Motor Cars

Period Number Plates – make your classic vehicle look authentic

Do you have a classic motorcyle such as a Royal Enfield or BSA and want to put a period number plate on it so it looks more authentic then read on, we can help.

Replacing Modern Number Plates with Period Number Plates on Your Imported Royal Enfield or BSA Motorcycle

For enthusiasts who have imported a classic Royal Enfield or BSA motorcycle from India, nothing complements the authenticity of these vintage machines more than a period-appropriate number plate. If you’re looking to replace the modern number plate with a classic one, here’s how you can do it while ensuring your bike stays road-legal in the UK.

Understanding UK Number Plate Regulations

First, it’s important to understand that UK regulations require all vehicles used on public roads to have number plates that meet specific standards. However, there are allowances for classic vehicles, depending on their age.

Verify Vehicle Eligibility

Vehicles registered before 1st January 1980 can use white on black number plates. Check the date of first registration on your Vehicle Registration Certificate V5C.

Research Period Correct Plates

Determine the type and style of number plates that were used during the period your classic motorcycle was originally manufactured. Ensure the design adheres to historical authenticity. Find a supplier that specialises in vintage number plates and ensures they are legally compliant for use on UK roads. Provide your vehicle registration details to the supplier to ensure accuracy.

Update Your Insurance

Inform your insurance provider of the change of registration to ensure your policy remains valid.

Benefits of Period Number Plates

Authenticity: Enhances the historical value and visual appeal of your vintage/classic motorcyle.

Recognition: Period number plates can make your motorcycle stand out and attract attention from fellow motorcyle enthusiasts and collectors and can also make your bike appear like the classic original.

Compliance: When properly registered, period number plates ensure you remain compliant with UK vehicle regulatuons.

Conclusion

Replacing modern number plates with period-correct ones on your imported Royal Enfield or BSA motorcycle not only enhances its vintage charm but also aligns with UK regulations. By following these steps, you can enjoy the best of both worlds: authentic style and legal compliance.

We at Motor Marks have many period style number plates that are suitable for your classic motorcycles and bikes and they won’t break the bank.

Take a look at our bargain number plates These cheap number plates start from as little as £20 plus vat and the £80 DVLA transfer fee so a total of £104.00.

Alternatively you can call one of our Sales Staff on 0116 235 0116 who can help you with your enquiry and find the right number plate for you.

Saint Patrick’s Day Time to Celebrate – Great PAT Number Plates

Saint Patrick’s Day is held on March 17th and is observed by the Catholic Church as well as others’ especially the Church of Ireland and the day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of christianity in Ireland.

It was made a Feast day in the 17th Century.

Today we celebrate with public parades and festivals and the wearing of green clothing and attire and Shamrocks.

People are also encouraged to eat and drink alcohol with restrictions for lent lifted on this day.

10 Interesting Facts about Saint Patrick

St. Patrick wasn’t actually Irish

Despite being the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick was born in Britain in either Scotland or Wales (accounts tend to vary on that point). His parents, Calpurnius and Conchessa, were both Roman citizens and his mother gave birth to him in 385AD.

Slavery was what brought St. Patrick to Ireland

As a teenager, St. Patrick was kidnapped by a pirate raiding party and sold into slavery in Ireland. As a slave, he looked after and herded sheep for many years before fleeing to a monastery in England. While there, he became a devout follower of Christianity and ordained a Bishop, after which he returned to Ireland as a missionary.

St. Patrick actually wore blue, not green

Although everyone is expected to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day, all surviving artworks of St. Patrick show him wearing blue robes. It’s the reason why through the years, flags, sports uniforms and coat-of-arms featured the colour. As time progressed, green as a national colour grew in favour particularly in the 17th century.

St. Patrick isn’t technically a saint

While he’s been given the title in popular lore, St. Patrick was never actually officially canonised as a saint. However many still recognise his contributions to the Catholic church and he remains a spiritual figure to this day.

St Patrick’s Day is held on the day he passed away

In the Catholic tradition, the day a saint passes away is considered a holy day to celebrate their ascension into heaven. St. Patrick passed away on March 17 and it continues to be when St. Patrick’s Day is held annually.

St. Patrick probably didn’t drive all the snakes out of Ireland

One of the most popular myths about the Irish saint is that he rid the country of snakes, however modern science has since ruined that belief for everyone. As Ireland has always been an incredibly cold country, scientists have said that it’s highly unlikely that there were any snakes to begin with and there are no fossils to disprove the theory.

St. Patrick’s walking stick grew into a tree while he was preaching

Another popular tale regarding St. Patrick tells the story of how he left his ashwood walking stick in the ground, while he went off to try and convert the villagers of a small town to Christianity. The effort took so long however that the walking stick became an ash tree which the town takes its name from – Aspatria, Cumbria.

Patrick was not St. Patrick’s given name

St. Patrick’s given name was Maewyn Succat. It wasn’t until he became a priest that he adopted a new name – Patrick, after Patricius (which relates to the Latin root meaning father)

‘Drowning the shamrock’ is said to have started with St. Patrick

The tradition of drinking to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is said to have started with the saint himself, who announced that everybody should have ‘a drop of the hard stuff’ after an innkeeper was less than forthcoming with a bottle of whiskey. While there was a brief period where drinking on St. Patrick’s Day was banned, the tradition has since returned in full force.

The shamrock as an Irish symbol is said to have been popularised by St. Patrick

As the stories go, St. Patrick supposedly used the iconic shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity while preaching. With each leaf representing Christianity’s Holy Father, Son and Holy Spirit, it was a symbol that showed how they could be three different spiritual entities and yet all part of the same whole.

We have lots of PAT cherished number plates that are referenced to PATRICK and we have listed some of these below.

We have lots of other cherished number plates see our homepage where you can search through millions of number plate or why not give us a call on 0116 235 0116

We also have bargain cheap number plates and name number plates as well as fun number plates.

New in Number Plates Available to purchase

Some of our recent new in number plates available to purchase.

We buy and sell cherished number plates and have new additions/stock coming in all the time.

Listed below are some of the recent new cherished number plates that have become available to purchase.

All the number plates are subject to VAT and £80 DVLA transfer fee.

All are ready for immediate transfer on cleared funds.

If you have any queries or want any advice please feel free to contact one of our Sales Staff on

0116 235 0116.

We have a huge searchable database of registration numbers, cheap bargain ones that start from as little as £25 plus vat and £80 transfer fee. We also do DVLA Prefix and Current Style number plates and also Dateless/Antique number plates.

We also provide free online valuations if you wish to sell a cherished number plate, and also offer a finding service. We are alway looking to buy more stock and therefore if you have a number plate that you want to sell outright please see our wanted form.

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Number Plates – Perfect Gift for Mothers Day

Number Plates – The Perfect gift for Mothers Day, as unique as she is.

Why do we celebrate Mothers Day?

Mothers Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as maternal bonds or motherhood and the influence of mothers in society.

During the Middle Ages, the custom developed of allowing people who had moved away from where they grew up to come back and visit their home or ‘mother’ churches, and their mothers, on the fourth Sunday of the Christian Festival of Lent. At the time it wasn’t uncommon for children to leave home to work when they were as young as 10 years old, so this was an opportunity for families to meet up again.

This became Mothering Sunday in Britain. As the dates of Lent vary each year so does the date of Mothering Sunday.

Although it is often called Mothers Day in the UK it has no connection with the American Mothers Day.

Mothers day is celebrated in many parts of the world and is most commonly in March or May. We also have other similar celebrations such as Fathers day.

Instead of giving your mother the usual gifts of flowers, perfume or chocolate why not give her the gift of a cherished number plate something as unique to her as she is to you.

We have cheap bargain number plates that range from as little as £116 all inclusive up to £1000’s.

If you would like to speak to one of our sales staff please call us now on 0116 235 0116 or if you would just like to browse through our extensive database please click here

At Motor Marks we offer various types of personalised number plates and are sure that we have something that will be suitable for you.

Happy Mothers Day from Motor Marks

Number Plates Sports and Fitness

Well the good weather is hopefully making an entrance now and with the nights becoming lighter we have time to do more, Gyms re-opened and outdoor sports all back up and running we are all hopefully getting back to our sports and exercise.

We have some great sports and fitness related cherished number plates.

Car Number plates don’t have to be about the individuals name or initials or the vehicle make or model they can also be related to your favourite activity or sports.

We have compiled a small list from our extensive database of cherished number plates to show you the sort of sports related number plates we have in stock.

If you don’t see anything you like or would like to get in touch to see if we can find the number plate you are looking for then give one of our Sales Staff a call on 0116 235 0116.

The numbers listed below are genuine issued Cherished Number Plates and are all stock ready for immediate transfer and are all plus vat and £80 DVLA transfer fee, prices can be found on our database.

As well as selling these types of car number plates we also have a huge stock of cheap number plates that start from as little as £110 all inclusive, we have bargain number plates and discount number plates as well as the prefix and current style number plates. These start from £250 plus the vat and £80 DVLA transfer fee and then we have the Antique style plates that are the more expensive ones that can be Dateless, Irish or say a name word vehicle etc.

Please contact us on 0116 235 0116 for any requirements you have or just to speak to one of our Sales Advisors.

Naughty Number Plates

Valentines Day will soon be upon us and why not give your loved one the gift of a Personalised Number Plate instead of the usual chocolates and flowers. We have some rude, sexy, naughty and fun cherished number plates that will be sure to put a smile on your loved ones face.

We have listed a small selection for you below, all the numbers are genuine issued number plates and are all available for immediate transfer.

The prices can be found on our database and you can also search for any desired combination.

We also offer cheap discount bargain number plates that start from as little as £25 plus vat and transfer fee making a total of £110 all inclusive.

Want the personal touch then give us a call on 0116 235 0116.

Happy Valentines Day

Number Plates – Upcoming changes to legislation from 1st January 2021

Introduction of the new standard for number plates : BS AU 145e

The British Standards Institute publishes the technical standards that all number plates are required to satisfy and this requirement is mandated in law. In March 2018, the BSI published an updated standard for number plates, BS AU 145e. This new standard will improve the durability of new number plates and enhance compatibility with on road enforcement cameras.

The new standard also requires that plates only display single shade black lettering removing the ability to use different shades to produce 3D effects or highlighting.

The agency has not seen any evidence to show that number plates displaying raised plastic, acrylic or perspex lettering (3D/4D plates) are able to meet the requirements of either the current or new the British Standard.

To take effect this new British Standard needs to be incorporated into the regulations and will become mandatory from 1st September 2021 but can be used from 1st January 2021.

This means that as a supplier you: must ensure that the number plates you supply can meet all the requirements of the standard and legislative requirements and should contact your component supplier or manufacturer if you are unsure whether the components they supply for you can meet the standard. It is an offence to supply number plates that cannot meet the standard

Changes to the eligibility for black and silver number plates

It will be specified in law from 1st January 2021 that only vehicles manufactured before 1st January 1980 are eligible to display “black and silver” number plates

As a supplier this means you: can only produce black and silver number plates for those vehicles registered prior to 1st January 1980 that have also been licensed in the historic tax class

Removal of the “EU” symbol

As part of the UK’s exit from the EU, government will remove the ability to fix a new number plate displaying the Euro symbol after the end of the EU exit transition period. Those registration plates fixed to a vehicle before 1st January 2021 will be unaffected.

As a supplier this means you: cannot produce a number plate with an “EU” symbol from 1st January 2021

Green Number Plates

Green Number Plates (GNP) will signify that the vehicle emits zero emissions and will consist of a green flash on the left hand side of a registration number plate. They will be non-mandatory and available to new and existing qualifying vehicles.

Regional emblems and identifiers that are currently permitted can still be displayed on the green flash.

Eligibility

Only vehicles with zero tailpipe emissions (e.g. fully battery electric, or hydrogen fuel cell) can display a green number plate. Hybrids and plug-in hybrids (including range extenders) are not eligible.

This applies to all vehicle types – cars, vans, taxis, motorbikes; and buses, coaches and HGV’s

Design

The regulations state that the green flash must be no less than 40mm in width, and no more than 50mm in width it must be retro-reflective and be matching or of an equivalent green to the Pantone 7481c colour reference

Examples

DVLA – Classic Car Tax

Owners of tax-exempt cars who have had to pay to keep their classic cars legally on the road during the lockdown will have their money refunded the DVLA has announced this week.

Since the DVLA suspended most of their paperwork enquiries during the lockdown many owners have not been able to register classic vehicles’ to ‘Historic’ vehicle status and have had to pay hundreds of pounds in additional road tax to enable them to drive their cars legally.

The DVLA announced that classic car owners obliged to tax their historic vehicles from April will be refunded each full month of excise duty paid. Refunds will take place 6 weeks after documents have been processed.

Since staff returned to work on 15th June they have been working through the backlog of documentation needed to change the tax class of cars to ‘Historic’ meaning not everyone has been able to take advantage of their cars new found Vehicle Excise Duty exemption (VED). This has meant that some owners of classic vehicles had no choice but to keep their documents back and tax their cars as usual.

So a nice getsure from DVLA for a change.

Don’t forget if you are looking for a cherished number plate for your classic vehicle we have a huge database to search through. As well as offering private number plates we have cheap bargain number plates starting from £110 all inclusive. Whatever your combination and budget we are sure we have something for everyone.

Please contact our Sales Staff on 0116 235 0116

DVLA Backlog

Most of the country were put into lockdown back in March 2020 due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the world. DVLA were just one of the government bodies that closed most of its services as most of their staff were furloughed.

A reduced staff returned to work at DVLA on 12th June after nearly 3 months on lockdown. This closure has meant that many classic car enthusiasts, motor dealers and general members of the public that had sent in paper applications just before the lockdown have been in limbo as nothing has been processed and basically any paperwork has just been lying in the offices at DVLA. Some of the online services which have been crucial for many however have also had problems which have not seen transfers being processed, and mot and car tax exemptions not being able to be declared and sorted online and therefore having to be sent in as postal applications knowing that the backlog could mean further delays in the processing of the applications. A DVLA spokesperson has said that they are processing the applications as quickly as possible but for some people that has also led to them not being able to use their vehicles.

This has also had an effect with number plate transfers. Most applications can be done using the DVLA online facility but for some where they have purchased a cherished number plate and their vehicle is a classic or imported vehicle or there is an issue regarding sorn or car tax then these applications have not been able to be done online and some customers paperwork has been at DVLA for the whole 3 months of lockdown. If you have any queries they are now answering some telephones in some of their departments at DVLA Swansea but it may be worth waiting a few weeks for them to clear the backlog if you have to send in something to them. Remember always take copies of anything you need to send and if you do manage to speak to an advisor then take a reference number to help if you need to make any further corresponding calls.

We at Motor Marks may be able to help with some of your queries so if you need any advice we are happy to try and help.

Doing these whilst driving could result in a Fine

When it comes to the law and driving most of us think we know the do’s and dont’s of what you can do whilst driving, however there are some things that not all of us know and these can be illegal when driving, so here is a list of things you might not know are illegal when driving..

Using your mobile phone as a sat nav in an unfixed position. Whilst we all know that it is an offence to use your phone (calling/texting) whilst driving, some use it as a sat nav, but it is illegal if it is not fixed on your windscreen or dashboard, the phone needs to be in clear sight and not with you holding it. Due to a recent law change if you are caught breaching this you will receive six points on your licence and a £200 fine, you could also face a driving ban if you have had your license for less than 2 years.

Lots of us motorists will flash other motorists to let them know of speed cameras however you could face a minimum of a £30 fine, you are only supposed to flash your lights at other motorists to warn them of your presence.

Eating or drinking, applying makeup, changing a CD in your car could land you a fine of £100 and up to three to nine penalty points, this is because the police can prosecute you as you may not be in complete control of your vehicle.

Splashing a pedestrian with water could land you with a fine of anything from £100 – £5000 this is because it is classed as an offence to drive “without reasonable consideration for other persons”

Hogging the middle lane of the motorway could land you with a fine as this falls into the catergory of careless driving and you could end up with three penalty points and a £100 fine.

Having a dirty number plate could land you with a £1000 fine as it can make them unreadable so you need to make sure they can seen and not filthy.

Beeping your horn could land you with a £30 fine, you are not supposed to beep your horn for any other reason than alerting someone of your presence, not out of frustration or a little road rage!

Undertaking is a criminal offence and however tempting this is especially on the motorway when someone is hogging the middle lane is not only dangerous you could find yourself in court.

Smoking in your car is illegal and taking a prescription drug before driving could see you banned.

When parking a at night drivers must not park on a road facing against the flow of trafic unless in a dedicated space.

You must never place a rear facing baby seat in a seat with an activated front airbag.

When towing a trailer or a caravan on a motorway you must not exceed 60mph.

Having a child in your vehicle without the appropriate car seat. You must have a child car seat for any child up to the age of 12 or until they reach 135cm in height and the seat needs to be suitable for their weight.

You must not drive on a pavement, footpath or bridleway unless gaining access to a property or in an emergency.

Not informing DVLA Swansea of any changes to your details ie your name and address and also regarding medical conditions such as epilepsy, strokes, neurological and mental health conditions physical disabilities and visual impairments.

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