Bike has a valuable number plate ....

If provenance is not important then sell it..Do not believe values though.Many dealers inflate prices so you do not get the full amount until they sell it for you.

We never actually oen the number so I cannot understand what all the fuss is about..If you take it off the vehicle foes it run any worse?

I am probably alone with this attitude.There is no right or wrong.

Previously charles_newall wrote:

I have a 1950s bike (not a Norton) with an original number plate.

According to the number plate sites, it's worth around £2500, which is about 40% of the current value of the bike.

The bike is not that rare, but is in good condition and I have some records as to its previous history.

So what do I do? £2500 could be easily be put to better use than being a simple number plate, but will I put off future owners if the bike has an age related but non transferable plate?

Any views

thanks Charles

Hi Charles. This is not completely relative to your quandary and of course other will agree that this is your choice. But some years ago my Uncle whom was a dispatch rider during his time in the forces rode a 350 Matchless. He was by trade a mechanic and in his retirement years he bought a 350 matchless to restore, it was a thing to behold when completed. If I had had the money in those distant days I would have bought it but alas it was sold tosomeone with a larger bank account than mine. Later, when I had a touch of disposable income I attempted to trace it in order to buy it back. It turned out that the buyer only wanted the number plate and had no interest in the bike. The bike was never re-registered and the plate was transferred to a range rover. Very sad.

Mark.

Charles,

If there's one thing that puts me personally off buying a bike it is an age related plate, right off.The only two excuses for having one in my opinion are no documents or it's an import.

I have seen so many bikes especially oily rag utterly ruined by a greedy owner or dealer. This includes a very well known Scott that used to carry the reg HE 5 now ruined for the rest of time.

Greedy, disrespectfulb******s.

Jim

'According to the number plate sites, it's worth around £2500,'

The plate traders' valuations are all a bit of a con I'm afraid and I'd be amazed if you received anything near the figures they quote to you. We recently sold such a plate (from a family-member's car, not a desirable old motorbike - relax!)

The trader 'valued' the number at c£3000 so we agreed to it being included in their listings. A few months passed with no further word from them until they made contact to say that the market was 'slow' at present but they'd had an offer of £750, were we interested? On being given an emphatic 'no thanks' their response was 'well what's the minimum you would take for it?' Bunch of shysters. After nearly a year we eventually agreed to let it go for £1500.