The Motorcycle MOT Test: What you need to know - Part One
The Motorcycle MOT Test: What you need to know - Part One
The MOT test concentrates on legal, environmental and safety issues. A valid MOT certificate is a legal requirement for all motorcycles that are three or more years old and used on the road, with the exception of those that are more than 40 years old and to which no substantial changes have been made in the last 30 years. The certificate is valid for one year. A test taken up to 1 month in advance of the current MOT expiry date will keep the same expiry date. A test taken more than 1 month in advance of the current MOT expiry date will be given a new expiry date one year from the date the test is passed.
Here in part one of our two-part feature on the MOT test we explain how defects are categorised, what those categories mean, and how modified and crashed/damaged/repaired bikes are treated. In part two we look at what happens during the test itself.
WARNING: YOU CAN BE FINED UP TO £1000 FOR RIDING A BIKE WITHOUT A VALID MOT CERTIFICATE. The only exception to this is riding the bike to a pre-booked MOT test, or to and from a place of repair. You can also be prosecuted for parking the bike on the road if the MOT has run out.
If the MOT has run out and your tax is due to expire before you get a new MOT you must register your vehicle as off the road (SORN). You cannot tax your bike if the MOT has run out. You can tax your bike or declare SORN at https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax. You can check if a bike is taxed at https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax.
You can register at https://www.gov.uk/mot-reminder for free MOT renewal reminders that will be sent to a mobile phone number or e-mail address one month in advance of the expiry date.
You can check the current MOT status of a bike at https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-status.
You can check the MOT history of a bike at https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history.
CATEGORISATION OF DEFECTS:
Any defects found during the test must be categorised in one of the following three groups:
- Minor: Defects having no significant effect on the safety of the bike or impact on the environment and other minor non-compliances.
- Major: Defects that may prejudice the safety of the bike, have an impact on the environment, put other road users at risk or other more significant non-compliances.
- Dangerous: Defects constituting a direct and immediate risk to road safety or having an impact on the environment.
MOT guidelines do not specify limits of wear for any components except tyres and brake pads, or define what is acceptable in terms of damage, deterioration and effectiveness. Instead, it is left to the discretion of the tester to apply their knowledge, experience and judgement in conjunction with the criteria defined in the tester’s manual to assess if the condition of a component is adversely affecting its functionality or is likely to adversely affect the roadworthiness of the bike. The minimum thickness of brake pad friction material is 1.0mm. The minimum depth of tyre tread is 1.0mm and it must be present across ¾ of the width of the tyre.
If the bike only has minor defects it will pass the MOT.
If the bike has any major or dangerous defects it will fail the MOT.
If the tester notices a dangerous defect on a component that is not part of the test you should be made aware of the defect, but it will not affect the result of the test.
MODIFIED BIKES:
Modifications to the bike from standard are assessed on their merits and judged according to whether they are safety critical or adversely affect the roadworthiness of the bike or are likely to cause injury. For the majority of modifications that many people make there should be no issues, but be aware of fitting over-loud aftermarket exhaust systems, and expect to fail if your silencer is marked ‘NOT FOR ROAD USE’. If you have fitted an illegal silencer then it is worth removing it and temporarily fitting the original one for the test. The same goes for an undersized number plate. It is also illegal to replace a halogen headlight bulb with an LED bulb, though a tester may well not pick up on this, or fail the bike if he does, unless beam alignment is adversely affected and adjustment does not remedy that.
CRASHED AND REPAIRED BIKES:
Bikes that have been involved in an accident and that have been written off by the insurance company under a CAT C or S or a CAT D or N category can be repaired. The issues concerned with getting a written-off bike back on the road have more relevance to the insurance side of things than the MOT. Legally any bike that has been damaged and repaired does not have to have a new MOT if the old one is still valid, but you MUST check with your insurance provider to see what they require. Most will insist on a new MOT before they issue insurance for a repaired vehicle, and even though it is not a legal requirement it does then become a contractual requirement, and you won’t get insurance unless you get the MOT first. Before you ride the bike to the MOT check with your insurance provider whether you can get cover to do so, as even though you can ride to a pre-booked MOT without a valid MOT you can only do so if you have insurance. If a bike is written off the insurance that was in place at the time will automatically cease, so you must either see if your insurer will issue a basic level of cover to get you to the MOT centre, which some do, and if they don’t you will have to transport the bike to the MOT in a van or on a trailer.
INSURANCE WRITE-OFF CATEGORIES EXPLAINED:
Old categories to September 2017
Category A – Damaged beyond repair, vehicle must never be used on the road again, no parts may be salvaged, vehicle must be crushed.
Category B – Damaged beyond repair, vehicle must never be used on the road again, some parts may be salvaged and sold, frame/body shell should be crushed.
Category C – Repairable, repair costs exceed pre-accident value. Vehicle can be returned to the road if properly repaired.
Category D – Repairable, repair costs do not exceed pre-accident value. Vehicle can be returned to the road if properly repaired.
New categories from October 2017
Category A – Damaged beyond repair, vehicle must never be used on the road again, no parts may be salvaged, vehicle must be crushed.
Category B – Damaged beyond repair, vehicle must never be used on the road again, some parts may be salvaged and sold, frame/body shell should be crushed.
Category S – Structurally damaged but repairable. Vehicle can be returned to the road if properly repaired.
Category N – Non-structurally damaged but repairable. Vehicle can be returned to the road if properly repaired.
Note that the repair costs to an insurance company include labour paid at full rates and include costs of hire car and administration etc. The actual cost to a workshop or DIY mechanic would be much less, and often makes repair economically viable.
