Black and silver numberplate. Should I or shouldnt I ?

[DomP]

Cheeky black and silver plates on my xs650b and a slightly smaller portrait one side mounted on my cb550

[Spitfire]

I think I'll stick with the yellow one that was on the bike when I bought it in 1976, my days of turning the lights off on the motorway and nipping down a slip road are well past.

Cheers

Dennis

[Nashfly]

Each to their own - put on which plate you prefer

My 3 classic bikes all have pressed black & silver plates, because I prefer the look of them

Given that pressed plates are easily bent, I have perspex plates behind them for reinforcement - well worth doing

My nearly finished 1972 CB500 four is an RC181 replica from 1967, so I have purchased an 'E' suffix Plate from that year to transfer onto it - to me it's a nice touch, to others it's frivolous.....as I said at the start of this post: 'each to their own '

[Johnny4428]

Personal preferences. I only have one Honda with a black and silver plate my 1973 750k3, I did “him and hay” about the type of plate to put on it but i agree with Julie that later 70’s bike with these plates on look a bit strange.

[Athame57]

Personally, I think bikes look strange with the wrong colour after about N reg, it doesn't sit well on the eye for some reason.

I think they need wire wheels for black plates and a lack of plastic too, as with my 1978 S reg CB400f2. Cast wheels and plastic just don't look classic anymore.

[Oddjob]

Depends on the style of casting. I have Lesters on my 500 and they suit the black and silver plate being black and silver themselves.

[Murf]

 I am going to put a black and silver plate on my 1975 550 N reg  and think it will look ok but wouldn’t dream of putting one on my 1979 CBX it would just look wrong.

[Athame57]

I am going to put a black and silver plate on my 1975 550 N reg  and think it will look ok but wouldn’t dream of putting one on my 1979 CBX it would just look wrong.

Then again, up until 1988 British forces in Germany all had black number plates ending in B, like this one. ( although I'm sure this is a UK B reg example.) When it is official it is normal again!

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

All this talk about black & white number plates reminded me of the plates you saw in the late 1960's that were Export Home Delivery Temporary Number Plates, the VRM's were not the usual ones for the County Letters iirc.

They were Black & White plates with a distinctive yellow border, you could drive for a limited period in the UK (6 months?)  before you exported the vehicle abroad. Back then there was no VAT, just purchase tax, the yellow border showed HMRC that the vehicle had been purchesed without this tax.

[Woodside]

Yes
Your bike should be yellow and black plates
No argument
If you want it original that's how it is.
No body in the 70's wanted black plates it just aged the bikes .
It's just a new modern trendy thing

[Woodside]

For example...
Every barn find bike of a certain age has a yellow and black plate..if you want to look original...
No bike after 71ish would have ablack silver plate why would you spend thousands of pounds on a restoration and then put the wrong period number plate on it
 

[Johnny4428]

Just to throw a spanner in the works, the number plate is not part of the motorcycle as such!😳 Don’t think Honda made them! It’s an accessory requirement to enable us to take to the highway.😜

[Nashfly]

Yes
Your bike should be yellow and black plates
No argument
If you want it original that's how it is.
No body in the 70's wanted black plates it just aged the bikes .
It's just a new modern trendy thing

Your post has made my day, at the age of 70 I'm "Moden & Trendy"!

My brain has known this for years, it's just my body that's letting the side down

[DomP]

I get a black/silver plate reprieve then because my 550 isn't a restoration

[Athame57]

It's just a new modern trendy thing

I don't agree  I got old fashioned number plates because I'm an old fashioned guy. Black number plates are for people who think things should be the way they used to be. ( within reason!  ) Bring back the birch!