Tuesday 26 April 2016

Back on the road

Took my white Traveller for its MOT (annual safety test) and it passed!
This is the first time it's been on the road since I bought it in 2008! It's going to become my 'commuting bike' ferrying me to and from work each day.

As I'm mentioned previously, I've got a 1972 Honda CL 350 that I bought as a 'project' a few years ago. Due to a lot of things beyond my control, mostly either having plenty of time but no money, or having the money but not the time, it hasn't really progressed much. However, with the white bike back on the road, I should have more time to spend on it and my other project, a Yamaha SZR 660.

I don't want to keep the Yamaha as the riding position is too extreme for me, so it will be done up and sold. I'd like to restore the Honda as a kind of 'hobby bike', and once it's complete I'll have to get it registered as it was imported from the US.
As part of the registering process, it has to pass an MOT before it can be issued with a British number. I had thought that I would have to take it to the testing centre in a van, but read that I'd be able to ride it there and back with no numberplate as long as it has insurance and the test had been prebooked. (The MOT tester confirmed this today). I didn't really want to do that as riding a bike with no plate is sure to get stopped by the Police, so as I had the old US registration document (which had expired in 1991!) I got a replica plate made. I checked on the Internet and found what a 1972 Ohio plate would have looked like:
This is almost certainly illegal, but at least I'll have a plate rather than riding with none, and it's unlikely that a British Policeman would care.
Once it passes its test I'll apply for a British number, and as the bike was built before 1973, I'll be able to use a 'classic' style white on black plate.

More later.





2 comments:

  1. According to the "How Many Left?" website, you have 50% of the MZ Skorpion Travellers in the UK.

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    Replies
    1. I think that says more about the 'How Many Left?' website than about how many are on the road!

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