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Legal requirements in france


jem1
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Hi going to the south of France for about 4 weeks do I need to do anything to the bike over there to stay legal?

Cheers jem

 

to the bike?


depends on where you are going.. any of the following cities and you will need a "Crit'Air" vignette.. google for further info. Cost is around £4 if you order one before you go. which may not seem like a big deal. until you get a fine.. an instant fine for not having one. which will be somewhere between €68 and €135 so.. not to be taken lightly.


Paris, Lyon, Grenoble, Lille, Strasbourg, Chambery and Marseilles... with Bordeaux and Rouen on the cusp of being added to that list.


Aside from that.. no. aside from the old favourites. headlamp aim or if its an older bike adding a shield so you don't dazzle oncoming vehicles.

And being sure you know what your speed is in KPH. so you dont get a tug for speeding and a lovely instant fine.



There.. thats all there is to it as far as your bike is concerned and none of it is secret knowledge.

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I went over for the Le Mans Motos 24 in April this year (2018 for those reading this reply in future).


With it being a big motorcycling event there is a heavy police presence, especially at ports and nearer to the circuit. However, other than being followed by a Gendarme car from the edge of Ouistreham to the port itself, we didn't get much attention.


As prep, we took the following precautions:

 

  • Reflective stickers on front, rear and sides of our helmets. You can buy special packs that have the right sizes for these.
  • GB stickers on our number plates.
  • Hi-vis waistcoat needs to be worn if you dismount at the side of a main road, so needs to be stowed somewhere accessible. I tucked mine under the cargo net which was holding my bag on the rear.

 

We chose not to worry about deflecting our headlamps.


It's also worth noting that the friendly nod we do in the UK is replaced by a left hand Peace sign over there, I guess because they ride on the right so can take their clutch hand off.


Enjoy.

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I guess because they ride on the right so can take their clutch hand off.


Enjoy.

 

???????????

 

You'll need to explain your question or confusion!


I may have worded that sentence badly. What I mean is, in the UK we ride on the left meaning your right hand is the most suited to giving a hand signal to oncoming riders. But with that being your throttle hand it's not usually convenient. In France, and other countries where they ride on the right, the left hand is the most suited to giving a hand signal. Since that's your clutch hand, it's far more convenient to do. And I think it's a much clearer way of showing respect to other riders.

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I guess because they ride on the right so can take their clutch hand off.


Enjoy.

 

???????????

 

You'll need to explain your question or confusion!


I may have worded that sentence badly. What I mean is, in the UK we ride on the left meaning your right hand is the most suited to giving a hand signal to oncoming riders. But with that being your throttle hand it's not usually convenient. In France, and other countries where they ride on the right, the left hand is the most suited to giving a hand signal. Since that's your clutch hand, it's far more convenient to do. And I think it's a much clearer way of showing respect to other riders.

Hi Rodders.....a long, long time ago, in a.......well, it was actually over here in the UK during the 1970's, but you get the picture, we actually used to wave to each other, using......gasp.....our left hands! Not only did we wave, but we also managed to see other bikers waving at us! We also used to "flash" (no, not that sort of flashing :D !!) our fellow bikers using the passing light, as in those days you could even turn your headlight off if you wanted to!


There was none of this "nodding" lark, but I suppose it's really just what's in fashion at the moment. What about this continental habit of leg-waving that you occasionally see from our visitors from across the water (the Isle of Wight excepted)?


Yeah, but you're right, it's always easier using the left hand to signal....but just think about how we used to signal that we were stopping or turning right before indicators were commonplace........sometimes it's great being an old git (but not often.... :( )

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As prep, we took the following precautions:

 

  • Reflective stickers on front, rear and sides of our helmets. You can buy special packs that have the right sizes for these.

 

 

what did you do about them once you got back... thats the biggest issue I had with the stickers. once they're on. thats it, you're stuck with them for the life of the helmet.


so.. we didn't bother last year.. and to be honest, despite looking for them, i didn't see anyone wearing them where we went.


different in the cities mind and if I was riding after dark, when not having them is most obvious.


The thing most to be aware of now.. is that fines can follow you back to the UK. get caught by a roadside speed cam and expect a demand through your letter box a few weeks later.

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As prep, we took the following precautions:

 

  • Reflective stickers on front, rear and sides of our helmets. You can buy special packs that have the right sizes for these.

 

 

what did you do about them once you got back... thats the biggest issue I had with the stickers. once they're on. thats it, you're stuck with them for the life of the helmet.


so.. we didn't bother last year.. and to be honest, despite looking for them, i didn't see anyone wearing them where we went.


different in the cities mind and if I was riding after dark, when not having them is most obvious.


The thing most to be aware of now.. is that fines can follow you back to the UK. get caught by a roadside speed cam and expect a demand through your letter box a few weeks later.

 

Fortunately my helmet has large areas of white so I could hide the stickers amongst the pattern fairly well. I saw some black stickers that still reflect, and think there was other colours too. So, it's possible to make a reasonable effort of it. That said, I don't think the police really care that much so if you're really precious about your helmet :shock: then I wouldn't bother.


I got flashed by a speed camera near Caen. I had lost a bit of ground on my mates ahead so decided to do a short blast in an overtaking lane. Probably only 10mph over for a few seconds. Never got anything in the post, but it was a front facing camera so perhaps no record of my registration plate.

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I don't bother doing the helmet sticker thing, does any one ? it only applies to lids sold in France any way .

 

I put the stickers on some time ago thinking I needed them but Six is right it only applies to helmets sold and worn in France.

Mine are white stickers on a white helmet so they are not really visible.

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You're also supposed to have CE approved and labelled gloves. I believe you can buy the labels on ebay and stitch them in yourself, which makes a mockery of the whole thing.

Again, we didn't encounter any police on our trip, certainly not ones that seemed bothered enough to inspect our kit or bikes. I guess if you ride sensibly then you're not going to encourage an inspection.

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well.. we seem to be far more strung out about the various rules than other countries police are... or how we think they should be. There is only one thing that I insist upon for the guys I go away with. And thats that they bring spare bulbs. not having a front headlamp shining in the day is practically a begging letter to the police for a fine. Aside from that.. as tourists and more particularly as British tourists, we are instantly recognisable to the police and they have better things to do than bother with us. Unless, of course you insist on doing something completely daft right in front of them.


Like Mr "upskill" did a few years back.. and then had a rant because he got a very nice instant fine as a reward for his crass stupidity.

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:offtopic:

I did something similar in South Korea. Got stopped along with others, by Cops with machine guns. Wound the window down and said in a posh voice

"Good afternoon officers and how may I assist you"

They glared and then waved me on. :lol:

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Wah did he do? Wah did he do?

 


He made an illegal turn over a do not cross line, from one lane to the other, into a petrol station where a couple of coppers were sitting in their car, watching him.

 

Seems like a capital offence - he was lucky he wasn't executed. He would have been doing the same in Los Angeles.

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Wah did he do? Wah did he do?

 


He made an illegal turn over a do not cross line, from one lane to the other, into a petrol station where a couple of coppers were sitting in their car, watching him.

 

Seems like a capital offence - he was lucky he wasn't executed. He would have been doing the same in Los Angeles.

 


Well... We have similar conditions here. No turning. And there is normally a sign telling you how to get to the other side of the road.. For instance carrying on to the next island and reversing course there. What he did was serious enough to earn him (from memory) a fine that was well over €100 as it was doubled cause his partner did the same thing. Serious or not.. My point was he was dumb enough to do this right under a coppers nose.

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Oopsy, that was an expensive manoeuvre.


Has anyone else seen the tiny grey lamppost coloured cameras the council are using to fine people for violations like turning right on a left turn only. I’ve heard they’ve been very successful both at creating revenue and preventing traffic violations. They’re much smaller than the grey boxes currently in use.

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Oopsy, that was an expensive manoeuvre.


Has anyone else seen the tiny grey lamppost coloured cameras the council are using to fine people for violations like turning right on a left turn only. I’ve heard they’ve been very successful both at creating revenue and preventing traffic violations. They’re much smaller than the grey boxes currently in use.

 


Yes.. There is one not far from where I live. It was installed after someone got killed by a driver doing an illegal turn on a blind corner and ploughing into a couple who had just started to cross because their sign was "green".

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Thanks for all your replys I have found them invaluable in the case ofCrit'Air" vignette sticker if your bike was registered before the year 2000 you can't get one so presumably cannot go into those particular areas?

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