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This page provides information on the requirements for motorbikes and motorbikes with a sidecar fitted.
Motorbikes manufactured after July 1975 are built to comply with Australian Design Rules (ADRs). These design rules cover various aspects of the motorbike such as brakes, noise and lighting.
Motorbikes that comply with the ADRs, and were manufactured after October 1977, are also fitted with a compliance plate. This plate is mounted to the motorbike's frame, usually in the head stem area.
If a motorbike is certified to comply with the ADRs it must continue to comply with those rules. If modifications are being considered you must ensure that the vehicle’s ADR compliance is not compromised by the intended modification.
Motorbike manufacturers also market motorbikes designed specifically for off-road use and not intended for use on public roads.
A motorbike in this category, manufactured after October 1977, is not eligible for registration in South Australia unless it is fitted with an Australian compliance plate.
However, under certain circumstances, motorbikes not fitted with a compliance plate may be eligible for an exemption and full registration.
Exemption from the fitting of a compliance plate may be given for:
- Imported motorbikes that meet requirements of the Motor Vehicle Standards Act administered by the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.
- Individually constructed motorbikes.
- Motorbikes operated by primary producers for agricultural purposes.
- ADR-certified motorbikes fitted with a replacement frame, or if the compliance plate has been damaged or lost.
Braking
A motorbike is required to have both wheels braked, with each wheel having its own independent control, or alternatively, a single control operating both brakes. If a single brake control is fitted, effective braking control must remain on at least one wheel if part of the system fails. It must also include a warning light to indicate that a failure in the system has occurred.
A motorbike manufactured after June 1988 and fitted with a sidecar, must have an effective park brake, applied by mechanical means, that can hold the vehicle stationary on a 30 % (16.7 degrees from horizontal) gradient. The parking brake must be independent of the service brakes.
Sidecars are not required to be fitted with a separate brake.
Brake performance
A motorbike or motorbike with a sidecar and/or trailer attached must be capable of stopping from a speed of 35 kilometres per hour within 12.5 metres with one application of the service brake or brakes.
Chain guards
If your motorbike has a chain final drive to the rear wheel, the driver and any passenger must be protected from the front sprocket and at least the upper part of the chain. The protection can be either the motorbike frame and equipment or a separate guard.
The guard must offer protection from the upper part of the chain to at least 300 mm to the rear of the rearmost footrest, or to above the centre of the rear drive sprocket.
Dimensions
The handlebars on a motorbike must be mounted symmetrically and must extend between 250mm and 550mm on each side of the centre line of the motorbike, excluding a sidecar, if fitted.
For a motorbike that has the head stem as the steering pivot point, the horizontal distance measured from the mid-point between the head stem bearings to the centre of the front wheel must not be more than 550mm.
The maximum width of the motorbike must not exceed 1.1 metres.
If a sidecar is fitted, the width of the motorbike and sidecar cannot exceed 2.0 metres.
The maximum width of a moped cannot exceed 1.0 metres.
Drive guards - primary
On motorbikes that have a separate engine and gearbox with an external belt drive between them, are required to have a protection guard fitted covering the belt. This guard must cover the upper surface of the belt to a point level with a horizontal line drawn through both pulleys. It should sufficiently cover the belt and pulley to prevent clothing, shoe, laces etc being caught by the belt or pulleys.
Footrests
Every motorbike must be fitted with suitable footrests for the rider and, if a seating position for a pillion passenger is provided, footrests must also be provided for the pillion passenger.
Ground clearance
A motorbike must have sufficient ground clearance so that no part of the bodywork or frame will contact the road when one or both tyres are deflated.
Handlebars
Motorbikes manufactured before July 1988
The lowest part of the hand grip on the handlebars must not be higher than 380 mm above the attachment point of the handlebars to the motorbike.
Motorbikes manufactured after June 1988
The height of the lowest part of the handgrip above the lowest part of the upper surface of the driver's seat shall not exceed 380 mm.
Horn
A motorbike must be fitted with a horn or other audible warning device, but not a siren, bell, exhaust whistle, compression whistle or repeater horn.
Anti-theft alarms are exempt from these requirements, provided the alarm cannot be operated with the ignition on.
Hydraulic brake hose and tubing
All brake lines and hoses fitted to a motorbike must be manufactured from the correct material, be long enough to allow full movement of the suspension and be positioned to avoid possible damage or heat.
All brake hoses, including braided brake hoses, must have permanent markings on the hoses to enable identification of the hose and the manufacturing standard.
Indicators
Direction indicator lights
All motorbikes, including those fitted with a sidecar, which was manufactured after September 1991, are required to have direction indicators fitted. The bottom of the indicator lights must not be lower than 350 mm nor higher than 1200 mm from the ground.
Front indicators
The front indicators must be symmetrically mounted at least 240 mm (measured from the inside edges) apart, and at least 75 mm from the headlamp.
Rear indicators
The rear indicators must be at least 180 mm apart (measured from the inside edges) and mounted symmetrically. If a sidecar is fitted, the left rear indicator is to be mounted not more than 150 mm in from the left-hand outer edge of the sidecar.
If indicators are fitted to your motorbike they must flash between 45 and 120 times per minute and have either an audible, or visible device, to indicate their operation to the rider.
When on, a direction indicator light must show an amber light and be visible from at least 30 metres from the front and rear of the motorbike.
Instrumentation
Motorbikes manufactured after July 1988 must be fitted with an operational speedometer and odometer that is positioned and readily visible to the rider in their normal seated position. It must also be positioned within direct view of the rider and not mounted on the forks or engine. Instrumentation must also be clearly legible both day and night.
Lighting
If your motorbike was built before 1931 and only used in daylight hours, or built before 1946 and used mainly for exhibition purposes, it is not required to be fitted with lights or reflectors.
For all other motorbikes, the following conditions apply.
Headlamps
A motorbike must be fitted with at least one headlamp.
If two or more headlamps are fitted they must be mounted in one of these ways:
- in pairs at least 500 mm from the ground
- centrally with one above the other
- side by side symmetrically about the centre-line of the motorbike.
The positioning of the light on your motorbike does not take into account a sidecar, if fitted.
If the motorbike was manufactured after 1934 and can travel above 60 km/h, it must be fitted with a headlamp or headlamps, with both high and low beam and a mechanism to change them from one to the other.
Your motorbike is only required to be fitted with a low beam light if it was manufactured before 1935, or it cannot exceed 60 km/h.
It is acceptable to have a high/low beam headlamp mounted side by side with a driving light, provided that they are mounted symmetrically about the centre line of the motorbike.
Motorbikes manufactured after 1953 must also have a device to indicate when the high beam is used. This device must be a blue indicator light, if manufactured after June 1988.
A headlight modulation system that varies the brightness of the headlamp between 200 and 280 times per minute may also be fitted provided that it is designed so it can only operate during daylight hours.
Fog lights
Fog lights are only to be used during periods of poor visibility.
If a motorbike was manufactured prior to October 1991, you may fit a single or a pair of front fog lamps to your motorbike.
When switched on, the lamps must:
- display a white or amber light
- be capable of operating independently from the headlamp
- not be mounted higher than the high beam headlamp.
If your motorbike was manufactured after September 1991 it can be fitted with a fog lamp. This must be mounted no lower than 250 mm from the ground and no higher than the high beam headlamp.
Front parking light
A motorbike without a sidecar is not required to display a front parking light. If a sidecar is fitted to a motorbike manufactured after 1953, but before October 1991, it must display at least one parking light to the front.
A motorbike built after September 1991, that is fitted with a sidecar, must be fitted with a white front position light mounted on the sidecar, facing forward, and must not be more than 150 mm in from the left-hand outer edge of the sidecar.
Tail light
A light must be fitted to the rear of your motorbike, showing a red light visible at 200 metres from the rear of the bike, with a power output of not more than 7 watts.
If the motorbike was built after September 1991, this light must not be positioned lower than 350 mm from the ground.
A motorbike built after September 1991 and fitted with a sidecar, must have an additional tail light mounted not more than 150 mm in from the left-hand outer edge of the sidecar.
Any tail light must switch on when the parking lights or headlamps are switched on.
Stop lamp
A motorbike manufactured after 1934 must have a stop lamp which is illuminated when the service brake is applied. When on, the stop lamp must show a red light to the rear of the motorbike that is visible at 30 metres.
It cannot be mounted lower than 350 mm from the ground and may be incorporated with another light.
The stop lamp must be activated by the front and/or rear brake.
Reversing light
A motorbike manufactured after September 1991, which is fitted with a sidecar and has a reverse gear, must be fitted with a reversing light. This light must switch on when the reverse gear is selected and show a white light to the rear of the motorbike.
Mudguards and tail tidies
See Motorbike mudguards and tail tidies
Noise
The amount of noise a motorbike can produce from the exhaust outlet depends on the year it was manufactured. If it was manufactured after February 1985, the acceptable noise level is 94 dB(A), but if manufactured prior to this date, then it is 100 dB(A).
The noise level is tested with the engine operating at a steady speed and, depending on the type of engine, the engine speed will be between 2,500 rpm and 3,750 rpm.
Number plates
Number plate light
A light must be fitted that when switched on, illuminates the number plate with white light, enabling the number plate characters to be read at night from a distance of 20 metres. This light cannot shine a white light to the rear of the motorbikes.
The tail and number plate lights must automatically be switched on with the headlamp(s).
Number plate position
You are required to display a number plate on the rear of your motorbikes only. The number plate must be positioned so it is clearly visible at all angles. It is not acceptable to mount a number plate alongside the rear wheel.
The number plate must be mounted so that the bottom edge of the plate is at least 300 mm above ground level and positioned so that every figure and letter of the registration number is upright and is read from left to right.
The number plate must be visible from at both 3m and 18m from the rear of the motorbike and at all points within the arcs marked 'A'.
Rear vision mirrors
A motorbike manufactured before July 1975 must be fitted with at least one rear vision mirror that allows the driver to clearly see the road behind, and any following or overtaking vehicle.
A motorbike manufactured after June 1975 must be fitted with two rear vision mirrors. Both mirrors must have flat or convex glass with the convex mirrors having a radius of at least 1.2 metres. These mirrors must be fitted symmetrically on the motorbike and allow the driver to clearly see the road behind and any following or overtaking vehicle. Mirrors fitted to bikes built after March 1991 must have a surface area of at least 80² cm per mirror with flat mirrors or 64.5² cm with convex mirrors.
Reflectors
Your motorbike must be fitted with a reflector to the rear which is capable of projecting a red reflection of light. If a sidecar is fitted, this must also have a red rear-facing reflector.
The centre of any reflector must not be higher than 1.5 metres from the ground and be fitted in the vertical plane facing squarely to the rear.
If your motorbike is built after September 1991, and fitted with a sidecar, an additional red reflector must be mounted to the rear of the sidecar, not more than 400 mm in from the left-hand outer edge.
Sidecars
A sidecar must be attached to the left hand side of the motorbike.
The fitting of a sidecar to the right-hand side of a motorbike is prohibited by the Road Traffic (Light Vehicle Standards) Rules 2018. An exemption from this requirement is required before a motorbike with a sidecar positioned on the right-hand side can be driven legally on South Australian roads.
Stands
A motorbike manufactured after 1 June 1988 must be fitted with at least one stand to hold the motorbike upright. This stand can be either a side or centre stand and must be fitted with a spring or other device to ensure it is held clear of the road when retracted.
A side or centre stand shall either automatically retract when the motorbike is taken off the stand or moved forward or be connected so that the motorbike will not start or operate under its own power unless the stand is retracted, or an audible and visible warning system that activates when the ignition is switched on.
For a motorbike manufactured prior to July 1988, there is no requirement for it to be fitted with a stand, although it is recommended.
If your motorbike has a sidecar there is no requirement for a stand regardless of when the motorbike was manufactured.
Tyres
Although there are a wide variety of tyres available you must ensure that the ones fitted to your motorbike are the correct size and have the correct load and speed rating for your motorbike.
All tyres must have a clearly visible tread pattern on all parts of the tyre that normally come in contact with the road and a minimum tread depth of at least 1.5 mm.
If your motorbike is fitted with tyres marked 'not for highway use', or has a marking meaning the same, it cannot be used on public roads or road-related areas. Tyres cannot be fitted with cleats or any other gripping devices that could cause damage to the road.
It is recommended that you only fit tyres of the same size and specifications as those originally fitted by the motorbike manufacturer.
Towing
If you tow a trailer, ensure that the weight of the trailer and load does not exceed the maximum towed weight specified by the manufacturer of the motorbike. If the motorbike manufacturer does not specify a towing capacity, the loaded mass of a trailer must not exceed the unladen mass of the motorbike.
Vehicle Standards reference: MR808.
