To increase recycling targets, the European Commission wants to expand the scope of the End-of-Life Vehicles directive to include motorcycles.

The European Union is in the process of revising its End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive, legislation that dictates how vehicles are recycled, reused, and disposed of when they reach the end of their life. The proposed changes for a new regulation are part of a broader push towards a circular economy. But there’s a catch for us motorcyclists: for the first time, motorcycles may be included under these strict regulations. This move has triggered alarm bells across the riding community, and for good reason.

The European Commission wants to expand the scope of the End-of-Life Vehicles directive to include motorcycles (L-category vehicles), as well as increase recycling targets, implement stricter battery disposal rules for electric vehicles, and shift more responsibility to manufacturers under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies. Sounds good for the planet, right? Not necessarily, at least not when it comes to motorcycles. Compared to cars and trucks, motorcycles need far fewer raw materials and produce significantly less waste. Including motorcycles in the directive will not give meaningful environmental benefits, but it will create regulatory headaches for riders, especially hobbyists and restorers.

The motorcycle community already excels at reusing and recycling parts. In places like the Nordic countries, over 60% of motorcycle parts are reused, compared to less than 15% for cars. Informal networks and workshops thrive on salvaging and repurposing components. Over-regulation could dismantle these successful systems. Many of us ride, restore, and collect bikes that are 30+ years old. They are maybe not always ‘historically significant’, but they are definitely culturally important. The proposed rules don’t recognize these motorcycles as exceptions. Without changes, the law could force restorers to scrap bikes deemed ‘unroadworthy’, even if they are being brought back to life. Perhaps most troubling: the EU could decide when your bike is ‘done’. If it’s declared irreparable you might have to scrap it, even if you want to restore it.

FEMA, the Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations, has asked its member organisations in EU countries to contact the Members of the European Parliament from their own country, and their national government’s responsible ministers, and express their concerns.

We need to protect our right to ride, repair, and restore motorcycles.

FEMA is calling for the following changes to the draft regulation:

• Exclude motorcycles from the directive entirely or allow member states to set their own rules.
• Recognize hobbyist bikes over 30 years old and allow incomplete restoration projects without labeling them as waste.
• Keep scrapping free of charge.
• Let owners decide when their vehicle is truly at the end of its life.
• Remove strict resale conditions for used parts and allow private transactions to continue without burdensome requirements.
• Permit the sale and export of restoration projects.
• Fix the End-of-Life Vehicles definition so that uninspected or undocumented motorcycles aren’t automatically deemed waste.

Motorcyclists aren’t against taking environmental responsibility, but the proposed End-of-Life Vehicles regulation doesn’t account for the unique culture, practicality, and already-efficient reuse systems of the motorcycle world.

Written by Wim Taal & Jari Kielinen

Top photograph courtesy of motoleventis.4ty.gr

Photo by Wim Taal

This article is subject to FEMA’s copyright