CONNECTICUT

Motorcycle registration started at the same time as state automobile registration on May 23, 1903.  There was no distinction between types of motor vehicles, and rear plates were owner-provided.  When a new law was passed on July 13, 1905, requiring state-issued plates for automobiles, motorcycles began a separate numbering series starting at #C01.  However, single plates for motorcycles remained owner-provided.  The size of the numbers and "C" prefix was now specified at 1 inch tall instead of the previous 3-inch height.  1905-09 numbers issued by reporting period are listed on the Connecticut Pre-state State page.

Registration became annual on September 1, 1907, and the motorcycle fee was set at 50c, a reduction from the previous $1 fee.  There were no changes to the type of plate required.  In the spring of 1908, it appears that new motorcycle registrations began re-issuing dormant lower numbers, just like passenger plates.  At this point, motorcycle numbers were just about to go over #C01000.  The highest documented motorcycle number from state records is #C01217 as of May 1, 1909, although it is expected that numbers progressed higher than that by the end of 1909.

When annual registration was changed to a calendar year basis on January 1, 1910, new motor vehicle plates began to be issued annually.  However, motorcycle plates remained owner-provided with the same specifications as before.  #02155 is the highest motorcycle number listed in a 1910 registration directory published as of May 15, 1910.

State-issued motorcycle plates began in 1912 as a result of a new law, 1911 Chapter 85, passed June 6, 1911, and effective January 1, 1912.  This law provided for annual state-issued pairs of motorcycle plates.  The 1912 and 1913 plates were undated, in the same colors as passenger plates as follows:  White on Green in 1912 and White on Dark Blue in 1913.  The highest known 1912 motorcycle plate is #C2392.  Plates for Motorcycle Dealers (starting at #C1D) and Motorcycle Manufacturers (starting at #C1M) also began in 1912, presumably in reverse colors of passenger plates, but no examples of either type are known before 1913.