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MOT Sections
Lights And Signals
MOT checks for lights and signals on motorcycles are divided into seven sections. Please click on a link below to skip to the section of interest.
front and rear position lamps :: headlamps :: stop lamps :: rear reflectors :: indicators :: headlamp aim :: audible warnings
Front and Rear Position Lamps on a Motorcycle
note: the front position light, or sidelight, is considered separate from the motorcycle’s headlight and at least 50% of all light sources within a lamp must function. If lamps are obscured by other parts of the bike they will fail.
- The front light must emit a white light unless it is within a yellow headlamp and the rear must always be red
- Both lights must illuminate immediately once the switch is pressed, be securely mounted and not flicker when tapped
- The switch must also be securely mounted and again, tapping shouldn’t affect the lights
- One switch must operate both lights
Daylight MOT
If a motorbike has no lights at all, or they are taped, painted or permanently disconnected so as to emit no light whatsoever you can still get an MOT pass but you will receive an advisory note stating that the bike should only be used during the hours of daylight and not during times of seriously reduced visibility.
Fog Lights
The motorcycle MOT does not cover rear fog lights or amber lights within the indicator lens of your bike.
Motorcycle Headlamps
- Your motorbike’s headlamp must emit either yellow or white light
- It must light immediately the switch is pressed
- It should not be adversely affected by any other lamp or the horn
- It must not flicker when tapped or when the switch is tapped
- Both headlight and switch must be securely attached to the motorcycle.
Twin headlights
Only one or both headlamps need to illuminate for either dipped or main beam and they must be mounted one on top of the other or symmetrically and no more than 200mm apart.
Mopeds
For the purposes of the MOT mopeds are only required to have a functioning dipped beam.
Pre-1931 Motorcycles
If your bike was built before 1 January 1931 it doesn’t need a headlight at all but if there is one it must function correctly.
Motorcycle Stop Lamps
- Your motorbike’s stop lamp must emit only a steady red light
- It must light immediately once the switch(es) is pressed and switch off when released
- It should not be adversely affected by any other lamp
- It must be securely attached to the bike and not flicker when tapped
- Both brakes must operate the stop lamp unless the the was manufactured with only one switch
Slow Vehicles & Mopeds
Bikes which cannot exceed 25mph do not have to have a stop lamp fitted nor do mopeds which were first registered before 1 April 1986 but if fitted they must function correctly.
Rear Reflectors on Motorcycles
- Your bike must be fitted with one unobscured red reflector
- It must be securely fitted and reflect squarely to the rear
- It must be positioned along the motorcycles longitudinal centre line
Extra Reflectors and Tape
Only one reflector is required for the MOT but your bike will not fail for having more. Unfortunately reflective tape is not considered satisfactory.
Motorcycle Indicators
- Indicators must be fitted to a motorcycle and emit only orange light
- They must flash on and off, not just dim and brighten
- They must flash between 60 and 120 times per minute
- They must be visible when riding or have a functioning idiot light
- They must be securely fitted and so must the switch
- They must not be adversely affected by the operation of another lamp or the horn
Motorcycles Registered Pre-1986
Any motorcycle first registered before 1st August 1986 does not need indicators to pass an MOT
Slow and Off-Road Vehicles
Bikes which cannot exceed 30mph or off-road bikes designed to carry just the rider do not need indicators but if fitted they must function correctly.
Motorcycle Headlamp Aim
note: a specialist piece of equipment is needed to correctly check the aim of your motorbikes headlight but if you follow the guidelines below we would be happy to make minor adjustments if necessary free of charge.
- A motorcycle headlight should point directly forward and slightly downwards
- The dipped beam must kick-up to the offside of the bike
Audible Warnings
- Your bike must be fitted with a working continuous tone horn or horns
- It must be loud enough to be heard by other road users
- It must not make a harsh or grating noise
- It must be easily operable whilst riding
front and rear position lamps :: headlamps :: stop lamps :: rear reflectors :: indicators :: headlamp aim :: audible warnings
Hi and thanks for all the great advice,
My 1997 Honda XR600R has just failed its MOT. I only just bought it recently (with an existing MOT) so this is the first time I’ve had it tested.
It has no indicators or indicator switch (wasn’t originally made with any) and this was the reason for the failure.
I pointed out that it’s a on\off road machine with no rear footrests etc and didn’t need indicators. The MOT station (John’s of Romford) said that they could only issue me with a daylight MOT without indicators.
Can you please confirm that I can get a FULL MOT when the bike has no indicators or switch? It has lights, brake light etc which all work just fine.
Thanks in advance,
Tony
Hi there, you are correct with what you say. Ask your M.O.T station to check the testing manual for exemptions to indicators, the exact wording reads: “Off road motor bicycles that are designed to carry only the rider”. However you will need to be sure that this is ORIGINALLY designed as an off-road machine and not a road machine that has been converted, i.e it has a 2 person seat with the foot pegs removed. The various research i have done indicates that the XR600 was an off-road machine it might be worth gathering some “proof” to take to the M.O.T station with you as they probably won’t appreciate being told they are wrong and to be fair to them its quite a specific exemption, one that we have had to phone VOSA ourselves to confirm our understanding of the wording in the manual. If they still argue about it then i’d suggest asking them to confirm with VOSA. Hope this helps FTMC
Many thanks for the advice and for your effort in answering all these queries!
No worries! FTMC
Hi, a few questions for you. I`ve got a cruiser style 125.. I`ve do ne quite a bit of modding to the bike, which i`m hoping won`t effect the MOT, i have 2 red led skull lights on each side of the bike one above the engine, one on the side of the rear pannier. an led stop/tail indicator/number plate light but also have indicators on storks on the front and rear. My spots are led ring lighted but have a blue effect on the front, i have a tail/stop led strip in the back of the back rest and have just put on a headlight fairing but had to adapt the headlight for it to fit properly, does it matter where the headlight is positioned (had to move the headlight forward and only using one headlight bolt instead of the 2 that on the bottom bracket. Any help would be greatful, MOT isn`t due until Feb 2014 but want to make sure it passes. thanks
Hi there! ok
1. For the headlights, they will need to be forward facing and as close to the centre line of the bike as “resonably practical”. This also applies to the stop/tail light but rear facing of course.
2.The headlamp aim and beam pattern will need to be correct, the equipment at the M.O.T station will be able to show that.
3.The blue effect on the spots is an M.O.T failure
4.If the integral stop/tail/indicator is alternating between indicator and stop/tail then that is a failure (most of these types are this setup) There are some combined units that do not alternate between the two, they have a seperate section of Led’s dedicated to the indicators, these are O.K. If yours is the failure type then simply cutting the indicator feed to the stop/tail and using the stalk indicators will be fine.
Hope this helps, any other questions.. ask away
FTMC
Hi, must a bike have a battery for an mot? It has both electric and kick start and functions properly without one when running?
Hi, a battery is not a necessity, however on some vehicles the indicators and various other lights do not function properly without the battery. FTMC
Hi, I have been restoring my bike ready for it mot, I have swapped the indicators to led’s I then had to replace the relay to match but they don’t go completely off just very dull (5% of full) is this a fail and how can I fix it?
Hi there, this one is a little bit of a grey area as the manual can be interpreted either way. When this happens it is generally left to the discretion of the tester as to whether it constitutes a failure or not. For your benefit i will quote the manual for you and offer my interpretation.
“Amber lamps located within the indicator lamp must not adversely affect the operation of the indicator i.e the indicator must go on and off to function not dim and bright.”
Some American imports have this set up where there is a twin filament bulb and the dim filament is used as a side-light of sorts. Although your setup differs the basic principles are the same, the indicator in your case isn’t working as designed and is alternating dim/bright rather than flashing, suggesting that it is an M.O.T fail. You might find other testers may advise this rather than fail if they feel that its dim enough to be considered off. Hope this helps FTMC
Hi I am having a problem with these integrated tail lights as I was stopped by the police and told these are not uk legal also have checked with local bike mot centre
Half my brake light goes out when the indicator is on, can you let me know if this is right as supplier says this is wrong.
Cheers
Hi there, unfortunately that set-up is an M.O.T failure, the reason it fails is because the indicators are interfering with stop/tail light. There are some combined light units out there that are a pass, these have a seperate section of l.e.d’s for the indicators so that they don’t extinguish the stop/tail. Hope this helps FTMC
My old bmw R100RT dipswitch has died. A new switchgear cluster is out of my price range at the moment and the bikes MOT has just run out.
I wonder Would it be legal to mount a separate dipswitch in the fairing or on the dash?
That would be fine, wherever is most convenient for you providing it doesn’t interact with anything else! FTMC
Hello, I need a unique solution to mounting a red tail/brake light on my bike, as the customisations I’ve done include a very short rear mudguard which isn’t adequate to support a central rear light. Is it legal to use two lights, either side of the mudguard? The fixing height etc. remains about the same. I’ve seen streetfighters with a split rear light, but what is the maximum distance apart that twin rear lights can be mounted (and, if defined, is that the centre-to-centre distance, or edge-to-edge)? Thanks, Ben.
Hiya, there is no set definitions or measurements for this. They must be Rear facing and not obscured and can be separate, as they are viewed as separate by the inspection manual. For example if you mount the brake light on the left rear then to pass it will need to be visable from the rear right and vise versa. Hope this helps FTMC
Hi, really helpful website! My son has and XR125 and a he is always dropping it and banging into stuff – hence he looses indicators fairly regularly. If both rear indicators comply with MOT requirements does it matter if they are different? The cheap (non Honda one) flashes at the right rate and is amber but is not very bright. MOT wise are there any requirements on how bright they need to be and does it matter if the indicators are different?
Thanks, Simon
Hi there, it doesn’t matter if the indicators are not matching. So long as they display an oranger light, the brightness is left down to the testers discretion as there is no way really to measure brightness other than by eye.
FTMC
Hi there, hope that you can help.
I run a BMW R1200GS that I use as a volunteer emergency blood rider for North West Blood Bikes. As it is a charity, I use, run & maintain my own bike, although it i in ‘civilian’ colours.
I have white strobe lights at the front of the vehicle which are used only when I am on an emergency blood & organ run, and am wearing the Blood Bike Hi viz & uniform. I have now been told that this is illegal & I can only use amber strobe lights? Any suggestions would be helpful
Regards, Neil
Hi there Neil, unfortunately this subject is really quite complicated and i can only quote what would happen in an M.O.T environment and not necessarily what is or isn’t legal on the road. Road laws can differ to M.O.T requirements (e.g speedometer is not required for M.O.T but is an endorsable offense on the road). If you give the shop a ring on (0116)2623099 and ask for Nathan, he will discuss the best options for you. FTMC
I have read through this thread and there are many questions about combined brake light and indicator lights.
I had such a light on my SV1000S and was told by the MoT station it would no longer pass with that type of light due to the brake light going off when the indicator came on. He said VOSA sent out a bulletin last year about it.
Is he right?
Cheers
Hi there, he is correct yes. The reason it fails is the brake light is classed as flashing and/or being interfered with by the indicator. There are some combined indicator/tail-light units that do pass, these have a separate section of the unit that is for the indicators so the brake/tail is still active when the indicators flash, rather than alternating between indicator and brake. FTMC
I’ve got an Enfield where I have fitted one of those break light flashing units.
When I use the break the rear break light flashes 3 times before becoming stready – to get the attention of anybody behind.
Do I need to disable this to get it through its MOT?
Hi there, yes unfortunately that will need to be removed as it “emits other than a steady red light”. FTMC
I have a 1991 Sportster with push and hold indicators, will this pass an MOT. (planning on changing the relay, but am curious.
Also, Main beam warning light….a requirement or not?
Thanks
Hiya, that will be fine for M.O.T, the only warning light or tell tale that is required is the indicator tell tale and this is only required if the indicators cannot be seen from the normal riding position. FTMC
thank you.
Hi, I have a 1993 Yamaha townmate t80. The indecators are dim and flash slow, despite new battery and flasher unit. Also I have used electrical tape to secure a indecator as the fixing is splitting. There is slight play with the swing arm bearings. Would it pass a mot with these issues. Thanks
hi there, the indicators have a set “rule” that decides whether they fail or not. For visibility at least 50% of the light source needs to illuminate and they need to flash no more than 120 times a minute and no less than 60 times a minute. If either of these is an issue for your bike then the next step is to experiment with different wattages on the bulbs increasing and/or decreasing the wattage can change flashing rate and brightness. Providing the indicator is secure you can tape it up as much as you like! The swing arm however is down the testers discretion as to whether the play in the swing arm is bad enough to fail. as a minimum i should think it would get advised, failed if your tester feels its too bad. Hope this helps FTMC
hi i just fitted l.e.d rear lights that have clear lens but light up red whats the law on having them fitted
hey, that is fine for the M.O.T. FTMC
ive recently streetfightered my rf900 and am fitting some trailtech vapor clocks at the moment theres no “idiot lights” (main,indicators,fuel,oil) fitted cause there a seperate kit do i need them fitted to pass the mot or will it fail ?
Hi there, there is only one instance in the M.O.T where the vehicle can fail for this for no idiot lights and it is quite specific to the indicators. The idiot light only needs to work if the indicators cannot be seen from the normal riding position. Hope this helps FTMC
I have a Yamaha Dragstar 1100, USA import. Currently, the front indicator lenses are clear, amber bulbs are twin filament (8/27W). The 8 watt filament cable (amber running light) is disconnected. Would this be legal if I reconnected?
Hi there, im not sure if this is ok for ROAD law (this differs slightly from M.O.T law) but appears to be o.k for the M.O.T. I will quote the manual for you to interpret 🙂
1.1 Front and rear position lamps
Reason for rejection
2.a. A front position Lamp shows a light other than WHITE to the front.
However in the information column there a Section that reads…..
Fog lamps and amber lamps
The inspection (1.1) does NOT include rear fog lamps or amber lamps located within the indicators.
Hope this helps FTMC
hi,my bikes main beam doesn’t work but dip does,,,will I pass mot…my friend works at test centre and says it should,,,can u help,,,want to book it in tomorrow,,,,part costs £299 to get it fixed to give back main beam,,,argh,,,,,lol
That shouldn’t pass an M.O.T unless it “was first used on or after 1 may 1995 that cannot exceed 30mph with an engine capacity of less than 50cc. That seems a bit excessive for a headlight fix, £299? what have you been told is the problem and what bike is it? FTMC
Hi, I have a PIAGGIO X9 250 2000., I want to fit headlamps from a 2004 model, but notice the light plug and harness only have two wires, whereas my original has three wires. My question is, how can you dip the lights if the bulbs have only two terminals, ie. one filliment. The bulbs themselves are totally different to my original ones and my original bulbs won’t fit the 2004 reflectors.
The difference you are seeing is the difference between markets, the E.U does things slightly different to the UK which in turn does things separate to America etc etc. The single filament bulbs will be set up with one bulb for dip beam and the other for high beam. The twin filament systems are dip beam on both bulbs and high beam on both. I’m unsure as to whether you can get a functional, legal headlight out of the available options, i would need to see them in person ideally. FTMC
I have a track bike which I use 90% of the time off-road, it has lights, brake & normal but no indicators.
Apart from this it is road legal, tyres, exhaust etc all meet requirements.
I want to maintain my MOT certificate for safety & re-sale reasons.
Can this b classified as an off-road bike?
Further to my e- mail above, my bike doesn’t have pillion pegs so I can’t carry a pillion either.
If it is a twin seat then you will need either the pillion pegs fitting OR some form of cowl/pod to turn it into a single seat. FTMC
As it stands it shouldn’t pass an M.O.T You would need to either 1. Fit some indicators or 2. Mask over and disconnect ALL lights. Option 2 is the “daytime” M.O.T which is basically a normal M.O.T with an advisory stating that the vehicle is not to be used at night time or times of reduced visibility. HOWEVER if it was first registered before 1st feb 1986 then indicators aren’t a requirement. FTMC