Registering myDucati in UK

Hello everybody. I'm in a mail-fight with Ducati Italy (where me and my
SS750 are from) to get the Certificate of Conformity I need to register
my dear in the UK, get a UK number plate and get a UK insurance.

Ducati dealer (there are none in Sheffield) , get the bike modified by
them (the only change the DVLA asked me for is for the speedo to be in
mph instead of Km/h) without specifying what they think it needs to be
done, and then the dealer, passing through the importer, can finally
issue the Certificate.
Please HELP. Has anyone of you done this before? Does it have to be so
complicated? I've known from other people that for other maker the
whole thing is preatty straigh forword. You ask for the Certificate and
they send it to you.
Has anyone any experience with importing a Ducati?
Cheers guys.
C ya.

Francesco

 

AFAIK you don't *need* the certificate of conformity. But you *do* need
the speedo to read in miles per hour. Most people do this by painting
the 30, 50, 70 marks onto the dial or by getting one of those
transparent plastic overlays.

My neighbour has just (like two weeks ago) bought a Yamaha XT600E,
imported from Poland and with Polish registration. He took the bike,
with the Polish registration documents, to our nearest VRO (Vehicle
Registration Office). They actually inspected the bike (often they
don't bother, but they do perform spot checks on some) and the
inspector told him that it couldn't pass because he didn't have an MPH
speedo.

He asked the inspector is he could wait 15 minutes. The inspector said
"Sure", and Keith walked into a bicycle shop and bought one of those
little digital bicycle speedometers, and strapped it onto the XT.

The inspector said: "I've never seen anyone do that before but yes,
that is now an MPH speedo, so here is your UK registration number."

It is very simple, honestly. Ignore what Ducati Italy says. Just take
the documents you have to your local VRO and ask for a licence number.
If you need anything else, they will tell you.

 

For the MOT, you may well need to get the headlight changed to UK
spec. There are plenty about on ebay, so shouldn't cost you too much.

 

No but I imported a Voxan which had no CoC - well not for UK use anyway.
One sure way would be to take it for a full Motorcycle Single Vehicle
Approval test *and* an MOT if it is more than three years old.

I was told when I had mine done that if I had been in possession of a
certificate for non-UK use they could have done a reduced test just for
the headlight and speedo.

Speedo not an MoT item BTW.

For an MSVA test painted on numbers will not do unless inside the
speedo, no on the glass, but a cycle speedo would, although it could
get tricky regarding illumination. The headlight must be vertical dip or
with a cut-off to the left not right for MoT or MSVA.

You should be able to get a MPH speedo for a Ducati easily enough and
presumably a UK headlight unit should no be a problem.

I managed it by getting the speedo 're-dialed' and finding a suitable
headlight unit from a MuZ.

The law changed quite recently regarding the format of the CoC so that
may be why Ducati are being unhelpful.

Best have a good read of this page and explore the links:
http://www.dvla.gov.uk/vehicles/exptimpt.htm




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| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Moto Guzzi Mille GT/Squire RS3 Gilera Nordwest |
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Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Pete Fisher

The GTS passed its MOT after the friendly tester had masked the
headlight with black tape.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer As featured in
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WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
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Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha Vmax Honda ST1100 wiv trailer

 

Pete Fisher wrote

My VT has one of them little reduction gearboxes plugged into the KPH
speedo. Good it is.

 

Bad form etc.

Silly me! I forgot that in my case, despite having been registered in
France in 2000 it had only 3 kms on the clock. That made it a *new*
machine for the purposes of type approval and, curses, tax.

If your Ducati has done a reasonable mileage (6000 kms comes to mind but
you would need to check) it is not treated as new and then things should
be more simple. Like TOG said contact your local VRO for clarification.

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| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Moto Guzzi Mille GT/Squire RS3 Gilera Nordwest |
| Gilera GFR Moto Morini 2C/375 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Yup OK for an MoT as confirmed by my MoT chappie. Not OK for a MSVA
though. Also I am told that the controle technique bods in France won't
pass cars any more with just headlamp masking or beam benders for
registration.
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| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Moto Guzzi Mille GT/Squire RS3 Gilera Nordwest |
| Gilera GFR Moto Morini 2C/375 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+

 

I thought of that option but wasn't certain about the mph sticker on
the glass being acceptable for MSVA. Probably OK to satisfy just the
VRO though (see other post).

Only cost 50 quid for the re-dial and that mean't it was super legal,
as in displaying both mph *and* kph. Have a look at construction and
use regs v. closely. Not enforced though obviously.

 

Cheers everyone for the information.
It looks like I'll have to do the SVA (which I wa trying to avoid).
Spoke to the VRO in Sheffield and he confirmed that I need to get
either the Certificate of Conformity (which seems to be an impossible
task) or an SVA test done. Unfortunatly the guy I spoke to wasn't that
easy going as i wish.
I'll let yo u guys know
cheers

 

That is downer. The people in local offices are not always *absolutely*
clued up and will often be 'jobsworths'. You might want to contact VOSA
direct for a definitive answer regarding an EC manufactured bike
already registered in an EC country.

http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/motorcy...les/motorcyclesinglevehicleapprovalscheme.htm

Don't worry about the MSVA too much (apart from the fee and the wait
for a test),if your bike is standard. As long as your speedo and
headlight are OK the rest should be no problem. The only thing I had to
do was file a little bit of sharp leading edge off the front mudguard.

 

Not with a Ducati, but with a GS550 (US import via Ireland)

Just got it MOT'd, took that to the local DVLA (we use to have one in
Liverpool) and they issed a reg. Then everyone ws happy.

 

I moved back to the UK from Canada in 2000 and brought my Ducati 748
with me.

With regards the speedo, I bought a clear sticker with MPH delineations
on it which was specifically designed for the 748 speedo.

As for the headlight, I think the 748 has a reversible plate inside the
headlight that limits the light to one side, don't know whether the SS
is the same, and to be honest I can't remember if I even needed to
change it. It's never failed an MOT either way. I certainly never had
to go so far as replacing the light unit or anything.

To register it I got hold of a letter from Ducati UK stating that my
bike conformed to UK regulations, nothing as official as a Certificate
of Conformity, just a letter on Ducati headed paper. (And no-one ever
had to inspect the bike first.)

Registering it was easy, I just followed the FAQ on the DVLA website,
and was all done in a couple of weeks. But considering Italy's in the
EU, (it is, right?), do you even need to register it here? I managed to
insure my bike on it's frame number and rode for months before I got it
officially registered and the plate changed. (And that was on a Canadian
plate, not an EU member one.) It was once enquired about by a cop at a
petrol station, but I just said I was going through the process and no
further questions.

Si

 

Baines Racing used to supply headlight correctors for 748/916 Ducatis
and they might be a good starting point for anything to do with
imports. They're not an "official" importer but used to bring a lot of
bikes in brand new .

http://www.bainesracing.com/

 

Correction:
I just dug the letter out and it was from Ducati North America. The
text of the letter goes:

"Please be advised that the Ducati motorcycle in question, a 1999 Ducati
749 Biposto VIN # ***************, was a USA EPA Certified motorcycle at
the time it was retailed. Retail date was 4/1/99. The motorcycle is
also USA DOT equipped except for the KPH instrument panel and the dual
language VIN sticker. There are no Recalls or Product Campaign's
against the motorcycle at this time."

(Dual language was English+French to meet Canadian law.)

DVLA did not require any modifications to the bike prior to issuing the
UK registration, that would be down to the MOT station afterwards.
However, since it was only a year old it did not require testing for a
further two years anyway.

Si

 

I had mine shipped to OnYerBike, who uncrated and prepped it.

It survived an eight-week trip including storage in several warehouses
and customs houses, and a perilous trans-Atlantic crossing. Two days
after I collected it from OYB some drunken shit knocked it over in the
night at Cadwell BSB and did an incredible amount of damage. He tripped,
knocked a FireBlade over, which landed on my 748, which toppled into an
R6. Duck sandwich...)

Si

 

This is precisely what I did with the Guzzi 12 years ago - I had an MOT
based on the frame number (and insurance), a proof of age certificate
from the Guzzi club (IIRC) and popped into the helpful VRO (we still have
one in Brighton) and they issued a reg number, tax and an updated MOT
certificate.

 

Somebody make me get the engine out of the 550 this winter and fix the
base gasket so I can put it back on the road....

 

Pre- type approval (2003).

--

+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Moto Guzzi Mille GT/Squire RS3 Gilera Nordwest |
| Gilera GFR Moto Morini 2C/375 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+