2006 Kawasaki VN900 B6F 0.9L Petrol · PL06 PVD

A two-decade-old VN900 B6F with a consistent MOT pass record across eight consecutive tests since 2019 forms the backbone of this assessment, though the most recent certificate dated 1 July 2026 carried an advisory for a noisy exhaust under section 8.1.1 (a), repeated from the same observation made a year earlier on 10 July 2025. The intervening three tests in 2024, 2023, and 2022 were unencumbered, with only a single nail-in-tyre advisory logged in 2024 and clean passes recorded in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019. No failures, refusals, or component-related advisories for braking, suspension, lighting, or steering appear anywhere in the sequence, which gives the test outcome side of the file a stable, unremarkable profile. The only persistent mechanical note worth flagging is the recurring exhaust noise advisory, suggesting either a degrading mounting, a worn joint gasket, or internal baffle breakdown that the tester considered insufficient to fail but notable enough to record twice in succession. With 14,769 miles spread across roughly twenty years of service, the recorded annual accumulation works out at approximately 738 miles, a notably low figure that points towards either genuinely light seasonal use or extended periods of the motorcycle standing off the road. The MOT testing history shows unbroken annual coverage from 2019 onwards, but there is no recorded test activity between the bike's registration in 2006 and the first entry dated 14 June 2019, meaning the DVSA file only documents the most recent seven years of roadworthiness checks. Low-mileage machines of this vintage are particularly susceptible to dried and cracked rubber components, oxidised electrical contacts, and stagnant fuel system deposits, even when their test sheets appear clean, because wear-based deterioration is largely driven by age rather than distance covered. The fact that the file reveals nothing about usage between 2006 and 2019 means the buyer cannot rely on MOT evidence alone to gauge how the bike was treated in its first thirteen years, and the relatively even mileage progression in the documented period does not contradict a long prior period of storage. On the exhaust system itself, the duplicated advisory is the most concrete mechanical signal in the file and warrants close physical inspection. On a cold start, listen for an uneven or chuffing idle that worsens as the engine warms, and check the header pipes, collector joint, and silencer mounting rubbers for signs of soot staining, blueing of metal, or movement under hand pressure. With the engine running at a steady tick-over, walk alongside the bike and listen for a rasping, drumming, or metallic rattle that changes pitch with throttle blips, which would indicate a failing internal baffle or cracked pipe rather than a simple loose clamp. It is also worth inspecting the exhaust valve mechanism if fitted, as VN-series machines use a butterfly linkage that can stick or seize with age and produce both noise and a small power loss. The remainder of the buyer check should focus on the age-related wear items that MOT testing does not necessarily cover, given the low annual mileage and the gap before 2019. On a test ride, feel for any notchiness or clunk through the steering head as the bars are moved from lock to lock, which would indicate dried or perished steering head bearings, and bounce the front and rear suspension firmly to listen for top-out buzzes or squeaks suggesting seized damper linkages. Check that both front and rear brake levers build firm pressure with no sponginess, as rubber caliper seals and master cylinder internals can harden over years of light use. Finally, examine the underside and swingarm pivot for any surface corrosion, confirm the tyres are within date and evenly worn despite the low mileage, and ask to see evidence of recent fluid changes and battery condition, since a motorcycle of this age and usage pattern relies heavily on the owner having addressed time-sensitive deterioration outside of the MOT framework.