What happens at a motorcycle MOT Test? 

The most thorough MOT test I've ever seen in 36 yrs of riding. To put in perspective though some were just a look round the bike , a chat, a cig and a tenner ...... oh yes the ole days lol

man this guy does everything! ive watched a guy do an mot on my bike before and took like 10 mins didnt even get the bike up off the ground lol

There is a man I can go to for a two wheel MOT. He could get you through if you came in with one wheel! Very helpful chap indeed, if you catch my drift.

Another helpful and useful video. So far my bike hasn't needed MOT but glad I have this to reference when preparing.

funnily enough I took my bike for an mot test three weeks ago, (just after I had some new tyres fitted) only to find it failed because the numptys at the tyre depot had fitted the front tyre the wrong way round!!. interesting video as always.

Thanks TMF another good one. Got mine next month so now I am even more worried. But that said rather know if bike is unsafe. Even though Classic bikes may get little use I still find it ironic that they now do not need an MOT given how old they are. Fair play to Nigel as well because many garages keep you away from where the work is carried out. Great to have a man like Nigel near by.

There are testers and then there are testers, because each tester is allowed to make their own judgment on things like the amount of noise an exhaust makes for example, your best taking to your bike to the same tester each year, so you can learn their standard. All testers are trained by the DVSA to test to the same standard, which means in theory that if one garage passed you in one place another tester down the road on the same day should give you the same result, unfortunately in my experience this is not the case, for example one MOT tester may think your exhaust sounds fine, and then another tester might think it’s too loud. So get to know your tester and take your bike to the same guy each year.

That was interesting. Not surprised your subscriptions are rising, you've created a great bike channel(and you seem to have staying power, lol). cheers tony

Great idea for a vid, nice to note a few things I could check before sending mine for its next one 👍🏻

Wow....my MOT was nothing like that ...talk about being thorough.....

Good line from the mechanic "corrosion probably not an issue on this bike". The ACF 50 is awesome, I just starting using it on my truck and quad...be using it for a couple years on bikes. This video is a nice change of pace from the mc reviews - good job as always. John from across the pond.

The infamous MOT. Probably a good thing but what a hassle. I think I prefer the "honor" system. We have no inspections whatsoever, not even emissions, in Florida USA.

Great video. my motorbike's mot involved checking wheel alignment, checking tyre valves for cracks, making sure front wheel rotates at least 1 full circle after being spun by hand. Bearing checks, the bloody lot, aswell as what your video showed. Was a good half hour or so, maybe 20 mins actually. Thorough as heck I passed too :)

Hey TMF,The back wheel locked early before the required effort,but because it locked you can't determine what effort it would have gone on to make so there fore it passes,if you you applied some weight to the bike it would have made more effort and would have passed on effort and maybe stilled locked aswell,but applying weight to the vehicle is not part of the mot!can't beat a locked brake,but if it doesn't lock you need the required effort,hope that helps?

It helps that I think we are about the same age, have the same values....though I will never be able to keep my 1 bike as clean as yours. I relate to your channel and thoughts. But, none the less, you provide a interesting, real world, relevant channel for a wide variety of bikers.

That original numberplate is ginormous!

Thank you now i know what to fix have a good year and stay safe

Wowza, who knew, thanks for that, and cheers Nigel.

top bloke letting you film..I was a bit confused why he said the rear tyre affected braking is it.the play in the knoblys

We only do roadworthy (MOT) at change of ownership. Roadworthyness only becomes an issue if you have an insurance claim or accident. So the onus is on you as the owner/user to keep your bike safe. Not necessarily a great idea, you should see some of the junk on our roads.

My favorite channel. Thanks

Great idea for a fascinating video and a nice ad for Mototune

Thanks for sharing this and making the effort. Was a good watch.

the part at 12:01 about markings for conformity on headlight is wrong , it only has to work ,be undamaged, securely mounted, have a beam pattern (with no kick up to RHS) and be the correct colour (white at the front)

I’m about to go for a full mot on a 02 rm85 that I’ve restored and am Regis for on road use

Mine is tomorrow. I hope i get one of these 10 minute ones people are talking about.

that's the most thorough bike mot I've ever witnessed lol.

Commendably strong will-power there TMF. I wouldn't have got any further than the Queens Head (1:05) ;)

what a beautiful bit of kit that bike is

Another great video to watch thanks for posting...thank god we don't have the added expense here in Ireland but it's piece of mind on the road if the test is carried out properly.

I can't believe that you've had the bike 3 years; how time flies.

Thank you very much

Yup we have that in the Virginia it's called safety inspection

Good Afternoon TMF ,MOT are always a nervous time .Thank You for video Take Care.

I am dreading my first MOT, its going to be my first ride on my ER-5 once I get my A2 in the summer

A few years ago when I used to take bikes for MOT tests, nine times out of ten the tester took the bike for a run to "check the suspension properly" Which was tech speak for giving it a "damn good thrashing", so I was surprised the Honda didn't get a run out. Maybe if he was testing the Panigale? , and if there is no sound or emissions check, what's the point of the catalytic converter requirement.

Great video many thanks..

Here in Norway we have this only on cars,trucks etc not motorcycles..It's our resposability to make sure our motorcycles are safe and everything is working. if it don't we will get fined if we are stopped on the road.

That was really interesting. Thank you.

Interesting video. Good post. In the USA they have vehicle inspections. At least they did when I lived there. In western Canada they use to have what was called ....Air Care testing, but they stopped that a few years ago. I think vehicle inspections are a good thing, albeit they can be a pain to take time out to go do.

Nice vid mate, it's handy to know what they check.

i am an mot tester and can sense and feel everything without even looking. experience. test those headraces by holding the bottom of the forks me old china. oh and get an lc or a vfr or a cbr600fk and go nuts. good work there.

Last 3 times iv taken my scooter down for an mot the guy rides it around the car park is this necessary it is very pokey on the throttle and just seems like he just wants a go?

In Queensland Australia, we don't have annual roadworthy's ( similar to your MOT), as long as the yearly registration is paid, your good to go.

good vid, bit different to my mot tester...

Not sure that registration plate is visible enough.... I mean seriously, do they make you ride around with those massive boards on the back of your bike in the UK? Fkn squares. Pretty sure any modern speed/safety camera is good enough to pick up your registration on a plate 5 times smaller than that.

So levels are not checked, such as tyre pressure, brake fluid etc? I know these are responsibility of rider to check on a regular basis but perhaps if pressure is wrong, you have a potential slow puncture...or object in tyre which could cause issues later? It already seems a reasonable check but perhaps levels could be added.

Was there no emissions test or sound test to see how many decibels the exhaust makes?

Great vid

Good stuff thanks.

Useful video as always. I noticed he looked for a stamp on the plate - I'll definitely need to switch my (slightly) smaller plate back to original. What is checked when it comes to the exhaust? My Triple has the Arrow lowboy and it makes a bit of a racket!

Not removing panels is the same as a car test. They cannot test things like the floor pans with a light tap of a hammer as they used to. As people could sue for damage.

state of that road at 1.55! thanks for the vid!

I thought it was odd he checked the seal on the fuel cap? Didn't think that would of been part of an MOT test.

Do mechanics start up the bike during the mot test?

At least there's one benefit to biking in Ireland...we don't do mot's 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀😎

Look at that plate @6:00. Gargantuan !!! TMF gives a proper rant on this in another video. I understand now 😆😆😆

very interesting video WOW the guy even used a torch Your number plate laws in uk.crazy with huge size they must want to b able to read them from a helicopter Glad I live in nz

When did Main beam check come into effect ? Thought it was only Dipped . Ride safe

didn't think you were allowed race numbers on UK roads?

do they do emissions tests as well?

Lovely bike ...

mine only checked the brakes and horn. and said all was fine and pasted it/ .. should i get it checked again ?

In the UK, tread depth has to be 1mm across the middle 3/4 of the tyre. In continental Europe, in Canada and in some U.S. states (e.g. NY) , it has to be 1.5mm or 1.6mm depending on jurisdiction. Don't know about Australia/New Zealand. Do people in the U.K. think that 1mm is adequate? Do people let it go that far? P.S. for Americans: 1/16" is 1.6mm.

I appreciate a test to ensure things are safe but it does annoy me having to change certain things just to get it through one test. Things like number plates, MOT testers know ur just gonna change wen u roll out, so just let it through. If something is unsafe sure, but something like that.

I was actually nervous watching that :-o

Hi, what's the deal with exhaust modification and noise level during MOT? As far as I know anything noisier than the standard exhaust it's illegal for road use...

Hi. Thanks for the vid. I wondered what went on in the workshop while I went for a coffee. Thinking of getting a CRF250L to commute. Do you have any review vids cos I got a question about the bike . In your experience is it competent/practical for travelling at 70 mph on dual carriageways? What speed does it start to max out? I want to be able to keep up with the traffic. Also I realise the seat height is high. Does it take a lot of effort to ride/keep vertical and stable when stopped at junctions etc? Cheers

interesting... you have to do a MOT every year? in Germany it is called TÜV... you have to do every 2 years cheers Tom

just passed on my 2014 re continental gt. my bike mot station use a pulley system for checking brakes.

How much did that cost? Only useful measurement was (front) brake test. Thank God we don't have that in Finland, regardless of costs, money wasted I say.

Why number 59 on the bike?

Apparently there changing the MOT to 4years ? By the way..Have you thought about doing a episode on the different "Garages" we can get for our bikes? From basic covers - tent type -Metal fold away ect.

MOT motor vehicle observation test

Turns out there's a Wikipedia article that covers inspection practice country by country: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_inspection

I thought nobbly tyres are not road legal

Ha, I bet you had a sweat on when he said it's an automatic fail, thankfully only pulling your leg! Lol

Interesting stuff. Do they not test your exhaust emissions?

NO bike MOT in Belgium.

TMF you've probably already mentioned it on other vids, and if you did I apologize, but i do have a question: is the little crf250 able to maintain 60-65 mph without effort? (in stock form)

Very interesting info as I was not aware of the annual MOT requirement. What is the average cost of one of these tests? As others stated, we do not have an equivalent in Canada and I think we have a lot of crap and non-standard specs on the road as a result... mostly 4-wheel private vehicles as I think riders have a higher standard of care for their rides. When importing vehicles from out-of-province, the vehicle does need to undergo an inspection and the $150-300 cost can pale in comparison to the costs of bringing the vehicle up to the spec required to obtain the provincial registration plates/tag.

No MOT in Cyprus. Some Say its a good thing others say different

Horn?

Hey great vid any idea if a rear reflector a must as my tail tidy eliminates the reflector?

Thanks for this MF - didn't quite get why your brakes "failed" but actually "passed" ??? Regards, Jon.

You can get insurance without an MOT as you need to ride to MOT Centre but you cant gear Road Tax without it

And you have to get that done every year? That must suck ass.

They drink coffee then issue the mot

Here in Australia in my area the mechanic just checks Vin number is same as paper work, checks lights ,horn & tyres .Takes all of 5 minutes. Wow you guys have big ugly rear number plates. Interesting vid though !

Pre 1960 no MoT. :)

You don't have to have an mot to get insurance but you won't be covered without one.

the size of that license plate, wow

I fought there would of been a emission test in that

Best pass of the day !

No such thing as a MOT test in the US. Or anything similar.

I think that it is useful to look at the MOT test results before expressing an opinion on the utility of these tests. The numbers, for the last three years, updated to February, 2017, are here (motorcycles are classes 1 and 2): www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/mot-testing-data-for-great-britain On a test required only for bikes that are more than three years old, the current annual failure rate is 18.2%. Leaving aside the safety issues and environmental issues, and because many people here think that this is a waste of money, it would be interesting to know the economics. For example, lighting and signaling deficiencies, which are rather basic, account for a significant percentage of the failures. If these failures are dealt with via an MOT inspection, it means that police officers, and the courts, can spend less time on people who are in violation of basic lighting requirements and more time addressing real crime, and that riders will pay fewer fines and accumulate fewer penalty points. Then there's the economic cost of basic deficiencies (in addition to lighting and signals, the failure rate of brakes and a few other items is also interesting) resulting in people getting injured or killed.

that number plate is bigger than the roof on my house mate get a smaller one lol

He's chirpy

Wow! Never happens in the States as there would be a riot.

Another faff, like insurance that is almost pointless with regards to motorcycles. Just a money-making scheme, hopefully we will can be done with them someday. No disresoect to to you TMF, great vid as always.