Europe: Motorcycles, Trailers And The Law from Bikes in the Fast Lane

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Europe: Motorcycles, Trailers And The Law

December
2009

  File under Travel
  Author: Mike Werner
  Location: Normandy, France

This article is about motorcycles and trailers, not motorcycle trailers, or trailers for motorcycles, or motorc**** whatever, it's about trailers pulled BEHIND a motorcycle, not under a motorcycle! Okay? Confused?

Motorcycles are known to pull trailers, you see it often enough. Honda Goldwings are probably the most seen pulling trailers (like a Goldwing doesn't have enough space..). But here in Europe there are laws for these kind of things, and not all countries allow you to pull a trailer.

Often, it's actually the fault of the motorcycle manufacturers who do not specify the weight their bikes can pull, so many European governments restrict the use of trailers for motorcycles.

So here's a list of European countries and their laws regarding pulling a trailer with your motorcycle:

Country	Allowed	Comments
Austria	Yes	Same laws apply as to car trailers.
Belgium	Yes & No	Motorcycles are allowed to pull a trailer, but sidecars are not.
Czech Republic	Yes
Denmark	Yes & No	Only trailers with more than 1 wheel are authorized.
Finland	Yes	The trailer weight can not be more than 50% of the motorcycle weight. If the trailer has a suspension, maximum speed allowed is 80 kph, else 60 kph.
France	Yes
Germany	Yes	Limited to 60 kph, ie, not on motorways.
Greece	?	Not clear
Ireland	No	Since 2009
Italy	No	There is no specific law authorizing them, therefore, they are illegal.
Luxembourg	Yes	Maximum weight is 150 kgs, on motorways, speed limit is 90 kph, 75 kph on country roads.
Norway	Yes
Portugal	?	Not clear
Spain	No
Sweden	Yes	Trailers need to be homologated.
Switzerland	Yes	Maximum speed 80 kph
The Netherlands	Yes	Maximum speed 80 kph
UK	Yes	The trailers need to be homologated, and can only be pulled by a motorcycle with more than 125cc.