Frequently Asked Questions

Unfortunately not. We are a Class 1 & 2 testing station which means we mot motorcycles, sidecar outfits and some 3-wheeled machines (i.e. Piaggio MP3, etc.) please contact us if you are unsure.

All of our fitting prices include rubber valve replacement, wheel balancing and old tyre disposal as standard. If you wish to fit alternative valves (i.e. 90 degree aluminium valves, coloured valves, etc) then these are also kept in stock. Just ask ?

Unfortunately not, for a number of reasons.

The main reason being that a British Standard exists for tyre repairs which, amongst other things, specifically states that no repairs must be made to high speed Z-rated tyres – this is most radial tyres fitted to modern day bikes.

A lot of personal insurance policies now also state that you are not covered if you ride with a “plugged” tyre other than for emergencies only.

Yes, no problem. Your bike will pass a daytime mot as long as it meets the following requirements:

• Your bike must “have neither front nor rear position lamps” or have such lamps permanently disconnected, painted over or masked that are only to be used in daylight hours and not to be be used in times of reduced visibility.
• If a stop lamp is fitted it must meet the requirements of the inspection
• Registration plate must be fitted
• An audible warning device (horn) A horn is defined as an instrument, not being a bell, gong or siren, capable of giving audible and sufficient warning of the approach or the position of a vehicle.

Part-worn tyres may seem like a cheap alternative, especially if your motorcycle has seen better days, but they are a potential accident in the making and pose a huge risk to yourself.

Tyres are extremely important in keeping you safe on the road and, with only a credit-card sized ‘contact patch’ keeping you shiny-side up, there is not a lot of rubber anyway so you want the best possible tyre/grip available.

Due to the very nature of a part-worn tyre we do not know the history, or hidden condition of the tyre, and therefore cannot guarantee the quality of the internal structure or any damage, etc.

Therefore, for your safety, we DO NOT sell part-worn tyres under any circumstances.

We will fit tyres purchased elsewhere to LOOSE WHEELS ONLY.

We DO NOT fit these tyres directly to the customer’s bike.

One of the main reasons being that if a problem is encountered with the tyre then the buck stops with us and we, here at SMC, are personally liable.

As the tyre wasn’t purchased through a recognised retail outlet (i.e. bought off Ebay) we have no recourse with the manufacturer under their warranty procedure for that tyre, should it be faulty.

That is a risk we are not willing to take.

The short answer is YES.

We can service your bike and it will not affect your manufacturer warranty.

European Block Exemption rules mean manufacturers can’t invalidate your guarantee for not using a franchised dealer – as long as the garage follows the Manufacturer’s Service Schedule and uses Original Equipment parts.

We subscribe to an online system which details every aspect of the service schedules for all the various manufacturers. Therefore, you can rest-assured that your bike is being serviced as it should and all parts used here at SMC are always OE/TUV-approved specification.

Yes. 100%. The DVSA have altered the rules recently and are clamping down heavily on things like Reflectors and Number Plates.

Help us to help you – always have a reflector fitted and, if you have a small plate, please swap it for the standard size when bringing your bike in for an mot.

Where there is only one centrally mounted rear lamp that combines the stop/tail and both direction indicators – these are not legal. This is primarily because they do not meet the minimum separation distance between the direction indicators and will fail an mot if they are fitted at the time of test.

Indicators fitted to the bike must have a minimum distance of 240cm between the front indicators and 180mm distance between the rear indicators.

No. They were – however the rules have been updated recently.

As long as the light passes all other aspects of the mot (beam tester, etc) then the bike will now pass an mot with a HID kit fitted.

You will be issued with a Failure Certificate outlining the reason(s) for failure. These will need to be rectified before you can have a valid mot certificate for the machine.

There is absolutely no obligation to have any remedial work carried out by us. You are free to take your bike away and fix it yourself.

The only stipulation is that the bike is returned to the test centre, within 10 working days, for a free retest.

After the 10-day requirement another full test must then be carried out for which you will be charged a half-test fee.