I'm A Terrorist (Apparently)
 

So the story is simple, I needed a new battery for a SV post haste for a MOT, a quick look on eBay showed plenty available around the £30 mark, but none offering "click and collect" as this suits my lifestyle. So I pop into my local garage on Friday and ask them to get me an el cheapo battery, and for £40 they will. Sorted. It should be in sometime on Tuesday but as they don't know when exactly we agree that I'll collect Wednesday and do the MOT Thursday.

Wednesday comes and I turn up at the garage. Slight problem I'm told. Miscommunication. The battery has arrived but has not been charged. No problem for me, I'll take it home charge it overnight and come in for the MOT as planned. And here is where we hit the problem.

As its a lead acid battery the acid is supplied separately and because of a change in the law that I'd not known about I cannot be sold the battery with the acid pack separate. This was news to me.

Now don't get me wrong I've nothing against the garage for this, it was a simple mistake and their hands were tied. I came back the next day picked up the charged battery and on the Friday took the bike in for it MOT which it passed.

But this law change sounded strange to me, so I googled it and the first result was this MCN article. The summary being to stop terrorist's the general public are not allowed to be sold dry batteries as the acid in the pack can be used in the making of explosives. Now I'm not going to point out the obvious around the fact there are far easier ways to acquire said acid and even if you were to resort to the fairly small quantities that are in a battery there is nothing to stop you from drilling a small hole in the casing and simply and pouring it out, but how does this make me a terrorist?

Well as part of this law change anyone with a dry battery and acid pack must have filled the battery with the acid before the law change came into play in November 2018 and I currently have an unfilled battery ready for the YSR as the bike is not ready for the battery yet. Therefore I can only apologise for this heinous act of terrorism. What should be my penance?

Re: I'm A Terrorist (Apparently)
 

Bloody hell, I'd better stock up on Harpic Max Power before they ban the sale of that ...

Re: I'm A Terrorist (Apparently)
 

I thought this was going to be an X-Factor reference

I bought a battery from the good burghers at MDS recently, and IIRC it arrived in the post with the acid already added, which seemed odd to me as previously the pack was in the box and you just whacked it in yourself.

Re: I'm A Terrorist (Apparently)
 

More information on sulphuric acid from the battery store - apparently Sulphuric acid is no longer a battery electrolyte - it is 'an explosives precursor' ----

So to sell batteries now you need an explosives licence ??

https://batterystore.co.uk/important...bike-batteries

Well I thought it was illegal to ship a battery filled with acid through the post ? At least the separate packs will not leak.

Re: I'm A Terrorist (Apparently)
 

There can be but one explanation: Westminster has gone completely insane.

Re: I'm A Terrorist (Apparently)
 

You can use it to make TNT but as anyone searching the internet would quickly find, ammonium nitrate is much cheaper and easier to make or come by.

Re: I'm A Terrorist (Apparently)
 

Have you got your one legged stool ready?

Re: I'm A Terrorist (Apparently)
 

I've got a chemistry degree and would have no trouble making things go bang without using a drop of battery acid.

So, how long until having a chemistry degree will be a terrorist offense??


P.S. You can still buy dilute (less than 15%) sulphuric acid and it's not hard to convert it to 95%

Re: I'm A Terrorist (Apparently)
 

I would be more concerned about certain groups getting hold of battery acid to spray onto people as their way to settle 'honour' ( marring outside your religion or not marrying the person 'selected' for you ) than getting enough to make bombs. If a dedicated terrorist group wanted the stuff in any quantity they would get it anyway, as usual a knee-jerk reaction from government that is supposed to stop something seems to affect normal honest people the most....

Re: I'm A Terrorist (Apparently)
 

You mean like handguns?