This ‘homemade motorcycle’ was pulled over by police… but it’s legal!

The UK has often been accused of mollycoddling or getting itself tangled in ‘red tape’ when it comes to issues which can usually be resolved with a dash of the common and another of the sense.

However, this situation leaves us a little stumped because while we’re as enthusiastic as the next person when it comes to invention and innovation, we just don’t understand how this motorbike got a registration document from the DVLA (the UK’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for anyone outside of the British Isles).

The most unusual vehicle I've stopped on a motorway in my 26 years! All checked and in order, although still not convinced I know what it is. #400795 pic.twitter.com/oRNgPJEHHa

— BCH Road Policing (@roadpoliceBCH) August 18, 2019

So how did we (or this) get here?

This vehicle was stopped on the M25 London orbital just before junction 21 for the M1 at 20.30 on Sunday. In notes taken by Hertfordshire Police, this ‘homemade electric motorcycle’ was ‘made from bits of balsa wood and duct tape’, a fact we can clearly verify through photos.

So is this the end of this tiny two-wheeled ark’s journey?

Apparently not, the police checked the machine’s registration certificate and found it to be a road legal vehicle… despite balsa wood being both weak in a crash. And seemingly flammable.

Despite this, police say it wasn’t slow and keeping up with traffic (70mph on the M25… when not sat in traffic) which we’re impressed by, not least because we can’t imagine it offers a marvellous range. 

What did Police say?

"This is certainly not a vehicle that is seen very often on our roads but after roadside inspection we couldn't find anything that would prevent the rider to continue his journey, Sgt Stephen Andrews, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Roads Policing Unit told the BBC.

"The vehicle was keeping up with other traffic and didn't cause any obstruction to other road users. The owner made sure that he fulfilled all the safety regulation as well as keeping the insurance, MOT and tax in date."

Then again, something made of the aforementioned materials, apparently carrying Kelloggs cornflakes and foregoing non-essential items – like shoes – probably saves significant weight.

Either way, it looks as though you’ve seen this man around before and will continue to do so…

Picture taken from passenger window as we overtook it on the A1 a couple of weeks ago. pic.twitter.com/5PTYF6RwWx

— Shelley Morgan (@ArchieinLondon) August 20, 2019