The use of motorcycles with side attachment is prohibited if:

Explanation

In all the listed cases — the absence of a transverse grip for the passenger, a tyre tread of 0.6 mm, and the absence of a first-aid kit.

All three items in this question separately appear on the list of defects prohibiting the operation of a motorcycle with a sidecar, so the comprehensive answer is correct.

The first option refers to the absence of a transverse grip on the saddle. A motorcycle passenger has no seat belt and no bodywork; that grip is his only point of support. Under hard braking or sudden acceleration, a passenger without a grip either presses against the rider and upsets his control, or slides backwards. The second item is numerical: the minimum permitted tread depth for a motorcycle is 0.8 mm, so 0.6 mm is below the legal limit and not permitted. A bald motorcycle tyre has almost no grip on wet asphalt, and because a motorcycle has only two contact patches, a slide leads directly to a fall. The third item is mandatory equipment: a motorcycle with a sidecar carries a passenger and must have a first-aid kit.

The exam trap is the figure 0.6; if you have memorised only 1.6 (which applies to passenger cars), you may think 0.6 is "enough" for a motorcycle. Keep this chapter's three key figures together: motorcycle 0.8 · passenger car 1.6 · bus 2 mm.

• This item is correct on its own — a motorcycle with a sidecar must not move without a transverse grip for the passenger — but it ignores the other two conditions. • A tread of 0.6 mm really is below the permitted 0.8 mm and creates a prohibition, but choosing it alone leaves the answer incomplete. • The absence of a first-aid kit is independently a ground for prohibition too; again correct but incomplete.

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