Small numberplates

[SalTheWop]

I think you will be OK as long as you dont take the piss.On my last bike I had a 7x5 black plate with silver font in a single line.Never got pulled.Now I have an 8x5,but I have a bobtail fender so it dont bother me what size it is TBH.
Of course if you come across the copper who is having a bad day,then I guess you are fair game

[Veggie]

Just expanding on this, if you are pulled for an undersized plate, is it a fine or a fine AND points. Anyone know?

[chris h]

Originally Posted by Veggie

Just expanding on this, if you are pulled for an undersized plate, is it a fine or a fine AND points. Anyone know?

Just a fine . Was £30 but it might have gone up.

Originally Posted by chilly

Seem to remember somewhere on this site that the plod were going to take a more lenient view to number plate sizes,if they were readable from 25 metres you should be ok,its the ones taking the piss that will get stopped.
The letter of the law on size stays the same tho.

Chill

Official size is 9" x 7" but of course the dealers put their name at the bottom so it's larger. I've always got away with 7" x 5" so far.. But as Chilly states, there was an ACPO directive for the plod to use 'common sense'

[SJC69]

Originally Posted by smallhog

Official size is 9" x 7" but of course the dealers put their name at the bottom so it's larger. I've always got away with 7" x 5" so far.. But as Chilly states, there was an ACPO directive for the plod to use 'common sense'

Where does this official size of 9" x 7" come from, it's not in the regulations?
I suspect it is just the most convenient size for most applications that the plate manufacturers and dealers use so this is what they tell you!

Let’s get this right, there is no minimum or stated size for a motorcycle numberplate within the regulations, {see link}

http://www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/lea...mberplates.pdf

As long as a plate meets and complies fully to Font, Character and Margin spacing along with the other stated requirements eg. British Standard mark, manufacturers mark and post code etc. it is legal.

Default on anyone of these, then it will not, it’s that simple.

But the prosecution have to prove the plate does not comply and why it does not against the regulations, which do not state a obligatory size of plate. eg 9” x 7”

What is said on the DVLA link

MOTORCYCLES AND TRICYCLES
All motorcycles and tricycles must display a number plate at the rear of the vehicle.
Motorcycles and tricycles registered before 1.9.2001 can display a number plate at the front of the vehicle but are not required to.
If you have a two or three wheeled motor cycle or tricycle that has a body type of a four-wheeled vehicle, you MUST display a number plate at the front and back of the vehicle. The characters may be smaller, eg motorcycle rather than car size.

Character Height for motorcycles and tricycles

64mm

Character Width

44mm

Character Stroke

10mm

Space between characters

10mm

Space between groups

30mm

Top, side and bottom margin

11mm

Space between vertical lines

13mm



Motorcycles registered on or after 1 September 2001 must display a two-line number plate. Motorcycles registered prior to the 1 September 2001 may display a three-line plate, but one-line plates are illegal, irrespective of the date of registration of the motorcycle.

THE LAW
The law states that,

You must not alter, rearrange or misrepresent the letters or numbers
Characters must not be moved from one group to the other (e.g. A242 ABC must not be displayed as A242A BC).
Offences may result in any or all of the following:

A fine of up to £1,000
The registration mark may be WITHDRAWN
The vehicle may FAIL the MOT test
Full details of the requirements are included in The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001

That is not all of it, there is more about what must be included on the registration plate too!

NOTE There is no minimum size for a motorcycle number plate mentioned.




So what does it really mean?


Well ABC 123 can be a considerably smaller plate than AB55 CDE for example and still be fully legal.

So if you have a registration of AB55 CDE the minimum size of plate will be 228 mm by 163mm or 9 x 6 3/8”

Derived by the longest line eg AB55
Margins 11mm x 2 = 22mm, plus Character width 44mm x 4 = 176mm, plus Spacing 10mm x 3 = 30mm. Total 228mm.
A 9 x 7 inch Sail board size, you can loose a bit off the bottom.

Now this is the important part, say you have AB51 ABC, you have just lost 34 mm off the width as the number 1 is narrower, now down to 194mm 7 5/8”

Even better buy an old style registration such as A80 HOG, then you can have a legal plate of 184mm 7 1/4” width but you still are stuck with the height of 163mm 6 3/8” but it is significantly smaller.

There is no stated minimum size for the plate as it is all relative to the number and size of characters

Following on from this, if you had just the one digit eg 1 the plate could be ridiculously small.

So if you are getting a new bike or really don’t like the 9” sail board and want to have a smaller legal number plate the only way is to consider what choice of numbers and digits you can have, or buy an older style registration, it’s then yours and can transfer from bike to bike or even to a car and back to a bike now.

You can still get one number registrations from the DVLA for £250 including the transfer fee. Eg A1 DOG etc.

Hope this clears this up as to just what minimum size the plate must be to fully comply.

That said of course if you just happened to loose a couple of mm off each margin and the character height you could reduce the plate size and it would effectively look like it complies except under the severest scrutiny and some very accurate measuring!

[Oilslick]

It wouldn't be so bad if it was silver on black but YELLOW....Jeez!

(or can it be silver on black?)

[BaZa®]

Originally Posted by Oilslick

It wouldn't be so bad if it was silver on black but YELLOW....Jeez!

(or can it be silver on black?)

Only if registered before 1971 or 1973 I think.

This prooves it!

[Gas Axe]

Well you lot certainly get stuck into a topic.Thanks for your info,now crashing on with a mounting for the wee plate.
Again thanks chaps

Gas