whether the maximum engine displacement allowed for bikes should be increased to 125 cubic capacity (cc).

The question has come up because importers are finding it difficult to find 100 cc bikes on the international market.

When asked what he thought of the issue, manager of World Distributors Ltd.

Briden Matcham, said he would prefer not to give his opinion until after a meeting next week with other retailers.

He said: "We are trying to get together and sit down as a unified body so we can come up with proposals of where we want to take the industry in the future.'' Mr. Matcham said the issue of maximum engine displacement was a catalysing agent in the calling of the meeting, but was of the opinion that "it would have had to happen sooner or later anyway''.

Because of the shortage of 100 cc cycles, distributors are being forced to bring in 125 cc and 115 cc bikes and convert them to 100 cc -- an expensive process that the customer pays for.

At the same time, people are allegedly buying 125 cc kits and changing the bikes back to their manufactured engine size. There is no legislation in place to prevent the importation and sale of these kits.

Transport Minister Ewart Brown last night said the Cycle and Private Car Committee at the Transport Control Department and the Ministry's Technical Advisory Panel were looking into the issue and if it recommended the ban to him, he would "take it to the next level -- which is Cabinet''.

"Cycles are involved in most of our fatal accidents, but neither can you simply blame the cycles,'' Dr. Brown added. "This is early stages, though.'' TCD director Donald Dane said he would prefer not to give an official standpoint without first conferring with Government.

But a representative of Wheels Ltd. said: "I don't see why everyone's not allowed to bring a kit in anyway. People use them more for power which is not necessarily the same thing as speed.''