEHICLES ORIGINAL place of manufacture.

Lights apart from the Statutory lights are NOT in the MOT. An MOT does NOT PROVE your lights are legal.

A few police and VOSA areas DO check and PROSECUTE for these offences (I live in such an area and grew up in London when EVERY breach was prosecuted.

MOST police and ALL VOSA will prosecute (and impound) for Dazzle and COLOUR offences

They definitely look awesome but are not cheap. You have to send them your headlights and they’ll do all the custom work and send it back. Problem is it takes 8 to 12 weeks. Which means the bike would be off the road. That’s why I was thinking it would be a good idea to get it done over winter if i was going to get them. I actually like the look of the Audi style lights on the R6 but i don’t think they’ll look as good on the triumph slanty lights since they are chunkier.

Anyways, nice to know that it won’t be a problem with the MOT.

or buy a 2nd hand headlamp to use while yours is away, then ebay it when you get yours back…

yeap. i’m looking out for a 2nd hand set but haven’t seen one yet.

You’ll have trouble getting the alignment right if you just try and plonk a cheap one on come MOT day