SORN rules changing next week

NOT everything about motorcycling is about riding – there’s a huge number of us who get just as much from tinkering in the garage and as a result proportionally more motorcycles are off-the-road than cars.

And that being the case, the fact that from December 16 the rules regarding SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) are changing to make life simpler is worth celebrating.

In the past, those of us with long-term ‘projects’ have had to re-apply for SORN every year to prove that the bike doesn’t need taxing and, more recently, isn’t subject to compulsory insurance rules. From the 16th, however, a SORN will remain active indefinitely – tell the DVLA once and you only have to get back in touch with then when the bike is finally going back on the road.

SORN doesn’t pass with ownership, so if you sell or buy a project, the new owner will need his own SORN on it, and the same applies to things like changes of address, but otherwise it’s one little annual job that’s no longer needed.

As part of the same changes, it won’t be necessary to provide proof of insurance when you re-tax your bike after December 16. That’s because a while ago it became illegal to own an uninsured vehicle (that isn’t SORNed), and insurance is automatically checked by computers on a rolling basis, eliminating the need to produce paper ‘proof’ when applying for VED.