Ka-ching!
See, the gods do have a sense of humour. I enter into a number plate discussion a few days ago and look what happens....
There I am doing an errand this morning, decided to take the bike.
As I get onto the M5 I pass a biker cop riding slowly behind another cop car. 1k down the way he pulls me over.
Mmmmm. I could be in trouble for a whole lot more than speeding.
I was travelling pretty quickly but not overly so, about 120 in the 100 zone. He says take, “Take your helmet off”.
He doesn’t say anything more while he inspects my license disc and then goes to the back of the bike. Goes back to the license disc.
“What’s your plate number?”
I repeat the right one. He says, “Correct, but that’s not what’s back there. You not only have a non-SABS approved plate but you are defeating the ends of justice with the wrong last digit”
He says nothing more, but is getting out his book. So with nothing to do while he is writing up all this up I take a walk around his Honda Pan Euro. Nice bike and say so. I notice he seems to have taken a tumble on the left. Looks like it just fell over. I comment on this but he just grunts and starts asking my details.
He says, “Remove your number plate”
Ok, as soon as I get home.
“No, now!”
Nothing for it but to bust it off. It’s bolted on and I didn’t feel like breaking out my tools.
I wander back to him with the bits in my pocket. “I got almost all of it off, just a sliver left”
“Where’s it?”
“Here”, as I pull the pieces out of my jacket pocket and put them back again.
He seems really annoyed, “give them here!”
From here I didn’t quite know what was going to happen and he did seem to write quite a bit down. I even contemplated what I was going to have to say to my wife who would have to come and fetch me from the cop station. I had read somewhere that they impound bikes with false plates on.
Then he read me the ticket.
“Blab la bla... R300.00 Bla bla... and you will have a legal plate on by the end of today!”
I noticed that he was really angry reading this to me. He lips were tight and he was showing classic anger symptoms.
So I said, “You really are quite angry with me aren’t you? I am sorry and apologise, but I am wondering why you would be so worked up about this?”
“You were riding like an idiot and you have an illegal plate”
I let the first accusation slide, it was a perception that I didn’t share, “True, but that’s not a reason to be angry with me?”
He said nothing but was really not looking peaceful. I asked why he stopped me.
“I can stop anyone, and I always stop illegal plated bikes” He hissed.
He was not responding well to this discussion, but seeing as he was starting to boil up and I had only gotten a R300.00 fine (I thought I was going to be in for much much more), I didn’t push my luck anymore and left it at that.
As he was starting up, a bike came past with no plate on.
He didn’t go after him but carried on to the N1?
My take on the whole thing...
I think he just wants to come to the dark side, but can’t afford to yet. You know how I know? He knew the type and model of the bike even with my aftermarket tanks on.
Moral of the story; If you ride a KTM and aren’t legal, stay away from Mr Sinclair on a Pan European Honda.
Topic: The number plate issue (Read 3167 times)
