In 1976 I used to own a BSA Bantam 175cc motorbike, D7, reg VBK 616
Registered in Portsmouth.
I'd love to know what happened to it, it had part of a washing up liquid bottle as an air filter.
Do you have the bike, or the licence plate? I would love to know the history of it from then.

Sadly, those details are not coming up on the DVLA database for taxed vehicles, which means that it could`ve been scrapped. There is a possibility, however, that it is still around but maybe stored away somewhere before the computerised records were started & therefore "lost" from the system.

Well it would be pretty old by now so I wouldn't be surprised really if it has been scrapped. Just curious.
It wasn't a very sturdy bike, was lightweight. Unlike the 125 Honda CM I used to have, that was a heavy beast. It broke down so often it kept me fit /knackered pushing it.
🥴

Sandi, you've opened up an old wound. I rebuilt a Yamaha XS2 back in 1977 and sold it in '85 and have regretted it ever since. OVX127M. If I knew where it was I would buy it back in a heart beat

Wraith 750, if you read this post please tell how I check if it still exists

gbear here https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax
Only helps and tells you if the vehicle is still taxed and possibly been used on the road. Nothing else.

I once checked about my old Suzuki 750 Intruder and it was still taxed. So was obviously still running somewhere. If anybody knows it's latest adventures C978 YWW

Also used to have a mid to late seventies build Yamaha SR 500 on a Q plate. Loved that thing and like you gbear, wish I'd never sold it 😠

The Government tax checking website is a good starting point for checking if a vehicle is still around as it will take into consideration any registered vehicle on the DVLA database, e.g. as long as it is on the computerised system. When you input the registration number & it is recognised, it will then bring up vehicle make for you to confirm it is correct, before telling you if it is taxed or sorned. The DVLA computerised records have been around for a long time now so most vehicles in regular use should be on there. The only ones that are likely to be missing are those that have been lying around in someones shed / barn / garden / field, & therefore not taxed, since before the computerised system was introduced.
Also, if the vehicle was never taxed on the computerised system & the details not carried over then there is a good possibility that the registration number will be "lost", meaning that if you tried to apply for a registration document for that vehicle it will open a can of worms & require age-related dating letters, etc, & quite possibly a DVLA inspection to prove it is what it says on the tin, so to speak.
The other way of trying to track down your old bike is to contact the relevant owners club to see if it recognised there. I belong to the VJMC (Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club), which is a worldwide club & has access to a wide range of information on the majority of oriental machines so it`s possible to track down your old Yamaha Fizzie or Honda Melody, if you really wanted to.

Thank you gentlemen for your amazingly detailed responses. I was told by someone who knew the purchaser that he would be dead in 6 months because of his driving style which I hope is not the case but from what my friend said it is probable that the bike was stacked and scrapped a long time ago. I will check but without any expectation.
Thank you once again

I checked and it would appear that my suspicions were correct. There is no trace since just after I sold it so I can stop losing sleep and dreaming of re-living my 30s. LOL                                                                                                                                                                             

The bike I would like to get back is my old 1966 triumph its sorn at the min but who has it ? BVC 757D                                                                                                                                                                             

Upon reflection. this hankering after re making the acquaintance of your first love be it mechanical or human would probably end in disappointment as to the state of them from the beautiful sleek lines you hold in your memory                                                                                                                                                                             

I tried to buy one of my old bikes back last year its still on the road but couldn't find it 😢                                                                                                                                                                             

I remember buying a Honda CB125T in about 1990 as a back up ride. It cost the princely sum of £1 or a pint of Green King IPA to be precise. The most memorable thing about that bike was the throttle cable snapping at full throttle in 2nd in pouring rain with a 90 degree bend at the end of a short straight....it seemed an age until I remembered to kill the ignition, halfway up someone's gravel driveway. Good job it was a long driveway and the gate was open! Would I want it back... probably not..

You tell a good story V, made me giggle, I'm glad you survived it tho.
My Honda CM 'Taffy' used to trash itself on a regular basis, by that I mean one bit fixed another bit broke; and no, it wasn't always my fault.

It had clutch cable failure while I was going down a winding country lane, that'll teach me to open it up to 50 in a 30 zone 🤣. Taffy's top speed was 58 (going down hill with wind behind me) and that was a bone shaking experience for me.
Another clutch cable failure happened about 20 minutes after it passed an MOT test.