Registering a bike for the road.
Discussion
Im toying with the Idea of a winter bike, and I quite fancy a Trials Bike. probably a late 80's early 90s bike as they still had seats then !!! I'd really like a montessa but they seem a bit thin on the ground.. plenty of new ones but they are a bit pricey !! and no seat again..
Road registered bikes are also fairly rare, but they do exist... Plenty more un registered bikes around though so whats involved in buying an old trials bike and registering it, and what are the differences in registering one for full or daytime use only ?
Cheers
Graham
Road registered bikes are also fairly rare, but they do exist... Plenty more un registered bikes around though so whats involved in buying an old trials bike and registering it, and what are the differences in registering one for full or daytime use only ?
Cheers
Graham
You need to get form V55/5 from the DVLA, "Application for first registration of a used vehicle"
Fill in the form in accordance with the guide that comes with the form
Under "Type Approval" you must list the bike as "EXEMPT" then on the back of the form (don;t forget to fill that bit in) you give the reason. Exemptions from type approval (basically an extremely detailed MOT that's a b
h to pass) include one for trials bikes, which yours should meet - my experience is with enduros but it's probably a seat height restriction
If the bike is less than three years old it doesn't require an MOT for registration - if it is more than three years old the normal MOT standards an procedures apply and you will need an MOT certificate to register the bike
You have to pay for your first year's VED (road tax) at the same time as applying, which is a pain as it means the bike has to be insurerd at a minimum 3rd Party Liability - you do this by phoning the insurer and giving them the VIN (chassis number) of the bike - they will allow a certain period of insurance (usually two weeks) until they need to get a VRM (reg numbger) from you, so MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS LAST!!!
One other form you might need is VAT414 to declare that VAT has been paid on the bike when it was first sold in the EU, fill it out with the name of previous owner, your name and sign the declaration, dead easy - if you have an original receipt you might not need this form
Once you have all the paperwork, write a cheque for the first registration fee and first year's VED and post it or pop along to your local DVLA office, you might get your reg number and tax disc while you wait, or you might get it in a few days by post, they might ask to inspect the bike to check conformity to the Type Approval exemption or they might find something wrong in the paperwork. Avoid going at the end of the month when there's lots of new registrations and DEFINATELY avoid going around the time a new plate comes out (09/59 etc)
That's about it, it's a bit of a chore with all the paperwork but once your bike is on the road it's all worthwhile - this is my KTM race bike i converted for road use and did all the mechanicals and paperwork myself - great fun

Fill in the form in accordance with the guide that comes with the form
Under "Type Approval" you must list the bike as "EXEMPT" then on the back of the form (don;t forget to fill that bit in) you give the reason. Exemptions from type approval (basically an extremely detailed MOT that's a b
h to pass) include one for trials bikes, which yours should meet - my experience is with enduros but it's probably a seat height restrictionIf the bike is less than three years old it doesn't require an MOT for registration - if it is more than three years old the normal MOT standards an procedures apply and you will need an MOT certificate to register the bike
You have to pay for your first year's VED (road tax) at the same time as applying, which is a pain as it means the bike has to be insurerd at a minimum 3rd Party Liability - you do this by phoning the insurer and giving them the VIN (chassis number) of the bike - they will allow a certain period of insurance (usually two weeks) until they need to get a VRM (reg numbger) from you, so MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS LAST!!!
One other form you might need is VAT414 to declare that VAT has been paid on the bike when it was first sold in the EU, fill it out with the name of previous owner, your name and sign the declaration, dead easy - if you have an original receipt you might not need this form
Once you have all the paperwork, write a cheque for the first registration fee and first year's VED and post it or pop along to your local DVLA office, you might get your reg number and tax disc while you wait, or you might get it in a few days by post, they might ask to inspect the bike to check conformity to the Type Approval exemption or they might find something wrong in the paperwork. Avoid going at the end of the month when there's lots of new registrations and DEFINATELY avoid going around the time a new plate comes out (09/59 etc)
That's about it, it's a bit of a chore with all the paperwork but once your bike is on the road it's all worthwhile - this is my KTM race bike i converted for road use and did all the mechanicals and paperwork myself - great fun


Edited by the_lone_wolf on Wednesday 5th November 09:30
Edited by the_lone_wolf on Wednesday 5th November 09:31
For a full MOT the bike will need rear running light and brake light operated by both controls as well as a headlamp with dipped and full beam
If you have no rear running light you can have a brake light without a headlamp
Or you can have no lights at all
If you don't have running lights you will get an advisory on the MOT cert about not riding at night (a "daytime" MOT)
Motorcycles "Designed to be used primarily off road, by reasons of their wheels or suspension" and "designed to carry only the rider" are exempt from requiring mirrors or indicators
If you have no rear running light you can have a brake light without a headlamp
Or you can have no lights at all
If you don't have running lights you will get an advisory on the MOT cert about not riding at night (a "daytime" MOT)
Motorcycles "Designed to be used primarily off road, by reasons of their wheels or suspension" and "designed to carry only the rider" are exempt from requiring mirrors or indicators
the_lone_wolf said:
You need to get form V55/5 from the DVLA, "Application for first registration of a used vehicle"
Fill in the form in accordance with the guide that comes with the form
Under "Type Approval" you must list the bike as "EXEMPT" then on the back of the form (don;t forget to fill that bit in) you give the reason. Exemptions from type approval (basically an extremely detailed MOT that's a b
h to pass) include one for trials bikes, which yours should meet - my experience is with enduros but it's probably a seat height restriction
If the bike is less than three years old it doesn't require an MOT for registration - if it is more than three years old the normal MOT standards an procedures apply and you will need an MOT certificate to register the bike
You have to pay for your first year's VED (road tax) at the same time as applying, which is a pain as it means the bike has to be insurerd at a minimum 3rd Party Liability - you do this by phoning the insurer and giving them the VIN (chassis number) of the bike - they will allow a certain period of insurance (usually two weeks) until they need to get a VRM (reg numbger) from you, so MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS LAST!!!
One other form you might need is VAT414 to declare that VAT has been paid on the bike when it was first sold in the EU, fill it out with the name of previous owner, your name and sign the declaration, dead easy - if you have an original receipt you might not need this form
Once you have all the paperwork, write a cheque for the first registration fee and first year's VED and post it or pop along to your local DVLA office, you might get your reg number and tax disc while you wait, or you might get it in a few days by post, they might ask to inspect the bike to check conformity to the Type Approval exemption or they might find something wrong in the paperwork. Avoid going at the end of the month when there's lots of new registrations and DEFINATELY avoid going around the time a new plate comes out (09/59 etc)
That's about it, it's a bit of a chore with all the paperwork but once your bike is on the road it's all worthwhile - this is my KTM race bike i converted for road use and did all the mechanicals and paperwork myself - great fun

we need more people like you on this forum that was spot on, im intrested in making my YZ450 road legal Fill in the form in accordance with the guide that comes with the form
Under "Type Approval" you must list the bike as "EXEMPT" then on the back of the form (don;t forget to fill that bit in) you give the reason. Exemptions from type approval (basically an extremely detailed MOT that's a b
h to pass) include one for trials bikes, which yours should meet - my experience is with enduros but it's probably a seat height restrictionIf the bike is less than three years old it doesn't require an MOT for registration - if it is more than three years old the normal MOT standards an procedures apply and you will need an MOT certificate to register the bike
You have to pay for your first year's VED (road tax) at the same time as applying, which is a pain as it means the bike has to be insurerd at a minimum 3rd Party Liability - you do this by phoning the insurer and giving them the VIN (chassis number) of the bike - they will allow a certain period of insurance (usually two weeks) until they need to get a VRM (reg numbger) from you, so MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS LAST!!!
One other form you might need is VAT414 to declare that VAT has been paid on the bike when it was first sold in the EU, fill it out with the name of previous owner, your name and sign the declaration, dead easy - if you have an original receipt you might not need this form
Once you have all the paperwork, write a cheque for the first registration fee and first year's VED and post it or pop along to your local DVLA office, you might get your reg number and tax disc while you wait, or you might get it in a few days by post, they might ask to inspect the bike to check conformity to the Type Approval exemption or they might find something wrong in the paperwork. Avoid going at the end of the month when there's lots of new registrations and DEFINATELY avoid going around the time a new plate comes out (09/59 etc)
That's about it, it's a bit of a chore with all the paperwork but once your bike is on the road it's all worthwhile - this is my KTM race bike i converted for road use and did all the mechanicals and paperwork myself - great fun


Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 5th November 09:30
Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 5th November 09:31
couldnt find a detailed explanation like this on the dvla web site 
kevr6 said:
we need more people like you on this forum that was spot on, im intrested in making my YZ450 road legal
couldnt find a detailed explanation like this on the dvla web site 
the guys on the UK KTM forum were immensely helpful when i did mine, and i couldn't have done it without them, my post was basically a summation of my experience when i did mine
couldnt find a detailed explanation like this on the dvla web site 
for your YZ450 you'll need to list the reason for exemption as "ENDURO" which is defined by the DVLA as having:
- A seat height of over 900mm and
- Ground clearance of over 310mm
OOPS...
One thing i forgot to mention was age related plates...
If you want an age related plate (05/55/56 etc) you will need to submit proof of the vehicle's age, usually a certificate from the manufacturer, KTM will send them out for free which is nice of them but i think Honda et al charge a fee - the certificate will give the frame number, the original engine number of the engine the bike came out of the factory with and the date of manufacture, which is the date the DVLA will use for determining the age of the bike, mine was manufatured in Sept 2006 so i got a 56 plate, even though it registered in in June 2008
If you can't provide proof of the vehicle's age the DVLA will take the date of registration as the age - so you'll get a 58 plate, nice but a bit naff on an older bike
One thing i forgot to mention was age related plates...
If you want an age related plate (05/55/56 etc) you will need to submit proof of the vehicle's age, usually a certificate from the manufacturer, KTM will send them out for free which is nice of them but i think Honda et al charge a fee - the certificate will give the frame number, the original engine number of the engine the bike came out of the factory with and the date of manufacture, which is the date the DVLA will use for determining the age of the bike, mine was manufatured in Sept 2006 so i got a 56 plate, even though it registered in in June 2008
If you can't provide proof of the vehicle's age the DVLA will take the date of registration as the age - so you'll get a 58 plate, nice but a bit naff on an older bike
the_lone_wolf said:
kevr6 said:
we need more people like you on this forum that was spot on, im intrested in making my YZ450 road legal
couldnt find a detailed explanation like this on the dvla web site 
the guys on the UK KTM forum were immensely helpful when i did mine, and i couldn't have done it without them, my post was basically a summation of my experience when i did mine
couldnt find a detailed explanation like this on the dvla web site 
for your YZ450 you'll need to list the reason for exemption as "ENDURO" which is defined by the DVLA as having:
- A seat height of over 900mm and
- Ground clearance of over 310mm
I have had 3 WR450's before but they were all registered when i purchased them. cheers kev
kevr6 said:
If it is an 07 and therefor does not need an MOT until 2010, will i not need to have it inspected for 'roadworthiness' before i put it on the road?
nope...when i registered mine it still had slick racing tyres and no lights on it at all, this is what it looked like the day i got my VRM and tax disc in the post from the DVLA:

it was only after i'd got them that i started pumping money into the bike to make it road legal
the DVLA inspection is ONLY to check that the bike meets the requirements of enduro exemption, it's not an MOT and it's not a road-worthiness check
however if the police see or catch you on non-road-legal tyres etc they can make life very difficult. My bike is *almost* MOT legal, the rear brake pedal doesn't have a switch to activate th brake light but considering i never use it anywhere except tiny country lanes where the front brake is always used it doesn't make a difference to safety, i'll install the pressure switch and bleed the hose over the winter, that and the exhaust is louder than two 1098Rs with termis and shoots blue flames on the overun - eek! - might have to baffle it and find a deaf MOT tester...
the_lone_wolf said:
kevr6 said:
If it is an 07 and therefor does not need an MOT until 2010, will i not need to have it inspected for 'roadworthiness' before i put it on the road?
nope...when i registered mine it still had slick racing tyres and no lights on it at all, this is what it looked like the day i got my VRM and tax disc in the post from the DVLA:
it was only after i'd got them that i started pumping money into the bike to make it road legal
the DVLA inspection is ONLY to check that the bike meets the requirements of enduro exemption, it's not an MOT and it's not a road-worthiness check
however if the police see or catch you on non-road-legal tyres etc they can make life very difficult. My bike is *almost* MOT legal, the rear brake pedal doesn't have a switch to activate th brake light but considering i never use it anywhere except tiny country lanes where the front brake is always used it doesn't make a difference to safety, i'll install the pressure switch and bleed the hose over the winter, that and the exhaust is louder than two 1098Rs with termis and shoots blue flames on the overun - eek! - might have to baffle it and find a deaf MOT tester...
Thanks for your help

the_lone_wolf said:
You need to get form V55/5 from the DVLA, "Application for first registration of a used vehicle"
Fill in the form in accordance with the guide that comes with the form
Under "Type Approval" you must list the bike as "EXEMPT" then on the back of the form (don;t forget to fill that bit in) you give the reason. Exemptions from type approval (basically an extremely detailed MOT that's a b
h to pass) include one for trials bikes, which yours should meet - my experience is with enduros but it's probably a seat height restriction
If the bike is less than three years old it doesn't require an MOT for registration - if it is more than three years old the normal MOT standards an procedures apply and you will need an MOT certificate to register the bike
You have to pay for your first year's VED (road tax) at the same time as applying, which is a pain as it means the bike has to be insurerd at a minimum 3rd Party Liability - you do this by phoning the insurer and giving them the VIN (chassis number) of the bike - they will allow a certain period of insurance (usually two weeks) until they need to get a VRM (reg numbger) from you, so MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS LAST!!!
One other form you might need is VAT414 to declare that VAT has been paid on the bike when it was first sold in the EU, fill it out with the name of previous owner, your name and sign the declaration, dead easy - if you have an original receipt you might not need this form
Once you have all the paperwork, write a cheque for the first registration fee and first year's VED and post it or pop along to your local DVLA office, you might get your reg number and tax disc while you wait, or you might get it in a few days by post, they might ask to inspect the bike to check conformity to the Type Approval exemption or they might find something wrong in the paperwork. Avoid going at the end of the month when there's lots of new registrations and DEFINATELY avoid going around the time a new plate comes out (09/59 etc)
That's about it, it's a bit of a chore with all the paperwork but once your bike is on the road it's all worthwhile - this is my KTM race bike i converted for road use and did all the mechanicals and paperwork myself - great fun
Great info! I've saved this because I've been looking into registering a CRF450X lately.Fill in the form in accordance with the guide that comes with the form
Under "Type Approval" you must list the bike as "EXEMPT" then on the back of the form (don;t forget to fill that bit in) you give the reason. Exemptions from type approval (basically an extremely detailed MOT that's a b
h to pass) include one for trials bikes, which yours should meet - my experience is with enduros but it's probably a seat height restrictionIf the bike is less than three years old it doesn't require an MOT for registration - if it is more than three years old the normal MOT standards an procedures apply and you will need an MOT certificate to register the bike
You have to pay for your first year's VED (road tax) at the same time as applying, which is a pain as it means the bike has to be insurerd at a minimum 3rd Party Liability - you do this by phoning the insurer and giving them the VIN (chassis number) of the bike - they will allow a certain period of insurance (usually two weeks) until they need to get a VRM (reg numbger) from you, so MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS LAST!!!
One other form you might need is VAT414 to declare that VAT has been paid on the bike when it was first sold in the EU, fill it out with the name of previous owner, your name and sign the declaration, dead easy - if you have an original receipt you might not need this form
Once you have all the paperwork, write a cheque for the first registration fee and first year's VED and post it or pop along to your local DVLA office, you might get your reg number and tax disc while you wait, or you might get it in a few days by post, they might ask to inspect the bike to check conformity to the Type Approval exemption or they might find something wrong in the paperwork. Avoid going at the end of the month when there's lots of new registrations and DEFINATELY avoid going around the time a new plate comes out (09/59 etc)
That's about it, it's a bit of a chore with all the paperwork but once your bike is on the road it's all worthwhile - this is my KTM race bike i converted for road use and did all the mechanicals and paperwork myself - great fun

Edited by the_lone_wolf on Wednesday 5th November 09:30
Edited by the_lone_wolf on Wednesday 5th November 09:31
Adztheman said:
Just bought a board track racer replica and thinking of making it road legal
Well done you!Hello, welcome to the forum, come on in, sit down, make yourself comfortable!

It's a bit odd to just jump in by resurrecting a thread from 13 years ago; the more usual way is to join in on a few existing threads, get yourself know a bit and then (if you're looking for advice or help) start a thread of your own.
It may also be that some of the info on this thread is now out of date.
the_lone_wolf said:
For a full MOT the bike will need rear running light and brake light operated by both controls as well as a headlamp with dipped and full beam
If you have no rear running light you can have a brake light without a headlamp
Or you can have no lights at all
If you don't have running lights you will get an advisory on the MOT cert about not riding at night (a "daytime" MOT)
Motorcycles "Designed to be used primarily off road, by reasons of their wheels or suspension" and "designed to carry only the rider" are exempt from requiring mirrors or indicators
I've done loads of these. You need a horn that emits a continuous tone (gone are the days of fitting a Noddy style parp-parp bulb jobbie). No need for mirrors, chain guards and the like.If you have no rear running light you can have a brake light without a headlamp
Or you can have no lights at all
If you don't have running lights you will get an advisory on the MOT cert about not riding at night (a "daytime" MOT)
Motorcycles "Designed to be used primarily off road, by reasons of their wheels or suspension" and "designed to carry only the rider" are exempt from requiring mirrors or indicators
Your MOT won't (or shouldn't - I only use off-road friendly MOTers, I suspect a main dealer would crucify you) say anything about when you can ride it. It should only say on the advisory (can't remember verbatim) that the bike was "presented for test without lights" or similar. I think you need a rear reflector (I've never explicitly fitted one mind you).
There is NOTHING to stop you then going home and bolting some lights or indicators on and perfectly legally riding at night - providing said lights are legal, of course.
It is actually something that really surprises me that in the over regulated and safety obsessed world we live in that the exemptions for this still exist - I find it quite quaint.
hi there reading your post ,ive motd the bike and ready to fill in v55 i will put down exempt for type approval with enduro statis as reason but the other questions on the form askin about the mvsa info can i leave these blank or do i need this information and if so can you obtain a copy relating to your bikes model year etc...or would that info be on thr coc from manufacturer,cheers
I'm doing same now. Best thing is YouTube and Google it
Too much to try and detail out on here
You need a Nova once you have a certificate of newness and after the Nova the mot
YouTube will explain how to fill out the v55/c form. Don't forget you need your insurance in there on the chassis and a copy of your driving licence
I've just applied for my mx bike waiting for it to come back now
Also done s bunch of my old vintage Mx bikes on an inf85 which gives you a v55 but purely to show you own it. Had one rejected already due to not having a nova even though it was made in 1979
Too much to try and detail out on here
You need a Nova once you have a certificate of newness and after the Nova the mot
YouTube will explain how to fill out the v55/c form. Don't forget you need your insurance in there on the chassis and a copy of your driving licence
I've just applied for my mx bike waiting for it to come back now
Also done s bunch of my old vintage Mx bikes on an inf85 which gives you a v55 but purely to show you own it. Had one rejected already due to not having a nova even though it was made in 1979
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