Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN)

Why should I SORN my motorcycle or trike?

If your road registered motorcycle or trike is laid up, not taxed or insured you will face a hefty fine if you have not declared the motorcycle off the road by a SORN notification.

Please bear in mind that the DVLA check their own details against those held on the Motor Insurance Database (MID), if your motorcycle is not showing as insured on the MID and you haven’t declared your motorcycle as off the road then the DVLA will easily find you.

Once registered as SORN you are not legally obliged to insure it as long as it is kept off road. However you can still choose to insure it with our SORN and Laid Up Insurance to protect your financial assett from fire, theft and malicious damage - even in transit in a van or trailer when travelling to events and tracks.

When should I complete a SORN?

You must make a SORN in the following situations:

  • if you don’t renew your vehicle tax and you are keeping your motorcycle off the road
  • if you are applying for a refund of vehicle tax and keeping your motorcycle off the road
  • if you purchase an untaxed motorcycle and do not tax it
  • if your motorcycle has no valid road risk insurance in place
  • if you are cancelling your road risk insurance and keeping your motorcycle off the road

SORN motorcycle in storage

How do I declare my motorcycle as off road?

You can declare your motorcycle as off road by clicking here: SORN my motorcycle.

How long does SORN last?

A SORN lasts for 12 months then you will have to re-SORN your motorcycle.

You can check the date that your bike's SORN expires online by clicking DVLA Vehicle Check. You should also be sent a V11 reminder to remind you when your SORN is about to expire.

Can I ride to an MOT test when a SORN is in place?

You can ride your motorcycle to and from a pre-arranged test at an MOT test station provided you have adequate road insurance cover in place for your motorcycle.

What if my motorcycle does not have a V5?

When a bike has no Log Book (V5) and is not road registered or taxed there is no official record of its existence. If the bike is stolen and recovered it is harder to locate the original owner.

Our Fire & Theft policy insures SORN road bikes, but also unregistered dirt and track bikes, or old classics that were never road registered. In order to insure these we ocassionally ask for the owner to either;

  1. Register it with the DVLA as an "off road" bike (a free service which simply maintains a database of the VIN / chassis number and rightful owner; OR
  2. Pay to add a DataTag kit, which includes microchips and microdot technology with a certificate (evidence of fitment) that can match the bike to the owner.

Both options are transferable if the bike is sold on (DataTag charge a transfer fee, DVLA is free again).

Sometimes the DVLA INF85 "Off Road" scheme registration process can be tricky if the bike has not had import duty paid or there is no VIN / chassis number, e.g. it's either a one-off handmade frame or worse it could already be a stolen bike and been ground off... In this scenario, where legally owned by the person wishing to insure it, you can opt for the DataTag kit at a cost of around £60 to buy from a local dealer or DataTag direct.

How to Register with the DVLA INF85 "Off Road" scheme

The owner will need two forms:

1. A V55/5 form which is usually used to register a vehicle for the road, which askes numerous questions like vehicle make, model, cc, weight, length, colour, number of seats, etc; AND

2. The INF85 form which accompaniues the V55/5 and is simply a declaration that the vehicle will only ever be used Off Road (therefore not requiring MOT or tax and doesn't need to be registered as SORN).

It's usually a quick and easy, free service, but sometimes the DVLA will write to you with queries and can take slightly longer (or not possible in some cases). We give you 28-days from buying our insurance to register the INF85 or fit the DataTag kit. If the DVLA makes the process longer simply call us and we will in most cases grant an extension.

If the vehicle has not yet been registered as an import and appropriate duty paid this will need to be done before registering with the DVLA off road scheme. You can register a Notification of Vehicle Arrivals (NOVA) here.

Bike Security

Don't forget that securing your bike whilst it's tucked away is essential, especially if you're not using it daily and may not check on it regularly.

Check out a couple of our security features:

Can I get cheap insurance for my SORN bike?

Yes, we recognise that not all motorcycles are ridden on the road and some are laid up. We also recognise that not all bikers want to pay for a road risk insurance product if their bike is laid up and not in use - quite simply they do not need the road risk element.

Here at BeMoto we have a very affordable Fire and Theft only policy; our SORN and Laid Up Bike Insurance provides you with peace of mind whilst your motorcycle is laid up and not is use in a garage, shed or lock-up (at home or rented elsewhere).

Call BeMoto on 01733 907000 to speak to a SORN bike insurance specialist.