Small number plates, loud exhausts, dark tinted visors, do you still use any of these naughty biker things?

Anything you like about motorbikes
Didge
Posts: 64
Joined: Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:10 am
Location: Horley, Surrey
Has thanked: 80 times
Been thanked: 76 times

Re: Small number plates, loud exhausts, dark tinted visors, do you still use any of these naughty biker things?

Post by Didge »

My RE 350 classic has standard plate. I replaced the Cat with a Cat bypass pipe, but exhaust is standard otherwise. Now the exhaust has a pleasant 'thump', and a nice 'throaty' sound whilst riding. It's not objectional by anymeans, it just sounds more like a single should.
User avatar
Noggin
Posts: 7904
Joined: Thu Mar 19, 2020 1:46 pm
Location: Ski Resort
Has thanked: 15978 times
Been thanked: 3869 times

Re: Small number plates, loud exhausts, dark tinted visors, do you still use any of these naughty biker things?

Post by Noggin »

Dark visor by choice (I do now carry a clear one as well since I got caught out later than planned and in rain - interesting ride up the mountain!!)

I do love a rumbly exhaust - a girl turned up at the school the other day on a GSX something 600 ish which sounded GORGEOUS!! By choice I would always look to get a more sexy sounding exhaust, but not offensively loud :angelic-green: :angelic-green:

Don't think I've done really small plates ever. But here they don't seem to be as big as in the UK anyway, so that's cool :D :D
Life is for living. Buy the shoes. Eat the cake. Ride the bikes. Just, ride the bikes!! :bblonde:
User avatar
ZRX61
Posts: 5075
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2020 4:05 pm
Location: Solar Blight Valley
Has thanked: 1478 times
Been thanked: 1387 times

Re: Small number plates, loud exhausts, dark tinted visors, do you still use any of these naughty biker things?

Post by ZRX61 »

143.7Db....

Image
User avatar
ZRX61
Posts: 5075
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2020 4:05 pm
Location: Solar Blight Valley
Has thanked: 1478 times
Been thanked: 1387 times

Re: Small number plates, loud exhausts, dark tinted visors, do you still use any of these naughty biker things?

Post by ZRX61 »

The Spin Doctor wrote: Thu Oct 31, 2024 12:47 pm Nope, nope and nope.

My fellow couriers were always complaining about getting stopped by plod for a vehicle and document check. It usually ended with an inspirational 'don't be a naughty boy and let me catch you again' talk, but sometimes they got a 'fix it' notice. Occasionally, they talked themselves into a fine. In all the years I was zapping round London, I was rarely pulled and I think it was the lack of racket, standard plate and clear visor as much as anything else - I just flew under the radar.
I had a perfectly clean driving record when I was a courier.. on my actual D/L... the half dozen or so Provisionals I had in other names accumulated 57 points over 6 years.
I guess you don't get them by lying with a dodgy ID at the PO these days?
User avatar
Druid
Posts: 1005
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 7:45 pm
Has thanked: 274 times
Been thanked: 887 times

Re: Small number plates, loud exhausts, dark tinted visors, do you still use any of these naughty biker things?

Post by Druid »

My Speed Triple has twin Arrow exhausts which were on the bike when I bought it. They're a factory extra and still have the dB killers in.
8x6 number plate
Always use a dark visor. If it's not sunny the bike stays in the garage so...
User avatar
ZRX61
Posts: 5075
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2020 4:05 pm
Location: Solar Blight Valley
Has thanked: 1478 times
Been thanked: 1387 times

Re: Small number plates, loud exhausts, dark tinted visors, do you still use any of these naughty biker things?

Post by ZRX61 »

I never got the dark visor deal, don't you people have sunglasses???
User avatar
Rockburner
Posts: 4315
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 11:06 am
Location: Hiding in your blind spot
Has thanked: 7686 times
Been thanked: 2481 times

Re: Small number plates, loud exhausts, dark tinted visors, do you still use any of these naughty biker things?

Post by Rockburner »

ZRX61 wrote: Fri Nov 01, 2024 7:27 pm I never got the dark visor deal, don't you people have sunglasses???
I used to use sunglasses, but with a dark visor there's no chance of the bright light sneaking around the frames.
non quod, sed quomodo
User avatar
Noggin
Posts: 7904
Joined: Thu Mar 19, 2020 1:46 pm
Location: Ski Resort
Has thanked: 15978 times
Been thanked: 3869 times

Re: Small number plates, loud exhausts, dark tinted visors, do you still use any of these naughty biker things?

Post by Noggin »

Around here there are quite a few tunnels and also areas where, even on a fully sunny day, it's Very shady, so not suitable for darkglasses.

I wear glasses anyway - much simpler and, I think, much safer to flip up a dark visor for a shady area/tunnel where you suddenly lose vision cos you have dark glasses on and either have to ride with less vision or stop and change from dark to normal glasses!!

Of course, if you live in the US where they don't have much shade or tunnels, dark visors make less sense!! :lol: :lol:
Life is for living. Buy the shoes. Eat the cake. Ride the bikes. Just, ride the bikes!! :bblonde:
Mr. Dazzle
Posts: 13811
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 7:57 pm
Location: Milton Keynes
Has thanked: 2539 times
Been thanked: 6178 times

Re: Small number plates, loud exhausts, dark tinted visors, do you still use any of these naughty biker things?

Post by Mr. Dazzle »

My previous lids had the internal sun visor thing. My current AFAIK doesn't, every so often I contemplate getting a dark visor but then I look at how much they are and go "how much?!".

I could get a hooky non Arai one but I worry about it being shit / shattering into a million pointy pieces at the slightest provocation.
The Spin Doctor
Posts: 4092
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:17 pm
Has thanked: 2632 times
Been thanked: 1523 times

Re: Small number plates, loud exhausts, dark tinted visors, do you still use any of these naughty biker things?

Post by The Spin Doctor »

ZRX61 wrote: Fri Nov 01, 2024 6:38 pm I had a perfectly clean driving record when I was a courier.. on my actual D/L... the half dozen or so Provisionals I had in other names accumulated 57 points over 6 years.
I guess you don't get them by lying with a dodgy ID at the PO these days?
EEEK!
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer." Henry David Thoreau
www.ko-fi.com/survivalskills www.survivalskillsridertraining.co.uk www.facebook.com/survivalskills
demographic
Posts: 3003
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:30 pm
Location: Less that 50 miles away from Moscow, but which one?
Has thanked: 1336 times
Been thanked: 1692 times

Re: Small number plates, loud exhausts, dark tinted visors, do you still use any of these naughty biker things?

Post by demographic »

ZRX61 wrote: Fri Nov 01, 2024 7:27 pm I never got the dark visor deal, don't you people have sunglasses???
Living in the north of England I've not often felt the need.
Working to the west more often than to the east has meant that I set off to work with the sun behind me and come home with it behind me as well.
Plus I have those lids with a clear outer visor that gets all the flies on and then an inner dark visor for pottering though town and when hooning in towards the sun with both visors down.
The ones with the clear on the inside and dark on the outer just seems a bit of a logic fail in my opinion cos that just means you have to clean flies off two visors and just having one thats dark and carrying a spare clear seems like a right fucking faff to me.

I do own one bike with a properly loud spannie but theres no such thing as a proper road legal exhaust for that bike and even the manufacturer that used to make the Q (for quiet) series silencers has stopped making them yonks ago.
Jody
Posts: 1713
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2020 11:49 am
Location: Biarritz in Summer, Cornwall In Autumn, Courchevel in Winter
Has thanked: 1945 times
Been thanked: 1292 times

Re: Small number plates, loud exhausts, dark tinted visors, do you still use any of these naughty biker things?

Post by Jody »

I never ran small plates on my only full size bike (990 Superduke). They do look better, but you can't see that when you're riding it. I had a full akra, because it gave more power which I yearned for on trackdays and I ran tinted visors.

My 690 Duke has a standard plate, but being french reg, this is smaller than UK ones, The exhaust is standard and nothing is worth making it louder for. The last helmet I bought has a built in tinted inner visor.
Scootabout
Posts: 575
Joined: Thu Jun 18, 2020 10:41 pm
Has thanked: 475 times
Been thanked: 308 times

Re: Small number plates, loud exhausts, dark tinted visors, do you still use any of these naughty biker things?

Post by Scootabout »

I've never fitted a small plate, but I think my old TMax might have had a slightly reduced size one fitted by the previous owner. A few months ago, at Ryka's, I saw a bike with a flip-up plate that had been left flipped up. If that's not an invitation for a ticket I don't know what is.

I did once own a dark visor, but always carried a clear one, too. Now I wear Drivewear sunglasses, which are polarised and photochromatic, so no need.

I've never bothered replacing the standard exhaust.
User avatar
Bigyin
Posts: 3172
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 7:39 pm
Has thanked: 1409 times
Been thanked: 2657 times

Re: Small number plates, loud exhausts, dark tinted visors, do you still use any of these naughty biker things?

Post by Bigyin »

My Fazer has a race can without a DB killer in but a standard plate as the DVSA are a bit arsey about small plates on instructor bike but dont seem to mind the exhaust noise.

The Multi has a noisy enough exhaust as standard and the bike is large enough to not look shit with a standard plate unlike my little 636 which had an 8 X 6.

As for visors i rarely run anything but a race black visor in all but the shittest weather or night time. The exception is when instructing, again i have to bear in mind legalities so clear visor on the Shoei Neotec i wear while doing that but both Arai's i have are black visors
Wossname
Posts: 899
Joined: Fri Apr 10, 2020 7:14 pm
Location: West of the Tamar
Has thanked: 226 times
Been thanked: 568 times

Re: Small number plates, loud exhausts, dark tinted visors, do you still use any of these naughty biker things?

Post by Wossname »

I’ve had the same 7X6 plate for 20 years, swapped between bikes at every change (I just like the number). Never queried on the road or at MOT time, and I think it looks “tidier” on the bike. Exhaust is standard as I’d rather spend the money on something else than to make it noisier. Visor: my Arai has an external sun visor which is a waste of time. 2 layers of dead flies to look through, it’s impossible to raise it with a gloved hand on the move which is when you’d want to, and has a tendency to drop down when you do a shoulder check if it isn’t absolutely clicked exactly in the up position - not good in the dark. So I never use it. Insulation tape and dip my head.
Scootabout
Posts: 575
Joined: Thu Jun 18, 2020 10:41 pm
Has thanked: 475 times
Been thanked: 308 times

Re: Small number plates, loud exhausts, dark tinted visors, do you still use any of these naughty biker things?

Post by Scootabout »

I agree about the Arai external visor.