Tag Archives: number plate

Motorcycle News, News

Number plate theft and cloning on the rise

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Number plate theft and cloning of plates is on the rise, resulting in riders receiving speeding and parking fines and unpaid toll notices.

The National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council says number plate theft can also be used to commit crimes such as petrol theft, robberies, house break-ins and drug trafficking.

Police are also reporting an increased detection of cloned plates with offenders using vehicle sales websites to find a vehicle matching their bike or a stolen vehicle.

Offenders are even cloning the number plates on laminated paper.

Cloning plate scam not new

Police and transport departments in several states say the cloning plate scam is not new, but are unable to supply statistics for speeding fines waived or offenders who can be charged with both criminal and traffic offences.Fixed speed camera Victoria - fines suspended virus plate scam

Police say motorists wrongly fined would need to provide photographic evidence to prove the vehicle in the speeding offence photo was not theirs.

It is recommended that private sellers blur their number plates when they advertise their vehicle online.

In Victoria, Victoria Police, VicRoads, Department of Justice and Regulation, Fines Victoria, the Crime Statistics Agency and the NMVTRC are investigating the misuse and theft of number plates.

The NMVTRC says about a third of all stolen plates are taken from vehicles parked on the street and 10% were from vehicles parked in a car park.

About 85% are stolen from metropolitan areas.

Unpaid tolls

The scammers have also been using tollways with the video recognition fee going to the registered owners of the plate.

Last year we reported on Kingaroy rider Paulette Devlin who copped a $10.78 fee for an unpaid $2.28 motorway toll when her Kawasaki Ninja 250 was parked in her garage more than 200km away.

plate scam
Tollway photo of Paulette’s plate on another bike

She bought the Ninja in July 2017 through Gumtree.

We contacted Queensland tollway company Linkt who confirmed they had waived Paulette’s toll.

Linkt is owned by Transurban which also owns CityLink in Melbourne and six tollways in Sydney.

(Click here to find why tunnels are the top traps for speeding fines.)

In fact, they also waived a second unpaid toll after they found the same number plate had been used on a different bike.

plate scam
Second tollway photo (they take two photos, one from in front and one behind)

They confirmed that “some people who complain regarding this are being investigated”.

Linkt would not reveal how many are being investigated.

Motorcycle riders are particularly vulnerable to this plate scam where tollways use video pate recognition for motorcycles instead of a transponder.

Riders should check their next toll statement to ensure that all toll fees are legitimate.

If you find an incorrect charge, email the Transurban customer resolution team at: [email protected]

Do not simply fail to pay the fee as the charges will rise even more.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

Keep your number plate and licence clean

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Allowing your number plate to get dirty or actively obscuring or altering it could cost you a hefty fine, demerit points and maybe even jail!

A 50-year-old Irish rider recently copped a £600 (about $A1140) fine and nine demerit points for trying to evade detection by police by altering his Honda’s number plate with black tape.

His solicitor said the bike had been off the road for a year and he was on his way to the garage to get an MOT (Ministry of Transport roadworthy).

Likely story!

Number plate offences

tyre pressures
Rear mudguard prevents plate from getting dirty

In Australia, fines for an obscured plate vary substantially state to state from about $100 to almost $700 and up to three demerit points.

The offence can be worded as something like “using a vehicle with an altered, incorrect or misrepresented number plate”.

That can include a number of issues such as simply allowing your number plate to get dirty.

Telling the cop who pulls you over that you had no idea it got dirty is not an excuse as you are obliged every time you use a vehicle to ensure it is in legal, working order.

Fraudulent plates

However, it can get worse.

If the plate has been fraudulently altered (as in the mock photo at the top of this article), the penalty is up to $1000 or two months’ jail.

The tougher penalties are due to the use of stolen and fraudulent plates to commit crimes, not just evade speed cameras.

I knew one flexible rider who used to stand up and extend his right foot back to obscure his plate as he passed a roadside speed camera.

Another rider had his plate on a rotating mechanism which he could activate via a switch on the handlebars to rotate the plate out of sight.

Both could have been fined for fraudulently obscuring their plate and face the harsher penalties.

There are also various clear plate covers that are claimed to prevent a speed camera from getting a clear image.

Some “invisible” sprays (including hairspray) are also claimed to legally obscure your plate from a speed camera.

Number Plate
Hairspray leaves a detectable gummy residue

Most of these only claim to “help avoid detection”. They offer no guarantees.

Not only do these scam products not work with modern no-flash speed camera technology, but you can be fined for fraudulently obscuring your plate.

You may think police won’t notice, but they are aware of these scams.

If they pull you over, even for a licence check, one of the first things they check is for these devices and sprays which leave a telltale gummy residue.

Police in several states couldn’t give us exact numbers for motorcycle plate fines, but they claim it is common.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

Early motorcycle number plate sets record

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One of the earliest motorcycle number plates to come to public auction, ‘4’, has sold at auction for $150,000, setting a Victorian record.

The plates sold at the weekend Shannons Motorclassica plate auction and was only tipped to fetch up to $80,000.

There are two because motorcycles used to have a front number plate as well. Some safety Nazis and cops still think they should make a comeback so riders can be detected by front-facing speed cameras.

It was the only motorcycle plate in the auction which fetched $2.4m, including an auction record $181,000 for a “Q1” car plate.

The “4” motorcycle number plate is not the most expensive in Australia. It is believed the 80-year-old NSW “1” plate may have sold for close to $1 million.

That plate was originally owned by Bennett and Wood in 1918. It was bought by Honda’s General Manager in 1935 and spent time on an MV Agusta in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Personalised motorcycle number plates are big business, but they are not as valuable as car plates.

The Australian record for the most expensive car number plate was set in 2017 at the Shannons Sydney Autumn Auction where “NSW 29” fetched $745,000, beating the previous 2003 record of $689,000 for “NSW 2”.

World record

But that is nothing compared with world record prices.

The world’s most expensive plate is believed to be “25 O” which is on a Ferrari 250 SWB enviously owned by guitar god Eric Clapton.

The plate is now owned by Ferrari deal principal John Collins who paid £518,480 in 2014 and fitted it to his Ferrari 250 SWB.

Number Plate
Veyron with F1 plate

However, that could be eclipsed by British car mod businessman Afzal Kahn who is asking more than £12m for his “F1” plate which is on his Bugatti Veyron.

He has previously turned down an offer of £6 million.

He bought the plate for £440,000 in 2008, setting a UK record.

Show us your personalised motorcycle number plate! Insert a photo with your comments below.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

News

Can I transfer a number plate to a motorbike?

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(Contributed post for our UK readers)

Whether you want to transfer your private number plate from car to car, motorbike to another motorbike or in-between the two, all of these options are possible and the same rules apply for each.

As long as the vehicle is subject to an annual test there are no restrictions to transferring your number plate from one vehicle to another, whether it be a car, bike, van or anything in-between.

There are however, exceptions to this rule. Vehicles that do not take part in an MOT are not able to be part of the DVLA Cherished Transfer Scheme, meaning that their number plates cannot be transferred. Examples of these vehicles are tractors, milk floats and other specialist vehicles.

Transfer fee

The usual price to transfer a private number plate is £80, however the DVLA will charge you differently depending on whether your transfer is on a certificate or from one vehicle to another.

How to transfer a private number plate to a motorbike

If the number plate that you want to transfer is already on a vehicle then you will have to complete a V317 form and submit it to the DVLA, along with documents for both vehicles that are involved in the transfer. You will also have to ensure that both vehicles are taxed and have a valid MOT so that the vehicles can be moved to be inspected by the DVLA if necessary. Along with this, you will have to make sure you pay the correct fees in order for the transfer to take place.

If the private number plate is not already on a vehicle and instead on a V778 Retention Document or V750 Certificate of Entitlement, you can then transfer the plate directly to your vehicle. When checking the certificate, if it is not in your name or you are not a named ‘nominee’ then you will have to change the nominee name, which is free of charge. You can check the costs and instructions for the transfer process on both certificates.

How to transfer a private number plate from a motorbike

If you’re wanting to transfer a private number plate from a motorbike to another vehicle then the same rules apply. You will have to process your application through the DVLA to remove the registration from your motorbike and onto a different vehicle. But, if you don’t have another vehicle to transfer the plate over to, whether that be because you’re saving it for a new vehicle or wanting to sell the plate at a later date then this is also possible. You will have to put your number plate on retention using a V778 Retention Document which lasts up to 10 years and can be renewed at no extra cost if you continue to keep your plate on retention.

If you want to sell the plate on the same rules apply. You can do so through auction sites, the DVLA or private selling sites such as NewReg.co.uk. Both parties will have to have the relevant documents available to send off to the DVLA in order to meet the legal requirements for the transfer.

How long does the transfer take?

The process of a number plate transfer can take anything between 2-5 weeks from when you submit the documents to the DVLA. In order to ensure that there are no delays or set-backs to the process, read through everything carefully to make sure that there are no mistakes in your application. Once the application has been approved and the plate transfer has taken place, you are free to enjoy your new private number plate.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com