when online shopping goes bad!

[Gilo-FZ6]

Now that the bikes is sporting its new FE i needed to get a new reg plate due to where the new holes would be located.

so went on a site ive used before and selected the plate i wanted (small enough to keep the rear looking good but big enough not to get me pulled)

the site uses a dropdown menu and it appears ive tried to scroll down the page but only succeeded in scrolling down the plate options...ive gone to "the checkout" none the wiser and made my purchace.

this is what arrived today.. :spank:..2" x 9"..needless to say im not gonna ride with this on

 

[FZ1inNH]

Well, I don't think it looks THAT bad. Is it legal? What size did you intend to get?

You are fortunate to have an option to buy a plate. We are absolutely stuck with what the state issues us and there's no other option. Thankfully, it isn't too big a plate here!

 

[Gilo-FZ6]

this is abosolutley illegal ..regulation size is 9"x6" ..i originally clicked on 7"x5" similar to the one i got for my old DRZ

 

[Andz]

My plate is about that size, not close to legal but I have had this little plate on my bike for the best part of 4 years without getting stopped.

 

[Gilo-FZ6]

^^ that looks even smaller again, how are bikes veiwed in the eyes of SA law??

 

[Andz]

it's not the smallest I've seen by a long way!

There is no consistency here, on a Sunday morning there might be road blocks and on a good day nothing will happen, on a bad day the bike will be impounded. I have found that if I get stopped, if I have a smile, a "good morning officer" and my licence in hand by the time he/she gets to me I am good to go.

I have had cops driving right behind me on dozens of occasions and nothing has happened, they are either too busy or can't be bothered.

On a recent trip to Cape Town I followed a motorcycle cop for a while along a coastal twisty road in excess of the speed limit and when I caught him at a light we exchanged banter then went our separate ways.

Many bikes here have no plate, they take a very dim view of that.

 

[Gilo-FZ6]

it's not the smallest I've seen by a long way!

Haha ..yeah i remember one of the pics you posted before..that plate was rediculous

 

[steveindenmark]

Here are the DVLA Rules for bikes:

Motorcycles and Tricycles
There are separate vehicle registration provisions for motorcycles and tricycles. Basically motorcycles registered after 1.9.2001 must only display a number plate at the rear of the vehicle. Motorcycles registered before 1.9.2001 can display a normal or private number plate at the front but are not required to.

Tricycles derived from four wheeled bodies i.e. saloon cars must meet the normal requirements above whereas tricycles derived from motorcycles must meet the
requirements for motorcycles.

Number Plate Character height 64 mm
Number Plate Character width (except the figure 1 or letter I) 44 mm
Number Plate Character stroke 10 mm
Space between characters 10 mm on the registration mark
Space between groups 30 mm on the number plates
Top, bottom and side margins (minimum) 11 mm
Space between vertical lines 13 mm

 

[fzme]

needless to say im not gonna ride with this on

Might as well just sell your bike man...it's THAT bad. People are going to point and laugh. I don't know how there isn't a crowd of people around your bike right now, staring, pointing....

C'mon...is this a joke?

Your bike looks fine...even good.

 

[kamao]

C'mon...is this a joke?

Your bike looks fine...even good.

Yes the bike does look good! I believe Gilo is referring to the legality of riding with such a small plate, not how it might affect 'street cred'

This is something the police here would jump on in a heart beat

 

[Jez]

Too true - you'll not get far down the road with one of them on.

I can see why a copper doesn't want to undergo an eye test every time he wants to check a number plate, but the UK system is a bit daft. I've got a 7"x5" on the back, which is large enough to read easily, but still illegal. The legal version has a couple more inches of yellow border around it and resembles riding along with a billboard attached to the rear. Might have looked alright in the 60s, but not these days.

 

[alanrim]

A lot is not to do with police reading reg plates, it is machines that now read the numbers, and they need to be able to recognise the reg plate area, hence all the rules on border width now, and specific sizes.

Loss of income for the government from speed cameras etc drives the hard line.

 

[Andz]

Just for reference, this is the minimum legal size here:

 

[Gilo-FZ6]

Might as well just sell your bike man...it's THAT bad. People are going to point and laugh. I don't know how there isn't a crowd of people around your bike right now, staring, pointing....

C'mon...is this a joke?

Your bike looks fine...even good.

i dont know weather to thank you or flame you :BLAA:

at no point was the astetics (sp) in question..purely the issue of legality, as was reflected in every other reply.:thumbup:

 

[fzme]

i dont know weather to thank you or flame you :BLAA:

at no point was the astetics (sp) in question..purely the issue of legality, as was reflected in every other reply.:thumbup:

Oh, well there was no mention of legality in the OP. I just thought you were being incredibly vain...apology accepted. HAHAHAHAHA Just kidding. My fault laddy. I could use a good flaming to melt all the snow, though.

Edit: I see it now..."in case you get pulled"...my mistake.

 

[Ridgeback]

The 7x5 on my XR600 wasn't too bad,but I still got tugged for some reason