Street Legality Checklist?

[obrian93]

Did a Google search on "motorcycle" and "street legal" and got LOADS of stuff about street-legal mods for bikes. More digging turned up an Indiana proposal regarding whether or not headlights should be required on bikes made after 1957 if they're taken on highways.

I'm starting from scratch with my bike. Frame, wheels, and not too much more.

Bikes sold in the US all (I'm assuming) follow the same set of guidelines for minimum equipment, and then a ton of other stuff that, while it might be great to have, isn't absolutely required to avoid a ticket.

My assumptions are:
Very confident I need a
headlight
tail/running light
brake light
rear turn signals

SORT of confident that I need
a horn
front turn/running lights

All the mechanical stop/go/turn stuff I'll need to just go somewhere, although I'm sure there are some req's for that, too. I'm able to find all kinds of stuff to make components legal (height of indicators, angle of headlight beam), but no single checklist of what needs to be installed to help me avoid a ticket.

Thanks!
O'Brian

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there O'Brian,

IIRC, even turn signals aren't MANDATORY, hence why they allow hand signals for minimalist equiped Custom HD's and such. DO you have State Inspections? IF so, then you could contact an inspection station and inquire as to what they check for!

Also, in my state, IF it's on the bike, it has to work. So if the turn signals are on, but don't work, you don't pass, BUT if it doesn't HAVE ANY turn signals, then it can pass!!!

Also, can't expect either cops or Inspection station to know whether the headlight ON ALL THE TIME applied to your year vehicle, so an On/Off switch may be allowed. The XJ had emergency flashers...ALL FOUR SIGNALS FLASH AT ONCE! It used a separate flasher for the ER circuit vs. the turn signals. I replaced my left hand switch set on my 81SH which originally had an ER switch, with an earlier model that didn't have one, so I had to splice in a switch and circuit for them, not too difficult!

So....Headlight with Low/High beams,
Tail light, and brake light, linked to both foot and hand brake,
Horn,
Emergency kill switch,
Possibly turn signals, but not necessarily front running lights,
kick stand,
ignition keyed switch,
working brakes, front and rear,
proper tread depth,
??fenders??
A securely affixed seat,

Good Luck! T.C.

[obrian93]

DOH! Keyed switch and kill switch! Have a massive circuit breaker for an on/off switch coupled with a little alligator-clip jumper for my controller circuit**. Will have to take the plunge on the keyed switch. Breaker (and an inline fuse) I can use as a kill.

Secured seat - Check! (thanks to the kindness of chevy45412001)
Kick/side stand - Check (10 bucks on ebay! had been using a big crescent wrench)

No annual inspections here in Indy (there was a reason IN turned up in my seach earlier), but there might be one when I go try to get the beast tagged.


**Hadn't mentioned, the bike is now not only chain-driven, but also completely electric. Got it opened up about 25-30% according to the multimeter last weekend and hit 45MPH. Also scared myself to death. Total Frankenbike.

[JWSanders]

the bike is now not only chain-driven, but also completely electric

That sounds interesting. What are you using for a motor and power source?

I've always considered building an electric vehicle of some sort, just to see how easily it can be done.

[obrian93]

JW:
Building an electric bike is incredibly easy if[list=1][*]You know how to weld[*]You know ANYTHING about motorcycles[*]You have some basic engineering aptitude[/list=1]

I, sadly, had none of these things when I started last fall. Only slightly further along now. I remember riding on the back of my dad's bike when I was about 7. Then Happy Days got cancelled and I didn't want to be Fonzie anymore. That was my last physical contact with a motorcycle.

Seriously.

Welding's also a biggie. Total hardware homebrew holding those batteries on. And on to the specs!

Most of the chassis is from a trashed 82 XJ11. Things go abruptly wrong at the swing arm axle (which is now an axle instead of pins). Swing arm had been from a monoshock rocketbike. Don't even know where the back wheel came from.

Powertrain is a Briggs & Stratton eTek 48 volt DC motor. Juice is provided by 4 12V deep cycle boat batteries wired in series. A golf cart controller sits between the batteries and the motor.

Gear ratio is fixed at 12 (motor) to 54 (go kart sprocket on the wheel). I looked into continually variable transmissions (sliding plates on a jackshaft, go kart people love em) to get a higher top speed (85 MPH is my current estimate) while keeping starting torque. This has been abandoned upon discovering that the thing would go straight up a wall from a stop with the current ratio. That motor doesn't seem to care at all. I'm also in no rush to go any faster than my current record of 40. Which was too damn fast.

Range should be about 30 miles, bearing in mind that said distance is somewhere between an estimate and a completely random guess.

(of course, the speed thing is subject to change as I become a better rider).

It has, so far, been the single most enjoyable, infuriating, terrifying, and rewarding project I've undertaken.

HIGHLY recommend it!


----BACK TO THE LEGALITY THING------

TopCat said something about custom choppers, which reminded me of all the kits I've seen whilst cruising for parts online. Googling and clicking eventually led me to the AMA website, where they have (get this!) a whole DATABASE of different state laws!! VERY HANDY and a permenant part of my bookmarks:

AMA State Law Database

[Parr8hed]

Sounds great, how about some pics? Where in Indiana are you? I am in Jeffersonville.

[randy]

Googling and clicking eventually led me to the AMA website, where they have (get this!) a whole DATABASE of different state laws!! VERY HANDY and a permenant part of my bookmarks:

I would hope that most of us here are AMA members, eh? Besides the retail discounts that come with membership (just like AAA), being an AMA member is the best way to stay current on state laws and how they affect your rights as a rider.

[GNEPIG]

this sounds cool, how about some pictures
..the internal combustion engine is a tired design, it might be time to go electric

[Jerry]

Have not checked the AMA list, but have a personal anecdote about getting a title. This was many years ago, in Wisconsin, so YMMV.

I bought a Yamaha XS400 at a county abandoned vehicle auction, had to have it inspected to get a regular title. In addition to everything on the bike needing to work, including lights/horn/tur signals, I took copies of all my receipts along. This proved to be a very good idea, as there was proof of new brake pads, battery, original purchase, and oher maintenance items. All the police did was had me start the bke to check for noise levels, check turn light operation, and check horn. Took alll of 5 minutes or so. The PD kept the receipts and told me (may have been BS, who knows?) that they were the reason for the quick check and easy paperwork. They could have taken the bike for a test ride, had me pull a brake pad, do so other tasks if not for the receipts.

A couple years later I brought a snowmobile in from out of state. When I went to register it, (Division of Wildlife) took copies of the receipts along, also seemed to help. They also kept the copies I had wtaken in. Finally, when I took my home-built trailer, the one I pull with the XJ, in to get a title, took the materials receipts along and had no issues at all.

The moral: Keep copies of your receipts and take them along to the DMV or inspecting authority. They might not help, but sure can't hurt. In all 3 of my cases they seemed to speed the process along.

[xs650mike]

I was looking at the AMA database and I note that my state (California) doesn't require eye protection! This reminded me of a time way before the California helmet law was enacted when I took the DMV written test. The only question I got wrong was one concerning the most important item to wear when riding. The choices were something like: a.) boots, b.) gloves, c.)helmet, d.) eye protection, e.) jacket. I picked "d". The examiner told me the correct answer was "c". He was completely unable to wrap his mind around the idea that a helmet was only necessary if one crashed and that if one didn't wear eye protection a crash was very likely. This is what happens when you have morons who don't ride writing laws and giving license examinations.

[sksxs1100]

I can tell you in Texas, bikes 1976 and earlier are not mandated to have the headlight on all the time... I went through the statues looking for the tid bit.... kindda pisses me off that my 78 has a headlight switch and i cant use it

[xs650mike]

IIRC in California that'd be grandfathered in. When I had my '59 Matchless 650 twin I had a squeezebulb horn and no instruments at all except the required high beam indicator light. Cops would stop me because they just couldn't believe I was legal but I was. None of them ever thought to check my exhaust...no baffles at all...heh heh heh!