Ah-nold

[Dan Hodges]

Re: Check the facts

Originally posted by fredintoon
Hi Mike,
because you ain't heard of it don't mean it ain't so.
Considerable chatter on the SCT site regarding Arnie's little incident and the alleged lack of a proper licence.
No less a sidecar Guru than Hal Kendall has assured the SCT list that California allows sidecar rigs, trikes etc to be driven by those only having a car licence and it's been that way since 1981.
Fred Hill, S'toon.

People backing out of driveway's into the street are supposed to yield the right of way to on coming traffic and this lady could have been ticketed if the officer was so inclined.Nonetheless,people on motorcycle's have to watch out for little old ladies because on a motorcycle, you may be right but you will get the worst of it in any confrontation with little ole ladies.You do not need to be motorcycle qualified to operate a motorcycle with a side car in California because it has more than two wheel's and subsequently is not a motorcycle as defined by the California statues.If the officer had written him a ticket, it would have been thrown out when it went to court and the officer would have looked like an incompetent idiot.If Arnold had been wearing the proper helment he would not have gotten hurt,but by law he does not have to.Justice is applied equally to every one,the have's and the have not's are both afforded equal protection under the law.The moral of this story,wear your helment and look out for little old ladies and turn the channel the next time the Terminator comes on TV.

[xs650mike]

OK Fred, but he still rode solo without an M1 endorsement for many years and did it more often than he rode with a hack. I suppose he'll get properly licensed now. I rode for years without a motorcycle license too but they didn't have one back then.

[xs650mike]

Re: Re: Check the facts

Originally posted by Dan Hodges
...You do not need to be motorcycle qualified to operate a motorcycle with a side car in California because it has more than two wheel's and subsequently is not a motorcycle as defined by the California statues...

Kind of strange how an outfit or trike is not considered a motorcycle for purposes of driving licenses but for purposes of registration it is. Trikes, sidehacks and even my friend's Morgan 3-wheel car are issued motorcycle plates. The bureaucratic mind is perverse!

[DiverRay]

Mike,
California has had Motorcycle endorsments for as long as you've been riding!! My dad needed one in the '50s, although he'd been riding since the early 40's.
Ray

[mro]

Motorcycle endorsments

Took my youngest to DMV for her driving test last Friday, while waiting decided to get MC license. Had one back in 69, but just never renewed, then moved out state. Never got one in Texas or Florida either (never thought about it).

Made me take both car and bike written exam
2 years left on reg license and no violations for more than 8-10 years.
Have to make separate "appointment" for "skills" test though.
Cost 26 bucks too



mro

[xs650mike]

Originally posted by DiverRay
Mike,
California has had Motorcycle endorsments for as long as you've been riding!! My dad needed one in the '50s, although he'd been riding since the early 40's.
Ray

Guess those cops that stopped me a bunch of times back then didn't know that because it was never mentioned. I didn't know about it myself until my license came up for renewal in the '70s and I didn't have a car to take the test. I was issued a license restricted to "motorcycle only". The license test was an absolute joke. The examiner had me position my bike about 50 ft. away from him and asked me to ride down a painted line towards him "as slowly as you can". I stood on the pegs working the bars and blipping the gas and after a minute of me not moving he yelled, "Forget it!" Had me ride around the block as he observed me as best he could from the DMV parking lot. I passed. Aced the written test too.

[mro]

I passed

When I took mine he had me ride to end of parking lot and come back and park. That’s it.

By the way don't remember when Cal started helmet law. Must have been while I was gone.


mro

[xs650mike]

Re: I passed

Originally posted by mro
When I took mine he had me ride to end of parking lot and come back and park. That’s it.

By the way don't remember when Cal started helmet law. Must have been while I was gone.


mro

No kidding? No ride around the little circle with your front wheel between the lines, both clockwise and counterclockwise? They've made me do that twice, once in the '80s and again just recently. In the '80s I had a bike with a frame mount fairing and couldn't even see the front wheel but I somehow passed. Last time I rode my 400. I may be old but I'm not stupid!

I didn't pay much attention to the helmet law since I always wore a helmet anyway. Think it was sometime in the early '80s, my neighbor actually quit riding and sold his bike over this. He also used to ride with sunglasses on, at night! Only to the bar and back though, never took his bike out at all except to go to the bar. Guess what brand he rode...oink oink!

[mro]

He also used to ride with sunglasses on, at night! Only to the bar and back though, n

in 69 they didn't have any "circles" or lines for bikes.

And (He also used to ride with sunglasses on, at night! Only to the bar and back though, never took his bike out at all except to go to the bar. Guess what brand he rode...oink oink!)

I don't remember seeing you then so how'd you know.


mro

[Dan Hodges]

Re: I passed

Originally posted by mro
When I took mine he had me ride to end of parking lot and come back and park. That’s it.

By the way don't remember when Cal started helmet law. Must have been while I was gone.


mro

California does not require a brain bucket,but any one who want's to keep their brain intact should wear one if they are going to operate one of these types of vehicle's.Illinois doesn't require helment's either and you see the old guy's riding their cruiser's around with out them and the 20 year old's on crotch rocket's are wearing their's.Who is supposed to have the most sense here,I sometime's wonder.

[xs650mike]

Re: Re: I passed

Originally posted by Dan Hodges
California does not require a brain bucket,but any one who want's to keep their brain intact should wear one if they are going to operate one of these types of vehicle's.Illinois doesn't require helment's either and you see the old guy's riding their cruiser's around with out them and the 20 year old's on crotch rocket's are wearing their's.Who is supposed to have the most sense here,I sometime's wonder.

Oh yes California does require DOT approved helmets! Of course most of the Harley folks like those silly little novelty beanies since if they're forced to wear a helmet they're gonna make damn sure it won't save their noggin. One guy I know actually cut the chin strap and put in a dress snap to hold it on thereby guaranteeing it will come off in a crash. He very proudly showed it to me. Considers it a defense of his Sacred Liberty! He also thinks 20" apes are more comfortable than stock bars so go figure.

The California cops used to check helmets to see if they were DOT approved but since the shops that sell the little beanies started giving away a little sticker reading "DOT" with every purchase they gave up on enforcement. I suppose the reasoning is to let Darwin's law take precedence. They will however write in the accident report that the rider was not wearing an approved helmet whenever one of these clowns is killed.

[Erik the Red]

Michigan has had a helmet law since I started riding (~7 whole years ago ) however neither Ohio nor Wisconsin do. At the borders you see people taking their helmet (usually it's the beanie, so I'll say "headgear") off with one hand as they're steering with the other doing 70-80 mph on the interstate. They don't even wait till they take their next gas stop.

Once again, Darwin who?

[LoHo]

>The California cops used to check helmets to see if they were >DOT approved but since the shops that sell the little beanies >started giving away a little sticker reading "DOT" with every >purchase they gave up on enforcement.

Nope...they enforce it if they have nothing better to do. I was in a group of five bikes stopped at an ATM. As we pulled out on the street, a cruiser put the lights on us and ticketed one of us for non-compliant helmet. My pal did the "I've been wearing this for years" bit, but the cop just said that he would have ticketed him each time if he'd been there. I guess the group of 40s/50s bikers, four teachers and mechanic, posed a threat to society. I wasn't too broken up though; I've given him grief about his tupperware lid for years.

[xs650mike]

Must've been a local cop. I was with a rider stopped by CHP for not signalling lane changes. Officer mentioned the guy's beanie but didn't issue a ticket, just told him he ought to have a helmet (there was a phony "DOT" sticker on the back of the beanie). He checked to see that the turn signals functioned and told the rider to be sure to use them but no ticket for that either. I took the opportunity to ask if it was OK to use hand signals in lieu of blinkers and the cop said yes but only in the daytime.

I have ridden in a couple of poker runs with Iron Pigs MC which is a law enforcement bike club. I notice that about half of those guys wear beanies and nearly all had very loud pipes on their Harleys. They also pretty much ignore speed limits except in towns.

[LoHo]

Yep, Mike, it was a local. I have heard a story about several off-duty Fresno PD officers being pulled over on a Poker Run by CHP. The PD did the "brothers of the badge" schtick, but the CHiP told them that they should know better and gave all four or five speeding tickets. Might be BS, but the CHiP's father-in-law told me the story.
Apparently, this CHiP is famous for being a hard-ass; another time he pulled a bike over and the guy said that he wasn't sure how fast he was going because his speedo wasn't accurate, obviously hoping for leniency. The CHiP gave him a speeding ticket AND a fix-it ticket...