Saturday, April 21, 2007

Creeping Metrication?

In the "Honest John" feature of the motoring column in The Daily Telegraph today, reader M.T. of Frodsham writes:

I took delivery of a new Yamaha Bulldog motorcycle from my local dealer in Chester. Later that day I was riding the motorcycle in the dark and noticed that I couldn't see how quickly I was going because the speedo is calibrated in kilometres per hour. The dial has miles per hour marked in small figures but they aren't illuminated. Riding at night is a bit hit and miss in terms of my speed. I have contacted the dealer, who, in turn, has contacted Yamaha UK. It responded that recent legislation changes mean they are not obliged to fit a mph clock. If I really want one, I'll have to find an extra £150. Being unaware of one's speed in the dark is a major safety issue, surely?
Errr?

I am not aware of any recent changes and the Department for Transport seems pretty clear on the standards required. Have we (or they) missed something?

Not that "Honest John" was any help. His answer was: "You don't have to be Einstein to convert kph to mph. For the record, 50kph = 31.25mph, 65kph = 40.6mph, 80kph = 50mph and 100kph = 62.5mph."

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