Bikers Beware?

[neilbaldry]

On friday, just gone, i got pulled by the fuzz. it was for having a small numberplate. its 7.5 x 5.5. and after issuing me the fine, the copper said to be careful as there is a tide of anti bike initiatives (my words, not his - i just removed the bull poop) happening over the next few weeks......... so people, keep a keen eye out!

[benson]

That's such crap isn't it? License to print money for the plod and all those real criminals out there....Don't get me started!!!!

[SazzaG]

From our local paper this week:

"Police fears over rising road death toll of bikers.

...More than 100 motorcycles were stopped. 30 fixed penalty notices were issues, and 73 riders were advised about the manner of their riding....
...Offences reported included excess speed, illegal exhausts and illegally mounted number plates...
..Inspector Phil Nicholas... said "We are committed to reducing the number of people killed or injured through irresponsible motorcycle riding"

What I want to know is how many of those 30 penalty notices were actually for speeding. And how do clamping down on illegal exhausts and number plates reduce road deaths?

Finally, if they're specifically targeting bikes to reduce roads deaths, then surely 100% of the riders should be advised about the manner of their riding? ie. "be careful out there, etc."

Double standards abound though. There are no noise guidelines for car exhausts, and I've never heard of someone being stopped in a car for a silly numberplate.

Grrr.

Unlucky for being pulled for the numberplate Neil. Mind you, if that's the worst they could find, then good on you!

[Fodder]

What has a number plate got to do with motorcyclist safety?
Every other country on the planet has reduced character sizing on number plates for smaller vehicles, for some reason the UK decided to have one size for all vehicles. In these days of minimalisation and decent bike design, UK legal plates look f***ing ridiculous on motorcycles. Especially the hypermotard, that just looks plain wrong!!! I don't think I ever had a legal plate on any of my bikes when I was in the UK. The police never batted an eyelid at that or the cans, although there was always rumours of someone getting nicked for it. Bad luck fella.

Just to enrage you some more, the legal ones for bikes over here are 6" x 4":mand:

[Kiwi]

got a ticket a few years ago about an illegal plate

I took it to court and fought the issue on the grounds of safety ie that the large plate was dangerous

police actually dropped the charges as the werre scared of losing the case

[gremlin]

Bad luck mate. It really p's me off when you see chavboxes with drainpipe exhausts and full disco going and they don't get pulled. It's a pity some of the biking groups like BMF and Mag don't start getting stroppy, after all bikers do get picked on rather a lot. I know we don't do ourselves any favours sometimes but it does get a bit much being targeted all the time. I guess the Swan will be a no go area for a while then!

[neilbaldry]

Unlucky for being pulled for the numberplate Neil. Mind you, if that's the worst they could find, then good on you!

whats really ****, is one of them said to the other (as they were looking over my bike) 'you see anything else wrong with it?'. cheeky buggers were actively looking to get me in the ****!

i have a new found contempt for the police now. i mean, you can tell by my rear tyre im not a mad rider who tear-arses around at 100mph everywhere.

im not sure if im gonna change the plate....... what do you guys think?

[banditloon]

It's a pity some of the biking groups like BMF and Mag don't start getting stroppy,

And if that happens.. Hell will freeze over :look:


Sorry just have my own judgements when it comes to those two groups, and neither are nice.... They are up there with EMAP!! :hissy:

[banditloon]

im not sure if im gonna change the plate....... what do you guys think?

Many years ago, one of my courier mates kept getting stopped by the police for having a small number plate. In the end he went to Halfrauds, got a lorry number plate made up, stuck it on the bike with a sticker underneath the plate characters saying "Is this big enough now officer?" :chuckle:

[Mostro69]

Plods on bikes all over central London this morning on my route along the embankment from far West London to Canary Wharf, was tip-toeing at 30-33mph, rather annoying.

[J.P]

33 mph !!! That's 10% over the speed limit, you'd better watch out....

[Diego]

whats really ****, is one of them said to the other (as they were looking over my bike) 'you see anything else wrong with it?'. cheeky buggers were actively looking to get me in the ****!

i have a new found contempt for the police now. i mean, you can tell by my rear tyre im not a mad rider who tear-arses around at 100mph everywhere.

im not sure if im gonna change the plate....... what do you guys think?

I was pulled over for my small plate and black visor two months ago. Got off with a warning. Anyway the ''funny hat muppet'' was more annoyed with my black tinted visor. All because ''he could not see my face'' Boofreakydyhoo!!!

No way I'm changing my small plate. No such ridicilous ''giant motorcycle plate'' laws in other countries is there?

[zxebeast]

im not sure if im gonna change the plate....... what do you guys think?



give in to the law.






make it smaller.

[gremlin]

I was pulled over for my small plate and black visor two months ago. Got off with a warning. Anyway the ''funny hat muppet'' was more annoyed with my black tinted visor. All because ''he could not see my face'' Boofreakydyhoo!!!

No way I'm changing my small plate. No such ridicilous ''giant motorcycle plate'' laws in other countries is there?

You'd have been ok if you'd been wearing a burka or whichever the full face head dress is called! It's no good trying to work out the logic of the law these days. Small plate, loud exhaust means you're an accident waiting to happen, little old duffer who can't see over the steering wheel with reaction times of a tortoise and no concept of modern driving is fine.

[JerryXt]

Small plate, loud exhaust means you're an accident waiting to happen, little old duffer who can't see over the steering wheel with reaction times of a tortoise and no concept of modern driving is fine.

I have my loud exhaust precisely because it means that these people know I'm there. I've got REALLY loud AK cans on the XT and I never had problems with drivers knowing I'm there. With the standard cans on the RS, people were pulling out all over the place.

London PcP seem to be ok with the noise tho. My view is that they know it's safe for everyone.

[gremlin]

Mine are pretty naughty too but I'll just hope the Penelope Pitstop fluttering of eyelashes and blonde hair will get me off! It does pay to have boobs sometimes.:D :D

[Blah blah]

Loud Pipes Save Lives...

Mind you, I saw a GSXR at Tern Hill the other week with just a small turn out where his can should have been, (like not even an attempt at a 'silencer') it was so loud it made your ears bleed

[bigredduke]

I was in France this summer and some of the plates on French bikes were microscopic! Not sure if they were legal but they looked the dogs! Especially the single row jobbies.

[gremlin]

Some custom bikes have no alternative but put small plates on. Considering the state of some car plates it does seem rather discriminatory picking on bikes. Perhaps we should create a biking religion where loud pipes, small plates and dark visors are part of the regalia. Then it would be inciting racial hatred to keep stopping us for them.

[Lucati]

The last time I nearly had an accident it strangely involved a car (actually a mum in a people carrier with loads of screaming kids!) The lady was paying attention to her kids and not the Monster rider minding his own business, not breaking the speed limit(for a change!), with a regular size number plate and a clear visor.... all of those factors didnt stop her pulling out onto the main road and damn well nearly killing me!....

It's not the bikers the police need to educate

Rant over - thank you for listening.

[Capo]

APNR is the reason for the required plate size. It's all about Big Brother.
and like sheep we comply (well some of us do)

[neilbaldry]

so, what most peope are in agreement is, bikers are unfairly picked on. surely ther is a flash lawyer looking to make a name for him/herself who could pick up the baton and take it to the courts?

[gremlin]

It'll all be academic when we have to have chips in our plates, next we'll have to have them in the back of our necks. Deep joy.

[Nickj]

We are a nice high profile target and always have been, it isn't going to get any better. There's lean times ahead with ANPR's, average speed traps, GPS trackers and the host of legislation thats being used against us more frequently and in ways that it was never envisaged or intended to be used. We also have a very uninformed set of legislators.
That the legislations used are a bit selective is beyond question, for example one popular people carrier (and more than one car) have TWO A posts, that is illegal under UK use and construction regulations. Do you see them being pulled for using a car that is technically illegal.. Ummmm No as the car has been certified in another euro country, however using for example french approved number plates on cars or bikes in the UK is illegal, go figure how that ruling works! :fou:
Rearranging the letters or numbers to form names or words is also illegal says DVLA who also oddly sell these reg numbers to start with, perfectly sensible I don't think. :scratch:
I'm not convinced that Gremlins idea of a bike based religion doesn't actually make real sense. If about 390,000 people (surely there can't be that many care in the community people out there?) put down Jedi as their religion on the 2001 census why shouldn't we do the same and make a real one.

All kneel and be be judged righteous in the reflective iridium visor of the god of very loud fast bikes

[Diego]

All kneel and be be judged righteous in the reflective iridium visor of the god of very loud fast bikes

Well put!!!!