Salisbury Plain - Police/Army Crackdown

DollyRocket

DollyRocket

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Calling all Salisbury plain riders ....

The police and MOD are having a major crackdown on riders on the plain. I was stopped 4 times on sunday, 3 by the police and once by a ranger. I had my map, my bike was licensed and I was very friendly - so much so that when I saw the police a few hours later they just waved and had a laugh about it.

Quite rightly, they are stopping unlicensed and illegal riders. They are also confirming that you know where you are (so have your maps on you!) and you are only on byways or the all weather track. They have had problems of riders going off-piste into the ammunition dump areas and it is more about education / out-reach rather than pulling you up on mini plates and speeding down tracks.
 
All sounds reasonable to me. If you are legal "in what really matters" then there is nothing to worry about.

I am pleased to hear that the rozzers only seem to be interested in issues that matter - riding without insurance and on illegal lanes etc. and are turning a blind eye to irrelevant issues such as small plates, mousses etc.

In contrast, an otherwise legal Surrey TRF mate of mine got a ticket recently for having a small number plate by one of the Surrey Police Husqvarna riding chaps on patrol on a bank holiday on the lanes. The rozzer was acting like a right cu*t until he realised that he was being recorded by a GoPro camera...but then continued to act up by issuing the ticket. Cock. It's issues like this that give the rozzers a bad name.
 
I got stopped on the plain at the weekend and they were stopping illegal vehicles like scramblers/pit bikes/etc and I was riding on the main concrete tank road at about 30mph when I then saw a police land rover discovery swerve at me from the other side of the road and went in front of me!! I then had to slam on my brakes which caused me to loose control slightly and I s*#t myself! He said he didn't know if I was legal or not which is his reason for doing his dangerous move?? He then went on to fine me £60 for a small number plate! And earlier on in the day, my friend got fined £30 for not even having a number plate on his bike!!!!!!!!! I've been riding on Salisbury plain for 21 years and these non legal bikes are ruining it for legal bikes and future generations and the police are being pathetic in the way they are dealing with the problem.
 
Jimbodubya said:
He then went on to fine me £60 for a small number plate! And earlier on in the day, my friend got fined £30 for not even having a number plate on his bike!!!!!!!!! I've been riding on Salisbury plain for 21 years and these non legal bikes are ruining it for legal bikes and future generations and the police are being pathetic in the way they are dealing with the problem.
Click to expand...

If your bike has a number plate which does not conform to the standard laid down in UK law, then it is also 'an illegal bike'. I love the way that some laws should be applied and others not! :rob It's evident from your comments that you feel you have been wronged - why? You obviously knew your number plate was illegal - or if you didn't then you should have - so why complain? :confused:
 
JKW said:
If your bike has a number plate which does not conform to the standard laid down in UK law, then it is also 'an illegal bike'. I love the way that some laws should be applied and others not! :rob It's evident from your comments that you feel you have been wronged - why? You obviously knew your number plate was illegal - or if you didn't then you should have - so why complain? :confused:
Click to expand...

Well thats one way of putting it. But lets get things into perspective - riding with an illegal number plate is not in the same category of riding without insurance or riding on illegal trails.

But if you have a legal plate on your bike it will get broken. Having a slightly smaller flexi plate is the best option IMHO as the chances are it won't get broken, and having something is better than nothing. Still illegal though, but at least you can have a reasoned argument with the Rozzer.

I do think that some folks go too far with their number plates, going ridiculously small as opposed to slightly smaller; which is of course entirely their choice.
 
Last time I rode on the Plain was for the last Setra enduro. On the Saturday before the event we went for a gentle run around to help with the course set up. My KTM had the small number plate on the mudguard to which I added the full size barn door version. Of course after the first time I dropped it the big plate was broken in two and no longer legal. The army ranger was fair enough to see I had made an effort.

Presumably if your full sized plate is broken in a fall you are supposed to immediately head home?

Does anyone made a full sized legal plate that is also flexible?
 
DangerUK do full size flexi plates. Get them on 01263 731 885 / www.danger-uk.co.uk

Whilst they are legal in terms of size, they are still not road legal. However a full size flexi will reduce your chances of grief IMHO...

Heres a thought: I normally ride with a Kriega rucksack so may as well zip tie a legal plate to that !
 
DollyRocket said:
Calling all Salisbury plain riders ....

The police and MOD are having a major crackdown on riders on the plain. I was stopped 4 times on sunday, 3 by the police and once by a ranger. I had my map, my bike was licensed and I was very friendly - so much so that when I saw the police a few hours later they just waved and had a laugh about it.

Quite rightly, they are stopping unlicensed and illegal riders. They are also confirming that you know where you are (so have your maps on you!) and you are only on byways or the all weather track. They have had problems of riders going off-piste into the ammunition dump areas and it is more about education / out-reach rather than pulling you up on mini plates and speeding down tracks.
Click to expand...

Seems fair enough.
 
Crapaud said:
Presumably if your full sized plate is broken in a fall you are supposed to immediately head home?
Click to expand...

Continuing to ride the bike on a public highway would be illegal. So you clearly have no option but to call the AA / RAC etc..

Imagine doing that?

:blast
 
interesting, i played around there last weekend, didnt get stopped once, heck didnt see another sould on the tracks with exception of a hiker who decided to pitch his tent, in the middle of the track, causing me to have to go "off piste" to carry on (ok for the whole of 10m but still, dammed lucky i wasnt going too fast!)
 
Jimbodubya said:
I got stopped on the plain at the weekend and they were stopping illegal vehicles like scramblers/pit bikes/etc and I was riding on the main concrete tank road at about 30mph when I then saw a police land rover discovery swerve at me from the other side of the road and went in front of me!! I then had to slam on my brakes which caused me to loose control slightly and I s*#t myself!
Click to expand...

A well orchestrated "off" should have been performed. :D

A wonder how much paperwork that would create for them?

I got stopped last year whilst out with 2 total hooligans ("bakerman" and "honda dave"):D.

It took 7 police officers and 4 police landrovers an hour to rectify an issue of insurance on one of the bikes...

weearnedthosetickets.jpg


Up until this point, i had a lot of respect for the law. Now i can't help but feel most of them are a total waste of public money.

Kinda puts you off stopping for them, and they "aren't allowed to persue in case you have an accident". :D

Those were the words of the policeman that stopped us, not mine .
 
Losttheplot said:
Kinda puts you off stopping for them, and they "aren't allowed to persue in case you have an accident".
Click to expand...

is that civi plod or RMPs?? if on the plain you are under military jurisdiction not civilian, i wonder if any of the rules change?

although if i get chased by a chopper, under military jursidiction that would have to be an apache, thats got to be worth a couple of pints surely??
 
JKW said:
If your bike has a number plate which does not conform to the standard laid down in UK law, then it is also 'an illegal bike'. I love the way that some laws should be applied and others not! :rob It's evident from your comments that you feel you have been wronged - why? You obviously knew your number plate was illegal - or if you didn't then you should have - so why complain? :confused:
Click to expand...

I did feel I'd been wronged due to the fact the police were up there to stop scramblers, pit bikes, buggies, etc. all of these obviously are not insured, taxed, mot'd and the riders probably don't have bike licences. So when I'm riding up there with a full licence, fully legal bike, (except for the small number plate) and on a byway, rather than seeing that I have spent time and money to be legal up there, they go and fine me for something so minor! And what would happen to the lad on the scrambler??? One of two things: he'd have his £200 bike squashed and just buy another or nothing would of happened to him because he wouldn't of stopped!!!! :nenau
 
DrogoNevets said:
is that civi plod or RMPs?? if on the plain you are under military jurisdiction not civilian,
Click to expand...
That isn't correct. I'd hate to think that anyone believed that "civi plod" could safely be ignored if they were on the Plain.
 
WindyChuffer said:
But if you have a legal plate on your bike it will get broken. .
Click to expand...

I've broken mirrors, headlights, levers and bent the handlebars but never broken a number plate.

DrogoNevets said:
although if i get chased by a chopper, under military jursidiction that would have to be an apache, thats got to be worth a couple of pints surely??
Click to expand...

A group of us on GS's got chased by a helicopter a few years ago. When they finally stopped us they moaned about us being just a bunch of old blokes, and not the tearaways they thought we were. :D
 
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