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

[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.

[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

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

[ZRX61]

143.7Db....

[ZRX61]

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?

[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...

[ZRX61]

I never got the dark visor deal, don't you people have sunglasses???

[Rockburner]

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.

[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!!

[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]

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!

[demographic]

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]

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]

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.

[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]

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]

I agree about the Arai external visor.

[Tomcat]

Yes, kind of.

My helmet has a legal flip down dark inner visor. My numberplate is slightly smaller (6x8 rather than the legal 7x9). It just looks better but doesn't draw attention to itself. And my slip-on can runs a baffle.

I'm only slightly rebellious.

[Skub]

Yes, kind of.

My helmet has a legal flip down dark inner visor. My numberplate is slightly smaller (6x8 rather than the legal 7x9). It just looks better but doesn't draw attention to itself. And my slip-on can runs a baffle.

I'm only slightly rebellious.

Sticking it vaguely in the general direction of the man.

[Mr Moofo]

I agree about the Arai external visor.

I quite liked it , initially
However it looks odd - and it is an absolute pig to try and move on the move and with a gloved hand.
It also whistles like a bastard

[Scootabout]

I agree about the Arai external visor.

I quite liked it , initially
However it looks odd - and it is an absolute pig to try and move on the move and with a gloved hand.
It also whistles like a bastard

Mine met its end when I dropped the helmet, onto grass on a campsite, and it broke off. I didn't replace it.