Number plates on bikeracks. Why do people make their own?

[dan76n]

Living in Canberra I‘ve noticed a considerable amount of home made number plates attached to bike trailers.
What is the reason behind this as surely when forking out hundreds or more on a bike trailer one can afford the additional $50 for a number plate?
Not sure if the police actually enforce this or not but the fine would most certainly be more than the cost of the plate.
Is this similar in other areas around the country?

 

[fatboyonabike]

Yes, have to buy the metal one in NSW.
NSW police see any alternative to the shiny metal plate as low hanging fruit, Xmas Party won't pay for it's self!

 

[Minlak]

Interesting thing is plate is smallest part of what they can get you for - If your lights are obscured the plate wont save you

 

[Stredda]

Living in Canberra I‘ve noticed a considerable amount of home made number plates attached to bike trailers.
What is the reason behind this as surely when forking out hundreds or more on a bike trailer one can afford the additional $50 for a number plate?
Not sure if the police actually enforce this or not but the fine would most certainly be more than the cost of the plate.
Is this similar in other areas around the country?

Are you talking about an actual tow behind the vehicle trailer or a bike rack that's mounted to the vehicle?
A trailer has to be registered with a VIN plate and needs its own rego plate. A car mounted rack only needs a plate (the plate will be the same as the vehicle that it is fitted to, just smaller) if it is obscuring the vehicle's number plate and if that is the case you need to have an officially supplied plate.

 

[dan76n]

Are you talking about an actual tow behind the vehicle trailer or a bike rack that's mounted to the vehicle?
A trailer has to be registered with a VIN plate and needs its own rego plate. A car mounted rack only needs a plate (the plate will be the same as the vehicle that it is fitted to, just smaller) if it is obscuring the vehicle's number plate and if that is the case you need to have an officially supplied plate.

Sorry bike trailer as in Thule or Shingleback.

 

[Stredda]

Sorry bike trailer as in Thule or Shingleback.

Ah, I thought so. A trailer usually refers to something that is towed behind a vehicle with it's own wheels, where a rack mounts to the vehicle wether it is on the roof or rear.
Anyway, technically a homemade number plate is not legal. A cop might be a bit more lenient if it looks like you tried, but if you have pissed them off or given them reason to look for other things to nail you for, the homemade plate won't cut it.
That said, here in Tassie every second rack here is obscuring the number plate with no auxiliary plate fitted to the rack and I haven't heard of anyone fined for it. I have an official auxiliary plate fitted to my Single Trail rack, just in case.

 

[Halo1]

it is hard to feel sorry for people getting booked when they are carrying 5k to 10k worth of gear and won’t fork out for a plate.

I forgot to order a new plate when I changed cars and was driving for months with the wrong bike rack plate rego. oops.

 

[LPG]

I've never done it but I can see it happening if borrowing someone else's rack or similar. Wive borrowed a larger rack than mine and swapped my aux plate on but if I didn't already have the aux plate it would be tempting to bodge one up if borrowing a rack.

No excuses if you own the rack though.

 

[gippyz]

Yes, have to buy the metal one in NSW.
NSW police see any alternative to the shiny metal plate as low hanging fruit, Xmas Party won't pay for it's self!

Been at the receiving end for this few years ago. $400 odd fine and 3 dp (or something like that). Didn't realise back then our number plate was mostly obscured.

Stopped by cop, made a handwritten one as a stopgap until we get home, still gets the fine

Xmas doesn't pay for itself indeed. They have no sympathy for these shits especially if they're below the quota.

 

[ashes_mtb]

Ah, I thought so. A trailer usually refers to something that is towed behind a vehicle with it's own wheels, where a rack mounts to the vehicle wether it is on the roof or rear.
Anyway, technically a homemade number plate is not legal. A cop might be a bit more lenient if it looks like you tried, but if you have pissed them off or given them reason to look for other things to nail you for, the homemade plate won't cut it.
That said, here in Tassie every second rack here is obscuring the number plate with no auxiliary plate fitted to the rack and I haven't heard of anyone fined for it. I have an official auxiliary plate fitted to my Single Trail rack, just in case.

In another example of West is best, our legislation specifically allows bike racks to obscure licence plates. For reasons.

 

[safreek]

Been at the receiving end for this few years ago. $400 odd fine and 3 dp (or something like that). Didn't realise back then our number plate was mostly obscured.

Stopped by cop, made a handwritten one as a stopgap until we get home, still gets the fine

Xmas doesn't pay for itself indeed. They have no sympathy for these shits especially if they're below the quota.

Yep, the points are more hurtful than the fine I think.
Auxiliary plate was bought before I used my rack

 

[dan76n]

I've heard rumours of the AFP doing carpark inspections at Stromlo but not sure if they were actually booking people or just warning them.

 

[Haakon]

I've heard rumours of the AFP doing carpark inspections at Stromlo but not sure if they were actually booking people or just warning them.

That’s a dick move

I always had one and lights on the rack because for the 11 years I was in Canberra I retained Victorian registration because it was half the price of ACT rego! So figured I better be at least legal looking

I doubt I’d get grief for it here, but got it for roads trips on the mainland.

 

[ozzybmx]

Living in Canberra I‘ve noticed a considerable amount of home made number plates attached to bike trailers.
What is the reason behind this as surely when forking out hundreds or more on a bike trailer one can afford the additional $50 for a number plate?

Usually people get this bright idea to buy a bike rack, then think faaaakkkk I have a bike rack... and no number plate, better order one.

Next thing they make a fakey in Microsoft Word and laminate it... yeah I'll get around to ordering one.

 

[steve jobs' pancreas]

Wive borrowed a larger rack than mine

Then you get to borrow one larger than her’s ?

 

[gippyz]

Yep, the points are more hurtful than the fine I think.
Auxiliary plate was bought before I used my rack

Yes the points hurt much more than the fine. Bought auxiliary plate straight after. Have had 2 bike racks since then with auxiliary plate, no hassle since. Just not worth the dp and fines really!

Having said that, I've seen countless of cars where the owner have removed the back plate off their car, and attached it on the bike rack. Is that legal? I honestly think it's more hassle to remove and re-attach the plate than having a dedicated auxiliary plate for the bike rack.

 

[Cardy George]

Having said that, I've seen countless of cars where the owner have removed the back plate off their car, and attached it on the bike rack. Is that legal? I honestly think it's more hassle to remove and re-attach the plate than having a dedicated auxiliary plate for the bike rack.

Yes it's is (in Vic at least) and yes it is, but the Hilux is leased so I don't think I can order a plate because I don't own the vehicle.

COTF: I put the plate on the rack one weekend to go out to a club race. Came home, took the rack off, packed the work gear back in and left for Hillston at 4am the next morning. Didn't even look at the back bumper despite working off the tailgate until about 3pm the day after and spent the rest of the week driving around Hillston with one Victorian number plate.

 

[Halo1]

Yes it's is (in Vic at least) and yes it is, but the Hilux is leased so I don't think I can order a plate because I don't own the vehicle.

I thought it is based on the rego of the vehicle .
I was able to order a plate for a leased vehicle in NSW because it is registered in my name.

 

[johnny]

Living in Canberra I‘ve noticed a considerable amount of home made number plates attached to bike trailers.
What is the reason behind this as surely when forking out hundreds or more on a bike trailer one can afford the additional $50 for a number plate?
Not sure if the police actually enforce this or not but the fine would most certainly be more than the cost of the plate.
Is this similar in other areas around the country?

Big part of it in Canberra is that it takes up to 8 weeks - yes, eight fucking weeks - from ordering to receive it. Access Canberra order them through a reclusive and secret organisation of blind artisan monks who live a nomadic existence in the mountains of Bhutan. Rumour has it that they never spend more than one night in a single location and only highly trained hawks can spot them. To find one of these hawks, you must know the secret handshake of Talasarr-U and contact the Keepers of the Sky through the sheep herders who live on the Qinghai plateau. But that's a whole other story...

Mine took about 5-6 weeks, and in that time I used a cardboard jobby.

 

[Cardy George]

I thought it is based on the rego of the vehicle .
I was able to order a plate for a leased vehicle in NSW because it is registered in my name.

Not in my name unfortunately, and the company don't own it either, we rent them from Orix.