Did you use L-plates?

**quickbuck** · 14th December 2008, 20:56

Originally Posted by Beemer

Yes, but you didn't have to have a huge yellow one flapping around at the back of your bike, so I was given a small white piece of plastic with a red L on it (about 6cm x 8cm) and it got screwed onto the licence plate. Half the time it 'accidentally' got flipped up under the plate...

Yep I had a little white one in my day too. I mounted mine on Key rings.
When I got pulled up, I just used the excuse that Dad was riding the bike last and I accidentally left it tucked up behind the plate. The excuse worked. At last it is actually attached to the bike the nice policeman said the only time I was pulled up.

Of course if I actually did let it hang down as soon as I was moving it was flapping in the breeze anyway.

**davebullet** · 15th December 2008, 08:14

L-Plates according to the road code are meant to make drivers more tolerant of error.

Infact, in my 22 years of driving / riding - I find the opposite. When a frustrated driver sees an l-plate - it makes them MORE impatient, as they think "what is this idiot going to do / they will drive to slow / stall the vehicle etc..."

From personal experience, my riding may be improving, but I've found less issues with other road users without the L-plate since removing it a couple of months ago.

**Speedracer** · 15th December 2008, 08:32

I got pulled over a couple of times while on my learners. One cop asked me 20 questions about the road code after I braked for a speed camera lol but no mention of the missing plate.
Another time I got pulled over for no reason aka a 'wof and rego check' and I got told 'you know the limit is 70ks for learners and theres a lot of cops out there' and yet again no comment about the fact that I didn't have an L plate.

Maybe no one uses them so the cops don't notice they aren't there?

**adam1194** · 15th December 2008, 16:06

Whats the deal with exemptions?
How can you get one?

**quickbuck** · 15th December 2008, 17:14

Originally Posted by adam1194

Whats the deal with exemptions?
How can you get one?

You have a brand new Ninja... Why do you want an exemption.

Usually they are given to people who are very large, and a 250 is simply too small for them.
Or if you have been riding for years and only just got your licence to satisfy the law, and selling the GS1000 that you have been riding around for years illegally will put at a disadvantage....

Okay, second scenario might not work, but it is cases like that.

**Littlewheels** · 15th December 2008, 17:17

if I was being tailgated I used to point to it, usually worked.

**Vacarious** · 15th December 2008, 17:47

wel iv only ever used one for my restricted test, and that time i had to make one specially for it haha and while on my restricted im riding a vfr750 cos my zxr is in pieces atm!

yes very naughty but i havent been caught yet so ill keep doin it

**blossomsowner** · 15th December 2008, 17:48

no L plate for me ...had a cb100 with a modded xr200 in it that really flew. Then onto a gsx750. Neither of these was a practical choice for a L plate.

**varminter** · 16th December 2008, 19:24

I see the majority of you are bad boys/girls. I put the L plate on six months ago when I started riding and took it off today when I passed my restricted WoooHooo. Never had any problems, but all the drivers here in Rotovagas are shite anyway. Used it because a) can't afford a fine, b) didn't want to invalidate my insurance, & c) I forget what c) was, oh yes, I couldn't see it behind me so no worries. I feel a bit naked now.

**CB ARGH** · 16th December 2008, 19:34

I have less than a week left with the L plate! I'm a very happy man!

Booking it tomorrow too!

By the way, yes, I do use my L Plate, and always have. Why risk $400 when all you have to use is a gay yellow piece of plastic for 6 months travelling at 70km/h on the open road with trucks up your arse and grannies giving you the middle finger, not to mention motorists thinking "shit I'm stuck behind a learner, lets overtake them on the next blind corner like a dipship donkey with a carrot up its ass"

**phiretrojan** · 17th December 2008, 10:32

Originally Posted by Chisanga

I'm not sure about these L-plate issues that people claim to be having. Of course there will be the occasional time that a motorist will actively target someone on an l-plate but I think most of the time it is just normal careless, stupid, ignorant drivers doing their normal thing. When you have an L-plate on it is easy to say, "He/she did that cause I have my L-plate on" when the case may be "He/she did that cause they can't drive".

Yip, funny story it happen to me, i always use a L-Plate as i found drivers respect you more..................... not till the weekend! was riding to porirua from tawa, when this car pull out from a corner he DID see me but didnt bother to stop and just took in front of me, that "fuked me off" as WHAT IF i got HIT!

normally i wouldnt worry a bout this but i was in a bad mood aswell on the day

so i speed up abit ..... stop in front off him and got him to pull over......... it was a mid age white male, he like "wat the fk are you doing" i quoted "i can ask you the same question idiot, you saw me but didnt bother to stop i could of hit you ," he didnt care he says, he like lets see what the police going to say i was like " police wtf they doing to do" anywayz police gave me a warn and they told me off (as i had a L plate) plus to top it all i got taken to the police cell for 1hr to cool off, (didnt get charged) as when i got the blame, i strike the guy in the head with my helm ............. idiot blame me!

**samgab** · 17th December 2008, 10:45

Originally Posted by phiretrojan

Yip, funny story it happen to me, i always use a L-Plate as i found drivers respect you more..................... not till the weekend! was riding to porirua from tawa, when this car pull out from a corner he DID see me but didnt bother to stop and just took in front of me, that "fuked me off" as WHAT IF i got HIT!

normally i wouldnt worry a bout this but i was in a bad mood aswell on the day

so i speed up abit ..... stop in front off him and got him to pull over......... it was a mid age white male, he like "wat the fk are you doing" i quoted "i can ask you the same question idiot, you saw me but didnt bother to stop i could of hit you ," he didnt care he says, he like lets see what the police going to say i was like " police wtf they doing to do" anywayz police gave me a warn and they told me off (as i had a L plate) plus to top it all i got taken to the police cell for 1hr to cool off, (didnt get charged) as when i got the blame, i strike the guy in the head with my helm ............. idiot blame me!

What you did, if I understand correctly, is what is termed "road rage". If you hit the driver with your helmet, that is also assault, and you were lucky not to be charged.

To survive, your attitude when riding a motorcycle needs to be EXPECTING all other road users to cut you off, pull out in front of you, and just generally try to kill you. With that attitude, you won't be suprised and enraged when they do it; and they won't kill you -- because you were expecting them to do it.

**samgab** · 17th December 2008, 10:48

1 hour till my restricted test!! This may be overly hopeful, but I'm taking clippers with me in the tool kit to cut the learner plate off for the trip home!

**sunhuntin** · 17th December 2008, 10:57

yep, i wore mine the entire time. [some 2 and bit years!] needless to say, after being worn for some 25000k, on 3 different bikes and covering much of the country with me, there wasnt much left! each bike took a different chunk out of the corner when it got sucked onto the tyre. when i went for the restricted, the tester said he "could" fail me just for having a shitty l plate. i followed the 70k rule for one trip only, and i nearly didnt come back. after that, i did whatever speed was required at the time... that included being overtaken by a cop while travelling at 110k.

i took a toolkit with me, and removed the plate as soon as i had the paper license in my wallet.