[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]People’s vehicles are more than just tools to get them from A to B, they’re an extension of themselves, a personal object that they spend almost every day with. So it’s no surprise that people name their cars and bikes, or want to personalise them in any way they can from bumper stickers to personalised plates.
But while you see plenty of personalised plates on cars, can you get private plates for bikes? We’ll explore the regulations for private plates or motorbikes and how you can get yours.
Private plates, also known as personalised number plates or private registration plates, are a way of customising and personalising your vehicle by choosing the combination of letters and numbers to reference personal details from your name or job to your hobbies, favourite football team or anything else that holds significance to you.
While there are restrictions on how you can personalise and customise your number plates in the UK, you can get private plates for motorbikes, as long as they meet all other DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) restrictions regarding number plate regulations and are properly registered.
Typically we’re used to seeing private plates on cars as it may be easier to spell out a name or a word when you have a single line of characters, such as AL 15 SON (Alisson). However, you can have private plates for a motorbike, they just have to be over two lines so you may have to get more creative.
Getting private number plates is very easy, just:
The actual purchase of the plate may be simple, but you need to make sure your number plate is permitted by the DVLA – they do not allow offensive, vulgar or controversial terms – and adheres to the UK number plate guidelines.
Motorbike number plate regulations only differ from standard UK number plate regulations regarding:
The rest of the regulations regarding number plates in the UK are the same for all vehicles and are as follows:
All number plates must adhere to the following format:
Number plates for vehicles registered before 1973 can have a black background under silver characters, however, all other vehicles must have:
So you can have personalised and even customised number plates in the UK as long as they adhere to these strict regulations. If your number plate does not meet these regulations, you can face a fine of up to £1000 and fail your MOT test.
JDM plates refer to Japanese Domestic Market number plates, and as the name suggests, are made for vehicles manufactured and used in Japan. Some Japanese vehicles are very popular in the UK and can be imported, although they must face strict customs and import regulations.
Once imported and customs taxes and duties are paid, the vehicles must then be registered with the DVLA to be road-worthy in the UK. This means that their number plates must be changed to the UK format and adhere to UK number plate regulations to be driven or parked on UK public roads, so JDM plates are not legal for use in the UK.
If you love the aesthetic of your JDM plate, however, you can still keep it on the vehicle as long as it isn’t driven or parked on UK roads. Show plates such as these can be stored on driveways, in showrooms, driven on private roads and at car shows.
JDM plates are square, and while square plates are permitted on UK vehicles, including cars, they also contain Japanese characters which are not legal in the UK. JDM plates are also much larger than standard square motorcycle plates so wouldn’t be permitted in the UK.
Regulations for private number plates are the same for motorbikes as they are for cars and vans, so as long as you adhere to the colours, font, character size, number plate size and inoffensive content, your private motorbike plate will be perfectly legal.
With personalised plates, however, there is a bit more lee-way with the character format as you can choose from:
This makes choosing your personalised plate for a motorbike a bit easier since you must have 2 – 3 characters on the top line and 3 – 4 characters at the bottom, so you’ll see motorbike number plates that read something like:
BI
KER, or
TR10
MPH
What you choose to write to personalise your number plate for your motorbike is up to you, just make sure it’s not on the banned list of plates or is offensive in any way, or the DVLA won’t approve the number plate.
Personalising your number plate by choosing the character combinations is not the only way to customise your vehicle, however. You can add a touch of class and personalisation to your motorbike number plate by changing the materials!
4D clear krystal bike plates and 4D double clear krystal bike plates make your bike stand out from the crowd as the characters literally stand out from the plate. The clear substance behind the letters and numbers lets light through making your number plate seem to hover in front of the background while remaining perfectly visible and legal. Since the characters stand away from the plate, they’re actually more easily visible as they’re less prone to dirt and grime build-up as you’re driving, whereas normal 2D number plates can become obscured.
So if you want to get a custom private plate for your bike, check out the variety of custom plates available for all vehicles from the Number Plate Clinic!
Are you in search of a personalised number plate that adheres to DVLA regulations? At the Number Plate Clinic, our workshop is ready to assist you!
Reach out to our dedicated customer service team, and just share your ID and vehicle registration details, so we can craft a bespoke number plate for your car or motorbike.
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