Thruxton Rolled the dice......Black No. Plate is no more

Only a couple of weeks into riding the Thruxton this year and the Black Plate has cost me £100. I suppose it was inevitable, but thought I'd mention as I know others have done it.

Back to the 'legal' one then......boooo.

At least it was a 0 point fixed penalty and no mention of the sound from the debaffled US V&H pipes, so at least there is a slight upside.

 

Ouch! Well that's made the decision for me then

 

Well, forced my hand to get around to getting rid of the huge reflector and replace the large number plate light with something smaller (I was keeping the originals in place to 'offset' the 'plate....not that it worked!).

Fitted a Kellermann KL1 light which is bonded on the top edge of the back of the no. plate and fabricated an aluminium bracket for a smaller and more aesthetic rear reflector.

Content with the result and now fully legal from a no. plate and lighting PoV.

IMG_20170408_143017 by jeznewsome, on Flickr

IMG_20170408_143949 by jeznewsome, on Flickr

Trumpet Rear Plate by jeznewsome, on Flickr

 

Mentioned to my mechanic mate the other day that I wanted to get a smaller black plate for the bike and he said it wasn't worth it. Especially riding in and out of London most days there was a good chance I'd get pulled up for it. Said to just stick with a smaller normal coloured plate if I'm going to make a change.

Shame about the fine and thanks for letting us know.

 

Yeah a little disappointed with the fine. It appears a very detached 'process'; chap filled in numerous details into a small tablet device which then spat out a foot of yellow paper which had the verdict from 'Central Control'.

...definitely preferred the look of the bike with the black plate...ho hum.

 

I have been watching the 'plate scene with interest. I built myself a fender eliminator similar to the NRC tucked version and rode from home to work for a few weeks before I got too stressed about watching out for police and then changed it for a more conventional set up. Since then I have asked coppers at the Ace Cafe every time I have seen them for their views and have come to the conclusion that city police are not interested in number plates if the bike is ridden carefully and they don't take the mickey. However the police opinion, from my very small sample. is that the motorway police are much more fussy about it.

In other word I can use the tucked plates set up in London but not out if it.

 

My 'offence' was on a motorway. I'd taken that route as it was the quickest and easiest.

Annoyed as i was traveling slowly due to carrying some other bike bodywork strapped into a courier bag.

If I'd been traveling at normal speed the police car would not have seen me!

 

Loud exhausts, dark visors are "allowed" by our local plod, but number plates are picked on. Get away with 1" smaller, but long thin or black plates are getting stopped.
Never really seen the point, unless I could get totally rid of the plate.
With the reliance on ANPR, rather than numbers of cops out on the road, they are going to pull you.
Not worth the hassle IMHO, just stick to loud cans and dark visors.

 

I've heard that if you carry a proper number plate around with you and feign the old " oh I forgot to change them over after the show" type thing you can get away with the usual condescending warning!

 

Just a few years ago, about 4 actually, I had an ex-army Landy fully radio rigged I used to take to shows, I attended the Castle Combe steam rally one year, attached the real army reg plates held on by 10mm wing nut & bolt, and forgot to take them off for nearly 3 weeks as I take the wing radio gear off and radio's out and used it as a 'general' run about as well!
I suppose plods thought it was still in service?

This is how it was, on the day it arrived and as it was shown.

 

Ouch !! I run around with black plates taking a chance it may cost £30 fine - but £100 is a different matter

 

Used to be £30 but it was increased ages ago. Vaguely remember something about it being increased.
If you were really lucky you would get a rectification notice but that depended on the police officer of course.

 

Bit out of touch with the law i am then : it was £30 for a "fancy plate" years ago or as you say a warning to change within X days.

 

I've got a black plate on mine and I work on the same site as central motorway police group. They've even been over to check it out.. don't want to count my chickens but nothings ever been said other than gawjus bike..

 

Makes me feel a tad better ha ha

 

Used to ride with a mate many years ago who had no reg plate on his bike but carried a broken one with him
If stopped he would tell them he parked in a car park and when he got back it was on the floor damaged
Was with him once when a group of us got pulled over in Stanhope
He got away with it as well

 

I'm keeping mine on and running the risk on a pure vanity thing. I do have a yellow plate underneath the black one though, so will go the 'oh bugger forgot to switch them around' route.

 

I have a personal plate on my bike which ends in the prefix A which I believe is around 1962. Therefore
" m' lud " surely it should run with a black plate (although it is on a 2005 Thruxton )

 

Yep I put a 1963 'A: reg plate on mine black and silver. It wont ping up on the ANPR as its taxed and insured, so it would have to be a copper that knows his bikes to question it. Period plate on a period looking bike looks right.

 

I've been looking at "age neutral" plates, but other than the NI ones, typically three letters and 4 numbers, they are costly.
The A prefix plates are available at £165...could be tempted then go silver on black!