Featured Small (uk Legal) Number Plates

Pre 74 black plated with 7 figures are ok on a 7x5 plate

 

Dunno what ordinary plates come under
printed or gel or

 

Hi Carl, glad to hear you got the bike plate wrinkles sorted out. To other forum members, I guess the recent happy experience of @bulldogbobby should be the one to judge JDM plates by now.

 

Hi Dilligaf,

The standard style plates are printed which consist of a transparent acrylic front plate, a middle transparent acetate film which is printed onto and then a yellow reflective material on the rear.

Was great speaking to you too mate , i'm happy to help where possible with regards to overall dimensions and the legal side of things and of course the different styles we can offer.

Cheers,
Carl.

 

Any chance you could post some pictures showing the standard plate against your smaller plates?

 

I have just ordered a new small plate from JDM for my new Rocket 3. (Using a 10% code on their own website) I have a 5 digit reg so can have the smallest plate they do. The standard Triumph plate looks absolutely enormous on my Rocket - especially with a 5 digit number - acres of yellow!
I used JDM last year for my Speed Twin plate and I am very happy with the plate supplied then and speedy good service.

 

over £30 for a bike reg plate ? I can get a nice plate locally for £10, regards small plates being legal, I’ve a 8x6 on my street triple which looks very nice but it won’t pass the mot,the lady who does my mot says it must be 9x6,5 to pass the mot, my local auto spares who make plates have also told me it’s 9x6.5 to be legal. I am not trying to say what size reg plates you must have I am just pointing out what’s legal in the uk

 

Unless there has been a very very recent change in the law, there is no law that dictates the 9 x 6.5 overall size that you mention for bike plates. My bikes are newer so will not need an MOT for another 30 months so I will have to see what happens then!

The laws as I understand them dictate the height and thickness of the digits, the spacing between them and the rows, and the size of margins around the digits to the edge of the plate. This is why plates with 5 or 6 digits can be legally smaller than those with a full 7 digit plate.

I have a JDM plate for my 5 digit registration and it is legal, I have compared it to the original Triumph fitted plate and the digits are same height, thickness and spacing yet it is much much smaller because it has reduced the margins (expanse of yellow background) to the minimum legal size.

The Gov.uk website currently has a link to an informative leaflet INF 104 from DVLA about number plates - which details all the legal requirements. Screenshots attached.
There are different rules for older bikes/plates , I haven’t read all of those, just the section for bikes registered post Sept 2001. Ps Sorry the screen shots have attached in a non logical way!

 

ive found the plates dealers fit to new bikes a quiet a bit bigger than the 9 x 6.5 legal plate so you may be ok.

 

it was only at last Xmas that I bought my new scrambler and I started looking into a smaller plate, my local auto spares told me it was 9x6.5 plus you need to take your log book with you, it was last summer that when getting a price for some new tyres that I asked for guidance on my 8x6 plate on my street triple whether or not it was legal,it wasn’t. I know in 2014 small plates on bikes were receiving a £60 fine as I’ve seen it happen to a mates bike.i am Not saying you shouldn’t put one on but maybe check with we’re you get your bike mot.

 

I am sure this isn’t the first forum discussion on this matter, it clearly shows that there are differing views, interpretations, understandings and actual experiences out there about bike plates amongst riders and also officials.

This is no doubt because there is no simple straightforward answer to the question what size is a legal bike plate?

As a retired cop who has done some research I am happy that the JDM plates are legal and I am more than happy to discuss this with any MOT tester or cop who has a differing view in due course. (nb it could all go pear shaped then!)

As I see it bike dealers and some plate suppliers simply use standard plate making machines and plate sizes provided in bulk by their suppliers but JDM have done their homework and trimmed down the sizes to the minimum for plates with different numbers of digits. It’s almost a bespoke service. Yes it’s costly, but think of the fuel I am saving with reduced wind resistance!

 

If your vehicle is over 40 years old you can have black & white/silver plates on it. It rolls along with your vehicle becoming "historic" and MOT exempt, this has been the case since 2015.

 

https://www.heritagecarinsurance.co...cles/can-i-display-black-silver-number-plate/

You're right the law changed to 1st of January 1979 in April 2019 but is not 40 years rolling like the historic tax

 

I think you will find come April 1st 2020, it will roll on again and vehicles registered before 1st Jan 2020 will classed as historic and be able to carry b&w plates.
Have a look at page 11 here.
https://assets.publishing.service.g...le-registration-numbers-and-number-plates.pdf

 

It doesn't actually say that ;
Traditional number plates for vehicles made before 1 January 1973
Vehicles made before 1 January 1973 may display traditional ‘black and white’ number plates (for example, white, silver or grey characters on a black plate). From April 2019 vehicles manufactured before 1 January 1979 are also able to display traditional ‘black and white’ number plates. You must:
• haveappliedtoDVLA
• beregisteredwithinthe‘historicvehicles’taxclass.
The 40-year exemption date rolls forward automatically each year on 1 April.

 

I may be wrong its been known
Ask the wife

 

It said this in 2017.
Traditional number plates for vehicles made before 1 January 1973
Vehicles made before 1 January 1973 may display traditional ‘black and white’ number plates (for example, white, silver or grey characters on a black plate). From April 2017 vehicles manufactured before 1 January 1977 are also able to display traditional ‘black and white’ number plates. You must:
• haveappliedtoDVLA
• beregisteredwithinthe‘historicvehicles’taxclass.
The 40-year exemption date rolls forward automatically each year on 1 April.

Then this in 2018.
Traditional number plates for vehicles made before 1 January 1973
Vehicles made before 1 January 1973 may display traditional ‘black and white’ number plates (for example, white, silver or grey characters on a black plate). From April 2018 vehicles manufactured before 1 January 1978 are also able to display traditional ‘black and white’ number plates. You must:
• haveappliedtoDVLA
• beregisteredwithinthe‘historicvehicles’taxclass.
The 40-year exemption date rolls forward automatically each year on 1 April.

And I anticipate it will say this on April fools day 2020 or thereabouts.
Traditional number plates for vehicles made before 1 January 1973
Vehicles made before 1 January 1973 may display traditional ‘black and white’ number plates (for example, white, silver or grey characters on a black plate). From April 2020 vehicles manufactured before 1 January 1980 are also able to display traditional ‘black and white’ number plates. You must:
• haveappliedtoDVLA
• beregisteredwithinthe‘historicvehicles’taxclass.
The 40-year exemption date rolls forward automatically each year on 1 April.
We shall wait and see.

 

what’s size is your original plate the bottom reg plate in the second pic? Cheers.

 

You blokes can buy license plates from private companies? Our DMV’s issue plates, really small ones for mc’s. If you want a personalized plate you go oneline to your state DMV and if its not taken and not considered offensive then you can order it for a small fee thats tacked on each year to your regular yearly registration fee.