# Customized motorcycle plates

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/customized-motorcycle-plates/325652>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 10, 2005, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/customized-motorcycle-plates/325652 "2005-10-10T23:28:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/customized-motorcycle-plates/325652/1 "2005-10-10T23:28:24Z")

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background: My girlfriend has a name that is not a common “American” name. As such, she complains that she cannot find tourist-trap type things with her name on it.

I would like to get her one of those little motorcycle sized license plates with her name on it. You know the ones.

Can anyone point me somewhere I could have one of these made?

I found some customization sites, but not ones that would make the small-size plates with a “California plate” look.

Help!

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**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/customized-motorcycle-plates/325652/2 "2005-10-10T23:46:35Z")

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> [@CynicalGabe](#):
>
> background: My girlfriend has a name that is not a common “American” name. As such, she complains that she cannot find tourist-trap type things with her name on it.
> 
> I would like to get her one of those little motorcycle sized license plates with her name on it. You know the ones.
> 
> Can anyone point me somewhere I could have one of these made?
> 
> I found some customization sites, but not ones that would make the small-size plates with a “California plate” look.
> 
> Help!

I see you’re in Ca.  
Check this site.  
[http://www.dmv.ca.gov/online/elp/elp\_mc.htm](http://www.dmv.ca.gov/online/elp/elp_mc.htm)

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**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/customized-motorcycle-plates/325652/3 "2005-10-11T00:03:37Z")

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> [@ltfire](#):
>
> I see you’re in Ca.  
> Check this site.  
> [http://www.dmv.ca.gov/online/elp/elp\_mc.htm](http://www.dmv.ca.gov/online/elp/elp_mc.htm)

Those are for actual plates. Im looking for novelty plates that can fit an entire name on them. Thanks for looking, though.

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**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/customized-motorcycle-plates/325652/4 "2005-10-11T00:05:47Z")

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Good ol’ J.C.Whitney sells a very nice cast custom plate that says whatever you want, in a choice of fonts. The one on the front of my truck says “UNION MADE.”

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**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/customized-motorcycle-plates/325652/5 "2005-10-11T00:18:22Z")

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> [@CynicalGabe](#):
>
> Those are for actual plates. Im looking for novelty plates that can fit an entire name on them. Thanks for looking, though.

I was thinking along the lines of…you mention an unusual name…depending on how many letters are in the name (NY restricts you to 8 letters) you could probably be the first to request that plate. That would be cool, no?