Hello Community,
I have been riding a 2003 CBR600 f4i in Ottawa, Ontario for the past three years. Shortly after buying the bike I performed a typical fender elimination mod with an M-1 hardware kit from Ebay, and a Clear Alternatives integrated tail/turn which was purchased from a local dealership.
I enjoyed the bike in this state without mishap until last Saturday, when I was pulled over while leaving a Costco parking lot. The cop was greatly bothered by the placement of my license plate ('would only be visible to aircraft'), the lack of proper mudflaps ('there should be a large piece of plastic here that you apparently decided to remove'), and what he considered to be a dangerous amount of wear on my rear tire (bogus, as my mechanic just inspected the tire and confirmed that it has 20% wear left before it will need to be replaced).
The cop ended up charging me with two highway traffic act violations; one for the plate, and another for improper mudflaps. The two tickets total $220.

This sucks for many reasons, the worst being that before doing any work on the bike I took what I thought were reasonable measures to ensure that the modification would comply with the law.

With my fathers help I was able to prove that the plate can be seen from a seated position in a vehicle 30 feet behind the bike. I believe that meets the criteria for proper plate placement. I also believe that the plate, in this modified position, functions as a suitable mudguard.

I plan on taking the case to court, but before I get too worked up I would really like to make sure I'm not overreacting. I have attached a photo of my bike, and I would appreciate as many honest opinions as possible on the work I have done. If I have unwittingly turned the bike into a bandit mobile, please give me a good verbal smack as I would rather get it here than anywhere else.

Thanks for reading,
Tim

 

I can't say much without knowing the exact laws, but I'd say take it to court and have a judge or someone else inspect it themselves. Honestly I don't know why the cop was so upset over the plate - it's FAR better than the people who mount it by their shock or on the swing arm IMO. As for the mudguard, around here I believe the only required piece of equipment back there is the reflector.

But bikes get away with so much crap, it's hard to say. Like I said, if I was in your situation, I'd get a second opinion from a verifiable source (police officer, district attorney, what have you).

 

that cop must have just had a bad day, or was just a *****. Im thinking the latter. There is nothing wrong with that plate placement that should have made the cop even mention it. Im also not aware of any state laws that state you must have a mudflap on a bike. In order for a flap to do any good, it would have to be mere inches from the ground. the only thing the flap does is protect the rider of the bike from rocks and water being kicked up by the tire. It does nothing in regards to other drivers. Its not the same concept as say a semi's flap.

Now, wether or not the cop is correct is another story. It all depends on the state laws. Best advice is to go to court and fight it. One, the cop may not even show up, thats an automatic win for you. two, Since the cop was this unreasonable with you, chances are pretty good he was also with others and has a record of having his tickets disputed, and the judge may be sick of seeing him.

 

angle the plate downwards some and you should be fine. Look at mine

 

with the simple nature of the tickets, i dont think the officer will waste his time to go to court over this. i think the judge will drop this one. dont know if canada is diff. but in america if the cop dont show it will be thrown out. PlayfulGod has the solution , change the angle of the tag .and no more slow wheelies at costco. kiddin... good luck bro

 

Alright guys, that's great. I have changed the angle of the plate as suggested by PlayfulGod and also installed a super bright plate light assembly for safe measure. I also consulted several reputable sources including a mechanic and a police officer, so I feel I have enough information to successfully fight the charges.

Thanks for your help,

Tim

 

Does Canada not make their statutes available for public viewing? That seems incredibly shady. Here in the states, you can just go read the vehicle laws, and make sure that you comply.

 

+1

i was going to say the exact same thing....+1 is easier, though. thanks justasquid!

 

+1 definatly look up exactly what he wrote you up for. Here in the states that ticket won't even be looked at till you have a state inspector look at your bike and confirm what he wrote or give you a 30 day grace period to make the bike comply with the law. Only then will you have to fork over money if not complied with.

 

I'm in Toronto myself, so I'm not trying to bust your *****,

BUT,

I think that plate needs to be angled down a bit, it does seem angled unnecessarily high...

Also, that rear tire is looking a bit suspect lol.

Either way, those tickets will most likely NOT stick so, all in all, it will just be time wasted in court.

Everybody riding a sportbike up here gets targeted to no end.