How can you tell if a bike is MOT exempt ?

[Eclipse]

My CG says taxation class is Historic vehicle and it costs £0 to tax it online but how can I tell if it's been registered as MOT exempt ?

[KungFooBob]

https://vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/

I just ran the reg of a 1978 MGB I found on ebay, the MOT box comes up green, but says no results and there's no expiry date.

[mangocrazy]

My understanding is that any vehicle registered as a Historic Vehicle is MoT exempt. My 350LC is a case in point. I've never received any paperwork to state that it's MoT exempt, but when I come to tax it (for £0) every April, MoT exempt status just waves it through. There's always some note to say that an MoT may be required but in practice, none is.

Bottom line is, if you can tax it for free, it's MoT exempt.

[Pirahna]

If you put the reg number into the gov site does it say anything there?

https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax

[David]

If it is tax exempt, it is mot exempt.

[Skub]

Your V5 needs to state 'Historic Vehicle'. You also need to go though the process of taxing it each year,but it costs nothing. Applies to vehicles over 40 years old.

[cheb]

Check the address of the registered keeper, if they live on various mall islands of the UK coast then it's exempt. There may be other reasons.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

If its over 40 years old and not significantly modified or on a Q reg, its MOT exempt, the Historic Vehicle thing is merely a tax class where the amount due is £0

[JackyJoll]

If it leaks oil

[Mr. Dazzle]

Drive it around a bit and see if you get in trouble.

[roadster]

This is a question best left in the "let sleeping dogs lie" category. If the bureaucrats get hold of it historic status could be even more in jeopardy.

[Dickyboy]

Don't you have to get/have an MOT before getting a bike or car classed as historic? Otherwise people could drag any old shit that's been sat in a barn for 40yrs and ride/drive it around.

[David]

Don't you have to get/have an MOT before getting a bike or car classed as historic? Otherwise people could drag any old shit that's been sat in a barn for 40yrs and ride/drive it around.

You haven't seen my bikes then
..

[Wossname]

It may not need an MOT, but it still needs to be “roadworthy”, whatever the definition of that is - the opinion of whichever official stops you. Any old banger isn’t going to work.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Don't you have to get/have an MOT before getting a bike or car classed as historic? Otherwise people could drag any old shit that's been sat in a barn for 40yrs and ride/drive it around.

Scarily, no it doesn't, as has been said, it has to be road worthy, which basically means it has to be capable of passing an MOT, but this is the same for any vehicle on tbe road. It's quite an odd bit of legislation, I don't understand why it was put in, I own a motorcycle that's over 40 years old, the MOT was a mild inconvenience once a year, but not an actual issue.

[David]

It may not need an MOT, but it still needs to be “roadworthy”, whatever the definition of that is - the opinion of whichever official stops you. Any old banger isn’t going to work.

My LE is what you might call "patinated"...it suffered a couple of small fires during my tenure, the evidence of which is still apparent, it has been painted in the past, chunks oc it have left hpme....but it is till roadworthy within the limits of ot's era and performance...ots near as damn it 60 years old. I have never and will never wssh it...but it is insured etc....

[David]

The Valiant, on t'other hand, is a 1957 Veeline, considerably quicker than the LE (it is all relative) is still shiny and tidy, but the brakes are shite...they will improve I am sure, but would still pass an MOT.

[Count Steer]

It may not need an MOT, but it still needs to be “roadworthy”, whatever the definition of that is - the opinion of whichever official stops you. Any old banger isn’t going to work.

My LE is what you might call "patinated"...it suffered a couple of small fires during my tenure, the evidence of which is still apparent, it has been painted in the past, chunks oc it have left hpme....but it is till roadworthy within the limits of ot's era and performance...ots near as damn it 60 years old. I have never and will never wssh it...but it is insured etc....

What's the thinking behind the 'managed decay' and non-washing policy?

[Wossname]

What's the thinking behind the 'managed decay' and non-washing policy?

Where do you think he gets the patina from?

[mangocrazy]

If its over 40 years old and not significantly modified or on a Q reg, its MOT exempt, the Historic Vehicle thing is merely a tax class where the amount due is £0

You do have to apply for Historic Vehicle status/tax class. It's not granted automatically once the vehicle reaches 40 y.o. And it only becomes eligible on the 1st April of the year after its 40th anniversary of registration.