BIKE RACKS AND CARRIERS FOR CARS MEGATHREAD - all questions asked and answered here

mittagongmtb

Likes Dirt
You get to give lots of money to the government. Like $750 or something.

Edit, perhaps not that much, more than you want to give though.
I think it was at The Mont a year or 2 back that several punters paid vast amounts of $$ to the plods for the priviledge of not having their rego plates displayed.......
 

tex72

Likes Dirt
Or go to the RTA/ RMS or whatever they are calling themselves these days and order a bike rack plate.
From memory* around $35.

You should also be aware that you can also be pinged for it(number plate) not being illuminated at night and for any bikes on said rack obscuring your tail lights, and even for having it on your car without any bikes.


*disclaimer: my memory sucks.
 
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pharmaboy

Eats Squid
Or go to the RTA/ RMS or whatever they are calling themselves these days and order a bike rack plate.
From memory* around $35.

You should also be aware that you can also be pinged for it(number plate) not being illuminated at night and for any bikes on said rack obscuring your tail lights, and even for having it on your car without any bikes.


*disclaimer: my memory sucks.
Fortunately, this seems to be a very rare thing to be booked for (the lights thing) and noty too much to worry about. making up a temporary plate that is easy to see will get you away with it for the great majority of highway patrol, especially if carrying bikes is a one off occurrence for you (eg interstate, new towbar, new bike carrier, new car etc). fine is $489 last time I was chatted for it.

you can always simply remove your existing plate and either bolt or zip tie it to your carrier/bike - if thats going to be difficult, then white paper printed black and white large numbers, laminate it, install, then be prepared with a story about ignorance of law, you never carry bikes on this car, normal car is in for repairs and we have a number plate for that one etc etc

;)
 

Boxer

Likes Dirt
I refuse to donate my hard earned $$ to the DOT for no real return.

In QLD the plates are $70 each and I need two as I carry the bikes on two different cars.

So I printed my own facsimilies using the closest font and colour for an accessory plate. Laminated them and made them velcro stick onto my bike rack so I can swap them easily. They are also illumined at night as the Torpedo& tow ball rack has an optional accessory of a mountable light board/numberplate mount.

Looks quite snazzy, but not strictly legal in QLD (but would be in VIC - go figure) - at least I made the effort. And I believe the fine for no accessory plate is less than the cost of the plate ($60)
 

driftking

Wheel size expert
Fortunately, this seems to be a very rare thing to be booked for (the lights thing) and noty too much to worry about. making up a temporary plate that is easy to see will get you away with it for the great majority of highway patrol, especially if carrying bikes is a one off occurrence for you (eg interstate, new towbar, new bike carrier, new car etc). fine is $489 last time I was chatted for it.

you can always simply remove your existing plate and either bolt or zip tie it to your carrier/bike - if thats going to be difficult, then white paper printed black and white large numbers, laminate it, install, then be prepared with a story about ignorance of law, you never carry bikes on this car, normal car is in for repairs and we have a number plate for that one etc etc

;)
A temporary plate does not count. The only time they will accept this is if you have proof your real plate has been ordered and in waiting. (from experience) most cops give you a waning but the fine is around the 350 dollar mark.
 

pharmaboy

Eats Squid
Having known a few people who have received a warning for this DK, i suspect that the highway patrol think the fine is rediculous, which is why so many get away with warnings (in NSW that is), but there is always a nazi somewhere with nothing better to do. It cant be high on the list of priorities because i see a bike rack no complying easily every day, sometimes multiple times per day - having said that, i bet most people with their little signs have no idea the fine is circa $400. One of those rare occasions where Vict or qld seem extremely reasonable
 

Dozer

Heavy machinery.
Staff member
A visible number plate saves lives! Enlist today and get yourself a bike rack plate! Support the cause!...................



I got one for NSW rego. You need to have it illuminated at night as well but that isn't exactly practical. I made the effort and put an extra set of lights on my rack so if John E Law considers that what I have is breaching the law then I'll seek a refund from the RTA as I followed the guidelines, spent cash doing it their way and avoided a fine by abiding by the written law. I guess it just depends on the Police officer at the time and how he defines the written law.
 

driftking

Wheel size expert
Having known a few people who have received a warning for this DK, i suspect that the highway patrol think the fine is rediculous, which is why so many get away with warnings (in NSW that is), but there is always a nazi somewhere with nothing better to do. It cant be high on the list of priorities because i see a bike rack no complying easily every day, sometimes multiple times per day - having said that, i bet most people with their little signs have no idea the fine is circa $400. One of those rare occasions where Vict or qld seem extremely reasonable
Yeah I received a warning but I was surprised at how expensive the fine is. For a 35 dollar plate it's really not worth risking getting a cop on a bad day and been hit with 400buck fine. As you said I don't think most people know that the fine is so big.
 

gcouyant

Farkin Advertiser
I'll just pop in here and add that the fine for displaying an unauthorised licence plate is sometimes more expensive than displaying none at all (depending upon your state or territory). For example an obstructed licence plate in SA is a $460 fine and three demerit points. If you display an unauthorised plate it's an additional $600 which brings the total to $1060.

I know of at least one person who had both of the above fines thrown at him.

On illumination, a little strap on LED bike light is perfect and very convenient. Cheap little weak ones even better. The policing of partially obstructed tail lamps (other than the licence plate lamp) is not really an issue here in Australia and quite frankly I don't think it will in the foreseeable future.

On some vehicle/bicycle carrier combinations, there's no need for any of the above because the licence plate is quite visible and legal. The departure angle of the carrier below for example comes straight out of the tow bar at sufficient angle and each bicycle follows that departure angle and presents a clear line of sight. The relevant traffic authorities specify a vertical viewing angle that you must allow for. That's so the plethora of safety cameras out there can do their thing. :distrust:

 

indica

Serial flasher
you can always simply remove your existing plate and either bolt or zip tie it to your carrier/bike -
;)
No you cannot, at least not in QLD. Registration Act states that the plate must be attached to the vehicle.
Here, you also have to personalise your plates in order to get the accessory plate, thus inflating the cost to around $60. Bastards.
 

pharmaboy

Eats Squid
Indica, unfortunately laws on this subject are highly state specific- so in nsw the rta specifically recommend attaching your plate to the bike carrier.

Where it all gets real stupid is what about a qld plated car driving in nsw ?

Clearly the attempt at unified road laws a few years ago has been an abject failure
 

gcouyant

Farkin Advertiser
Where it all gets real stupid is what about a qld plated car driving in nsw ?
In this case, NSW road laws apply and the QLD driver will be in breach of those laws.

A parallel was the recent events in SA where the vehicle registration requirements were changed and rego labels to be affixed to the vehicle windscreen were no longer issued. When the vehicle crossed the state line into Victoria, police did issue infringement notices to SA vehicles because the Vic regulations demanded that a rego label was affixed to the car and displayed. There was no provision in Vic road traffic act for an exemption to a vehicle that was registered in another state that did not require a rego label.

The thing is that with regulations and the policing of them becoming so complex you can expect some minor challenges but this was outrageous.
 

Genius Josh

Likes Dirt
Just get the plate if that is required. I'm in Queensland and I used to cringe every time I stopped near a copper with the bike rack on now I breathe easy. I try and work everything back to dollars per use. $70 number plate is well under a dollar a trip now. It's the same with my bike or yours it may be more than 10 X more expensive than a mates or a relatives $400 bargain Kmart special but I ride way more than 10 X more often so in real terms mine is much cheaper and a lot more enjoyable to ride.
 

dogboy*

Squid
A temporary plate does not count. The only time they will accept this is if you have proof your real plate has been ordered and in waiting. (from experience) most cops give you a waning but the fine is around the 350 dollar mark.
Second this - if not issued by RTA in your state/territory (i.e. you didn't pay the government for it) then it's NOT legal...I know of a father taking his young son and bike to Thredbo and paying a massive (several hundred dollars) fine when stopped by NSW police. I guess the idea of a parent doing something like that for his son didn't cut it when there was the option of making money for the government coffers
 

2StageMan

Likes Bikes
Show us your RACK!

Sorry for the terrible pun. Show us your bike racks, I'm interested to see different set-ups people are using to shuttle bikes or just move them from a to b for riding. Firstly this is my dh shuttle rack I've just finished, if you have any advice feel free to share. My design was derived from a photo of a bike rack I saw online. I made modifications to this design so I could use in a dual cab style side tray and normal flat trays.
rack.jpg
Anyway let me know what you think and feel free to post your own set -ups!
 
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2StageMan

Likes Bikes
Made this up a few years ago now.



Yeah, I saw a few designs similar to this and they seem simple and effective but wouldn't fit in a dual cab tray, so had to look for alternative set-ups. Do you find the bikes are just as stable going front in?
 
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