Developing a Mobile System to Check Motorcycle Roadworthiness

The Korea Transportation Safety Authority and Luxdata Co., Ltd. developed the mobile motorcycle inspection system in 2018. The system was developed to facilitate the safety inspection of motorcycles in inaccessible areas, such as islands or remote mountainous regions. Even in densely populated areas, when there is a high demand for inspection, the mobile system can be deployed, reducing the waiting time of motorcycle users.

For easy transport, the mobile motorcycle inspection system was primarily designed and built to be loaded on a truck and brought to another location. In particular, it is equipped with four outriggers that can be raised or lowered at the same time, which is convenient when loading or unloading the equipment.

The mobile motorcycle inspection system can easily be loaded and unloaded using its outriggers. Photo credit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology.

The mobile equipment may be loaded on a truck and transferred to different locations. Photo credit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology.

It is also smaller compared to the regular inspection facility. The mobile motorcycle inspection system was designed based on the size of a container box and measures 9,000 mm (length) × 3,000 mm (width) × 2,591mm (height). On the other hand, the dimensions of a regular motorcycle inspection facility built in a specific location are 11,800 mm (length) × 6,000 mm (width) × 5,000 mm (height).

In 2021, the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology upgraded the performance of the mobile inspection system’s speedometer tester and braking force tester in collaboration with Luxdata.

At present, the regular inspection of motorcycles in the country involves only a visual examination of the vehicle’s exterior and checking for exhaust gas and noise levels. However, from 2023, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is set to implement a more stringent safety inspection process that will cover the vehicle’s instruments, such as speedometer, brakes, and headlight. The new process is expected to result in reduced motorcycle-related accidents and pollution.

The project to upgrade the mobile inspection system also intends to localize and commercialize the technology and export it to Southeast Asia, starting with Viet Nam, where there is anticipated demand for mobile inspection. Localization involves preparing a legal system for motorcycle inspection in cooperation with the Viet Nam National Traffic Safety Committee and simultaneously exporting equipment and systems for implementation in country. There is a high possibility of localization in Viet Nam as in other Southeast Asian countries, such as Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, that have effective strategies for exporting legal systems and technologies at the same time. Meanwhile, commercialization is seen to translate to almost KRW 20 billion (about $16.3 million) in import substitution and create a market in Southeast Asia of more than KRW 10 billion (about $8.1 million) per year.

Currently, the language used in the program menu of the mobile motorcycle inspection system is Korean. However, it can be changed to the local language, such as English or Vietnamese. It can further be customized according to a country’s requirements as it was built with on an open-source operating system and technologies that support web applications.

While the mobile equipment was built with the maximum user convenience in mind, it requires basic knowledge of the motorcycle structure and principles of operating inspection systems.

A prototype of the upgraded mobile motorcycle inspection equipment was installed within the premises of the Korea Transportation Safety Authority.

Figure 1: Conceptual Diagram

Photo taken on 25 November 2021 at Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do.
Source: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology.

Its features include the following:

1. Intelligent integrated controller as part of the core element technology.
   

   

2. Improved speedometer tester — The height of the clamp arm of the fixture has been lowered to 60 millimeters from 80 millimeters to enable the inspection of all types of motorcycles, even those with the lowest ground clearance.
   

   

3. Improved braking force tester — For better accuracy in evaluating the efficiency of the vehicle’s braking system, the rollers of the tester have a rotational speed of 5.6 kilometers per hour.
   

   

4. Web-based motorcycle inspection management system — A web-based system can process and store data for more efficient inspection and accessibility. It includes a main screen, 10 menus (e. g., inspection reception, inspection result inquiry, and vehicle management).
   

   Figure 2: Data Processing and Storage 

   

   Source: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology.

5. Inspection operation program — The program covers each step of the inspection process, such as inspection of braking force, speedometer, and headlight system.
   

   Figure 3: Step-by-Step Inspection Process

   

   Source: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology.

This project is expected to result in the following:

• Enable local production and distribution of inspection equipment at lower cost;
• Generate new businesses for small, medium-sized, and large enterprises involved in the manufacture and sales of inspection equipment;
• Create new jobs;
• Improve national competitiveness;
• Result in import substitution;
• Diffuse motorcycle inspection systems and equipment to other areas, including Southeast Asia;
• Provide opportunities for overseas expansion through public–private partnerships; and
• Reduce accidents and improve air quality.

The mobile motorcycle inspection system has been proposed for implementation in Viet Nam. Test equipment has not yet been built due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, but discussions are still ongoing with government agencies, such as the Viet Nam’s National Traffic Safety Committee.

^[1] MotorCyclesData Team. 2021. South Korea 2021. Motorcycles Market New Age Confirmed by Strong Demand. MotorCyclesData.

^[2] World Health Organization. Global Status Report on Road Safety. Geneva (2015 and 2018) as cited in Asian Development Bank. 2020. Growth of Motorcycle Use in Metro Manila: Impact on Road Safety. Manila.

Asian Development Bank. 2020. Growth of Motorcycle Use in Metro Manila: Impact on Road Safety. Manila.

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, The Ministry of Transportation. MOT Inspection Manual: Motorcycles. United Kingdom.

Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology 2021. Motorcycle Inspection Equipment Upgrade and Commercialization Technology Development for Overseas Technology Localization, Final Report.

Korea Transportation and Safety Authority website.

Luxdata Co. Ltd. Product details.

MotorCyclesData Team. 2021. South Korea 2021. Motorcycles Market New Age Confirmed by Strong Demand. MotorCyclesData.

World Health Organization. 2015. Global Status Report on Road Safety. Geneva.

World Health Organization. 2018. Global Status Report on Road Safety. Geneva.