just read in the mk sva site that lotus 7 type cars don't need to meet visibility standards provided it has indicators well back on the side. can anyone vouch for this? cheers

The side indicators are the main concern - it's near-enough impossible to achieve all the required viewing angles on a "seven", so they give you a bit of latitude during the test.
Saying that, you still have to make your best efforts to make them as visible as you can - certainly my tester crouched down and squinted from various directions until he was happy (mine are up on the scuttle, a little way below the side mirrors - see web site for details!)

David

cheers david, did you pass the sva with the indicators close in to the nosecone as in your photos?

No! I had spacers that added about 30mm - just about got me within the 400m limit. Somehow I forgot to re-fit them after some maintenance...

David

Update: sorry - the spacers are shown on the website - they're the white bits.

[Edited on 4/3/05 by David Jenkins]

With a bit of time and effort getting a good shape and colour the same as the nose cone, spacers on the indicators could look quite good.

Then again.

i made a real bodge of mine just for the re-test,got me through though.
Rescued attachment MK Indy build pics 168.jpg

We made some aluminium extensions to extend the indicators to within 400mm. Our intention always was to leave them on after SVA.

See Aprils build diary.

Mine are upto the 400mm dimension, but I think I may fall foul of the viewing angle part of the regulations. What do you think?
Rescued attachment Viewing Angle.jpg

Im not sure what the angles are, but you may do due to how far back they are....they may disappear behind the nose cone too early when trying to view the right indicator from the left side and visa versa...(if that makes sense).

David

I may have to use some plastic pipe to extend the indicators forward to get the 45° angle over the nosecone and the 80° is VERY borderline
Rescued attachment Viewing Angle Diagram.jpg

Can you use the small micro indictors as long as they are E marked and say road leagal on the box. Just got some from Halfords very small indeed.
Rescued attachment moval_type.jpg

Road legal for bikes!

I used bike indicators, and they're nice and bright. The SVA man didn't check for e-marks once he'd seen them in operation.

They will have to be extended to meet the 400mm rule.

David

Thanks for that, i can just about see now, tried them out just now. Boy are they bright.

the halfords ones have an m10 fine thread in the end though, which makes them a pain to extend.

at the mo, i'm using wickes plastic water pipe,(white outer with a blue bit in the middle) with an M12 thread tapped in one end, then the indicator thread wrapped in insulation tape pushed into the pipe. in final guise, they don't pull out easily and look solidly fixed.

(not quite finished yet)
hth
tom
Rescued attachment indycator.jpg

They look long those mate. Do they need to be that long. Was going to do mine +100mm

they do look long, they just have to be a min. of 400mm from the outermost part of the vehicle.

of course, if your indicator is sited on top of your front cycle wing then you've got no problem + you don't need a tell tale in the cockpit.

(no i'm not doing that, just remember reading that if you can see the indicator you don't need the tell tale)

they are a bit longer than required, but only by about 15mm, so that the middle of the lamp is on the 400mm line, so there can be no question.

try this wider shot (front tyre is 205 and is a bit less than sierra rear track, and before you tell me, i know it's on the wrong side)
tom

[Edited on 17/3/05 by indykid]
Rescued attachment wide indicators.jpg

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mark Allanson
Mine are upto the 400mm dimension, but I think I may fall foul of the viewing angle part of the regulations. What do you think?

---

Tom,

I'd be worried that someone would walk into those long stalks and break the nose GRP - I used long-stalk bike indicators that only needed about 35-40mm extensions. The indicators were the bendy type, as well. I made some metal extensions that went inside the plastic, with 10mm fine thread male at one end, female on the other, so the fixings were OK for the time when the extenders mysteriously fell off...

David

[Edited on 18/3/05 by David Jenkins]

Must agree - those extensions look too long. It's will be all too easy to stress the extension/'cator cracking the nose! But if that's what they need to be then...

don't worry, they won't stay long, but i don't want a retest purely because my indicators were borderline.

the m12 bolts are about 40/45mm long anyway, so they are well supported at the base.

tom

Are side repeaters mandatory ?

Indykid, is your nosecone hinged? Just looking at fitting mine at the moment and looks a nice solution?

Mike

mine's hinged, simple pair on the front bottom, sits just about flat on the road when you drop it forward. its a good easy solution.