L Plate [Archive] - Kiwi Biker forums

duckaddict

6th February 2006, 16:17

Hi there,

How many of you learners have your L plate on? Just got mine on Sat and felt kind of bad doing 80 on the motorway and everyone else have to change lane just to pass you :-)

Also, after one hour my hand gets numb - does one get used to this and not have this effect? or does the seasoned rider get the same "sensation" as well? :)

My name is duckaddict, nice to meet you too.

MSTRS

6th February 2006, 16:39

You have an L plate on a 'none' bike?? Interesting. Incidently, the max. speed on L plate is 70kph. BUT you'd be stupid to do that anywhere the speed limit is 100. Stick with the general flow-speed of the traffic, if you value your hide.

cowboyz

6th February 2006, 16:40

i always had my L plate connected by one bolt throught the top of it and folded it up under the numberplate. Be buggered if I would do 80 on the open road let alone the motorway. Far too dangerous. If you have a l plate on and it is folded up at least you can say "oh, sorry officier, didnt notice it was folded up" and then when in town you can fold it back down, showing, so at least that is a $400 saving if something does go wrong and you get nabbed for something.

numb hands. I didnt notice what you are riding but it is common and it does go away. Try not to hold on so tight. If I am doing a high speed run I get pins and needles in my fingers when I am done but have done many hours touring at highway speeds and felt fine.

welcome to the site too.

marty

6th February 2006, 16:44

geez my hand goes numb after 5 minutes, but on the bike it's usually ok for a lot longer than that.....

yungatart

6th February 2006, 16:45

I ride with my L plate on only fo rinsurance purposes, but I don't obey the 70 kph rule on the open road. I ride at the speed of the traffic flow up to 110 kph- any more and you're 40 kph over and its loss of licence. I have never had any trouble from cops but should it happen I will use the excuse that some cager in a white Toyota tried to run me off the road. I've not been targeted by cagers either, for showing an L Plate.
Lots of people don't show their L Plates but it has to be your call.
Enjoy your riding
Chers

cowboyz

6th February 2006, 16:51

geez my hand goes numb after 5 minutes, but on the bike it's usually ok for a lot longer than that.....

thats why you have 2

skelstar

6th February 2006, 17:37

Get a bit more confidence and ditch the plate. Know that while you are not plated youre probably not insured either. Just got restricted (*gulp*), but probably didnt have my Lplate on the bike for 99% of the six months.

flash

6th February 2006, 18:29

just dont bother with one. i never did

madboy

6th February 2006, 18:42

Welcome to the site. I chose to ignore the learner rules. All of them. But then if you hang around here long enough you'll see I'm not likely to advise you to follow the law.

It's your call re: the L plate. Each to their own. Your likelihood of a ticket is more aligned to what you ride, how you ride and when you ride than it is to what's stuck to your bike.

Re: 70k. I think you're f***ing stupid if you choose to obey that law. You become a hindrance to traffic, and the object of scorn from so many of us for holding up the flow. The trick of staying alive on a bike in traffic is to go with the flow (as well as all the other good bits of advice). It's all good if you want to do 70 while no one is around, but you're asking for it IMO if you do it with cars around.

Contrary to what I'll say in other threads, most cops are pretty nice people and if you're not asking for it, they won't give it.

Holy Roller

6th February 2006, 18:52

Most of the born again bikers I know who are in their 30s and 40s don't display the L Plate or stick to the 70kph limit as others have said its too dangerous to do so. its only if and when one does something stupid to bring attention to themselves that the L Plate becomes an issue. Each to their own, you decide what you want to do. Its not all that long before the restricted comes along and one can toss the L Plate.

bigbadwolf

6th February 2006, 19:11

If you keep your cool when there is a cop on the road you should be fine. But if you seize up and wobble all over the place from the guilt of not obeying the learner laws, you'll draw attention to yourself.

I find that the restriction on night-time riding is stupid, I prefer to practice at night when there are no cars around at all. Was up at 4am last night hooning around Christchurch and it was farking awesome!

And no, I don't show my L-plate because it is ghey. But using it around town would probably be a good idea, for both insurance reasons if you crash, and so you don't get fined.

Chuck it on and forget about it, nobody really cares if you have it on anyway, and in a few months you won't need it anymore. So it's probably not much of a problem.

duckaddict

6th February 2006, 19:28

Yes, sorry for the "none" bike, it's a case of registered with KB before owning a bike. Updated now.

Thank you all for your replies - all good comments. Now I have to think hard about it, 6 months is long enough to wait and I don't want to make that any longer. Also, I have not got a ticket for seven years now and would be good to keep it that way :msn-wink:

madboy

6th February 2006, 19:33

Also, I have not got a ticket for seven years now and would be good to keep it that way :msn-wink:Yep, I found buying a bike was the best thing I could do for my LTNZ record... no tickets ever on a bike.

cowboyz

6th February 2006, 21:55

I hoope you are sitting in a wooden chair on a wooden floor holding a wooden table with a comment like that.

Pathos

6th February 2006, 22:17

f*ck the L plate. I saw a car over take a L plater the other day using the median strip. No way that mc was below the speed limit so its just an idiot cager quelling their ego.

ride at what you feel comfortable at, thats when you're safest.

KLOWN

6th February 2006, 22:44

geez my hand goes numb after 5 minutes, but on the bike it's usually ok for a lot longer than that.....

I heard that it's better having your hand numb, that way u can pretend it's someone else:eek5:

with reguards to the 'L' plate i'd recommend that you have it on for at least a week. As soon as I felt able to ride without basic mistakes I took the L plate off and haven't looked back. (only been riding for 3 months)

Ivan

7th February 2006, 09:50

trust me it sucks but keep it I got snapped and now have a 400 buck fine I wrote in explaining but mr Coppa didnt let me off it and I got no money and am expected to pay 400 bucks man it sucks balls

slimyxylofone

7th February 2006, 13:52

I took my L off after a week or two when I felt comfortable enough to handle the traffic.

Regarding the insurance if you crash. I asked State whether they'd cover me if I didn't have my L plate on. They said that they would UNLESS the crash was a direct result of not having the L plate on - which really is quite impossible. I even got the women who I was talking to to go and double check with her supervisor and the same answer still applied.

phoenixgtr

7th February 2006, 14:07

In regards to 70 on the motorway. Dont do it. :crazy: You'll get yourself killed. I had a mate who lived in Porirua but worked in Wellington. He asked a cop and the cop actually told him to ignore the law and travel at 100 on the motorway

speights_bud

7th February 2006, 17:50

madboy

7th February 2006, 19:17

I hoope you are sitting in a wooden chair on a wooden floor holding a wooden table with a comment like that.Or a 600cc sportsbike with no numberplate, listening to a police scanner.

COP_B8

7th February 2006, 20:22

I dont have mine on...........mainly because my bike doesnt fit into the 0-250cc category :wari:
If your gunna break one law might as well do it properly :) also I dont think it is humanly possible for me to travel at 70km on a motorway

sunhuntin

9th February 2006, 19:42

i have mine on....hoping to book in for restricted soon....working days next few weeks, so impossible right now [ick] but, because theres no where to bolt it to the plate, its attached under the rego holder....which means a nice tire shaped curve in the bottom! LOL. in saying that, i ride at 100/110, and even 120 when im on a downhill! ive also ridden at 1am, and found it easier then than say 10pm....less traffic.
also, im learning to take pillion as well [just around the forecourt at work] but wont take one on the road til im allowed.

Maha

11th February 2006, 16:43

geez my hand goes numb after 5 minutes, but on the bike it's usually ok for a lot longer than that.....
Geez marty geez, ya wanna try changing hands and gaining a stroke mate, oh, and you should be wearing an 'L' plate while performing this manoeuvre cos only the best can do it without losing a stroke...........:blip:

Qman

11th February 2006, 18:21

My L plate fell off the day i didnt go and buy it.
A mid life crisis wouldnt feel the same with an L plate
As for 70 on the motorway... some days im lucky to get above 20

MidnightMike

11th February 2006, 18:30

My L plate fell off the day i didnt go and buy it.
A mid life crisis wouldnt feel the same with an L plate
As for 70 on the motorway... some days im lucky to get above 20

Your bikes too cool for an l plate anyways, and whats with the elephant man avatar :thud:

Qman

11th February 2006, 19:24

I’m trying to get into character, blame Quasievil
he's the one that called me a monster:crybaby:

Qman

11th February 2006, 19:30

Your bikes too cool for an l plate anyways

Thanks, but not as cool as the busa i looked at yesterday ( how much is that busa in the window, woof woof ).:2thumbsup

Big Chim

18th February 2006, 09:19

I dont have a L plate, wont put one on till i need to sit the restricted test. Just behave your self and they wont have any reason to pull you over.

Brother and law was unlucky to get pulled over while he was doing the limit, coped checked his license saw he was on a learner and said sweet as off you go all while having no plate on. So no plate and no fine.

Like Pathos said earlier stuff having some idiot in a cage run you of the road, i'd rather pay 400 than be dead.

jaybee

18th February 2006, 10:43

first welcome to the site, keep it safe, i kept my L plate on the whole time, just mind over matter really, but yeah do go with the flow or else you are a danger.
pretty scary haveing big trucks fly past ya really should up the L speed limit the count down to restricted isnt that long comes up pretty fast actually, then before ya no it its full liscense time,

SPman

18th February 2006, 11:21

Welcome to the site. I chose to ignore the learner rules. All of them. But then if you hang around here long enough you'll see I'm not likely to advise you to follow the law.
. ...and he's such a respectable looking person.........:innocent:

madboy

19th February 2006, 05:34

...and he's such a respectable looking person.........:innocent:I work on the theory that others advocate - don't draw attention to yourself. If I don't look dodgy, they won't hassle me. That theory got me through 28 months of disqualifications (cumulative) without getting busted :innocent:

speights_bud

21st February 2006, 09:41

Over ythe weekend i made a little tiki-tour across the north island and back ( http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=24868 ) And only saw one cop car. This guy in woodville pulled me over and did a full check of everything, warrent rego, licence and L-PLATE. BEst to be leaving it on on a learners, although they don't seem to mind us travelling at 100k's with it on.:wari:

duckaddict

21st February 2006, 19:25

thealmightytaco

22nd February 2006, 23:31

I use my L plate and had no probs at all, passed motorway patrol doin' 100 out ont he north western even, not a problem. I don't get alot of trouble with folks tryin' to overtake me in stupid places though, possible 'cause I'm a reasonably big dude. Or just a cocky muthaf***a.

speights_bud

25th February 2006, 11:34

How fast were you going when the cop stop you?

I lost mine on the way to Paeroa and didn't know it till someone told me when we reached Paeroa.

was just entering a 50k zone at about 60 and he waqs just standing by his car flagging down vehicles at random.

wildpudding

27th February 2006, 18:53

I haven't bothered with the L plate, found it to be counter productive, so after a week I ripped it off, leaving a convinent piece of yellow in case I ever get queried about it (honestly it was there last time I checked officer).
Drive at 100 too, man I'm bad ass....haha

Stefan

ZeroIndex

6th March 2006, 08:08

I got me one of those static 'L' plates from Repco (material not plastic), just got that blu-tacked to my rear mudguard under the number plate. Keep it on around town, but if you're doing a trip, chuck it under the seat (I think the whole "it fell off" is more plausable if it can't be secured with a bolt)

andrea

20th May 2006, 21:14

Ive never riden with L-plates since i started riding, the best thing you can do is go with the flow of traffic as what the other bikers say, stuff riding 70ks when there is heaps of traffic, ive noticed that alot of them don't check their blindspots etc with changing lanes. as for the cops they don't give a stuff about you because they are usually busy with something else, as long as you don't draw their attention. You know what the funniest thing was I was following my instructor I was on my gsx250 and he had to ride the fx150 to colemans to get serviced. Since he is a well seasoned rider and more used to riding big harleys etc he was going 140 on the motorway and i was following at between 120 to 130 lol. but the crazy thing was his helmet had no visor there was quite abit of traffic and big trucks we were overtaking lol.:Punk:
but i usually dont go over 100 when on the motorway ahem.

MattRSK

20th May 2006, 21:23

Nope I dont use an L Plate for all the above reasons.

ZeroIndex

20th May 2006, 23:12

I've taken mine off and it just stays under my seat now.. If a cop asks me where it is, I will tell him the truth.. more than once, I've had stupid wankers in cars trying to run me off the road, and then when they go past (if i turn off to another road), they scream out of their window "get the f**k off the road you f**king learner"

duckaddict

21st May 2006, 20:43

I have come to the conclusion that I will have the L plate on, but bugger the 70k speed limit. I can think of many ways to spend my $400.00. :drinkup:

BarBender

21st May 2006, 22:04

I have come to the conclusion that I will have the L plate on, but bugger the 70k speed limit.

I can testify to that.

Funiest thing I ever witnessed was on the 250 ride up North that Swanny organised earlier on in the year. Me doing 130 down on a piece of 16 out of Wellsford and L rider going past me like I was standing still...

Quack Quack

Gremlin

21st May 2006, 23:46

Me doing 130 down on a piece of 16 out of Wellsford and L rider going past me like I was standing still...
:lol: But are you sure it was a learner?? I know of a certain someone who had fun with an L plate on his 600... and we were all amazed that the tape was holding it on at... well.... speeds around 2.5 times the limit.

Was hilarious to watch tho :ride:

Unforgiven

9th June 2006, 20:03

Yep, I found buying a bike was the best thing I could do for my LTNZ record... no tickets ever on a bike.
yeah they have got to catch you to give you a ticket!

u4ea

9th June 2006, 20:14

i never had mine on until i sat my liscence.took bike to work that day ,realised i never had an L plate................an hour before i had to do my ride i rang the bosses wife to ask her to buy me one from the $2 shop and bring it to the yard........stuck it on ,got back and pulled it off again........:wait:

Free Rider

9th June 2006, 20:19

Yeah i have L Plate but its all for show lol

MidnightMike

9th June 2006, 20:26

I have mine on, pull chicks alright :(

McJim

12th September 2006, 12:01

I always have my L plate on - makes it so much easier to do double the speed limit on a 250! (i.e. with the L plate on the limit is 70 and the VTR will just about do 140 in 4th gear)

jaybee

12th September 2006, 20:23

WTF ????????????????????does any 1 folllow this ?/

Panther

16th September 2006, 14:46

hey thr,

In my experience L plates r a waste of time, they just attract unwanted attention.

when ive been pulled over Ive never been askd about th absence of a L plate, the cop just wanted to know where my number plate was and y i didnt hav a screen on my bike (she was/is a work in progress), and i just batted my eyelashes and sed sorry officer my number plate fell off, and he sed ok then miss u make sure u get it put on and have a good day now.

so if u want to gaurantee no tickets/fines/hassles get a sex change!

As for the numbness are you wearing winter gloves or summer gloves cos u mite b too cold or watever, but itl pass with time as u relax on the bike.

As a learner are we even sposed to be riding on the motorway anyway?

Anyway I have a new exhaust system on my bike so I'm off to wreak havock in remmas!

:innocent:

xwhatsit

24th September 2006, 02:26

apteryx_haasti

24th September 2006, 07:30

Problem is, I work in a restaurant, and of course don't get home til quite late; most of the time I'm finishing work between 11pm and 1am sometimes. -Tom

Hi Tom and welcome!

I know it is possible to get an exemption to the L-plate rules. There's at least one thread about it:

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=34578&highlight=learner+exemption

That one is about getting a bike bigger than 250cc, but I am pretty sure I read Sunhuntin somewhere on here saying that she got an exemption regarding the hours you're allowed to ride (also for work reasons, if I remember right). You could look up her posts and see if you can find it or perhaps PM her and ask?

jaybee

24th September 2006, 07:56

as above dude , i reckon otherwise you would get hassled allmost every night by cops, whats a lonlely bike doing this time of the morning, hmmmmmmm lets stop him and see ,

Meekey_Mouse

24th September 2006, 08:01

I'm sure you should be able to get an exemption for that... If yo go down to your local AA store they should be able to hook you up with the papers and info you need for that. Or maybe a your local council building?

Welcome to the site :)

Jaz

Ixion

24th September 2006, 08:39

Hi there, first post on these forums, sorry to bump an old thread but it's better than starting a new one!

I'm just about to buy a CB250RS and get my learners. Sure beats catching the bus to and from uni/work every day - 160$ a month bus pass! Screw that.

Problem is, I work in a restaurant, and of course don't get home til quite late; most of the time I'm finishing work between 11pm and 1am sometimes. My question is, is if I wear the L plate during the day when I go to uni and pull it off when I ride home at night, how likely am I to get picked up (seeing as I'd be travelling almost every day for 6 months?).

Thanks,

-Tom

Exemptions to the curfew rule are readily granted by LTSA. You need to get a form from AA or VTNZ, fill it in, pay $18, include a letter from your employer confirming your working hours and that public transport is not available. Send in the form and you should be good to go. You still have to abide by all the other learner rules.

And welcome to motorcycling. And a very good choice of bike, too.

ZeroIndex

24th September 2006, 17:58

Exemptions to the curfew rule are readily granted by LTSA. You need to get a form from AA or VTNZ, fill it in, pay $18, include a letter from your employer confirming your working hours and that public transport is not available. Send in the form and you should be good to go. You still have to abide by all the other learner rules.

And welcome to motorcycling. And a very good choice of bike, too.

wicked, i will have to grab me one of those forms.. due to work times changing, I'm out till 2 in the morning sometimes sorting mail..

duckaddict

24th September 2006, 21:18

wicked, i will have to grab me one of those forms.. due to work times changing, I'm out till 2 in the morning sometimes sorting mail..

hard working man eh? or is it... :cool:

xwhatsit

24th September 2006, 22:45

Thanks for all the replies! I like the looks of this forum hehe. Yeah, I'd heard about the exemptions (my cousin got one for a car), but I thought they only applied to restricted licenses. Well it'd be great if they apply to learners as well! Fantastic. I'll have to check that out when I get my learners this week. Yeah, buses finish around 11.30 weekdays, and 10.50 on Sundays, so I've missed the bus more than a few times. I can't think of a more legitimate reason for an exemption so they should let me have it.

Thanks, Ixion, all I've read about the CB250RS seems to be wonderful... first thing I do when I get it is try and find a round headlight to replace that old-looking square thing. Is $1750 too much for a good-condition 1984 specimin? Or should I ask for less?

Cheers guys,

-Tom

Ixion

24th September 2006, 23:22

In general LTSA are loath to give exemptions on an L licence. They think it would be unsafe. So you usually have little chance of one for carrying passengers, riding a > 250 bike etc. But they *usually* look more leniently on the one about hours. And they are usually more lenient on bikes than cars, probably on the basis that we only kill ourselves not other people.

It helps if you have had a car licence for a while, and have a good clean driving record. Being older helps a lot, though you may not want to hear that.

Basically you have to convince them that granting it will not make the roads less safe (it says something to that effect on the form).

Be aware that the exemption may be specifically for riding to and from your work only. They don't always do that, it seems to depend a lot of who you strike at the LTSA assessing it.

xwhatsit

25th September 2006, 00:02

I'm really only interested in the hours exemption, and am genuinly interested in it for work reasons, not so I can go out getting up to mischief into the early hours of the morning. When my cousin got one for his car license (restricted again, not learners) his conditions said that he basically had to go straight home from work, not even stop at the dairy to pick up some milk lol. That doesn't bother me really.

I've never had a car license. I've been overseas, in Brisbane, and even then never got a car license. I'm only 18; in Brisbane you can only get learners at 16 yrs 6 months, so I never got around to it (especially as I knew I was coming back home). I suppose that does mean I have a clean record though lol. Oh well, we'll see, if it fails I'll probably chance it anyway... if that sounds irresponsible I'm not totally convinced that a curfew does in fact make me any safer. Feel free to try and convince me otherwise though.

Thanks for all the advice, I can't wait til I get my bike ^_^

duckaddict

25th September 2006, 07:45

...it (especially as I knew I was coming back home). I suppose that does mean I have a clean record though lol. Oh well, we'll see, if it fails I'll probably chance it anyway... if that sounds irresponsible I'm not totally convinced that a curfew does in fact make me any safer. Feel free to try and convince me otherwise though.

Yeah, ask them what's the difference between riding at 9.30pm and 10.30pm :cool:

ZeroIndex

25th September 2006, 09:39

hard working man eh? or is it... :cool:

amazingly yes, the one night we sorted mail from 9pm till 8am, I then went home and slept till 1:30pm and then went delivering it.. We took a break sometime around 1ish, where we went up to the petrol station to grab some lift+ etc

Disco Dan

5th October 2006, 19:20

L plate what L plate? :cool:

had it on my FZX, was handy to have when i kept stalling on hills but dam cars just overtook me for the thrill of it! even when needle bouncing on 60!
Did that for like 6 months before binning it bad...

...year later and ive ditched the L plate, dont consider myself a learner but havent got my A into G and done anything about getting restricted... :whistle:

Never went over 80k on FZX, but managed 130 on ZZR ..but only just :cool: Wind was orible!

...saving for a firestorm next ;) :chase:

Snowcarver04

25th November 2006, 17:07

I have not used an L plate once since I got my license. I got pulled over an the cop didnt even mention it. My understanding of the 70km/hr restriction was for open roads and a motorway is not an open road. Open roads are usually marked with a white sign with a black cross through them and 99% of the time on rural roads. I've never stuck to 70 though.WHo does apart from gn2fiddy riders :)