Can I make my bike older?
Discussion
I have a scooter that was imported and given an abitrary reg date ('declared first used' I believe) of 1984. (The thing was picked up from a scrapyard in Italy, and at some point in its life the frame number had been mucked about with.)
I found that one feature of my frame is only found on earlier bikes, and wondered if I can get it re-registered with a 70s plate on the strength of that one feature, or whether I shouldn't poke the Swansea bear and risk them asking awkward questions about the serial no. What do you think?
I found that one feature of my frame is only found on earlier bikes, and wondered if I can get it re-registered with a 70s plate on the strength of that one feature, or whether I shouldn't poke the Swansea bear and risk them asking awkward questions about the serial no. What do you think?
Pretty sure you can just buy a private plate, you can't make a vehicle appear newer so you're fine.
"Conditions for assigning a personalised registration number
You can’t:
put a personalised registration number onto a vehicle displaying a ‘Q’ number plate
make the vehicle look newer than it actually is"
"Conditions for assigning a personalised registration number
You can’t:
put a personalised registration number onto a vehicle displaying a ‘Q’ number plate
make the vehicle look newer than it actually is"
Edited by Tall_Paul on Saturday 28th March 22:17
londonbabe said:
I have a scooter that was imported and given an abitrary reg date ('declared first used' I believe) of 1984. (The thing was picked up from a scrapyard in Italy, and at some point in its life the frame number had been mucked about with.)
I found that one feature of my frame is only found on earlier bikes, and wondered if I can get it re-registered with a 70s plate on the strength of that one feature, or whether I shouldn't poke the Swansea bear and risk them asking awkward questions about the serial no. What do you think?
It won't be an "arbitrary" date - whoever imported it will have provided paperwork "proving" the age, either Italian registration docs or some kind of club-issued ageing certificate, almost certainly tying in with the VIN on it.I found that one feature of my frame is only found on earlier bikes, and wondered if I can get it re-registered with a 70s plate on the strength of that one feature, or whether I shouldn't poke the Swansea bear and risk them asking awkward questions about the serial no. What do you think?
Point out that the apparent age doesn't fit the VIN, and you're saying "Give me a Q plate, because the age can't be determined."
TooMany2cvs said:
It won't be an "arbitrary" date - whoever imported it will have provided paperwork "proving" the age, either Italian registration docs or some kind of club-issued ageing certificate, almost certainly tying in with the VIN on it.
Point out that the apparent age doesn't fit the VIN, and you're saying "Give me a Q plate, because the age can't be determined."
I don't see why you'd get a Q plate. Point out that the apparent age doesn't fit the VIN, and you're saying "Give me a Q plate, because the age can't be determined."
If you wrote to the DVLA and enclosed a relevant dating certificate from an owners club or whoever, stating that an error was made when originally dating it, they'd just change it I'd have thought.
I've got a private 56 plate on my 2010 street triple because it's my dad's year of birth. You can make a vehicle look older with a private reg but can't make it look newer. I.e a 2010 plate on an 06 bike.
Some normal plates that don't spell words, names etc are actually quite reasonably priced.
Some normal plates that don't spell words, names etc are actually quite reasonably priced.
I've got a private 56 plate on my 2010 street triple because it's my dad's year of birth. You can make a vehicle look older with a private reg but can't make it look newer. I.e a 2010 plate on an 06 bike.
Some normal plates that don't spell words, names etc are actually quite reasonably priced.
Some normal plates that don't spell words, names etc are actually quite reasonably priced.
srob said:
I don't see why you'd get a Q plate.
Because the vehicle's original identity, therefore date, is indeterminate.srob said:
If you wrote to the DVLA and enclosed a relevant dating certificate from an owners club or whoever, stating that an error was made when originally dating it, they'd just change it I'd have thought.
Perhaps you missed that the VIN's been "mucked about with" (in other words, the VIN doesn't fit the bike - it's a ringer)?LoonR1 said:
He doesn't just want a private plate. He wants the full thing logged and registered as a 70s bike. Probably got a lot to do with one decade being sought after and fetching good resale values whereas the 80s ones are a pile of poo and worth as much as a used condom.
Historic Vehicle, more like - especially since the London ULEZ has just been confirmed, with all "historic" being exempt. IF it's kept as rolling-40, then this scooter won't be historic until 1984, but if the "real" age is prior to 1980, the ULEZ won't be an issue... If it's pre-75, then it's tax free now, and there's no risk of the rolling age cutoff being fixed (again).Edited by TooMany2cvs on Sunday 29th March 12:52
TooMany2cvs said:
Historic Vehicle, more like - especially since the London ULEZ has just been confirmed, with all "historic" being exempt. IF it's kept as rolling-40, then this scooter won't be historic until 1984, but if the "real" age is prior to 1980, the ULEZ won't be an issue... If it's pre-75, then it's tax free now, and there's no risk of the rolling age cutoff being fixed (again).
Got it in one. I think it's pre-78, and I as thinking maybe I could avoid the ULEZ charge.In only discovered the vin had been 'adjusted' last year, when it was stripped and restored. I've owned it for over 10 years.
Back then a lot of UK companies scoured and picked bare the scrapyards of Italy for rust-free vintage scooters which were nigh-on impossible to re-register in Italy but really easy to register here. Mine is one such example. It's possible that it could have been scrapped by an insurance company, or the Italian police, I suppose.
I certainly don't want a Q plate.
londonbabe said:
Because I will still own the Vespa in 5 years, and will still want to ride it into central London.
That's what you're aiming to do, rather than will do. There's a lot that can happen in 5 years. However, what you've got isn't dodgy bike that's worth next to nothing and you're worried about something 5 years from now. It'll cost you peanuts to buy a replacement for it within 5 years that meets the ILEZ anyway.
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