Does my bike need an MOT?

[BC007]

I own a Suzuki GS1000 first registered March 1979. The current MOT expires next week on the 15th August. If I've understood the GOV website correctly it says that a vehicle over 40 years does not require further tests and there's no need to notify.

Also if I'm correct, the road tax fee exemption appears to be slightly different in that it won't be tax free until after early January 2020 and then I need to register this.

I believe in the importance of an MOT for safety reasons and will continue to have the bike tested. It'll be nice to know I'm not tied to a renewal date anymore but at the same time I don't want to fall foul of the law.

Can anyone clarify the rules for me?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Rubin215]

You no longer need an mot as it is now over 40 years since it was first registered.

IMHO there is little point in paying for an mot every year as it is unlikely to pick up anything that a reasonably competent owner will have missed.

[catso]

Having researched this with ref. to my old Guzzi, my understanding is:

DVLA say that you do not need MOT/Tax if "the vehicle was built or first registered more than 40 years ago" that is to say it will need taxing in it's 40th year and be exempt in the 41st. I also understand that you have to apply for 'historic' status from them before the exemption is valid?

Unless you can prove date of manufacture then the bike needs to be registered before 8th January so a bike registered in March '79 won't be exempt in 2019 but rather in 2020.

I found this out because I was looking into my Guzzi (built in '79) which was registered one day after the cut-off in Jan '80 so won't be MOT/tax exempt until 2021.

My local MOT man tells me that if I could get a certificate from Moto Guzzi showing that it was built in '79 then I could appeal but, if even possible this would be difficult and likely cost more than the saving to be had...

[Electro1980]

Rubin215 said:

You no longer need an mot as it is now over 40 years since it was first registered.

IMHO there is little point in paying for an mot every year as it is unlikely to pick up anything that a reasonably competent owner will have missed.

This. For a car I can see the point of someone getting it up on a lift, having a good look underneath, where rust, rubber boots and hoses can be seen, and things like brake disks can be awkward to check. On a bike, seems like little point and the MOT mostly covers much less on a bike than a car.

Also, unless you have a trusted garage they may not be that bothered knowing it is not a legal requirement, so not check it probably. If you do have a trusted garage probably better to get them to give it a once over, and they will check stuff that is important rather than the government mandated list. For example they won’t waste times checking that all of your bulbs work.

[Rubin215]

Electro1980 said:

For example they won’t waste times checking that all of your bulbs work.

I knew a guy who never checked bulbs when he was doing mot's.
"If they can't be arsed to even check their own bulbs, why the fk should I do it for them?"

He did, however check the brake light.
"That's the switch I'm testing, not the bulb..."

[NITO]

Personally I’ll be keeping up with MOT’s when mine hits 40. More than anything it’s great for its provenance when it comes time to sell. For £25 a year it’s nice to have as an audit trail of its history in respect of mileage and observations imho.

[Fundoreen]

Load of people fall off and hurt themselves due to poor maintenance on motorcycles.
All avoided if you do all the checks the mot people would do which is not that hard but if you feel unable best book an mot.
Its not like its some sort of government scam. They really are worried about your safety.
The whole 40+ years thing seems like a way to keep a lot of deathtraps being circulated around at ever increasing prices without any need for upkeep by people a bit past it.
Why not go the whole hog. No medical checks for anyone over 40. Leave it up to the individual if they want to do that sort of thing.

[Krikkit]

Fundoreen said:

Load of people fall off and hurt themselves due to poor maintenance on motorcycles.
All avoided if you do all the checks the mot people would do which is not that hard but if you feel unable best book an mot.
Its not like its some sort of government scam. They really are worried about your safety.
The whole 40+ years thing seems like a way to keep a lot of deathtraps being circulated around at ever increasing prices without any need for upkeep by people a bit past it.
Why not go the whole hog. No medical checks for anyone over 40. Leave it up to the individual if they want to do that sort of thing.

The 40 years thing is backed up by statistical analysis after the MOTs went computerised - the rates of failures that have been picked up on vehicles over that age are minimal, hence getting rid of the requirement.

Most folk who have something that age tend to either look after it or have it looked after, and do minimal miles.