Re Commissioning a 60year old Bike

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Pharisee
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Re: Re Commissioning a 60year old Bike

Post by Pharisee »

When I bought my '55 M18S it was old enough to be exempt from both Vehicle Excise Duty and M.O.T. but I still had to go through the formality of taxing it as a Historic Vehicle. Therein lay the first problem. When the bike was delivered, I was given the V5C/2 'Green Slip'. The dealer sent the old registration document back to the DVLA in Swansea. Now, in theory, as I had already arranged insurance, I should have been able to 'tax' the bike on-line but that failed. Where the taxation class should have been 'Historic Vehicle', on the V5C/2 it was 'Vehicle Not Licensed for Road Use' and that chucked up an error when I attempted to tax it. I phoned the DVLA. A very helpful guy at the other end explained that 'Vehicle Not Licensed for Road Use' was an old way of preserving the original registration number. Before the days of 'Statutory Off Road Notice' (SORN) if a vehicle wasn't taxed for an extended period, the registration number was 'taken back' by the DVLA and effectively lost. If the vehicle was subsequently put back on the road, the owner would have to apply for a new 'age related' number but he wouldn't get back the original one. To prevent that happening, if you had no intention of using the vehicle on the road, (as the last owner of the AJS had after he 'restored' it) you could change the taxation class to 'Vehicle Not Licensed for Road Use' and that would preserve the registration number and prevent it being taken away by the DVLA. All it meant was that I had to apply to change the taxation class to 'Historic Vehicle' and that I could do at the local Post Office. I downloaded the necessary forms, filled them in and took them, with the insurance certificate to the Post Office. The guy behind the counter took the forms, bashed about on a computer keyboard, gave me a receipt for £0.00 that stated that my AJS was now 'taxed' for the year. In due course I received the new V5C document from Swansea, with me as the new registered keeper.... and the taxation class as... you've guessed it... 'Vehicle Not Licensed for Road Use'. Another phone call to the DVLA and after a bit of explaining, I was assured that another new V5C would be issued. All the paperwork was there... the original V5C, my change of class form and the post office receipt. It's just that they all arrived at the same time and the 'Change of ownership' was completed (without change of class) first. I did get the correct V5C in the post a few days later.
John
I'm from the Fens.... Gimme six.
ColourNcoat
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Re: Re Commissioning a 60year old Bike

Post by ColourNcoat »

Sorry for the late response.

It,s now all done and road legal and had her first tank full of fuel. She ran fairly well with the odd hiccup but other than that it had a five mile journey.
I took the V5 to a few post offices and managed to get a V112 filled that in and they sent V5 off. I did insure her beforehand so fingers crossed I will receive the new logbook with the amended information regarding being old like me lol.
Thanks All for the advice given.
Kindest Regards
Roger
ColourNcoat
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Re: Re Commissioning a 60year old Bike

Post by ColourNcoat »

Hi All
Finally got her sorted by taking new V5 to post office (after insuring ) I found a post office with the V112 and filled that in. They kept the V5 to send off to DVLA and it should all be registered old like me :D
She had her first maiden voyage of about five miles. Apart from the odd hiccup she ran fairly well. The gears are quite high compared to my other bike and didn't realise I had another gear :rofl: All in all am well pleased but do have to get an open face helmet :oops: :D
Thanks to all for advice as it had made finishing the project much easier :beer:
Kindest Regards
Roger
Mick D
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Re: Re Commissioning a 60year old Bike

Post by Mick D »

ColourNcoat wrote:All in all am well pleased but do have to get an open face helmet
Hi

When I was in a similar position I received some good advice:

http://www.jampot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=23539

Regards Mick
ColourNcoat
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Re: Re Commissioning a 60year old Bike

Post by ColourNcoat »

Mick D wrote:
ColourNcoat wrote:All in all am well pleased but do have to get an open face helmet
Hi

When I was in a similar position I received some good advice:

http://www.jampot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=23539

Regards Mick
Hi Mick, it was a good read and a close friend said a bright green full face was not a good look :D
I do wear glasses but if I go out on the bike I put my lenses in as the glasses steam up :D
Shall pop to some local bike shops and try some on when things have settled down :beer:
Regards
Roger
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Group Leader
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Re: Re Commissioning a 60year old Bike

Post by Group Leader »

ColourNcoat wrote: Hi Mick, it was a good read and a close friend said a bright green full face was not a good look :D
I do wear glasses but if I go out on the bike I put my lenses in as the glasses steam up :D
When I returned to motorcycling a few years ago after a gap of 40 odd years I was thinking along the lines of a "traditional" style or open face helmet to go with my 16MS.

Having thought about it a bit I decided to go with a helmet that gave me I believe the most protection, both physical in case of contact with a hard surface and visual in an effort to keep the dozy muppets at bay who regularly pull out of side turnings as you approach.

I went for a bright yellow, full face Arai job (that was not cheap) as I figured it's a bit of functional safety equipment for my well being not a fashion statement. But then in my 64 years I've never made a fashion statement (well, those flares and a cheesecloth shirt back in the 70's were a bit dodgy but that aside) so it was an easy and correct choice for me.

So far, the helmet and a '70s 6V air horn secretly secreted about the AJS are doing a good job and long may it continue!

Alan

PS - I do wear glass and it's a bit of a fiddle to get them on but there's a knack to it and its fine now.
1953 AJS 16MS, 1939 BSA 250 and a 1/3 scale Sopwith Triplane but that's another story ..... :lol:
poplargreg
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Re: Re Commissioning a 60year old Bike

Post by poplargreg »

"you can also go down to the relevent tax issuing post office and they will tax the vehicle and sort the taxation class out and send off the v5c for you"

I am endeavouring to tax my 1936 model 22, that has been off the road since before the introductio of the Historic Vehicle class. I first tried to tax it online, but was was referred to the local post office. I duly completed the V112 form for exemption from MOT certificate and took that with my V5 to my local post office. They could not tax it as "it is not registered for road use." This appears (from an earlier post) to be the old pre-sorn way of retaining a registration number. The post mistres maintained that I must first apply to DVLA to have the tax class changed to Historic Vehicle, saying that she could not do this! Talk about a rock and a hard place!

Any suggestions? Should I try anothert post office?
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Pharisee
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Re: Re Commissioning a 60year old Bike

Post by Pharisee »

I had exactly the same problem when I bought a '55 G80. The taxation class was indeed changed to "Historic Vehicle" at my local post office. All it seemed to need was the correct form filling in and a current insurance certificate.
I'm from the Fens.... Gimme six.
poplargreg
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Re: Re Commissioning a 60year old Bike

Post by poplargreg »

Thanks for that - I suspected she was making it up as she went along! I'll try my luck at another post offisce
cheers
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Re: Re Commissioning a 60year old Bike

Post by Triumph-Legend »

Once it's taxed, pump up tyres and away. Tyres mature with age so the older the better. Any cracking can be filled with boot polish. I got this trick from a film, (The Worlds Fastest Indian), so I know it works. Don't bother too much about brakes, they will bed in once the surface rust is rubbed of the drum. If any control cables break, don't worry you probably did not need them anyway and you can still get home.
If passing a traffic copper be sure to stop and with a cheery smile tell him. Look no tax, no MOT, number plate painted with houshold emulsion on a rusting black backing. Insurance only costs twenty quid a year. Don't be too clever and let on the brakes are shit and the lights are controlled by the prince of darkness, (Joe Lucas). Then ride of in a cloud of smoke with plenty of popping and bangs from the exhaust.
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