Reckon I must be getting old

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Aladinsaneuk · #1 Post by **Aladinsaneuk** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 8:29 am

just venting - BUT, I sent this to the MCN letters section today

I have spent part of this morning reading an online forum.

This morning there was an interesting post about people getting their first 30 quid fines of the year for small number plates.

Now it is not exactly a badly kept secret that suffolk police will do you as soon as look at you for a small plate - every time.
The law is quite specific on the matter - there is not soft option - the law states what you can have - anything else means that you will get pulled
(Lets leave the point about this to one side, but just accept it)

Most of the people who got tickets also got lectures about other parts of their bikes, namely exhausts etc - and it would seem that most, rather foolishly were prepared to argue the toss with the police
(Rule One - be polite and respectful at all times when dealing with the police - rule two, refer to rule one...)

Forgive me for being a graduate from the university of Stating the Bloody Obvious - but why do it?

you know you will get a ticket if you have a small plate in suffolk
If you get stopped for that, there is a better than average chance that the PC is going to go over your bike - even if you just get given a 7 day wonder, it is going to cause more hassle - OR you could end up with something worse if something is wrong with the bike...

SO - just keep the bike legal, at least to the untutored eye - I have done for the last year and funnily enough I have not been pulled over at all.... prior to that it was a regular occurrence.

Giving the police an excuse to increase their revenue means that it will carry on - obeying the law means you save 30 quid and a lot of hassle

Finally, I would like to see an exact breakdown from each police force in the UK for how many on the spot fines are given for illegal number plates for cars and motorcycles - I refuse to believe that the respective numbers would be in proportion to road users and surely if that is correct then it could be construed as inappropriate targeting of police resources purely as an income generator.

Perhaps the MCN would like to make those enquiries under the freedom of information act?

Pete "Aladinsane" Dean

Samray · #2 Post by **Samray** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 9:09 am

Head above the parapet?

funnily enough I have not been pulled over at all.... prior to that it was a regular occurrence.

Bet you do now !

D-Rider · #3 Post by **D-Rider** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:02 am

Aladinsaneuk wrote:Finally, I would like to see an exact breakdown from each police force in the UK for how many on the spot fines are given for illegal number plates for cars and motorcycles - I refuse to believe that the respective numbers would be in proportion to road users and surely if that is correct then it could be construed as inappropriate targeting of police resources purely as an income generator.

It would be interesting, but I wouldn't expect it to be in proportion even if cars and bikes were pulled in equal proportions.
I think the actual proportion of bikes with non-standard plates is greater than for cars.

There are a couple of reasons for this.
1) We tend to modify / personalise our bikes more than the average car driver - so are more likely to have changed our plate along with other things.
2) Car plates tend to fit recesses in cars and different sized plates look silly - so the few that change things don't go for smaller plates but use different scripts or non-compliant spacing. Bikes plates are a great big billboard/air-brake on the back of the bike and do nothing for the appearance of the bike and can't exactly do much to help fuel economy or emissions (can we get them made smaller on environmental grounds?

).
Non standard bike plates tend to be smaller rather than using odd scripts (as a generalisation)
Anyway - what I'm saying is that smaller car plates don't help appearance whereas smaller bike plates do.

That said I've always run with a legal plate - doing otherwise would just cause hassle. Exhaust is BS marked too. Don't give them any excuse to stop you.

Aladinsaneuk · #4 Post by **Aladinsaneuk** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:28 am

true car drivers do not change their plate size - but, illegal spacing and fonts?

see lots of those around normally driven by spotty 17 year olds with dustbins as a silencer....

lazarus · #5 Post by **lazarus** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:50 am

Aladinsaneuk wrote: Finally, I would like to see an exact breakdown from each police force in the UK for how many on the spot fines are given for illegal number plates for cars and motorcycles - I refuse to believe that the respective numbers would be in proportion to road users and surely if that is correct then it could be construed as inappropriate targeting of police resources purely as an income generator.

I reckon the police would argue, with some evidence to back them up, that willingness to breach trivial laws like the number plate one is a good indicator of willingness to break other more important ones - like mot, insurance, speed and dodgy driving. Mind you, is pulling people for small plates likely to alter their attitude to other laws?

D-Rider · #6 Post by **D-Rider** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:58 am

Aladinsaneuk wrote:true car drivers do not change their plate size - but, illegal spacing and fonts?

see lots of those around normally driven by spotty 17 year olds with dustbins as a silencer....

Yes that's true - and probably a similar proportion of those types change their plates as do those that ride bikes - but as a percentage of the car driving public to the bike riding public, I still stand by my point.

lazarus wrote: I reckon the police would argue, with some evidence to back them up, that willingness to breach trivial laws like the number plate one is a good indicator of willingness to break other more important ones - like mot, insurance, speed and dodgy driving. Mind you, is pulling people for small plates likely to alter their attitude to other laws?

That would seem like a fairly weak argument to me - if people are flouting more serious regulations then it shouldn't be that difficult to pick them up for those more serious things rather than something that might indicate that they may possibly be up to something else.
An extremely high percentage of people who commit serious crime wear shoes too - let's hope they don't start targeting the shoe wearing public on suspicion that we might all be axe-wheeling crack dealers .... or investment bankers ......

HowardQ · #7 Post by **HowardQ** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 12:55 pm

All I can say Pete is that I know I am gettin' old !!
Must be why I agree with everything you say.

We all know small plates look good, but we also know that in every area of the UK you are much more likely to get pulled if you have one.

Remember seeing a really nice Gixxer thou at Squires Cafe a couple of years or so ago, it had a tiny plate well back under the undertray, not that far in front of the rear shocker, you could just see it if you tried very hard.
Taking the piss ........... yes I think so.

D-Rider · #8 Post by **D-Rider** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 2:14 pm

Just out of interest, I've posted the rules for number plates in the Aprilia Technical sub-forum:

https://www.ridersite.com/viewtopic.php?t=4409

Falcomille · #9 Post by **Falcomille** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:21 pm

I don't know if any of you watch programs like Police Interceptors, but with the crap that's on telly these days, it is at least entertaining. The Road Policing Units in all forces now are just out to nick anyone they can, especially if you a: have an attitude and b: take the piss. Obviously not tax/mot/insurance is definately going to get you tugged and possibly you bike confiscated/crushed. But, small plates and loud cans advertise your presence and also advertise your attitude to the law. Therefore, if you want to get nicked, make it easy for them!
But yes, it's an age thing....

Falken · #10 Post by **Falken** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:50 pm

Seen so many comments about small plates and the coppers clamping down on them, i've just taken mine off and put the legal one back on.

BikerGran · #11 Post by **BikerGran** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:50 pm

The police do have an option to gove a 'Vehicle Defect Rectification Notice' - ie, you put right whatever is wrong, get the ticket signed by an MOT station, and show it at the Police Station - it used to be commonly used for a first offence (in Dorset anyway) but they go straight for the fine now, that smacks of money-grubbing but in fact it's more target-related. Policing is all atrgets now - in fact as one officer said to me, if you're good at crime prevention you come across as very inefficient because your number of detections will be low (number of detections NOT detection rate) - which is a complete nonsense!

#12 Post by **Kwackerz** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 5:28 pm

Never had a desire to have a small plate. Serves no purpose whatsoever.. doesnt save fuel, doesnt affect performance by losing the extra 2 " all round the plate, doesnt really look good as it's still a yellow plaque attached to the back of the bike... or have I missed something?
All it does is attract a pull from Plod and give them a legitimate excuse to delve further, as stated previously by someone.

People complaining of being pulled.
Aww bless. Chin up, eh? At least the fashion police didnt nick you for the unscuffed kneesliders... I really dont get it. We ALL know the drills, know the risks, yet people are still up in arms?

Samray · #13 Post by **Samray** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 5:43 pm

Discussion of plate size always reminds me of Jorges allegedly legal one on his "Portuguese" bike. It was miniscule.
No point in competing once you'd seen that.

#14 Post by **Kwackerz** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 5:50 pm

The one on the Ducati? Yeah, was a tad on the small size!

snapdragon · #15 Post by **snapdragon** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 9:55 pm

bugger K - do that mean you gettin old too?????

lol had a couple of mates come over to Wilts from Kent they were warned beforehand about wilts bobbies being tough on pisstaking plates but they came with them on - had a lovely ride round the county and on their way home the bobbies heard the bikes (loud cans) went to have a look and nicked 'em for the plates

(but not the cans or the speed) they were lucky I think

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