Opinions on bike plates.

"Tohru" (tohrurokuno) 02/28/2016 at 15:04 • Filed to: two wheels good, ninja, motorcycle, wisconsin

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So, I got a motorcycle. 1994 Kawasaki Ninja 250 - 9300 miles, $750. I got it running today, so I figured I should look into getting it registered and plated. In Wisconsin, bike plates are good for two years, and expire at the end of April in even-numbered years. With any plate option, title fees are $69.50.

This is a ‘95 - the only difference is mine has black wheels and stock exhaust.

I’ve got three options for motorcycle plates that I qualify for.

These are standard plates. They’re black on white. They’d cost me $24.92 ($23 for 2 years, $1.92 prorated for March 2016), and expire in April 2018.
I can also get these personalized for an extra $30.

These are collector plates. They’re red on light blue. They’re for stock vehicles over 20 years old. They’d cost me $73, and they would never expire.

These are hobbyist plates. They’re yellow on green. They’re for modified vehicles over 20 years old. They’d also cost me $73, and would never expire.

For reference, car plates here are $75/year.

DarrenMR > Tohru 02/28/2016 at 15:10

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If it was me the Hobbyist is a no-brainer.

Gone > Tohru 02/28/2016 at 15:14

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Hobbyist in case you decide to mod it more. I mean it’s already piped...so not sure what their definition of “stock” is.

Justin Hughes > Tohru 02/28/2016 at 15:18

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Are there any restrictions on the bike’s use with those special plates? Here in MA, a vehicle with antique (25+ years old) can technically only be used to go to and from shows and meets and for test drives. So technically I couldn’t commute to work on an old bike with an antique plate, and considering how many speedtraps I pass on my various routes it would only be a matter of time until I got caught. No problem with the standard plate though.

Birddog > Tohru 02/28/2016 at 15:21

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Wow! That thing screams 1990s. Good looker too.

I’d go standard. Who knows how long you might keep it. Two years is a long time.

Tohru > Justin Hughes 02/28/2016 at 15:34

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The restrictions are:

- You must have another vehicle with standard plates on it.

- You can’t drive a collector- or hobbyist-plated vehicle in January.

Tohru > Birddog 02/28/2016 at 15:34

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I wish mine was that clean. The fairing is cracked on the right side near the turn signal, and the RF signal is missing.

Tohru > Gone 02/28/2016 at 15:37

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Mine has stock exhaust - picture was just representative of the bike.

I’m not planning on doing any modifications that would disqualify it from Collector status. It’s only a 250 - if I want more power I’ll get a bigger bike.

Gone > Tohru 02/28/2016 at 15:42

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I can’t read.

Well then, I change my answer to Collector plate. It shouldn’t matter, especially since they cost the same. But that’s what I’d do.

DrJohannVegas > Tohru 02/28/2016 at 16:14

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You’d have to own it at least 6 years for the specialty plates to make sense, so if you don’t think you’re gonna have it that long, go with the regular plates, spend the rest on gas and ride.

TFSIVTEC drivesavolvo > Tohru 02/28/2016 at 16:33

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I want to drive that bike back into the 90's! the paint and graphics are radical

facw > TFSIVTEC drivesavolvo 02/28/2016 at 19:36

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Purple and Teal 4ever!

MonkeePuzzle > Tohru 02/29/2016 at 00:26

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cheapest option. the ninja 250 is an excellent bike, but I suspect you may be interested in an upgrade somewhere about the 2 year mark, where you cheapest plates will expire. thats like $50 worht of gas into the 250, which will nigh on get you ‘round the moon!