Well it does. Because one type isn’t legal on green lanes and one type is.
Pedantry. The difference is like trying to argue that an XC bike is a trail bike when not on a race course.
Or that you didn’t really get overtaken by a sportscar because a a sportscar is for motorsport, what you were overtaken by was a road car.
What exactly do you call a BMX not intended for racing? Is it just a bike?
Is a YZF with a daylight MOT still an MX bike? What about a WRF that gets its numberplate removed and demoted to field bike? Or a YZF being used for Enduro?
It’s a pedantry minefield!
No one really cares about the numberplate or not on the back of the bike. If could be a CR250 or Africa Twin. Some people will resent the presence of either on a legal trail. Has anyone in the history of motorbikes ever convinced a redsock that they should be allowed to share the road/trail by an in depth discussion of the relative merits of 19 vs 18″ rear rims?