Small number plates - what's that all about?

[Rogerborg]

Running out the clock on Zodmass, I just thought I'd ask out of interest: why would you put an undersized plate on your bike?

It's obviously not legal for road use.
It carries the same penalty as not having a plate, or having a fake plate, or a plate with gibberish on it.
And it still identifies your bike and therefore you.

So you'd be better off just riding without a plate, or with AB10 CDE, right?

[Silver]

Because a full sized plate on some bikes absolutely ruins the aesthetics. You take a nice sports bike with sleek lines and stick a massive yellow square on the back, which undoes a good amount of work done at the design stage. Or, you may want to ride really, really fast on occassion and still have a chance of talking your way out of a fine when pulled over at another point, while you weren't breaking any laws...

I've been pulled for a small plate and let off.

[Acemastr]

America's standard is tiny, why can't we use those?
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[J D]

I had a smaller hidden plate on my gixer purely to avoid my reg number being taken, dont excatly ride slow.
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m0l0t0v wrote: Chris, just so you know, JD is a nutter

[calyx]

[Teflon-Mike]

Becouse your desperate to get your bike on the road, and the chap in the shop only has a stock of old, unaproved plates, so makes you one up for gratis?
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[Billing]

depends how much smaller, wouldn't go silly tiny, but might opt for a -1 inch all rounder if a full size one looks too big
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[Oldie]

You can get road-legal small plates for bikes if you only use 6 characters, meaning you have to buy a personalised/old one. They do look quite a bit neater though.

[G]

[tsmith]

fitted a Givi monorack to my GPZ500 and the standard number plate is so large it wouldn't fit back on!

I ended up trimming the sides down - didn't touch the actual lettering, just got rid of some of the yellow edge part.

They are a silly size. And its purely for the speed cameras.

[CRF_Rider]

[2E]

Tbh the whole 'Its a giant sail' is a ridiculous and childish argument.

The roads not a racetrack. The difference a numberplate makes on your top speed should barely be felt for normal road riding conditions, personally I'm looking for a crackdown on it especially the stupid one line almost hidden under the seat unit ones.
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Bringing Classic Bikes Back Into Fashion
Rides: 1980 Honda CX500

[MarkJ]

No-one cares about the top speed reduction, they care because a giant yellow rectangle looks shit

[MinhDinh]

I need a reason to fail my MOT, and be all sad, then I pull out the real one and seconds later I am all happy.
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Hit the G spot.

[2E]

[Mister James]

[2E]

I have no problems with 'smaller' number plates.

Standard is 9x7 i think so a 8x6 or at most a 7x5 is usually ok

Its those silly one line things where it starts getting ridiculous and obviously the fines not doing its job or people wouldn't keep having them on.



Its when the police/courts stop giving out fines and just try for the harshest possible offence, they might say the number plate is small to prevent it being read whilst your speeding, or by cameras/anpr and then try to do you for perverting the court of justice or something.



I'm not saying im perfect or anything, I had a custom plate on one of my bikes I deliberately had made, it was 9x7 and with a legal font but had an image ghosted into the back, I was stopped once and just said I had got it with the bike and the officer wasn't actually positive if it was illegal or not as I confused him by mentioning the fact it was an old bike therefore old reg rules applied (they didn't ).

I just never see the point in the 1 line things... surely its only a matter of time before the UK follows indias example and makes us mount horizontal front numberplates.
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Bringing Classic Bikes Back Into Fashion
Rides: 1980 Honda CX500

[27cows]

Might as well go out wearing a sign saying 'pull me over' if you have small plate. They're pointless and usually look shit too
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[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Meh, I go smaller, but not pisstake small.

The law on lettering results in a 9 x 7 plate, so I usually go 8 x 6 or 7 x 5. Never been pulled for any of the small plates I've had.
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[chris-red]

Because sometimes a big plate looks really silly.


https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/chris-red/03072009011.jpg


Much better

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/chris-red/IMG_0061.jpg

Having a smaller plate isn't endorsable an 99% of coppers don't give a shit, as long as you aren't taking the piss.. I can live with a £30 fine every now and then, I have had this plate for 18months and not been pulled.
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Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[HD]

[chris-red]

Disagree completly stubby cans look wank especially cut down ones.
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Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[HD]

I was only joking

And yeah, the only stubby ones I like are the Racefit's and the original k6 gsxr exhaust.

I just meant its like wide if you get me
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[t101]

[chris-red]

Exhaust systems that make the bike alot louded and more likely to be heard, a quick blip of the throttle has save me many a time when people don't see me.

Bar end mirrors are excellent on samler bikes where mirror do not give you are view of anything but your arms.

Adjustable rearsets make a big difference if you are long in the leg or need more ground clearance.
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Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.