What To Do With It ?

[jon v8]

Cos it has been such a grot day and too wet to do firewood,I got a pass out - spent the afternoon building up my second ty250 twinshock.Now I dont need a second bike the same but was fed up with shuffling boxes of bits around the workshop floor.Cant make up my mind wether to go ahead with the XT225 electric start conversion or to just flog it.Really like the idea of a proper four stroke Yam - plus I get a complete spare 250 motor for my other bike.

Anyway my question is,the bike has no log book but the frame/engine numbers are clearly visible.Is it possible to get an age related plate for it,as I read a while ago that the frame numbers cant actually indicate the build year - resulting in a "Q" plate.This leads on to my next question,if the numbers can tell the year,my other TY has a Q plate,is it possible to get them changed to age related - I hate Q plates from years ago when I started on a 250 Beamish,a plod friend of mine kept on about it being dodgy.It wasnt as I knew the previous keeper who had fought through the process of registering it and had all the paperwork.

I know there are DVLA websites that are supposed to answer questions like these,but they never seem to answer my exact question.

[andy m]

I believe that if numbers are intact you can get an ageing letter from Yamaha. Pitley has recently done this I believe, no good trying to PM him tonight or for the next week or 2 he's on his way to India for a holiday. I got a letter from Yam years ago, just tell them you want to register the bike and add some flannel about wanting to order some parts and wanting to get the year right when you order the mountain of parts you have in mind. Re losing a Q plate I am not sure whether you may be able to do the same but you need to get the letter first and then maybe scrap the bike on paper and start again. But I am not 100% on this so tread carefully. It costs nowt to get the letter though. Good luck

[woody]

Yes, Yamaha UK will supply you with a letter that confirms the date of manufacture if you write to them with the frame number. Write to;

Yamaha Motor (UK) Ltd

Customer Service

Sopwith Drive

Brooklands

Weybridge

Surrey

KT13 0UZ

When I got mine it was a very helpful lady called Moira Dwan who sorted it for me. No need for any pretence as to why you need the information, just say it is so the bike can be registered. There was no charge. This was a year or so ago, so if you want to confirm whether the procedure has changed you can phone Yamaha on 01932 358000 and ask for Customer Service or Moira. For an age related plate DVLA need proof of age from an authorised body - The Importer or the Vintage Motorcycle Club. The letter from Yamaha will be enough for DVLA to provide an age related plate as they are the official importer.

I also have a bike that has a Q plate. They are used when it is not possible to prove the year of manufacture and I have been told by DVLA that it is not possible to change from a Q plate to an age related even though proof of age has subsequently become available. Once on a Q plate - always a Q plate.

On another occassion I had another bike that I knew had been registered but the V5 had been lost and I didn't know what the reg number was. I phoned DVLA and asked if they could tell me from the frame number so I could apply for the V5. They told me they couldn't (not wouldn't, couldn't, as their computer system 'didn't do that') What a load of B*****ks I thought, so then I asked what I could do about registering it for the road, assuming that if I applied for a registration number (as though it had never been registered) surely it would show up that that frame number was already registered. No it won't they said, you'll just get a new number.....

So, I thought that is the way to lose the Q plate. I'll just apply for a new registration for the Q plated bike and put a letter in with it that the original log book has been lost and that I have no record of the original number and see what happens. May be worth a try but it depends when you last taxed it or declared it SORN of course. If it was recently, then the 'I've lost the reg number' story won't hold much water.

[jon v8]

Thanks for the quick response,thats just what I was after,I knew you guys would know ! I'll try getting hold of Yamaha UK first and see what they say.

Thanks again, Jon.