I've been pulled with an illegal component. What's the score?
The letter of the law: Riding with a tyre or exhaust marked 'not for road use' is obviously an infringement of the law. Similarly, a numberplate with small characters or tight spacing will also be deemed illegal. Characters must be at least 64mm high and 44mm wide, with a stroke width of 10mm. The margin around them should be no less than 1.1 mm.

The reality: Confronted with a loud pipe or a small plate, the policeman has a choice. If he's feeling nice and you're convincingly humble, he'll issue a rectification notice. You then go home, refit your standard pipe or plate and get the ticket stamped at an MoT station. Case closed. Unfortunately, most traffic officers no longer consider this punitive enough and will therefore give you a £30 fixed penalty notice. All you need to do to help your cause is be apologetic, polite and cool. A race tyre, stamped 'not for highway use' or similar, is a more serious issue. You will almost certainly be booked, if your lucky you'll get a £30 fixed penalty notice, if not then its off to court and a much bigger fine.

Can I wear a dark visor?
The letter of the law: To be legal, visors must conform to BS4110, which ensures an acceptable level of scratch resistance and permits a minimum of 50 per cent of light to pass through it in practice, a very light tint. The use of sunglasses and tear-offs is permitted.

The reality: In general, this is a far smaller issue for the police than the motorcycling press would have you believe. It's common sense; get caught with a black visor at night and you're in trouble. Conversely, use such a visor on a bright, wintry morning with a low sun, carrying a clear one just in case, and you're unlikely to be bothered.