[Article] James May faces wrath of UK court over his uninsured classic motorcycle 🏍️

Posted by FlipStig1@reddit | thegrandtour | View on Reddit | 54 comments

It’s quite rare to see someone like James May face the wrath of the law, but it recently happened to him. He decided to take a bicycle to court and settled the matter there. Here’s a preview of what went down:

“The 63-year-old presenter appeared at a South London magistrates’ court after being charged with failing to insure his vintage Suzuki GT750 motorcycle, a detail that cuts straight to the heart of what it means to legally own and operate a vehicle.

“In a scene that felt almost ironic, May arrived at court not in a classic car or on a motorcycle, but on a bicycle. Dressed casually and appearing relaxed, he secured his bike outside before heading in, showing little sign of concern despite the legal stakes. Within less than an hour, he was gone.”

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AtlasFox64@reddit

Was he caught driving his motorbike with no insurance, or is this a case of him "using" the vehicle by having it parked on a public road with no insurance? It doesn't say unless I missed it

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hillbert_blades@reddit

I thought there was a rule/caveat about if you’re rich enough to reasonably pay any damages you don’t need insurance.

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Suspicious_Flower_0@reddit

There is, but you also need to give a sizeable deposit. Like 200k or something silly

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lankyno8@reddit

It's in the millions nowadays I think

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Peterd1900@reddit

It used to be possible for individuals to self-insure by depositing £500K with courts.

It was abolished in 2019 so there is no option to self insure any more

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ShampooandCondition@reddit

That’s pocket change for May let’s be honest.

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Peterd1900@reddit

It used to be possible for individuals to self-insure by depositing £500K with courts.

It was abolished in 2019 so there is no option to self insure any more

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Overall_Gap_5766@reddit

Used to be. Not any more.

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GrynaiTaip@reddit

No, that's not true.

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PracticalFootball@reddit

Self insuring is a thing but I’m pretty sure there’s still a process in place, you can’t just do nothing and use the rich defence in court.

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Technical_Driver_@reddit

Crikey. It's the insurance rozzers.

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7layerDipswitch@reddit

Hello.
I'd like to insure my water buffalo.

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iWaterBuffalo@reddit

You can’t insure me!

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Megalynarion@reddit

Did he begin his opening statement to the court with, “Hello viewers….”

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HussingtonHat@reddit

mild slam

Cheese.

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milkmypepperoni@reddit

With this Lurpak spreadable butter, invented in 1901 and, wait for it.. opens cupboard a government-issued bread

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yolo_snail@reddit

How much of that Lurpak spreadable butter, invented in 1901, do I need, and where would I place it in the sandwich?

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H_K-R@reddit

“As you can see, I’ve not done this properly, and I’m very sorry…”

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Megalynarion@reddit

“I have taken out an insurance policy under the name “Bim”

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olieboll@reddit

Guess what?

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ConnorK12@reddit

You have to start with ‘Hello’ !

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WySLatestWit@reddit

"Lucy Brown decided to see what would happen If I spoke to a magistrate clerk. Don't Like, Don't Subscribe."

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WySLatestWit@reddit

It's James May. I assume he did this properly and he paid to make the problem go away.

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kh250b1@reddit

You cant pay in a UK motoring charge for it to go away. If you are guilty you get points and a fine.

There is no buy out loophole.

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Biffabin@reddit

I expect what he actually did was not SORN it when it wasn't insured which is a slightly different no insurance offence and is dealt with by way of a penalty notice.

There's always a buy out though if you've got a good enough solicitor and money to spend.

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WySLatestWit@reddit

Apparently you can, based on this story, or do you think he didn't pay any fines and purchase the insurance and they simply dropped the case for no reason?

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GrynaiTaip@reddit

Americans must be so confused.

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bigdukesix@reddit

he paid to make the problem go away

Yeah. It's called paying a fine.

GOV.UK and related official guidance describe a process where an uninsured keeper may first get an advisory letter, then a £100 fixed penalty, and only later face prosecution if it is not resolved.

The article seems to be trying very hard to make it sound like a celebrity privilege, but it seems like anyone in the same situation would likely have a similar outcome, regardless of celebrity status

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nukrag@reddit

Which is fair play. I doubt he, out of all people, did this on purpose. And the court will know too.

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WySLatestWit@reddit

yeah, I even edited my comment to go a little further. Any of us with James' bank account would just do the same thing. Get caught; "well who do I have to pay then?"

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JoeSicko@reddit

Unless it's the town council

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grubas@reddit

First he asked them about his TV, then he asked who he had to pay.

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WySLatestWit@reddit

They got him out of the building in an hour or less because he started asking if anybody needed anything sharpened.

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universalserialbutt@reddit

"Lucy Brown was in charge of insuring that motorcycle"

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shewy92@reddit

showing little sign of concern despite the legal stakes

I mean, how much trouble was he really in?

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Amazing-Disaster-751@reddit

It’s always the “wrath of uk courts” when a motoring offence or unpaid tax.. but the same courts become pathetically meek for things like CSA

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Drunkgummybear1@reddit

I mean, the “wrath” of the court here is going to be a fine and a couple of points.

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podun@reddit

*James comes in

"Hello."

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Overall_Gap_5766@reddit

The V5 for my motorcycle clearly says "bicycle" therefore either I don't need to insure it or everyone with an unpowered one does need to.

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Garbanzififcation@reddit

At the risk of going all May on this...my guess (and it is a complete guess) would be that he SORNed the bike via post.

Classic bike and car enthusiasts have been trying to get the DVLA in front of a magistrate for years because they behave like bellends.

The Interpretation Act 1978 states that proof of postage is proof of notice.

The DVLA however refuses to acknowledge the actual law. So they sometimes claim they never received the notice and that the onus is on the owner. This is untrue.

If someone could establish some case law then it might change the way the DVLA behave.

But they always cave at the last minute. Which is maybe what happened. Wave the proof of postage. Quote the statute. Say 'lets see what the mag says eh'. And they bottle it.

Just a guess, as I say. But fairly May.

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coffeeandtrout@reddit

“A Pattern of Pushing Boundaries?

This isn’t May’s first brush with vehicle-related legal gray areas. In 2022, he openly admitted to using an electric scooter illegally on public roads, despite rules restricting such devices to private land. He acknowledged ignoring those regulations due to practical limitations, highlighting a common frustration among users.”

Maniac!

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Anyway.

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CC78AMG@reddit

James May is always living on the edge!

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pahusejjukjskoe@reddit

James: Oh cock.