Portugal and use of bike racks

[Gazman]

Does anybody have experience of transporting bikes on a rear mounted carrier in Portugal? What I've seen so far is that there is a 450mm overhang restriction for carriers mounted off the rear of a CAR but no reference made to transporting a bike on the back of a VAN or motorhome.
Can anybody clarify the requirements for carrying a bike on the back of a Cali van please?

 

[Adam8374]

I don't know how about yours, but my Cali is registered as a normal passanger car (registered in EU)

 

[Souter]

I have a Cali Coast, french registered as a “Caravanne”.
RE: Bike rack in Portugal. We carried 2 bikes on a UEBLER 2 Bike rack measuring 560mm off towball with no problems in 2023 on the back of our previous camper - a Fiat Ducato. That doesn’t mean to say it was “legal” but didn’t know such a law existed.
Make sure you have the warning board fixed to the bikes.

 

[Gazman]

I have a Cali Coast, french registered as a “Caravanne”.
RE: Bike rack in Portugal. We carried 2 bikes on a UEBLER 2 Bike rack measuring 560mm off towball with no problems in 2023 on the back of our previous camper - a Fiat Ducato. That doesn’t mean to say it was “legal” but didn’t know such a law existed.
Make sure you have the warning board fixed to the bikes.

Thanks, it does appear to be a bit of a grey area for van's. You may have just 'got away' with it or it might've been perfectly fine?? Per Adam's message above, Cali's are PLG class vehicles just to muddy the waters further...
Thanks for getting back to me.

 

[Gazman]

I don't know how about yours, but my Cali is registered as a normal passanger car (registered in EU)

Yes mine too.

 

[Beeechke1]

We traveled around Spain & Portugal last year with two road bikes on a toe bar mounted bike rack without any problems or any interest being shown. I dont know the exact overhang but a lot more than 450mm. Judging by the large number of motorhomes and campervans doing similar I cant imagine anyone is having problems.

 

[Habokjes]

Been there last summer and almost everybody uses these signs. So Yes, a reflective marking sign is mandatory in Portugal when transporting bicycles on the back of the motorhome. The board must be white with three red diagonal stripes (type P2, 50×50 Cm). This also applies if the carrier is folded or empty.

Important rules Portugal:

Marking board: The sign must be clearly visible. If the bikes are as wide as the motorhome, two signs are often mandatory (with stripes that form an inverted V).

Protruding: Load should not protrude from the sides of the motorhome.

Lighting/license plate: Lighting and the license plate may not be covered.

Type of sign: The sign for Spain is allowed, but please note that the sign meets the Portuguese requirements (reflecting)

 

[Souter]

Thanks, it does appear to be a bit of a grey area for van's. You may have just 'got away' with it or it might've been perfectly fine?? Per Adam's message above, Cali's are PLG class vehicles just to muddy the waters further...
Thanks for getting back to me.

As somebody else has quoted, if there was an issue with size of overhang then there wouldn’t be the multitude of campervans from all over Europe carrying 2, 3 or 4 bikes on the tow hook, plus you see vans with scooters on racks which are well more than 450mm overhang. Reckon the Portuguese Police realise the amount of paperwork needed would be non-too productive in their crime fighting

 

[Adam8374]

Similarly with the white-red reflective sign.
I travel with my bike in itally/france/spain on daily basis. I've read everywhere that the sign is mandatory. So I did purchase the proper (metal) version.
But it's a hassle to put it on and off. Plus it might scratch the bike. So I just carried the sign inside the car under carpet. It takes zero space and in case of police check, I could just mount it. Even after a fine - better then the hassle with un/mounting it daily.

But I've NEVER received any attention from the police during those years. I ended up forgetting about the sign when I sold my past car and purchased current Cali. I've been hapilly traveling without it since then...

 

[Betsycalifornia]

Similarly with the white-red reflective sign.
I travel with my bike in itally/france/spain on daily basis. I've read everywhere that the sign is mandatory. So I did purchase the proper (metal) version.
But it's a hassle to put it on and off. Plus it might scratch the bike. So I just carried the sign inside the car under carpet. It takes zero space and in case of police check, I could just mount it. Even after a fine - better then the hassle with un/mounting it daily.

But I've NEVER received any attention from the police during those years. I ended up forgetting about the sign when I sold my past car and purchased current Cali. I've been hapilly traveling without it since then...

Same for me. I’ve still got the sign but it’s under the bed. 3 years without using it.

 

[Gazman]

Thank you for the feedback everybody. Much appreciated.