You may have noticed some variations in motorcycle license plates when driving on the road. Not all bikes have the same form of registration.
They can range from black and silver plates across the front wheel to none at all. Another variable is the size of the motorcycle number plate.
You may have seen a motorcycle with a very small plate on the back – so little that both the authorities and ordinary motorists would struggle to see it.
When you see such a plate, you may worry if the rider is breaking the law and what should be the typical size of a motorcycle number plate.
Continue reading for a lot of information to help you stay on the right side of the law.
Legal size of a motorcycle number plate
A plate’s standard size is typically nine inches by seven inches in total. While there is no clear rule about plate size, the letters it includes must always adhere to this sizing.
Since 2001, all characters on motorcycle registrations have been required to be 64mm tall and 44mm wide. The letter I and the number 1 are the exceptions to this rule.
There are further guidelines governing the thickness of the letters as well as the spacing between them. Read on:
- The stroke and spacing must both be 10mm.
- The space between the age identifying numerals and the randomly picked letters must be 30mm.
- The distance between the two text lines at the bottom and top must be 13mm.
- There must be 11mm of space between the border of a number plate and the characters it shows.
The Smallest Legal Motorcycle Number Plate Size
Although it is unclear, the smallest size number plate for motorcycles that are legally permitted to be installed on a motorcycle, or any vehicle, in fact, is subject to the number of characters on the number plate.
Not only that, but the location of the registration plate, whether on a UK car, an imported automobile, or a motorcycle, influences the total size.
Number plates for standard UK automobiles must be 50mm wide x 79mm high, however, motorbikes and foreign vehicles can lawfully have characters as tiny as 44mm wide × 64mm high.
Number plate suppliers will often sell the following motorcycle number plate sizes:
- 9′ x 7′ (228mm x 177mm)
- 8′ x 6′ (203mm x 152mm)
- 7′ x 5′ (177mm x 127mm)
Although all of the above sizes may be allowed to use on public roads, depending on the number of characters in the registration, choosing the suitable size might be difficult.
Two of the three sizes are labeled as display plates or novelty plates on eBay, but the 9′ x 7′ is described as lawful.
Is a 7×5 number plate legal?
Some riders believe that the usual authorized plate size is excessively large and unattractive. As a result, many people choose the smaller 7×5 format “instead of a license plate.
It’s really one of our best-selling motorcycle show plates. Prior to purchasing your new 7×5, “Please keep in mind that they are technically not permitted for road use.
Is it legal to have small number plates?
Yes! It is allowed to shorten your number plates as long as you adhere to the DVLA guideline for plate spacing.
The characters on each side of your license plate will be spaced correctly to be lawful. You can be sure that these are lawful.
