THE arrival next month of the new "05" registration means that thousands of motorcycles first registered under the "02" plate will be coming up for their first MOT check.

Frank Finch, motorcycle retailers director for the Retail Motor Industry Federation, advises:

If you are riding to the garage without Road Fund Licence, ensure the garage has taken note of your registration number in case you are challenged.

Bring along last year's certificate if there are any unexpired days left on it as you can have your bike tested up to one calendar month before the expiry of the old one, and have unexpired days added to your new certificate.

If the bike is three years old, and it is its first test, bring the V5 document.

The chassis number will be checked, so find out where it is beforehand and make sure it is not obscured by dirt - also make sure the bike is clean, as the tester can refuse to test excessively dirty vehicles.

Check your lights are in good working order and make sure your exhaust is road-legal, as they are checked for noise, and whether or not they are damaged.

Finally check tyres for tread and have a look at your number plates - a crack could lead to the machine failing the test.