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L-Plate size and position??

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MikeyBrown
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Joined: 05 Nov 2010
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PostPosted: 00:18 - 23 Jan 2011    Post subject: L-Plate size and position?? Reply with quote

Hi,
I have just bought a '97 CG125 with no L-plates attached to it. I have 2 sticky ones and 2 hard ones at home.

I am aware that there is a legal size for an L-plate (7"x7" square I believe). How would I go about attaching the front one? I want to keep it the legal size and its a sticky one. Any suggestions? (I have been told that sticking it on the front mudguard is illegal, as is wrapping it around the fork legs)

The reason I ask is that I've read on a few forums, that people can be pulled and fined £60 + 3 points for displaying a wrong sized L-plate and having it in the wrong place.

Any advice will be gratefully recieved Thumbs Up

Cheers,
MikeyBrown
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Shaft
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Joined: 27 Dec 2010
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PostPosted: 00:39 - 23 Jan 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

One of these should do the trick:

https://www.roaduserdirect.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=806
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Rogerborg
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PostPosted: 00:41 - 23 Jan 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

You can use a fork clamp to attach the front plate. Or just fettle up a bracket somewhere. God damn, there are Amazonian pygmies who can't count to 3 who could figure it out.
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fireyphoenix1...
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Joined: 31 Dec 2010
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PostPosted: 04:07 - 23 Jan 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

mine is mounted on thick plastic zip tied to the bikes front light mount works great
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chiortas
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PostPosted: 10:23 - 23 Jan 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

honestly i forgot to put an L plate on the front, been riding that thing for a month or so... and the guy who rode the cbf 125 before me didn't have the L plate on the front either... Very Happy no issues so far, but if it's 3 points i would rather put it up, don't want that f*cking insurance to keep mounting on oblivious rates... will buy a sticker and stick on the windscreen. better than nothing i guess.. Smile
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MikeyBrown
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PostPosted: 10:27 - 23 Jan 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

chiortas wrote:
honestly i forgot to put an L plate on the front, been riding that thing for a month or so... and the guy who rode the cbf 125 before me didn't have the L plate on the front either... Very Happy no issues so far, but if it's 3 points i would rather put it up, don't want that f*cking insurance to keep mounting on oblivious rates... will buy a sticker and stick on the windscreen. better than nothing i guess.. Smile


3 points is stupid really :/ but if the cop wants be a tw*t, then I suppose they'll give them to you no problem Thumbs Down

L-plates look like crap and they're so ugly, but that's the reason I want to know how to affix one properly, cus I really don't want that kind of penalty. It's just my luck that I'd be pulled by the 'jobs worths' Sad
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maria383
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PostPosted: 10:53 - 23 Jan 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

My one was held between the front forks with cable ties.

Like the guy in the middle...
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WowIHaveA10Pl...
L Plate Warrior



Joined: 23 Jan 2011
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PostPosted: 20:31 - 23 Jan 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have fairings so just wedge it in behind the windscreen.

When I first put them on I was cursing them, they make the bike instantly look slower, cheaper, tackier, etc. But at the end of the day my skills isn't as good as a full licence holder and if someone gives me that extra bit of room because of them I can't complain. Thumbs Up
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neil.
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PostPosted: 21:43 - 23 Jan 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

Had mine on the front fork like the chap on the left in that photo. Then i got a screen and stuck one to it. I found they snap off fairly regularly from the fork, especially if you ride on a lot of fast roads like dual carriageways. You could try mounting a sticky one on to a cut-out section of a big ice cream tub, which might be better than whatever they make the rigid plates from. That, or carry spares with you and cable ties.
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blurredman
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PostPosted: 23:00 - 23 Jan 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

I bought sticky type L plates, and cut out lids of Jacob's Selections Crackers case lids. They proved very useful as they only bend and bounce back where a sturdy L plate would have simply broken.

I put my front L plate under the lamp. See my profile.
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CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S, 1979 MZ TS150.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 18k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 10k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 40k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 51k.
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MikeyBrown
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PostPosted: 23:08 - 23 Jan 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

neil. wrote:
Had mine on the front fork like the chap on the left in that photo. Then i got a screen and stuck one to it. I found they snap off fairly regularly from the fork, especially if you ride on a lot of fast roads like dual carriageways. You could try mounting a sticky one on to a cut-out section of a big ice cream tub, which might be better than whatever they make the rigid plates from. That, or carry spares with you and cable ties.


Yeah I think I'm going go for the fork leg option tbh. Hopefully, all being well I wont need l-plates for too long Wink ahaa...thats the plan anyways xD lol
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Past Bikes: '97 CG125, '91 GPZ500S, '01 FZS600, '07 S/Triple, '99 ZX9R, '82 GP125, '83 GP100, '03 SV1000S, '98 ZX6R
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Trackdays: Darley Moor - 15/6/12, Donington - 28/8/12
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Teflon-Mike
tl;dr



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PostPosted: 02:01 - 24 Jan 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

The fork-leg clamps are by far and away the least messy and least 'contentiouse' with the plod. They are vulnerable though, and the newer 'enviromentally freindly' card-board ones disintegrate far to easily!
https://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w269/teflons-torque/Little%20Dreams/Bike325.jpg
Just fitted to my latest 'project' so Snowie could ride it.
Try and get the plastic ones if you can, or make your own improvised version with old plastic and some clamps / cable ties.
TIP: Cut a bit of rubber from an oldbicycle inner tube and wrap around the fork-leg before clamping. Dont over-tighten the clamp.
Rubber protects the fork-leg from being scratched by the metal of the clamp, while squashing a bit, it grips the leg tight enough to stay put, but bashed, can still twist a bit, so a BIT less likely to get snapped off!
WHEN the plate gets snapped, do NOT remove the broken bit before you have a replacement (worth getting a couple 'in case TBH). Half an L-Plate is better than none, in the eyes of the law.
Might NOT get you off the hook for failure to display, but gives you a better chance of being given the benefit of the doubt.
WowIHaveA10Plate wrote:
When I first put them on I was cursing them, they make the bike instantly look slower, cheaper, tackier, etc. But at the end of the day my skills isn't as good as a full licence holder and if someone gives me that extra bit of room because of them I can't complain. Thumbs Up

TBH: Horrifies me as a full licence holder how other drivers react to L-Plates. As an instructor, often had to plod a student bike to the petrol station or something, but had taken the project-bike out a few times, before I put the L's on it for Snowie, and immedietly, found that cars were NOT giving me as much room, and pulling out of junctions and stuff, PRESUMING I was a doddering nervouse 'Learner', rather than hanging back and giving me room for error!
Considering most of the time the bastards dont see bikes ANYWAY, pretty astounding that they DO see the L-Plates, AND react completely perversely to them!

Interesting anecdote; had a lad turn up to training once with stick-on L-Plates, stuck on the front and back of a Hi-Vis vest.... not the bike..... his explanation, and it seemed quite reasonable, was he WAS displaying appropriate L-Plates to teh front and rear of the vehcile, when he was riding it. When he, 'the learner' weren't on the bike, it didn't need them....... as he saw it, he was bigger than the bike, so they were more easily and clearly attached, therfore more prominent, less likely to flap about, get broken or get nicked.

Traffic copper on the team, WASN'T so convinced.... he argued that by the RTA regs clearly stated that the L-Plates should be attached to the VEHICLE..... Lad countered that he was 'On' the vehicle, the plates were 'on' him, therfore 'on' the vehicle...... traffic coppas conclusion was HE was the coppa!
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MikeyBrown
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PostPosted: 16:49 - 24 Jan 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

Teflon-Mike wrote:
The fork-leg clamps are by far and away the least messy and least 'contentiouse' with the plod. They are vulnerable though, and the newer 'enviromentally freindly' card-board ones disintegrate far to easily!
https://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w269/teflons-torque/Little%20Dreams/Bike325.jpg
Just fitted to my latest 'project' so Snowie could ride it.
Try and get the plastic ones if you can, or make your own improvised version with old plastic and some clamps / cable ties.
TIP: Cut a bit of rubber from an oldbicycle inner tube and wrap around the fork-leg before clamping. Dont over-tighten the clamp.
Rubber protects the fork-leg from being scratched by the metal of the clamp, while squashing a bit, it grips the leg tight enough to stay put, but bashed, can still twist a bit, so a BIT less likely to get snapped off!


Thank you very much for your reply. That picture is exactly how I'm going to clamp it onto the fork. Also, thanks for the advice about putting rubber on first, I shall make sure I do that Thumbs Up

As for the 'keep it on if it snaps' I'd fight that all the way I think if I got done for it. And clearly state that I had gone to reasonable lengths to fit an L-plate, but it had snapped and fell off. And just as it happens, coincidentally Wink I was just about to go and get it fixed as we speak officer Wink ahaa
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Past Bikes: '97 CG125, '91 GPZ500S, '01 FZS600, '07 S/Triple, '99 ZX9R, '82 GP125, '83 GP100, '03 SV1000S, '98 ZX6R
Current Bike: '07 FZ1N
Trackdays: Darley Moor - 15/6/12, Donington - 28/8/12
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truslack
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PostPosted: 16:06 - 25 Jan 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

MikeyBrown wrote:
I was just about to go and get it fixed as we speak officer Wink ahaa


A mate of mine has 3 points on his licence and had to pay out £60... for a snapped off L plate.
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MikeyBrown
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PostPosted: 17:58 - 25 Jan 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

truslack wrote:
MikeyBrown wrote:
I was just about to go and get it fixed as we speak officer Wink ahaa


A mate of mine has 3 points on his licence and had to pay out £60... for a snapped off L plate.


It's pathetic aint it really! Thumbs Down
What sort of copper pulled him up? A traffic cop or a 'beat bobby in the focus'? Also, was he polite to the copper or...? :S

whoever came up with the 'lawful' idea of where the l-plate should be, is clearly not a biker...or someone who doesn't knows that wind + a sheet of plastic sticking out from a bike, means that it will snap/fall off at some point
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Past Bikes: '97 CG125, '91 GPZ500S, '01 FZS600, '07 S/Triple, '99 ZX9R, '82 GP125, '83 GP100, '03 SV1000S, '98 ZX6R
Current Bike: '07 FZ1N
Trackdays: Darley Moor - 15/6/12, Donington - 28/8/12
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blurredman
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Joined: 18 Sep 2010
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PostPosted: 18:06 - 25 Jan 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here was mine when I had my L's on..

https://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g164/Blurredman/Cars%20and%20Mine/DSCF0308.jpg?t=1295978623
____________________
CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S, 1979 MZ TS150.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 18k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 10k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 40k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 51k.
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MikeyBrown
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PostPosted: 18:12 - 25 Jan 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

Blurredman wrote:


When it falls off the forks, thats where I'll try and locate mine I think Thumbs Up

And might I just say something...that CG125 is in wicked condition for the age Very Happy
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Past Bikes: '97 CG125, '91 GPZ500S, '01 FZS600, '07 S/Triple, '99 ZX9R, '82 GP125, '83 GP100, '03 SV1000S, '98 ZX6R
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Trackdays: Darley Moor - 15/6/12, Donington - 28/8/12
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blurredman
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PostPosted: 18:19 - 25 Jan 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

MikeyBrown wrote:


When it falls off the forks, thats where I'll try and locate mine I think Thumbs Up

And might I just say something...that CG125 is in wicked condition for the age Very Happy


I did find that the soft suspension meant that the plate was fouling the travel of the forks and thereby scratching the top of the mudguard ever so..

Thanks mate! This is how it used to look like:

https://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g164/Blurredman/Cars%20and%20Mine/P1060243.jpg?t=1295979547
____________________
CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S, 1979 MZ TS150.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 18k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 10k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 40k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 51k.
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MikeyBrown
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PostPosted: 18:22 - 25 Jan 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

Blurredman wrote:
I did find that the soft suspension meant that the plate was fouling the travel of the forks and thereby scratching the top of the mudguard ever so..

Thanks mate! This is how it used to look like


Theses pesky l-plates, theyre a pain in the arse ahaa

And god, it looks miles better after you'd put some work + money into it...nice one Thumbs Up
It looks like I'll have to have a go of cleaning mine up, but I think I'll wait for our somewhat summer to come Very Happy
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Past Bikes: '97 CG125, '91 GPZ500S, '01 FZS600, '07 S/Triple, '99 ZX9R, '82 GP125, '83 GP100, '03 SV1000S, '98 ZX6R
Current Bike: '07 FZ1N
Trackdays: Darley Moor - 15/6/12, Donington - 28/8/12
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