DVLA Rules

Registering a Harley-Davidson with Swansea

If you need assistance with a V5 for your Harley-Davidson, The Club may be in a position to help you. Patrick Delli the Club's Vintage Rep explains...

It has been a few years since Paul Parslow’s explanations of D.V.L.A. Rules concerning Registration Marks for older Harleys, what’s eligible etc. I sincerely hope this will clarify the situation, help those in real need and prevent the unrealistic hopes of some owners

There are basically only three cases that apply: you can only have one of the following:

• An old Harley without Registration Papers, i.e. a recent import, a barn find without an old LogBook, both without V5.
• A barn find with an old number plate but no old log book.
• A bike issued wrongly or rightly with a Q plate don’t blame me, have a go at the previous owner

This Club will issue members (through the Vintage Section Secretary) with an Age Related Certificate that will enable you to obtain an Age Related Registration Mark on the following conditions:

1. A letter of application from you to the P.O. Box number and including: Left and right photos of the vehicle - A pencil etching of the engine and frame numbers. For pre-69 Harleys with no frame numbers, I have to warn you that the DVLA might inspect your bike and insist in issuing you with their interpretation of an H-D serial number that will rarely match your engine number. Any number of relevant photocopies of official papers in your possession for proof of ownership (import papers, MOT certificates, etc. Last but not least, a self stamped addressed envelope, no reply otherwise.
2. The motorcycle will have to be wholly original as in "as it left the factory", not as in highly modified, or been renovated faithfully i.e. no discs on pre-72 models, no rear springing on pre-58 models etc. As a general rule of thumb, the Club will accept the use of replica modern parts as long as they look like the original parts they replace. All major components (frame, engine cases & gearbox) have to be of H-D manufacture so S&S cases are out but S&S cylinders on H-D cases are OK.
3. As the Age Related Scheme was put up to deal with Vintage and Historic vehicles, and not to be a refuge for Q plate haters, NO choppers will be considered, even mild ones. Once you have an age related mark, nobody can prevent you from doing whatever sacrilege you wish to inflict on your pride and joy - just don’t try your luck and do it before.

If your old reg. mark was not included in the Swansea Computer at the time the old Log Book with character, faded hand writing and stamps, was replaced by the dull technocratic V5, there is still a ray of hope for the old reg. mark to be reissued to your bike. However, the onus is on you, not me, to prove to the DVLA that the old rusty pile of bits in your garage is the rightful owner of that reg. mark. By sheer luck or good old elbow grease, you will have to find that old logbook.

This is the best way. If not, the DVLA will consider looking at old papers and tax discs but this is not so convincing from their point of view. You then go to your local VRO for the special form, fill it and send it to me with all relevant papers, photos, etchings, SAE’s. Do bear in mind that the DVLA has the final word and is not obliged in any way to reissue that reg. mark. It is up to them so, be thorough, make a complete dossier, don’t throw away anything, it helps

Now, to me and to the DVLA, a Q plate means one thing only: a bike assembled from parts i.e. most of the time with parts from various years hence no year identik letter hence Q plate. Fair enough. Some of you will argue that the frame is the year identik so I should issue them with a certificate for that year. WRONG. For most of their life, H-D’s have been identified by their engine number only (1903 to 1969, 66 years) but then, each year frame was ever so slightly different from the previous or the next that it makes life easy for restorers to spot rebuilds.

Furthermore, an age related certificate is for the whole bike, not the frame only, not the engine only, so we are back to various parts from various years

I am afraid if you have one of those bikes with H4 on the frame and JO on the engine (and don’t mention the 5 speeder, you are stuck with the Q plate with reason. It might be a very nice bike but in the end, a Harley is only a Harley if it has been assembled in Milwaukee with matching numbers to prove it. Most Q plates in this country are bikes made out of Harley parts.

The only time I am willing to spend to help somebody change his Q is when the DVLA clearly made a mistake and the most obvious case is recent imports backed by lazy paperwork from the importer. But they do also assemble bikes from bits in the states so I will only look at those that have matching engine and frame numbers, that are in original condition, i.e. again, no choppers, mods, and the owner will have to pay expenses for this secretary or another club official to go and visually inspect the bike, sorry but no deal through the post on that one. Obviously, all the papers will have to be in tip-top condition because the DVLA will most certainly send an inspector to have a good look at the bike.

I suppose there will always be somebody who feels I did not treat them right. Do not worry, do not moan, just complain to the committee, I am here to help you, not to get my views against yours. So long buddies, good andsafe riding