Motorcycles below 125cc could be fitted with mandatory ABS or combined braking systems, under regulations being pushed through by the European Union.

The regulation change, which it is claimed is designed to “enhance safety across all motorcycle classes”, would see motorised two-wheelers with a displacement in excess of 50cc fitted with either an antilock braking system or a combined braking system – a system which links the front and rear brakes mechanically, so that both wheels are always decelerated during braking but doesn’t, in itself, prevent the wheels from locking.

In November last year, the EU voted in favour of mandatory ABS for new motorcycles with a displacement greater than 125cc, to apply to all new models from 2016. Early draft legislation that would have seen that apply to motorcycles below 125cc was rejected after manufacturers highlighted the proportionate cost of fitting ABS to cheaper models.

However, following ratification by the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers, the regulation relating to bikes of 50cc and upwards has now been published in the EU Official Journal and thus officially come into force.