Many of us like to be a little loose in our interpretation of the law when it comes to our motorcycle number plates. It seems like a waste of time making our bike plates match up to what the government deems to be acceptable, especially when we’ve got the looks of our machine and our image on the line.
That’s why so many bikers disregard the law and try their utmost to get motorcycle number plates made by a manufacturer who is willing to give us something which might look great but can attract the unwanted attention of your local law enforcement officers. Although the most that will usually happen in the case of illegal plates is a £30 fine and no points added to your license, it’s good to know how bike number plates should be displayed. In that way if we feel the urge we can stay close to what is legally allowed to reduce our chances of getting an on the spot fine by the police.
The DVLA states that to be within the law the registration number plate for a motorcycle should be displayed as follows:
- A number plate should be displayed on the rear of the motorcycle
- Number Plates must be easily read and conform to the British Standard
- Lettering should be black on a yellow background
- The background surface should be reflex-reflecting but the lettering mustn’t be
- Motorcycles registered after 1st September 2001 must display a two-line number plate, while older motorcycles may use a three-line plate. One-line motorcycle number plates are illegal.
- Stylised letters such as italics are prohibited
- Number plate fixing bolts shouldn’t be used to alter the appearance of letters or numbers
Standard Number Plates for motorcycles made after September 2001 must use lettering with the following characteristics:
Height: 64mm
Width: 44mm
Stroke: 10mm
Space between letter: 10mm
Space between groups: 30mm
Margins: 11mm
Space between vertical lines: 13mm
At the end of the day everyone realises that there are much worse crimes than having a motorcycle number plate that doesn’t match up to the governments ideal so make your own choice on the matter. If you really want custom plates its probably worth taking the risk as long as you don’t stray into ridiculous territory and get something that sticks out like a sore thumb.
