DVLA Law for Motorcycle & Motorbike Number Plates

 

It's important to be aware of the DVLA regulations governing your motorbike registration plate, whether you wish to customise it or planning to buy a new motorcycle. Different size and colour licence plates on UK roads can make it unclear what is legal and what isn't. With the help of this comprehensive guide on UK motorbike number plate laws, let's get to the bottom of this.

More About Number Plates Needs

The police and the government require number plates to identify your vehicle, including motorbikes, scooters, and mopeds. The government would access a bike's registration number for taxation and registration purposes and police to check if the motorbike has been stolen or involved in a crime.

The number will remain associated with the car until it is broken up, destroyed, or permanently exported because the licence plate is registered with the vehicle and not its owner. The owner can apply to remove number plates and place it on another vehicle or for DVLA retention document V778. Until you are ready to transfer the number plate to another vehicle, the document enables you to retain private registration of the number plate on the certificate.

Tip: How to retain your number plates?

How Should Your Motorbike Look Like?

Your plate must meet specified specifications in terms of size, colour, and text. Let's have look at them.

• The British Standard: The standards for the plate's visibility, robustness, and reflectivity are outlined by the British Standard. Every plate must be permanently and legibly marked with the following for it to meet the standard:

1. British Standard Number (currently BS AU 145e).
2. The manufacturer's or supplier's name, trademark, or another means of identification.
3. The name and postal code of the supplier's location.

• Size of Motorcycle Number Plates in the UK

  Since 2001, the law states that each letter and number on your number plate must be 64mm tall and 44mm wide. This excludes the letter ‘I’ and the number ‘1’. The character stroke (the thickness of the line) must be 10mm, and the spacing between each character must also be 10mm. The age identifier and the random letters must be 30mm apart, while the vertical space between the age identifier and the random numbers must be 13mm. The space between the margins at the top, bottom and side of the plate must be at least 11mm wide.

It should be noted that the standard number plate size is designed to accommodate the largest amount of space needed. A number plate with ‘I’s and ‘1’s will not need as much space as plates with other numbers and letters, which would each need to be 64mm tall and 44mm wide.

What Happens When Number Plates are Not as Per DVLA Law?

You may be subject to a fine of up to £1,000 if the number plate on your motorcycle does not follow DVLA regulations. You will also fail a MOT if you bring your motorcycle in for one.

Where to Buy Legal Motorcycle Number Plates?

Easy Number Plates is the one stop shop for legal motorcycle number plates in the UK. Visit today to explore the collection of bespoke number plates.