I won’t lie, getting a roadworthy or safety inspection done can be a frustrating task. However, having gone through the process numerous times, I have decided to share my knowledge on how to make this as stress free as possible.

Many people think a roadworthy certificate is a mechanical inspection—it is not—it is primarily an inspection to ensure the vehicle is safe to operate, and complies with relevant ADR (Australian Design Rules) regulations.

Yes, it checks various areas such as brakes, suspension, tyres, frame, exhaust, etc., however, a roadworthy inspection does not cover engine condition. Oil leaks, transmission leaks, and such would fail a roadworthy test, however, ensuring the vehicle has been serviced regularly, and is actually reliable (aka not a lemon) would not be looked at.

When buying a bike, don’t assume a roadworthy certificate guarantees your potential future ride is mechanically sound—you need to do those checks yourself, or pay a mechanic to do it.

In Australia, the requirements for roadworthy certificates can vary by state or territory. Generally, they are needed in the following situations:

1. Selling a vehicle: The most common reason for getting a roadworthy, many states require a roadworthy certificate to be provided when selling a vehicle, motorcycles included.
2. Buying a vehicle: Some states allow you to buy vehicles without the seller providing a roadworthy when selling it. If this is the case, the buyer will be the one that needs to obtain the RWC—more on this later.
3. Re-registering a vehicle: If a vehicle is being re-registered after the registration has lapsed or expired, a roadworthy may be required.
4. Certain repairs or getting a defect notice: After significant repairs or modifications, a vehicle might need a roadworthy certificate to ensure it remains safe to operate. Likewise, if your bike gets a defect notice for a mod, you may need to get a roadworthy certificate.

Depending on where you live, it’s safe to assume that if you plan on selling your bike you’ll need to supply a roadworthy, or if you are buying a bike that doesn’t come with a roadworthy certificate, you’ll need to obtain one after you have transferred it to your name.

Roadworthy certificates are issued at a state level by your state transport department, and are not controlled or mandated by the federal government. This means that the requirements for roadworthies, and when you need one varies between states.

Here is a breakdown of the rules for RWCs and safety inspections across Australia.

State	Rules & Requirements
VIC	Required when transferring a vehicle registration between people, supplied by either the seller or buyer to complete the transfer. Also may be required if you get a defect notice, and if you transfer a vehicle from another state.
NSW	A safety inspection report (which used to be called a Pink Slip) is required annually if your vehicle is over five years old, however, a new one doesn’t need to be obtained when you sell your vehicle. On the other hand, a Blue Slip is required if: 1. Your vehicle has been unregistered for more the 3 months 2. Your vehicle has a Police or RMS defect notice that needs to be lifted 3. When a vehicle is being transferred to NSW from a different state
QLD	Required when transferring a vehicle registration between people, and is required to be supplied by the seller, not the buyer. You will also need one if you are re-registering an unregistered vehicle, and if you transfer a vehicle from another state.
SA	Not required when buying or selling vehicles. There is a list of circumstances that you may need to get a roadworthy for, however, most people won’t need to get one when selling a vehicle.
WA	Not required when buying or selling vehicles. There is a list of circumstances that you may need to get a roadworthy for, however, most people won’t need to get one when selling a vehicle.
TAS	Not required when buying or selling vehicles. There is a list of circumstances that you may need to get a roadworthy for, however, most people won’t need to get one when selling a vehicle.
ACT	Only required if transferring ACT registration for a vehicle over 6 years old. Also required if the registration has lapsed, and other specific conditions.
NT	Not required when buying or selling vehicles. The first must be done when the vehicle is five years old, then the next at 10 years old. After the 10 year mark, a vehicle must be inspected annually.

If you’ve never experienced the joy of getting a roadworthy, Pink Slip, safety inspection, safety certificate or whatever your state calls it, it might be worth calling up your transport authority or trusted mechanic for more details on what is covered and whether your vehicle is eligible.

The government changes rules for these inspections every once in a while, so if you’ve had a bike for a long time the rules may have changed since the last time it was done.

In Victoria, a roadworthy certificate is required:

• Whenever a vehicle is transferred between people, like when it’s purchased or sold
• Buying an interstate vehicle that isn’t in your name
• If it is being re-registered, either from lapsed / expired registration, or if a vehicle is a repairable write-off
• Certain defect notices may require you to obtain a roadworthy certificate to prove the issue has been fixed, such as:
  • Cracked windshield
  • Broken lights
  • Faulty brakes
  • Worn-out tyres
  • Damaged suspension components

A roadworthy certificate can only be issued by a Licensed Vehicle Tester. However, since there are different rules for motorcycle and car roadworthiness, you’ll have to get your bike tested at an approved motorcycle mechanic—a car mechanic without the qualification won’t be able to test it.

A roadworthy is valid for 30 days from the date of issue. After that period, you will need to get the vehicle retested and a new certificate obtained.

If your bike happens to fail a roadworthy inspection, then you will have 14 days to fix the issues, then get it re-inspected to pass. If it isn’t re-inspected within 14 days, another full (new) inspection will need to be completed.

Yes, you can buy a motorcycle without a current roadworthy certificate. However, once the registration is transferred to your name, you will have 14 days to supply a roadworthy, or the registration is suspended.

Apart from trailers and construction vehicles (like bulldozers, tractors, etc.), only dirt bikes on recreational registration, farm bikes, and ATVs are exempt.

In New South Wales, an annual safety inspection (which used to be called a ‘pink slip’) is required if your motorcycle is over five years old—which is calculated from the month and year on the vehicle’s compliance plate.

The easiest way to know when you need to get one done is by checking your registration renewal. It will tell you the due date you need to get this inspection done if your motorcycle requires one.

They last for six months from the day of inspection, which you must use within that six month period to renew your registration.

If your bike fails a safety inspection, then you will have 14 days to fix the issues, then get it re-inspected at the same Authorised Inspection Scheme (AIS) station you did the first time. If it isn’t re-inspected within 14 days, then you need to get it inspected again (including the fee).

No, the motorcycle must have a current safety inspection (pink slip) to be transferred. However, you can buy a motorcycle with a safety inspection due within the next six months. If you buy a bike that is past its safety inspection due date, then you’ll need a blue slip to re-register it to your name if it’s passed three months since the rego expiration date.

In Queensland a safety certificate (also called a roadworthy) is required whenever:

• A vehicle registration is transferred to a new owner
• A vehicle registration is transferred to Queensland from another state or territory
• An unregistered vehicle that is being re-registered

A safety certificate is not needed to list your vehicle for sale, however, the seller must obtain a safety certificate before selling a registered vehicle, other than to a dealer.

For private sellers like us, a safety certificate is valid for two months or 2,000km, whichever comes first, from the date of issue.

Once the time period or kilometre limit is exceeded, a new safety certificate is needed.

If your bike fails the inspection, you have 14 days to fix the issues. If you don’t get the listed issues fixed within that period, you’ll need to pay for another inspection.

If you want to sell a motorcycle without a safety certificate in Queensland, you must deregister it first, sell it, then the buyer must obtain a certificate to re-register it.

The only times you don’t need a safety certificate is if your vehicle transfer meets one of these criteria:

• The disposer (seller) is in an exempt remote area
• You are a beneficiary of a deceased estate
• Between spouses, including registered partners, and separated married couples until the divorce or application is finalised

South Australia falls into the bucket of states that don’t require you to supply a roadworthy or safety inspection when buying a second hand motorcycle, or most other passenger vehicles in fact.

There is a long list of reasons you may need to get a roadworthy certificate, which are conducted by state-run Vehicle Roadworthy Inspection Offices, such as modifying vehicles, it is a repaired written-off vehicle, imported vehicle, or has received a defect notice.

So when it comes to buying a used bike in SA, you need to be extra diligent in your purchase.

Western Australia is another state that doesn’t require the buyer or seller to supply a roadworthy or safety inspection when buying a second hand motorcycle, or most other passenger vehicles.

Tasmania also does not require a roadworthy or safety certificate to be obtained when buying or selling a motorcycle or any other vehicle. The only time you’d need to get an inspection done is if you are re-registering a vehicle that has had its rego expired for over three months.

In the ACT, the seller will need to acquire a roadworthy certificate for a vehicle if it is over 6 years old, or it meets any of the following criteria:

• Moving interstate registration to the ACT
• Clearing a defect notice
• Re-establishing a cancelled or lapsed registration
• Establishing new registration for a vehicle bought privately (not from a dealer)

Pretty much, if you don’t have a new vehicle, you’ll need to get a roadworthy to sell it.

One month from the initial inspection date, after that you must obtain a new certificate and the old one is invalid.

You’ll have 14 days to rectify the issues, and then have it re-inspected. If it isn’t re-inspected by the 14 day period, the process restarts and you need to apply for a new roadworthy certificate and pay all the relevant fees again.

No, it needs to come with one if it meets the criteria from before (e.g. being more than 6 years old). If not, the vehicle must be sold unregistered, then the new buyer can obtain the roadworthy to reinstate the registration.

The NT has rules similar to NSW, where there are annual inspections for vehicles required, however, a roadworthy doesn’t need to be supplied when selling a motorcycle or other passenger vehicle.

Here is how it goes:

1. The first roadworthy inspection must be completed when the vehicle is five years old
2. The second roadworthy inspection is completed when the vehicle is 10 years old
3. Once a vehicle is 10 years old, every year after that it must pass an annual roadworthy inspection to renew its registration

They last for 12 months from the day of inspection, which you must use within that period to renew your registration.

If your bike fails a safety inspection, then you will have 14 days to fix the issues, then get it re-inspected at the same inspection site as before.

No, the motorcycle must have a current roadworthy certificate to be transferred. However, you can buy a motorcycle with a roadworthy certificate due, it just needs to be inspected by the due date. If you buy a bike that is past its safety inspection due date, then the registration is likely lapsed, so to re-register it you’ll need to get a roadworthy.

Each state has its own rules around what it checks and what is required, however, roadworthies typically cover any safety aspect to operating a vehicle safely on the road—so think tyres, brakes, suspension, lights, etc.

Here are the most commons areas that a roadworthy will cover:

Unlike a high school maths test, safety inspections and roadworthies aren’t graded as a percentage. They are purely pass or fail.

You must correctly adhere to all the requirements of the roadworthy to pass. If one area fails, then the whole inspection is counted as a failure.

So, what are the most common areas that riders fail their safety inspections for?

1. Tail Tidy, Fender Eliminator, Licence Plate Holder: Whatever you prefer to call it, having an aftermarket tail tidy is one of the most common things riders will fail a roadworthy over. However, it’s often not the tail tidy is aftermarket that it fails the inspection, instead it is a combination of these three things:

1. No ADR approved reflector
2. No licence plate light
3. Tail tidy doesn’t sufficiently cover the rear tyre (as a mudguard)
   

2. Exhaust Noise: Like I said above, 94 decibels is the testing limit for most states. A stock system will pass this, as long as it’s not modified (like drilling out the baffles or cats), and I see it as the easiest and safest guaranteed option to pass a safety inspection.
   
   However, you may have lost the stock exhaust, sold it, broken it, or modified it. So what can you do? You have two options, buy or borrow another stock system for the test, or be ready to make changes to your aftermarket system to pass.
   
   I have heard stories of riders creating custom baffles, adding extra exhaust packing to the muffler, even stuffing mufflers full of steel wool to reduce the noise. It’s up to you if you want to deal with that, I’d say get some stock pipes, save scratching up your expensive pipes for the off-chance it passes noise inspections.
   
3. Mirrors and levers: Again, stock is best for these. Mirrors need to be a certain size, and shorty aftermarket levers typically won’t pass safety inspections. These should be a quick thing to swap over, so save the trouble of re-inspection and just do it.
   
4. Tyres: The amount of riders I have seen in Facebook groups, in forums, and even in person trying to bring a bike in for a roadworthy with nearly bald tyres is outstanding. If you’re getting close to the wear indicators, assume you’ll need fresh rubber.

Moral of the story with all roadworthy checks and safety inspections, take it back to stock as much as you can before bringing it in.

Here are some common FAQs about roadworthy certificates:

So there you have it. Getting a roadworthy certificate or getting a safety inspection done is par for the course for owning a bike in most Australian states and territories.

While sometimes annoying to get, and frustrating when part doesn’t pass, my recommendation is to try and present your bike as stock as possible, or work with your mechanic to come up with creative ways to meet roadworthy and safety requirements.