[Huck Banzai]

So, Im finally going to get a 'hooptie' for biking trips. Living in NYC, need access to trails/mountains - so Ive got to do it!

NOW - I recall Dave Tufino, or WhoRyder, or one of those guys - saying they got a summons from NJ Police for obstructing the license plate.

Has this happened to anyone else? Is this common in NJ? NY? Is there some way of accommodating? Put your plate on the back of the rack? (I hear the plate must be 'permanently fixed' so not sure that works. Handwitten tag on trailer? what? It seems logical that they want to be able to see the plate from a reasonable distance, but it also seems rational/reasonable to use a rack or trailer.

Hmmm?

I welcome your stories and feedback! And will likely have a 3rd 'open' seat on a weekly basis from uptown manhattan, so get while the gettins good!

 

[IH8Rice]

i have never gotten a ticker nor do i know anyone who has gotten a ticket in Jersey for having a hitch rack blocking their plate.
i drove around for years with one and even with my bike completely blocking it, i have never gotten a ticket (for that).

 

[syadasti]

Never a problem for me. P.S. selling my hitch rack soon for a smaller single bike setup since I'm going to be moving and won't have a place to store my old rack.

 

[amishmatt]

Happened to me on my way to Diablo. On 94 in Hardyston Township, almost there and I got pulled for 60-something in a 45(?). Cop gave me a no point/no summons ticket for obstructed plate, it was something like $90.

I forgot about it until just now, but I meant to make a place to mount my plate on the rear of the rack for trips to Diablo.

 

[IH8Rice]

60something in a 45 is a sure way to get pulled over in Sussex county

 

[amishmatt]

No doubt. I'm not complaining. Had he cited me for speeding, it would have been a whole lot worse.

I take it easy on the happy pedal through there now.

 

[Hesh To Steel]

You can get away with ten over the limit on those little highways like 94, 23 and 517, but any more than that and ÿoure probably pushing your luck.

 

[IH8Rice]

23 is usually fine. i cruise that highway doing 60-80 most of the time. it does help to know where the predictable cops always sit.

 

[cracked]

Let's just put it this way........while "technically" speaking it is illegal in NYS to obstruct your tag, and you can be stopped for that type of violation;if you're obeying the law and acting normal you'll be fine; but if you look like you're doing wrong the officer will use that as his precursory stopping measure.
Now if you are breaking the law by doing what ever else( speeding, illegal lane change, reckless driving, littering, loud music, etc) the obstructed tag will probably be thrown in for good measure.

basically no officers I know( and I know a LOT) would stop you solely on the bike rack issue unless you are acting reckless, suspicious or blatantly and flagrantly violating the law

JM2C.


edited to add: that if you even have that little license plate light out of order you can be stopped for it. that can lead to a whole host of other issues for you if you're not a normal law abiding citizen.

 

[rossp]

my guess is that the last post is right - I have never had any issues with my rack (which totally covers the plate - hell, I even bought it from a shady guy called whoryder!!!!! )

So, I guess it's down to taking it easy on the road when you have your rack on - but based on how many cops I see when I'm on the way to Diablo, I drive up that way like a little ole lady!! If you get them on a bad day, then good luck....

 

[WhoRyder]

Yeah that "Tufino" character got a ticket for that....

but.... he said he was speeding the the officer gave him a break and just gave him a Citation for that... he is happy he has that instead of a speeding ticket....

 

[DownhillR3]

23 is usually fine. i cruise that highway doing 60-80 most of the time. it does help to know where the predictable cops always sit.

For sure, drive that road almost everyday.

 

[IH8Rice]

For sure, drive that road almost everyday.

where you from? my office is in Wayne down 23 south

 

[oiswego]

i come from the city as well----

if you don't have your "hooptie" yet, i'd recommend either getting a jeep or a light truck like an s-10 with the extended cab (fit 3 people easy, 4 if they are small like midgets).

i've been cramming my bikes in the back of my grand cherokee since day one of riding, and yes---it can be a pain in the ass, but i can easily fit in 2 dh bikes and sometimes a third urban bike (turns out and evil imperial really CAN go downhilling!).
no chance for a ticket there....

the other thing you should look into is zipcar---you can get a truck for like $120 a day i think, cheaper if you do by the hour for 6-7 hours or so .
i'd look into it if i were you---parking is a bitch in manhattan.

a good site i found though is bestparking.com .
i found a place on west 49th and 10th for $200 a month -- little bit of a bitch to get there, but the price is right!

let me know when you go riding, i've got a season pass to diablo so if it's just you going somehwere, maybe we can hook up and split the costs instead of taking 2 cars.....

 

[oiswego]

i was on the way to jiminy last year with another monkey...
i got pulled over for speeding wayyyyy too fast (77 in a 55)....i ended up getting a ticket for obstructing my plate since i had some clear plastic over it.
it didn't make any sense to me, but i was not about to argue!

Let's just put it this way........while "technically" speaking it is illegal in NYS to obstruct your tag, and you can be stopped for that type of violation;if you're obeying the law and acting normal you'll be fine; but if you look like you're doing wrong the officer will use that as his precursory stopping measure.
Now if you are breaking the law by doing what ever else( speeding, illegal lane change, reckless driving, littering, loud music, etc) the obstructed tag will probably be thrown in for good measure.

basically no officers I know( and I know a LOT) would stop you solely on the bike rack issue unless you are acting reckless, suspicious or blatantly and flagrantly violating the law

JM2C.


edited to add: that if you even have that little license plate light out of order you can be stopped for it. that can lead to a whole host of other issues for you if you're not a normal law abiding citizen.

 

[GoBigStudios]

For whatever its worth I went through inspection with a hitch rack blocking my plate on my Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ive been driving around for the past 4 years with it on full time so I haven't had a problem.

Just like others have said, if you get pulled over for doing something else cops sometimes give you tickets with equal $ value and no points. Ive been pulled over for speeding and got tickets for having my ski season pass hanging from my mirror (obstruction of vision), failure to follow road signs etc.. instead of the speeding ticket.

 

[IH8Rice]

the other thing you should look into is zipcar---you can get a truck for like $120 a day i think, cheaper if you do by the hour for 6-7 hours or so .
i'd look into it if i were you---parking is a bitch in manhattan.

my brother uses Zipcar all the time since he's in a different city every month.
its also a fun way to try different cars out too. and if you need a truck, you can get one...or almost any other style of vehicle too

they have Tacomas for $80/day which isnt bad at all

 

[JustMtnB44]

I had never heard of anyone having a problem before this thread. I guess it just depends on the car/rack configuration and how much if any it obstructs the license plate. It works out well on my friend's car that the plate is just under the BB's on the bikes, so it is still easy to see. The tail lights however are somewhat blocked by the wheels, but it's not a problem to see them.

 

[DownhillR3]

Poor 'Vette.

 

[jonKranked]

Only in Pittsburgh would someone install a hitch rack on a 'vette.

 

[JustMtnB44]

Actually it is my friend from Buffalo who owns the 'vette. It's an '02 Z06 that he just bought a few months ago. That picture is from a trip we took to Snowshoe this past weekend. Like any car it's meant to be driven, so why take a less fun to drive car when you plan on doing 16+ hrs of driving in a weekend? He also autocrosses with it and put the hitch on so he can tow a small trailer of tools and track tires with him to auto-x events.

I don't know why everyone holds Corvettes in such a high regard. It may be the best car GM builds, but it's still a GM car and has many of the same quality issues. The fun to drive per dollar factor is extremely high, so I see no reason to keep it garaged 350 days a year like most 'vette owners seem to do. Drive the crap out of it like it was designed to do, don't just cruise around town on sunday afternoons.

Oh, and this setup is not as ridiculous as the Porsche Boxster that was also at Snowshoe with a roof rack. Yes, the Boxster is a convertible. I forgot to take a picture of that setup.

 

[IH8Rice]

no ones saying yer buddy shouldnt drive the car, but a Vette is probably the least practical car the any mfg makes to go on a 16+ hour drive...and that includes using a hitch.
ive seen a Lambo towing a trailer but that dont make it right.

and that Boxster roof rack is a factory option called the RTS- Roof Transport System and is somewhat common for yuppies who drive overpriced VW Beetles