A work colleague told me her husband and his riding buddy were stopped by plod a few weekends ago whilst out on a Sunday jolly. They were stopped because one of the bikes had an illegal numberplate but whilst looking round the bikes, one of the coppers tells the other guy he was not allowed to ride his bike home because it had a small oil leak.
Why would a tiny drip of oil be perceived to be so heinous that would prevent it being ridden home?
I accept oil could be sprayed onto the rear wheel and cause a skid or maybe the engine could sieze and throw the rider off or is it just from a 'pollution' point of view?
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I am guessing the number plate was too small and while it doesn't bother me, or most other people, it is illegal so reasonable action by the police. As motorcyclists are the most likely to be affected by oil on the road, diesel spills and sump drippings at traffic lights I would have thought they might be very interested in oil leaks and I suppose it is a question of how much of a leak is dangerous or illegal and who thinks so.
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>> whilst looking round the bikes, one of
>> the coppers tells the other guy he was not allowed to ride his bike home
>> because it had a small oil leak.
Cheeky sod. Tell him to hop it.
What happened?
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So riding any classic British bike on the road, most of which dripped oil from brand new, is now illegal, is it?
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I don't see the point in small plates.....I know they're trying to defeat the cameras but it just means you're more likely to get a tug and have the bike gone over with a fine-tooth.
Not number plate related directly but I remember the tale of a rider speeding through forward facing camers, hands off the bars and giving multiple V signs. After several incidences, police identified the bike as a Hondasaki, 1200 gt, red....or whatever.
There were three in the area registered. All were visited and our scoundrel friend was identified by the stickers on the screen.
I think a new one ' I've been to court ' had to be added when he got his licence back !
Ted
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When I bought my ZX7R it had a small plate on it. At some time between me buying the bike and collecting it, the supplying dealer fitted a correctly sized plate, and chucked the original small plate in the storage area under the pillion seat.
I decided within a few days that the small one looked better, and swapped them back over. In my case, the small plate was purely aesthetic. I thought it looked better. :-)
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When I bought my ZX7R it had a small plate on it. At some time between me buying the bike and collecting it, the supplying dealer fitted a correctly sized plate, and chucked the original small plate in the storage area under the pillion seat.
I decided within a few days that the small one looked better, and swapped them back over. In my case, the small plate was purely aesthetic. I thought it looked better. :-)
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>> >> I don't see the point in small plates.....I know they're trying to defeat the cameras
Some are legitimate:
www.theplatemarket.com/display_of_registration_numbers.php
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It's the hinged ones that are dodgy. Silly man over the Cat and Fiddle road, jam-sandwich technique at high speed with pillion, pulls into the pub car park. I imagine it would be a field day for traffic polis to pay a visit and link the bobby-dodger plates with the film from the average speed cameras. Good chance there are other matters outstanding.......I just wish they'd get rid of the annoying multiple road side notices telling the death-wishers of the obvious. As if they'd care! I certainly don't.
Last edited by: NortonES2 on Wed 8 Sep 10 at 19:19
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>> I don't see the point in small plates.....
...and I don't see the point in having one the size of a large place mat. On the Harley Sportster, the number plate sits upright, supported at the bottom, and the full-size one has bashed more than a few people on the ankle as they swing their leg over the bike.
Since older number plates were about a third smaller, and seem to be as easily visible to either a copper or a speed camera as modern ones (ask me how I know!) then I fail to see the reason for the increase in size. The plate on my 1972 Harley Sportster, which is as quick if not quicker than my modern one, would be illegal by modern standards and yet it isn't. That is plain daft.
I agree with Norton ES2 (lovely bike!) that the hinged ones, or indeed any plates which are designed to deliberately avoid scameras, are silly.
Apart from the issue noted above, though, I have a "smaller than legal" plate for two reasons; because it looks better aesthetically and also (along with the slightly louder than legal exhausts) as a two-fingered salute to the faceless bureaucrats and control freaks who are trying to legislate motorcycling, and indeed any form of pleasurable motoring, out of existence.
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>> >> whilst looking round the bikes, one of
>> >> the coppers tells the other guy he was not allowed to ride his bike
>> home
>> >> because it had a small oil leak.
I think he just came across a particularly zealous copper, sometimes they're in a good mood, sometimes not. Maybe he'd just dealt with the driver from hell minutes before :-)
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I was given a "friendly" warning by a traffic Officer many years ago over an illegal plate on my the Kawasaki GT750 - I said I'll swap the plate if you stop parking your own cars (more than one) within 15 yards of a junction with no obligatory lights at night. Never bothered me again.
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Told not to ride bike - Perky Penguin
