All posts by Craig Lemon

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Updates to the Club Permit Scheme

VicRoads has updated a number of Club Permit forms to improve the vehicle data collected by VicRoads, and to ensure that the correct permit types and club permit plates are issued to eligible vehicles.

What do we need to do?

Updated forms are now available. Please use these current forms rather than previous versions:

Why have these changes been made?

These forms now have an updated layout and align with the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2021.

Club Permit application form

  • There are four categories of Club Permit – of which, Classic and Historic is applicable for motorcycles more than 25 yrs old.
  • Each category now has a sub-category:
    • Original – the vehicle has not been modified beyond VSI 8 or VSI 33,
    • Modified – the vehicle has been modified outside what is permitted in the Vehicle Standards or the VSI 8 or VSI 33 Guidelines, or
    • Replica – a light motor vehicle that is an individually constructed vehicle that resembles as close as practicable the appearance and dimensions of the production vehicle (manufactured more than 25 yrs ago) on which its design is based.
  • The documents required for each sub-category are listed at the bottom of the form, and may include Import Approval and/or VASS Approval certificate.

Vehicle eligibility and standards declaration form

  • Now includes a record of the VASS approval certificate and Vehicle import details, where applicable.

Club Permit logbook

The Club Permit logbook has been updated to align with regulation changes.

New requirement: Classic and collectible vehicles imported from 1 July 2021 will be issued a VIN that must be stamped on the vehicle

Vehicles imported from 1 July 2021 that do not already have a 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) stamped into the vehicle will be issued a VIN, which needs to be stamped on the vehicle.

Club members who are considering importing a vehicle should familiarise themselves with the new requirements as explained below.

Most classic and collectible vehicles are issued a chassis number by the vehicle manufacturer. Under the Commonwealth Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 and Road Vehicle Standards Rules 2019, these types of vehicles are now imported under the concessional entry pathway and recorded on the Register of Approved Vehicles (RAV).

As these vehicles do not have a 17-character VIN that meets the ISO standards, the Commonwealth Department of Transport Infrastructure Regional Development and Communications (DITRDC) will issue a VIN with the condition that the VIN must be stamped on the vehicle. It is an offence under the Commonwealth legislation if this condition is not complied with. A plate attached to the vehicle displaying the VIN is not acceptable.

The VIN provided by the Commonwealth via the RAV process is the identifier by which the vehicle must be known throughout Australia for registration and club permit purposes and is how the vehicle’s origin will be determined for the purpose of registration/CPS permit eligibility.

Further information

To find out more about the Club Permit Scheme obligations, speak to one of the Club Scrutineers, or search ‘Club Permit Scheme’ at vicroads.vic.gov.au

 

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Andy Strapz celebrates 25 years

Long-time member and supporter of the SR500 Club, Andy Strapz (aka Andy White), is celebrating a quarter of a century in business this year, which proves how much motorcyclists love his range of clever, practical and quality Australian-made touring gear!

Says Andy…

“It’s hard to believe it was 25 years ago that I bought a second-hand sewing machine, taught myself rudimentary sewing and knocked up what turned into Andy Strapz. We were told Aussie manufacturing of quality bike gear would end in tears. There’s been no shortage of tears, but hey, we’re still here.”

Andy was an Emergency Nurse at the time of the business’s inception and after witnessing too many times just how dangerous conventional ‘bungee’ straps were and, as a long-time rider, set out to develop a safer, more effective option for riders.

“The straps were my Mother of Invention and then over the next decade that mother’s sister kept on my case as I developed thermals, seat bags and soft panniers. And so with the help of skilled staff, ‘Bob’s yer Mother’s Brother’ and here we are.

“Andy Strapz is something I’m profoundly grateful for and immensely proud of. A combination of dogged persistence and trust of intuition has somehow worked.”

The product range is still manufactured in Victoria (Seaford) using materials chosen carefully for their quality and ability to withstand rigorous and thorough testing of sometimes as many as 3 or 4 prototypes.

Over time Andy has amassed a great range of other quality motorcycle travel gear to complement what his factory makes, such as helmets, clothing, and camping equipment. He trials and endorses everything he stocks.

“We think it’s of paramount importance to not only trial what we sell, but to get a clear picture of how they work, as well as the pros and cons of various applications.”

Check out the full range at www.andystrapz.com

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November general meeting

Please note, there will be no meeting tonight at the Royal Standard Hotel in West Melbourne.

We will, however, be having a brunch get-together one Saturday in December instead, at a café somewhere in Carlton. ☕

Keep your eye on Facebook and the Club website for more details closer to the time. 👀

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Important info concerning the 2021 Rally

It is the beginning of November, and normally, at this time of year, preparations would be well underway for our annual Rally at Bethanga.

But, unfortunately, once again, 2021 has been no normal year.

Even though restrictions are easing, and the VIC/NSW border has now reopened, there are still rules in place for organising public events such as our Rally. These rules include:

  • having an approved COVIDSafe Event Plan
  • having control of all entry/exit points
  • keeping electronic records of all attendees (QR Codes)
  • confirming that attendees are double-vaccinated
  • ensuring mask wearing requirements are reinforced

The Committee has come to the conclusion that creating and enforcing these rules would be too difficult to do to ensure the safety of all attendees and the Bethanga community.

For this reason, we have come to the difficult conclusion that we cannot go ahead with the Rally again this year.

We are very sorry to disappoint all our members who regularly attend the Rally each year. This is a decision that has not been taken lightly.

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Club Permit Scheme update

The Minister for Roads and Road Safety has issued a Notice of Decision on the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2021.

The attached Public Notice was printed in the Herald Sun on Friday, 10 September, 2021.

The most important decision effecting us, is that eligibility for club permit registration will remain at 25 years.

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UPDATED: Imminent changes to Victorian Club Permit Scheme

Guy Allen at AllMoto has given us an update on changes to the Club Permit Scheme that are being proposed by VicRoads in its revision of the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations.

The changes are still going through a consultation process, but if they are implemented, they will take effect from 3 October 2021.

Key take-aways:

  • Eligibility will shift from 25 to 30 years. The existing 1,800 vehicles in that 5-year window will be OK as the change is ‘grandfathered’ in.
  • Fees to increase, by approx. $14 for 45 days and by $28 for 90 days. This is VicRoads fees only – no mention is made of TAC.
  • VicRoads to have broader powers for a “please explain” for clubs and permit-holders that attract attention, e.g. trade vehicles being used as such, or clubs where there seems to be only one person involved. Any club with less than 10 registrations is on the radar.
  • There is talk of new penalties for failure to comply with Club Permit rules, such as failure to fill out a logbook. These are not explained (there was talk of coming up with something a little less harsh than the current situation where you cop the full ‘driving unregistered’ penalty; however, there is no confirmation either way in the Regulatory Impact Statement).
  • It’s likely that you will be required to make an appointment for a new permit – this hasn’t generally been the case in the past.
  • VicRoads will push to introduce electronic logbooks instead of paper. The implication of this is it will be in the cloud and will make it easier to check if you’ve ‘signed’ your logbook for the day, i.e. law enforcement can check without actually pulling you up. The downside for many will be the lack of a physical reminder to sign off for the day. VicRoads acknowledges that users much prefer the paper system.
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Get your orders in for custom garment colours

Ever since day 1, the SR500 Club has offered garments (T-shirts and windcheaters) in any colour you like… as long as they’re black.

In response to requests from members whose favourite colour is not black, we have decided to offer a one-off print run of the SR Club logo on garments of any colour you like!

Since there are too many combinations of garment type, colour and size, we request any members interested in this to BYOG (bring your own garment), whether it be a plain singlet, T-shirt, windcheater or hoody to our next monthly meeting at the Royal Standard, West Melbourne, on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, or if you can’t make it to the meeting, please arrange delivery to Paul Newbold by that date.

Please note that the garment(s) you provide must be brand new (and unworn).

The SR Club logo will be screen printed in either white or black – whichever colour the screen printer decides offers the best contrast to the colour of the garment you’ve provided.

For small sizes (if the garment does not fit the screen printing machine), the logo will be a heat-applied (iron-on) design.

Cost: $5.00 per logo

 

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SR500 Club ‘Virtual’ Rally COVID 2020

Unfortunately, COVID-19 put paid to the idea of having our annual Rally in 2020.

So, we encouraged members around the country to go for rides, locally, in smaller groups instead, on Sunday, November 22, 2020 – the day we would normally have been at Bethanga.

We had groups ride from Melbourne to Whitfield and Beechworth and back, from Baxter to Flinders and back, small groups assembled in Bethanga and Canberra, and a couple of members in SA and Townsville went for solo rides.

Thank you to everyone who participated and sent us photos! You will all receive a special Rally badge for your efforts!

Below are just some of the photos we received. There are more on our Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/247827052431419

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Minor change to the Club Permit Scheme

VicRoads has replaced the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2009 with the Road Safety (Vehicles) Interim Regulations 2020, which took effect from 4 October 2020.

The new Regulations include a change that applies to the Club Permit Scheme.

Club Permit number plates
When applying for a Club Permit, the applicant is now required to pay a fee for the issue of a standard Club Permit number plate ($19 for one number plate).

Item90 days fee45 days fee2/45 days fee
TAC$103.40$52.80$52.80
Permit fee$47.40$23.70$23.70
Log book$3.10$3.10N/A
Number plate$19.00$19.00N/A
Total$172.90$98.60$76.50