Hello Brits! A query or two, if you please.

[Jeff N]

G'Day mates.

No, that's Aussie.  

Sorry.

I've a question that's very trivial.

I've been reading the British motorcycling magazines for years now. They're very informative and quite funny. I've even considered putting seatbelts on the throne to save myself.

I can work out the slang (especially that fag break thing) but what has me wondering is all this bother about the "parallel import" and "C REG" and "H REG" thing.

How does all that mean?

[Snowdog]

parallel import

Imported other than by the official importer. May be new or used, usually not the official UK model - e.g. likely to have KPH clocks rather than MPH.

"C REG" and "H REG"

The date prefix on the registration number that appears on our enormous plates. The prefix changed twice a year - in March and September.  Now replaced with a number system - There are two letters that denote where the vehicle was registered followed by two numbers denoting when - a vehicle registered now would be on an 07 plate - this will change to 57 in Sept.

[Jeff N]

OK, but how does this affect you all when purchasing a bike?

[FJR-UK]

OK, but how does this affect you all when purchasing a bike?

When we had registration letters, they were in alphabetical order, so an "A-reg" bike was five years older than an "E-reg" bike. You could tell the year of the bike by its registration number. Now, they've done away with that. My bike was purchased in London in the second half of 2002, so "L52" is the prefix of my registration number.

Don't ask my why they changed.

[Snowdog]

Parallel imports might have problems with support from the official dealer network and the manufacturer's warranty likely won't apply here. They might need some modification to conform to local standards (how the lights dip, getting speedo to read in MPH etc.) and might have some differences that make parts hard to get (like say - panels in colours not officially imported).

The date letter/number just tells you how old the bike is. A newer registration will sell better on otherwise identical bikes.

[Snowdog]

Don't ask my why they changed.

Because they reached the end of the alphabet?

[FJR-UK]

Because they reached the end of the alphabet?

Hi Pete. Where's your smilie? I thought they just started with A again?

On the continent, you can tell where the car is registered by the registration – certainly in Germany, Italy and Spain. Not sure about France. So, maybe it was a European directive that changed our system? Just a wild guess...

[Snowdog]

I thought they just started with A again?

It went through the alphabet once as a suffix, then once as a prefix - I guess the letter options were pretty much used up then.

[Jeff N]

Thanks for the answers! I'm going out for a fag and cuppa break now.  

[throttlemeister]

Hi Pete. Where's your smilie? I thought they just started with A again?

On the continent, you can tell where the car is registered by the registration – certainly in Germany, Italy and Spain. Not sure about France. So, maybe it was a European directive that changed our system? Just a wild guess...

France has the number of the district in the plate. Paris is 52 I believe.

Belgium has plates that belong to a person and they move from vehicle to vehicle. The lower the number, the older the person..

Holland has plates that change by date, so you can see the plate and know approximately how old the car is.

[Cpl Punishment]

T'was a great shame when the numbers changes-the letter used to tell you how old the bike was, the suffix (for example EJ-which would have been Ceredigion) told you where it was registered. None of that now.  

[BBB]

This link explains the system we have been using since September 2001:-

http://www.ukcar.com/features/reg_year_2.htm

And some info about what went before:-

http://www.ukcar.com/features/reg_year.htm