Now here's what I still don't understand.. In all areas of motor sport vehicles are not allowed on public roads unless they comply with legislation. So to drive between events or stages you make it legal by adding or removing various bits and pieces. So why does that not apply to my bike? Add a bit for off road competition and remove it for on road...
Phil,
Perhaps you haven't been a member long enough to remember some of the historic discussion about what constitutes public highway and what may be considered off-road.
The legal definitions make 'off-road' rather difficult to pin down. A bicycle can be used in lots of areas besides the public highway whereas other forms of transport are quite restricted or in some cases prohibited entirely from certain areas. Obviously, an illegal contraption, i.e. something which is not a bicycle nor an EAPC and is not registered as any kind of motor vehicle may not be used on the road. Neither may it be used on any land to which the public has free access without specific permission of the landowner.
The consequence of this is that illegal contraptions are therefore disallowed on cycle paths, forest trails, canal towpaths, pavements and so on. Those people who ride quad bikes, Segways and similar machines must comply with legislation otherwise their use may be illegal and where members of the public are allowed to ride these machines, I think insurance is mandatory. If not, it certainly should be, especially after what happened to Jimi Heselden up near Boston Spa a few years ago!
I am not a lawyer so please don't accept my word on what constitutes highway or off-road. To be certain, proper legal advice should be sought but you have to understand that any kind of 'dongle' attached to an EAPC removes that machine from the freedoms associated with bicycles. If you were unlucky enough to injure someone while using any de-restricted machine, any insurance would be null and void if the matter came to light. That's in addition to the obvious offences committed.
Tom