We've actually been given something from the government, No MOTs for all vehicle pre 1960
This will start from the 18th Nov 2012
Great news for once.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18146326

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

I've been waiting for this with fingers crossed, my bikes never fail & its not just the MOT cost is it, its that half a day wasted every time if you don't live near a bike tester.
Brilliant news

Yep,just heard it on the Steve Wright show (Ian's rich cousin).
My Enfield MOT runs out mid June! So I guess that will be on the back burner......Then I guess I can ride anything I want...with free tax and all. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Yes Dave A scary thought though...!

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

Where can I get a pre 1960 Sportster logbook for my 2000 Sporty?.. ...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

ron you will still have to sorn it for those last months

email (option): roger.beck@node6.com

No Roger! It's taxed till next year. It's strange that I could get pulled for no MOT, when they are going to scrap it a few months later anyway??? Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Will you still need to MOT a newly restored bike to get a registration document?

Rob.

email (option): robmiller11@yahoo.co.uk

I presume they will then be able to pull you in for a "roadside MOT" I'd have preferred to keep mine MOT'd and not get any spot checks, this means that the noisy pipe on your bike will come under scrutiny at any time, not just MOT time?
The government never give you anything for nothing, so I guess that MOT's for newer vehicles will be getting so tough that old bikes would not pass them?

email (option): davmax@ntlworld.com

Theres no such thing as a free lunch, especially from Government, any Government! If they do this, who to say they won't bring in some kind of restrictions on movement or ammount of use? It's been tossed around before, so who knows. It sounds great, but all I'm saying is that you can't trust the buggers!!

Wonder what they will do about REG number transfers where they insist on a current MOT before transfering.

I reckon they will bring in LVLO office inspection combined with either an engineers report or a ministry test centre check (same place as when you import a vehicle) for reg number transfers & registering after a restoration.
I must point out, I'm not of fan of selling numberplates & I even got a friend to agree not to sell the plate before I sold a 1960 Harrington coach a few years back.

The increase in spot checks in unlikely I think, I often pass police in cars & on the beat on my bikes (2 are alloy 500's with straight through pipes) they just smile & put fingers in there ears.

Our MOT only stated condition on the day of test, little has changed for the other 364 days in the year.

There won't be any LVLO checks..at least not for long..They are all being closed in 2013...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Oh yes I do remember reading that now, the last one I took a bike to the Guy messed up a simple job of writing my chassis number on a piece of paper by getting two numbers swapped round. As I don't see what he writes it only came to light when my V5 turned up. Inspections will be at ministry testing centres then I assume.
They are a joke aswell, once I took a commercial historic vehicle & they FORGOT to test the rear brakes & as it was a queing system he just said to keep quite about it & wrote out the ticket & on another occasion I'd replaced a suspension nut & torqued it as I do always, but the tester said it was loose because it "sounded" different when tapped, I pointed out it was because it was a different nut to the rest but he wasn't happy until I'd faked tightening it more with a spanner that didn't fit & made straining noises while I did it, we both new I wasn't really doing it & he then wrote the ticket

does this include scooters its not for me i dont own one but for a friend honest guv

email (option): roger.beck@node6.com

to add just had my bike MOTed all he does check for loose bearing plinks a few spokes and does a brake test passed again

email (option): roger.beck@node6.com

Roger the MOT exemption will be for all vehicles up to 1960, unless used for hire or reward. Ron
From BBC News:-
Classic and historic cars exempted from MoT

Currently, all cars must be tested annually
Continue reading the main story
Related Stories

Plans for fewer MOTs are dropped
Classic and historic vehicles are to be exempted from yearly MoT tests, the government has announced.

Vehicles manufactured before 1960 will no longer have to have to pass an MoT from 18 November, Roads Minister Mike Penning said.

The vehicles make up about 0.6% of the total number of licensed vehicles in Britain but are involved in just 0.03% of road casualties and accidents.

It follows a campaign by the All-Party Parliamentary Historic Vehicles Group.

Mr Penning said the government was committed to cutting out red tape which cost motorists money "without providing significant overall benefits".

"Owners of classic cars and motorbikes tend to be enthusiasts who maintain their vehicles well - they don't need to be told to look after them, they're out there in all weathers checking the condition of the engine, tyres and bodywork," he said.

"Owners of classic vehicles will still be legally required to ensure that they are safe and in a proper condition to be on the road but scrapping the MoT test for these vehicles will save motorists money."

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Hi Roger..All vehicles before 1960 are included as I understand it...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Classic vehicles with no MOT?

Keep an eye on your insurance premium renewals...

email (option): d.stapleton78@btinternet.com

Can't see it makes any difference to insurance companies, if a vehicle is involved in an accident & its found not to have been roadworthy then they wont want to pay out, same as before, its always been the responsibility of the person driving the vehicle, that part hasn't changed.
.... Unless they get a hint that we are expecting it, then they will seize the moment

Wait until the first kiddie or youngster dies by crashing/being run over by an MOT-less vehicle then watch the Red Tops start a campaign to get "these death-traps off the roads", to which the govt of the day will say "No, that's too Draconian, we'll just let these enthusiasts drive on Sunday afternoons on pre-organised runs up to a max of three a year".
Job done.

email (option): kevin.sandford@ntlworld.com

I can't believe the negative comments about this. There isn't going to be any restrictions of use, I can't see what difference it will make to insurance costs. You'll maintain and use your bike as usual.
You could have a bike WITH an MOT and it not be road worthy, so things won't change. You'll just save yourself a lot of hassle and money MOTing bikes that probably don't do many miles each year, and you look after.
If the bike's an obvious "death trap" I'm sure the Police with have enough laws they can use anyway, with or without an MOT.

So don't panic Mr Mainwaring

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

I'm in a country with no motorcycle MOTs so I have no axe to grind.

I personally think that they've allowed stuff a little too modern in but the fact is that the MOTs, in line with European legislation are becoming much more than a straightforward test of roadworthiness and will be a test of compliance with Type Aproval regulations that go well beyond the old commonsense Construction and Use regs.

The fact is that they simply can't test old vehicles for which no original specifications exist. The Eurocrats can't accept vague requirements such as 'no visible smoke' or 'constructed in such a way as to reduce noise to a minimum'.

I do sadly think that the standard of maintenance will decrease and there will be chancers who keep their tyres on for another year and who ignore well meaning comments about the dodgy angles of their brake arms.

I don't know if there will be more rust-bucket Morris Minors around but there will certainly be more demand for Series 1 Land Rover log books and perhaps more dodgy specials built out of pre-1960 base models.

There will be a price division at 1960,as there now is at 1972, certainly for people with lots of vehicles.

The insurance industry doesn't currently load pre-1960 commercials which have testing exemptions. Let's just hope that they regard 1960 for other vehicles as old enough for the risk to be insignificant.

I agree with Horror and Rik. "And stop with those negative waves Moriarty" My Morris Commercial has been MOT exempt for 20 odd years and nothing has changed with my insurance company or me running over kids!!
If you read the government report:- It's simply to ease things for the reasons Rik mentioned. We are just .06% of the MOT quota and a fraction of .03% of any accidents.

Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

My point is that while the vast majority of classic vehicle enthusiasts can maintain their chosen mounts acceptably, we've all seen (even on the 'Net) horrible bodges and sh*t-traps that shouldn't be on the road, and that's not even starting on chops, bobbers and assorted customs. In life there's always those who bend and abuse the rules for thier own ends, so how long before there's horror stories re Series One landies which have spent the last forty years on Farmer Giles' lower sixty, or the Vauxhaul Victor Mk 1 dragged from a Lewisham lock-up where it's sat for decades?
They're the ones which will cause problems for us all, not the 1930s BSA-riding enthusiasts.
On a personal short-term note, great news for me, but I think it's the thin end of a wedge, and one which other EU countries have already started, I believe.

email (option): kevin.sandford@ntlworld.com

Having been subject to previous (and pending) ill thought out regulation I don't find Kevs worries regarding the use of old vehicles and possible future restrictions surprising...I think many of us have a degree of well founded suspicion regarding the Governments motives (and logic)..particularly when they appear to give us something with no obvious 'strings' attached.
When payment for road tax was suspended I immediately thought 'What's the catch and is there a hidden agenda?'...After all, it seemed to me that paying for road tax was paying for your right to use the road.
As it happened there were no long term implications.
I have always believed that at some point there will be a move to end, or at least restrict, the use of old vehicles, but currently that line of thinking is not apparent in any Government documents or discussions..at least not in the public domain.
As these vehicles don't really register in the accident statistics I would imagine high emissions would form the basis of any arguement..but again, old vehicles represent a tiny factor in the overall picture in that regard.
At least with the Government they have to initially identify an argument to support proposed legislation and that is then subjected to examination and consultation by/with interested parties.
Apart from percieved safety legislation where the Government tends to blunder on regardless of opinion or logic, most proposed laws are modified or scrapped at this stage if they are not supportable logically or if there is a vocal negative response from interested groups....
Personally, I worry more about Insurance companies..they make up the rules as they go along, are not subject to any restrictions in their terms, however illogical,can't be negotiated with and having a policy is an unavoidable requirement...
For example,there are currently Insurance companies who classify a sticker on a fairing as a modification for Insurance purposes...
A member of the Military Club in my area had an accident in an MOT exempt army lorry and the vehicle was removed in 'short order' for a thorough inspection to ensure it was in compliance with the 'Construction and Use' regulations...and you can bet they wouldn't have paid out if they had found any relevant fault..
Conversely..a few years back I went up the a**e of a car on my (mot'd)bike and there was no interest in inspecting the bike afterwards..they simply paid out once it was established it was my fault.
Maybe it is there we might expect to see a change in the way things are done...Ian

As

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

I've got one that needs an MOT now, where can I get a 6 month MOT for half price

mine's due in july ,i may frame the last one, as said where can i get a 6 month mot?

the british are a very suspicous people, especially when it comes to governments suddenly being nice, usually its because through experience we have learnt that there is usually something horrid hiding, to be revealed only after you have swallowed the sugar. something which makes sense and seems reasonable, with no other motives behind it, rarely seems to come out of parliament.

which is why i suspect people will be happy to get mot exemption but pondering if there is something else waiting to be revealed.

a problem that accured to me is if you are buying a bike at least a newish MOT gave you some peace of mind i know there are fiddled MOTs maybe a good idea would if you want to sell a vehicle it must have a new MOT

email (option): roger.beck@node6.com

How will the aspect of the sale of number plates be dealt with ? Currently both vehicles have to have MOTs. Perhaps they'll just give up the pretence. Looking at the cobbled together heaps that some traders sell, MOTs are obviously pretty easy to get for those in the know.

It might mean that more bikes which have been standing unused are robbed of their numbers. The counterbalance is that if even dog-rough bikes can be considered roadworthy then there might be less broken for spares.

Fortunately, in terms of safety, the combination of the Lucas MO1L and manual advance means that dangerous bikes probably can't be started either

Rik, I did raise that reg transfer point earlier in this thread, currently vehicles that are MOT exempt can't have their numbers transfered so maybe that will apply but anyone who's just paid top money to put one on a pre 60 car isn't going to be impressed if it has to stay on it forever.

Roger, as far as buying & selling & proving road worthyness
I've not read anywhere that pre 1960 cars are banned from being taken to an MOT station & having a test done by seller or potential buyer.

It's got nothing to do with the government being nice and giving classic bikers and classic motorists anything. The public sector needs to shrink. That's all. It costs a lot to maintain the MOT bureaucracy. The government is simply saving some money and trying to look good at the same time. Enjoy it while it lasts.

email (option): dannydefazio@sumpmagazine.com

It looks as if the coach operators (who are major customers of vanity plates) are getting jumpy about the fact that their supplies may be about to dry up.

Let's hope that they don't have time to start lobbying before the law changes.

This is from 'RouteOne' their online magazine :-

"Reg-plate transfer ban
As a result of the scrapping of
MOTs for all vehicles registered
before 1 January 1960 (routeone,
News, 24 May), the removal of
registration numbers will also be
outlawed, if current guidelines
remain unchanged.
Under present conditions,
transfer or retention of
resigstration numbers is not
permitted unless the vehicle is
“of a type that needs an MOT.”
After 18 November, vehicles
registered before 1 January
1960 - including Class 6 - will
be reclassified as MOT exempt,
making it impossible to transfer
their registration numbers, even
if the owner of the vehicle has a
voluntary MOT."

There goes part of my pension fund then, in transferable numbers to coach firms and undertakers......Including the one on my Morris that I actually paid for as a cherished number. On the other hand it might make the one on my car all the more valuable.....Any undertakers out there called Ron? Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Well I had been thinking of contacting DVLA to make the reg. number on my 51 B33 'non transferable' voluntarily...to avoid some scrote seperating it from its original, and currently transferable number, some time in the future...
Seems like the government might have saved me a job...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

If I paid thousands of pounds at a DVLA numberplate auction for a plate that say, was off a 1958 car & put it on a 1959 car only to be told after November it had no resale value, I would consider it mis-selling under the consumer act, that wont affect me as I only ever sold one number in my life & it was acceptable as the vehicle was going home with a US serviceman & the registration would have been lost.
Its a bit worrying though that no official information is available about transfers after November, its highly possible that a rush is in progress to transfer as many pre 60 registrations as possible onto later vehicles, ruining the originality of those vehicles for good.

Is this fact Rik, or a magazine panicking and jumping to assumptions..? I have just looked on the DVLA site and there is no mention of this, and they are still selling registrations.
Is it possible to transfer a number from a pre 60 commercial vehicle that already doesn't need an MOT?

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

Re: No UK MOTs for pre 1960

I don't know, H. I simply saw it reported on another forum. However, as things stand, both donor and recipient vehicles (if old enough) need a current MOT and there has been no sign of a directive saying that this will no longer apply.

Even if it does apply, it will not affect numbers being sold by DVLA or indeed any that are on post-1960 vehicles.

Personally, I'm quite happy to see any numbers that are still on their original vehicles no longer being transferable. The historical context is worth more than the conceit of the owner of a suffix or prefix era vehicle.

I can understand though that where a personal plate has been transferred onto a pre-1960 vehicle then that owner is entitled to feel a bit peeved.

As things stand, you can't apparently transfer numbers from MOT-exempt vehicles such as pre-1960 commercials.

Ok, well we'll see what happens. I also don't like the "history" being stripped from vehicles. There are a lot of dealers who do this as soon as they get an old bike, as it adds another £1500 or so to their profits

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk