Don't get busted with a rear rack over your plate...NSW law...

Chrispy

Chrispy

Likes Bikes
Heading North up the F3 on the weekend, and saw another car getting a ticket. If your bike on your rear rack in any way blocks your number plate - YOU HAVE TO ORDER, BUY AND USE AN RTA PLATE - no, all those lovely hand lettered signs do not count and they can fine you big time if you don't have the offical rta plate...
 
indica

indica

Serial flasher
Not just NSW, it is everywhere, and fairly commonsense too I would have thought.
Here in QLD it cost over $60, in Victoria is is in the area of $20.
 
D_Nine

D_Nine

Senior Member
Something else to consider, if ANY part of your bike obstructs your tailights you MUST also have additional unobstructed lights on your rack ! All the info is available on the RTA website.
 
S

Slank

Likes Bikes
I do a fair chunk of driving between Newcastle and Yamba and the whole license plate and light set thing leaves me in two minds. In some cases you see a big 4wd with a whole families bikes on it, car packed full of stuff obviously some grand family holiday. I cringe when i see this if the cops pull them over thats a good chunk of cash and demerit points gone off the driver, especially on double demerit point weekends. I suspect the police would be in their rights as well to make the owner fix the situation then and there before resuming driving which could mean ditching the bikes.

On the other hand I have seen plenty of cars where you can't see brake lights at all which can be a real danger especially if visibility is low, high rain etc. That to me makes sense to have some sort of penalty, maybe voiding their insurance.

Then you see the people who over take you at 100mph license plate obscured etc and all I want to see around the next corner is a cop taking as many points off them for breaking all sorts of road rules.

When i got my rack from a fairly major roofrack/4wd parts/tinting vendor and I asked for a light board they said why do you want that? Pretty poor form when someone selling rear mounted bike racks doesnt inform the customer that they need a.)bike license plate and b.)lightboard if the bike(s) is going to obscure the back of the car. Needless to say $150 or so is a pretty small investment if you are doing a lot of driving around with your bike on some kind of rack especially on long weekends. Things like the thule light boards can easily be attatched and detatched from most tall ball or hatchback style bike racks.
 
K

Kramer

FoBR
I got a bike rack number plate ages ago, but don't have it fitted to my rack as it is too bloody big - when the plate is on the rack I can't get my bike over it!
What do you guys do to quickly move your number plate?
Given this thread, I am now thinking even some velcro to hold the plate on would be better than a $300 fine.
 
Minlak

Minlak

custom titis
Kramer said:
I got a bike rack number plate ages ago, but don't have it fitted to my rack as it is too bloody big - when the plate is on the rack I can't get my bike over it!
What do you guys do to quickly move your number plate?
Given this thread, I am now thinking even some velcro to hold the plate on would be better than a $300 fine.
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depends on your number plate but only 2 screws holds mine to the car and 1 screw holds it on the bike rack so 2 seconds off 1 second on .... i took the stupid car yard shroud off my number plate that makes it way quicker...

As far as getting stolen its the same screwdriver and 1 extra screw they could have had it taken off my car just as quick so ...

So my bike routine :-
* Take off number plate
* Put rack on
*Load Bike/s up
*Screw number plate on rack

*Take number plate off rack throw in car
*Take bikes off ride

the bikes wont go on over the plate either

As far as lights go i havent got in trouble yet so lets just keep those fingers crossed.
 
mik_git

mik_git

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Got a ticket, one bolt had come loose while driving and the little plate was spinning around in the airflow. When I parked, took it off, put it on the dash to fix when i could get a bolt...got a ticket even though the car was parked, no bikes, not moving... That was like 15 years ago...
 
scblack

scblack

Leucocholic
I have my rack with a made up stickered number plate. I have spoken to police and RTA. That is fine.

It does not need to be a RTA plate as far as I am aware.
 
muvro

muvro

Likes Dirt
scblack said:
I have my rack with a made up stickered number plate. I have spoken to police and RTA. That is fine.

It does not need to be a RTA plate as far as I am aware.
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I would be very wary of this. I restore jags for a living and have many customers with E-types, quite a number of them have stick on number plates, because there is simply nowhere to put one. Some even have reflective base layer. However as far as I am aware, a plate that is not an official RTA item is not valid. Im guessing it's because I'd you go through a redlight camera etc it would be a loop hole. "technically that's not my rta issued number plate" = possible case dismissal?? I don't know, but I do know a number of customers have been fined due to the stick on plates.
 
Moggio

Moggio

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Driving with a friend recently in Victoria and he got pulled over for no plate on rack. Cop said he could use a cardboard one which shows that the police aren't that aware of the rules either. Problem was as well is they start checking out the vehicle for any other "issues", so you don't want to attract the attention.

I also have another friend who got pulled over for no plate during double demerits and got double points for the offence.

I recently made a light board for around $50 which I have the plate attached to at all times. Lights were off ebay, old piece of wood and found the connector. Simple to wire up and then have all possible issues covered and takes a moment to put on the rack.
 
K

kom123

Likes Bikes
I was pinged a couple of weeks ago. Debatable as to whether or not the plate was obscured but what's done is done. 3 points, $353.00.

A warning would have been nice but I think Constable Attitutude was a little disappointed that his early Sunday AM RBT stop didn't nab a drinker so after I registere a zero reading, he then proceeded to walk around the car to look for other offences (not that he was going to find any on a well maintained run of the mill family car!). As soon as he came back to the window and blared in "Do you know the meaning of the word "obscured"????" I knew there would be no room for reasonable discussion.

And no , apparently home made signs won't cut it no matter how nice they look and once you put the proper plate on, if you are driving after sunset it must be illuminated and visible from a distance of least 20 metres.

Here's a rundown on some of the regulations:

http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/registrat...rying_bicycles_on_motor_vehicles_nov_2009.pdf
 
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