Which machines are category L?
Regulation (EU) 168/2013 splits category L into sub-categories: L1e two-wheel mopeds, L2e three-wheel mopeds, L3e motorcycles, L4e motorcycles with sidecar, L5e tricycles, L6e light quadricycles and L7e heavy quadricycles.
Three-wheel scooters, road-legal quads and many electric two-wheelers fall within that framework. An unapproved machine — a leisure quad, a motocross bike — has no European approval and cannot be registered as such.
Age changes everything
European harmonisation of two-wheelers happened in stages, well after cars. For a recent machine the manufacturer finds the approval without difficulty. For an older model the data may no longer exist, especially where the make has changed importer or disappeared.
We check the VIN before charging. When the manufacturer cannot issue the document, the route is an identification certificate, or an individual approval for an import from outside the EU.
Where is a motorcycle’s VIN?
The identification number is stamped on the steering head or on the frame, usually on the right-hand side, sometimes under a label. It has 17 characters, like a car’s. The engine number, cast into the casing, is a different identifier and does not replace the VIN.
On older mopeds the number can be shorter — a sign of a machine that predates European approval.
Registering an imported two-wheeler
The file includes the foreign registration document, tax clearance, proof of purchase and the COC. Roadworthiness testing for motorcycles came into force in France in 2024 and applies according to the age of the machine: check the due date before buying.