AN elderly motorcycle ridden by teenager Matthew Easey and his pillion passenger was described as junk in court this week. And in fact, the Kawasaki ZX400 was in such a poor state, that Easey admitted dangerous driving. Ely magistrates were told that th

AN elderly motorcycle ridden by teenager Matthew Easey and his pillion passenger was described as "junk" in court this week.

And in fact, the Kawasaki ZX400 was in such a poor state, that Easey admitted dangerous driving.

Ely magistrates were told that the machine's faults included:

# An inoperative front brake

# An exhaust clearly marked 'not for road use'

# A drive chain that was excessively tight and poorly lubricated, and could have broken and locked the rear wheel, causing loss of control

# An unaligned wheel

# It's offside mirror was insecure

# The tyres were unsuitable

# It's front tyre was under inflated

# The front offside indicator lens was smashed

Prosecuting, Yetunde Fawehinmi, said Easey, 19, of Ely Road, Little Thetford, was stopped by police at Angel Drove in Ely on January 2 because of the manner and speed of his driving. Officers also noticed the machine's brake lights were not working. The machine was not displaying L-plates and Easey had a passenger.

"It was in a dangerous condition," said Mrs Fawehinmi, handing a set of photographs of the motorbike into the court.

Easy told the court he had no driving licence for the motorbike, "I had just got it really," he explained.

Court clerk Jeremy Moss told Easey that he had dealt with two fatal accidents involving motorcycles in the past six weeks.

"What were you doing on a bike in that condition?" he asked. "That bike is junk. The magistrates will probably want you to take a responsible driver's course"

Easey was given an interim driving ban and sentencing was adjourned until June 21.