Hi guys and gals. I've been watching the database forms come in and I noticed that few people want to forward their bike's license plate number. You give up your private telephone number and your private address and even your private cell phone number but you won't give up the most public thing you own which is your license plate number. It sits on the back of your bike where everyone can see it but you won't enter it on the database list to help identify your bike which could come in very handy if you saw a potential members bike in a mall parking lot and because you'd know for certain whose bike it is you wouldn't mind sitting and waiting for the owner to come out and meet you then go for a coffee. Can anyone here please tell me why you are afraid to share your license plate number, I mean we know where you live and how to reach you so what is the mystery with hiding the exposed, public license plate number? I am not trying to force anyone to give out info they don't want to I just want to know why you choose to hide your public license plate number. Maybe I need to learn something here. As far as I know only the police are allowed access to license plate number info, so, does that mean all you guys are hiding from the police?

Hi Vic,
I agree with you, it just don`t understand either. Maybe someone will explain it.
I feel like this is a very good idea overall with many benefits for all. oh well.....

Like I know what my license plate number is off the top of my head!

Not like I am about to go out to the garage to take a look either, if I did that I would be going for a ride instead of coming back to the PC again!

Now there's an honest answer.

Are you going have a list of the #'s with you & every time you see a Goldwing parked get out list & check it. There is not room to list all my bikes, how can he list all my plate #'s.

Poorboy

I've had my bike 25 years and cant remember how many times the guy at the border asks me what the # is or the guy behind the desk at the motel...

I know my memory is bad...... but 25 years isnt a short term memory problem.

My car maybe, I've only had that 3 years.... the guy at the border can see my front plate and doesnt ask me :)

What Unionjack said.

I believe the low response rate to the collection of member information can be directly attributed to the concerns everyone have regarding the vast amount of identity theft going on in the world. I would compare this issue to keeping your home phone number unlisted. If I wanted people to be able to find my phone number, I wouldn't have paid extra money every month to the phone company to keep my number out of the books. I know it may be hard to believe, but some of us who are not criminals or wanted by the police, don't want those who are wanted to be able to figure out where are "wings" are hidden . The more personal information you release to an online searchable site, or place on the internet; directly increase the chances someone you don't want showing up at your door, or using that information, causing you financial loss.

Let me be clear. I'm not talking about the "regulars" on this site who I'm sure would NEVER intentionally, or improperly share potentially harmful personal information about other wingers. I know that providing a select few of you my true identity isn't going to cause me any hardships, and to the contrary, Once meeting you would most likely result in my offer to purchase you an adult beverage of your choosing, followed by my expression of gratitude for all the help you've provided to me since I purchased my wing!

I believe the problem is all the "webcrawlers" that scour the internet daily searching for "information" that MAY end up in a publicly viewable search engine. Information that could be used to create or forge license or registration documents, or allow a person utilizing the Freedom of Information Act(FOIL) to send (FOIL) requests to the Dept. of Motor Vehicles. It's mine understanding they will actually reply here in N.Y., and provide copies or registration documents with personal information.

One of the biggest online frauds today is taking pictures of vehicles, RV's, and such and "impersonating" the owner of such items to defraud others by "selling" something they don't actually own to un-suspecting victims. If you want to learn more, check out the Internet Crime Complaint Center(http://www.ic3.gov) website. The FBI provides a lot of useful links with information about keeping your identity and personal information safe, and current trends in online crime.

I would have no problem with another "gl1200goldwing" member waiting along side my "84" in a parking lot,(once I get it on the road this spring and can actually drive to a parking lot ) approaching me and asking me if I'm really "84Wing_New_York." However having a spreadsheet or database inadvertently listed or somehow finding it's way on the internet or a public forum just isn't wise in my opinion.

Sorry for my doom and gloom attitude on this matter, but I personally don't believe I'm going to post my plate number this spring when I get it. I will apologize upfront if this offends anyones best intentions, but it's my experience that posting personal information on the internet is asking for problems that are easily avoided by waiting till you actually meet at a rally or other social event and are able to personally judge if you want me showing up at your front door someday..

No offense intended and I'm not trying to scare you but it sounds like you need to place a cover over your license plate because more strangers would see your plate number on an average ride than would see it if exposed here on an average day on this site. Now, regarding security and exposing your license plate number. I suppose a lot would hinge upon where you live. I live in a small friendly town where my doors are often left unlocked or even open overnight but I would imagine that if I lived in New York city then it's plausible that things could go missing even while I'm standing right beside them. I think the bottom line here is each individual's personal sense of security but still it's hard for me to understand why anyone would hide their publicly exposed license plate number but would freely give out their address. Besides I'm probably just spoiled by the G.W.R.R.A. Gold Book which lists the personal information of fellow Wingers across the world.

Had another tough question I really couldn't answer from a customer today.

How come the shirts you get back from the cleaners have the hanger hook going this way


instead of this way?




I asked him "Why don't we eat blue food?"

We called it a draw......

Bob, I take it your not a big fan of Blue Cheese.

And blueberry pie.

Perhaps a license plate frame with our user name would be better?

Thanks Vic, now I'll have to stop at the Chilliwack airport coffee shop tomorrow on my way to the Abbotsford Motorcycle show for a slice of their famous pie.
It should make for a good breakfast.
And yes, blue food is beautiful.

Now there's an idea that I really like. If you saw Tricky's Wing you'd see where he has his username on a small plate on the right hand side of the dash. Without that plate it would be very hard to tell his bike from another bike of the same color. I think I'll follow up on that plate frame idea and see what it would take to have it done.