Scramblers Banned!

XT1200

Another knee jerk reaction from politicians. The laws are already in place to seize uninsured. untaxed and unlicensed vehicles. Enforcement is what is required and not more unenforced laws.

bbbbb

Its not clear to me what is changing, or what needs to change.

an offroad bike has always been illegal to ride in public:

https://www.yamaha-motor.eu/ie/en/motorcycles/competition/pdp/yz125/#2026-YZ125LC-DPBSE

but a licensed, taxed and insured road version should still be fine?
https://www.yamaha-motor.eu/ie/en/motorcycles/adventure/pdp/wr125r/#2026-WR125-DPBSE

bbbbb

Its not clear to me what is changing, or what needs to change.

an offroad bike has always been illegal to ride in public:

https://www.yamaha-motor.eu/ie/en/motorcycles/competition/pdp/yz125/#2026-YZ125LC-DPBSE

but a licensed, taxed and insured road version should still be fine?
https://www.yamaha-motor.eu/ie/en/motorcycles/adventure/pdp/wr125r/#2026-WR125-DPBSE

OrangeNinja

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124206155#Comment_124206155

Either do they. They are doing something to look "proactive". In reality this will be a forgotten story in a few weeks time and the scummers will still be breaking the law. They'll have an item on the 9 o clock news in the next few days with the Gardai commissioner and the the minister for justice standing beside a few seized motocross bikes slapping each other on the back like they've just cured cancer.

OrangeNinja

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124205537#Comment_124205537

They don't seem to bother no. Driving a car whilst using a mobile phone is against the law, has been for years yet i see literally hundreds of incidents of people doing that every single day on my travels. I'd make a calculated guess that the scores of people who die every year because of phone use whilst driving is a far more important issue than the use of scramblers but it's funny how we don't see ministers on the TV calling phone use drivers scumbags, they are in fact as much a scumbag as the young fella on the scrambler.

Bigus

I remember a time in Ireland , not too long ago , when the only way a minor could have a Scrambler in a public place was , say , when walking when wheeling it with often to a petrol station, or parked ,the Spark plug had to be Removed. Private land off road use was acceptable, but Yes if the bike was start-able in a public place it would’ve being seized straight away , and this was country wide and well known .Maybe some old Garda Members can confirm.

walshb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124206674#Comment_124206674

Way OTT calling a person who uses a mobile whist driving a scumbag, and comparing him/her to scrotes on scramblers with ZERO respect for law and order. Many many people have at one time or another used a mobile while driving.

OrangeNinja

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124207910#Comment_124207910

And they are all scumbags no different than the scrotes using scramblers. If you use a mobile phone whilst driving you aren't in control of the vehicle and have the potential to kill an innocent person be it a cyclist, motorcyclist, pedestrian, another vehicle user etc…

I hope the day never comes when you know someone who becomes another death statistic because of some selfish scumbag using a mobile phone whist driving.

Sleepy

If they gave a ****, the law change would be to give Gardaí immunity to prosecution for any damage or injury caused enforcing the existing laws.

Who, aside from the fuckwits buying these for their kids who clearly have no respect for the law or the law-abiding public, would actually care if a few scrotes got killed or maimed by Gardaí knocking them off their illegal bikes/scooters?

blackbox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124208016#Comment_124208016

I understand your frustration, but giving law enforcement officers immunity from prosecutuion leads to a situation like we see in Minnesota.

There has to be a balance.

Witcher

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124208042#Comment_124208042

The hand wringing has begun already.

Sleepy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124208042#Comment_124208042

That just comes down to wording in the legislation. Blanket immunity like Vance has (incorrectly) told ICE agents they have would never be viable, something like "Members of An Gardaí Siochana are not liable for any injury caused during the arrest of an indivual who is actively engaged in law-breaking" or whatever legalese is deemed necessary to protect the Garda in question on the other hand would be enormously useful.

plodder

Interesting idea. The Garda commissioner mentioned it in a speech today - spraying offenders with a marker fluid that means they can be identified later. He also said that "everything is on the table" including drones. Given that they have drones and personnel trained in their use, the excuse for not using them tomorrow needs to be a good one …

https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/oireachtas/2026/02/05/calls-for-gardai-to-use-dna-spray-that-tags-scrambler-riders-bikes-for-future-prosecution/

extra-ordinary_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124212606#Comment_124212606

Surely they'd have to get pretty close to 'tag' you. You'd think if they can get get that close they could just grab the bike/offender. Hopefully we won't have offenders 'endangered' and losing control of their machines after being sprayed and cases going off to GSOC.

threeball

Why does someone have to die in this country before we decide to make any changes. We won't even straighten a road unless theres at least 2 memorial plaques on it.

We just ignore, very obvious flaws and failures right throughout our country until theres a tragic death. Then its kneejerk reaction with bad decisions/legislation that cant be implemented or enforced.

plodder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124212799#Comment_124212799

I presume they can spray it into the air in front of the bike, and so long as the bike passes through the "cloud" of spray then some of it will stick. It sounds pretty unlikely, but I've heard of similar sounding technology before

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SmartWater

They'd need some way of tracking the bike to wherever it ends up and something like drones might do that.

blackvalley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124212799#Comment_124212799

And then OMG ! OMG ! 😦. Imagine if some innocent bystander got sprayed by accident in the melee. Our “ learned friends “ would have a field day in court describing how this person’s life has been destroyed by the embarrassment of the whole community seeing them and thinking the worst. OH And fifty or sixty thousand in compo might ease their worries.
Ok I jest of course but there is always the old adage of “ unintended consequences “

“ First we set out to drain the swamp but right now we are up to our arses in alligators “ 😁

Pythagorean

Two aspects on this : firstly, who is selling these scramblers ? it should be illegal to sell them except to a holder of a competition licence, i.e. to be used in legitimate motocross, etc. Secondly, if the bikes are seized, they should be scrapped, no possibility of them being returned. I recently had an altercation with a young scrote who was making sh*t of a local green area, he seemed surprised that anyone would challenge him. Plenty of people out walking their dogs, stood there watching him, scrote felt entitled, knew full well that he'd get away with it.