Anybody have issues getting bike inspected/legal ?? PA

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Hairyblackdude

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Hey all...

Was down my shop yesterday and my friend from around the corner popped over because he heard some toys being brought out & cleaned up for winter.. He runs a small motorcycle business, building, repairing, inspection etc.. Old school, been working on bikes for 35 yrs etc, master welder, just an awesome guy with solid advice, etc etc..

Anyway, he was saying that we might have some trouble making our bikes legal. Mine is just a TCBros hardtail, but my brother is making a KZ400 w/ a custom hardtail. He stretched the backend about 9-10" and its long & low. He said mine will probably be okay, but no way the KZ will be able to be riden on the road.

He said something about needing to take them to an enhanced(?) inspection station, and theres no way it'll pass..too long, not stock softtail etc..

He mentioned a story about his buddy who hardtailed an 82 sportster & the guy got stopped by a state trooper who basically told him if he ever saw this bike on the road again he'd take it.. Guy got $1000s in fines etc...

He told my brother that he might as well stop what he's doing right now because its just a waste of time, trust him- hes been in the business 35 yrs etc.

Have you guys ever heard of anything like this? I live in PA.

Thanks.
_marc
 
The Sportster story sounds fishy two dozen different ways. Anyway, if you started with a bike registered in state already, do you have to get it inspected?
 
in PA technically any time you do major modifications to a car they require an enhanced inspection. I would assume motorcycles would be the same way.

That being said how many of the beater cars you see with different colored fenders and doors from swapping parts from junk or wrecked cars do you think have been put through an enhanced inspection?

I don't plan on worrying about it myself, most people I know having started with a titled and or registered frame just keep it titled as the original bike.
 
Ya.. The bike is already registered and I have a title, but I do have to get it inspected every year..I think, maybe its more...

From what I understand, the guy with the sportster had all legit paperwork, inspection.. But he said the trooper that stopped him was a motorcycle owner & he knew that an 82 sportster was not a hardtail stock..

He broke the guys balls about not having the enhanced inspection stuff, gave him about $1000 in tickets and told him he was gonna take the bike if he ever saw it again..
 
I've heard stories like that happening in Mass. I have a friend that built a Paughco rigid big twin. New frame, with MSO, some new stuff, some used, some stuff he made. Went to register it, had to get inspected. The trooper pretty much said it would be impossible to ride in HIS state. Needed all new parts, with all reciepts, pretty much impossible shit like that. I say fuck the Man. Enough with the government taking our freedoms away. Fuck them.
 
I don't see why they should care if it's a hardtail...not their ass on the line.

In my state classic cars/bikes are exempt from inspection at 35 years old. I've never had my XS inspected, though I don't see any reason why it wouldn't pass. Still subject to hassling by the cops, but I've never had any trouble with them.

I have some friends with dune buggies. The basic rule is to pretend it's still an inspection-exempt volkswagen(which it is, only safer, in my opinion), make sure your build quality is good and it looks professional, and you'll probably never have a problem. But if you ever call it a dunebuggy at the DMV, you'll have the inspector on your doorstep wanting to inspect every weld and see receipts for every piece of steel in it.
 
I have lived in Pittsburgh the last 3 years after being born and raised in Ohio, 18 years in KY, and 2 years in Houston, TX. I work in an Auto Parts store and the stories I hear about the PA Auto Nazi's are disturbing to say the laest. I cannot address Motorcycles (mine is NOT inspected:bike: ) but if it goes anything like cars the inspection and stickering and subsequent enforcement is TOTALLY discretionary. That is, up to the inspecter/officer at the moment:yikes:. Really, really sucks.
Good Luck
 
i cant help ya there...i dont really know, just sharing what i found...find a chopper shop that does inspections or make a connection with a one of those "i'll slap a sticker on anything guys"
 
I found the section h manual you linked under the annual inspection section on the dmv website.

Looking at these forms it looks like an serious modification requires a change on the title, which makes sense as it would no longer fall under an xs650 once hardtailed. It would fail the annual inspection as its missing half the 'if originally equiped components' if it was looked at as an xs650.

http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/pdotforms/fact_sheets/Modified_Vehicle.pdf
http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/pdotforms/mv_forms/mv-426B.pdf

I have to get back to work, I'm going to have to turn off email notification to threads as I get too easily distracted. :doh:
 
I have bikes in both Florida and New York. My riders in NY have Florida tags on them. Florida has no inspection and NY does. Since i am only in NY on the road for limited time during the summer I leave it registered in Fla. I guess there is some law about how long a vehicle can be in the state before you need state reg though? I can always leave it my brothers in Connecticut for some time if they bust my balls but no problems so far.

I heard of others doing then same. I think Vermount is pretty lax about selling registrations and tags out of state. That might work for you?
 

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