Ca Moped License Denied
Got a letter about a week ago from the Ca DMV denying my Moped application. They stated that the bike is more than 4HP and faster than 30 MPH. Thoughts?
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Have you tried going through dirtlegal -
I have talked to dirt legal. I understand their process.
I was actually planning to write back the DMV expressing that the bike is factory locked at 750 Watt 20 MPH and having them give me a letter that it can't be registered as a moped because it's Class 2 E-Bike. At least I could carry around the letter in my tank bag.
Obviously California knows the potential of the bike by looking it up online. Probably would have been better to advertise/spec it at Moped levels from Manufacture / Dealer and then let word of mouth spread of it's unlocking potential. At least the clerk googling it would find Moped level specs
My honest opinion is that California is fking this up and missing a chance on a revenue stream and cleaning it's @#$%^ air!
The 30MPH top speed thing is bullshit. That's the cop's job to bust people doing more than 30MPH. We sell cars that do 200+ and that doesn't make them illegal to drive on the street. Also, a bike with a 60lb rider is going to have a different top speed than a 240 lb rider. Change tires, gears, low charge battery and the whole 30 MPH is bullshit. I have a 64 tooth and I'm hitting about 32-33 GPS
The 4HP max needs to be looked at differently than it's ICE counterpart. Cost-effective electric bikes should be getting substantial incentive to be on the roads in California right now. California should give some leeway here (think electric cars in carpool lanes). Also, I can feel a power difference from 100 percent charge to 50 percent. People commuting on these bikes are aware that if they run full throttle constantly, the battery is going to deplete faster. They tend to use less HP on average to conserve battery life. You can make the argument that a gas bike rider would do the same but I can tell you that in 30+ years of riding gas, conserving gas was never something I thought about. Riding a bike was conserving gas! I see a stock Sur Ron dynos at 6.9HP on Youtube. Yur gonna kill the F@#$% planet over 2.9 HP that the bike has on it's best day at it's max charge?
Why ask "under penalty of perjury" questions on the MOPED application about the bike's performance if you're not going to accept the answers? Let the law in the field do their job!
I have DOT tires, All required lights, a Class M DL, DOT helmet, Insurance and willing to pay a reg fee. I also charge from the solar off my roof.
But the loud as fuck hopped up moped from 82' blowing black soot is good to go!Comment
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It would be nice if you removed " a 5 minute modification will take all limits off the bike to make it power and speed unlimited and illegal for road use in most states." from your Suron Sales page.
At least then we could print something out showing that the bike is shipped factory limited without them also seeing what everybody buying these bikes already knows.Comment
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The motor shows less than that on an accurate dyno.Originally posted by Brights23 View Post
I didn't expect any legit road operation when I got mine, but I installed dot tires, signals & mirror anyway.
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LE was defunded where I live, which had an unexpected benefit - they’re not issuing tickets to negatively impact revenue. They’ve also been told no arrests or proactive policing unless a crime is reported or request for help comes in. Ask around where you live...it might not even matter.Comment
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Well this sucks. I was going to try to get mine registered as a moped, so I can ride it 6 miles to work and back.Comment
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Where do you live Pharmboy?
I got the pedals for this reason, and I know the bay area cops won't really care.
Also i contacted dirt legal myself too and here was there reponse
You could also likely save a little money and register it with Vermont yourself. Although I do think just by dirtlegal providing this information they deserve some compensation.Currently, we can make your Sur Ron street legal with an out of state tag which will be registered with your home address and renewable online each year. The cost is $399 with our Luna Cycle discount which is listed below.
Since the vehicle only comes with a bill of sale, we will have to register it in Vermont. You may or may not be able to transfer it to your state but you can renew the plate online each year.
The process is as simple as these steps:
1. Place order online here. (Use Promo Code "Sur Ron")
2. Fill out vehicle info on the form that comes up after purchasing.
3. Wait for paperwork to arrive via mail. (2-3 days)
4. Sign/notarize forms and send them back with your vehicle documents and photo ID.
5. Wait 2-3 weeks for your license plate to arrive in the mail.
6. Enjoy your ride.
7. Renew the license plate yearly here.Comment
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Many states are making it hard or impossible to register vehicles assembled by companies who don't go through the same crash testing and other formal and costly safety standards that a major manufacturer would. I looked into this stuff back when I was trying to buy an Ariel Atom., which is also impossible in some places to register. The one other loop hole that I came across in a few states related to this is if the vehicle is built by the individual owner.
If you go the dirt legal route, just keep in mind that it's not a 100% bullet proof solution. People have been doing the out of state registration thing since the 80's. It's historically been exotic car owners who live in states that make you pay property tax on cars, in addition to registration fees. If you're going to be driving on the same local route every day and the same cop spots you more than once, it may end up attracting attention.Comment
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I’m in Costa Mesa , Orange County, and was hoping to to get CA plates. Wonder if others have had better luck.Comment
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I'm in San Mateo county, SF bay are and I was also denied a plate about one month ago for same reasons as others have stated...too bad, I wanted to use the bike to run 1 mile round trip to grocery store.Comment
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Oof, I use to live in San Mateo county for a bit, and those cops definitely have sticks up their ass, especially around hillsdale. I drove a black, kind of ghetto looking lexus, and would get pulled over for the stupidest stuff.
But still if it's only one mile, I think your best bet is a pedal kit and wearing a basic open face bicycle helmet. They will judge you on looks, so wearing something that makes you look more docile is in your best bet. I can't imagine you getting more than a warning the first time. Because despite being pulled over 4 times in 16 months, I never actually got a ticket, only verbal warnings. Probably once they realized I'm just another upper-middle class techie, those prejudice pigs stopped caring. Sometimes it's easier to just ask for forgiveness than permission.Comment
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I live in Sacramento CA and got my moped plates no problem. Put down all the information and sent my money in to DMV and pow six weeks later I got a plate....Granted, I was a first round buyer and got mine in 2018 when it was lower power and it was advertized as 1hp in ECO mode. Maybe that is the differance between you all and the many first gen SurRon owners that have been successful plating their rides.Comment
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This just arrived. I suggest using the information on the small metal placard Luna sells. I sent in a photo of it with my statement of facts. The placard does not say Sur Ron anywhere. Make and model are completely different. In the statement of facts I stated the info from the placard and also listed the power source as electric and human powered. Done and done.
Best of all worlds. No renewal fees, no insurance required, no pedals required, ride almost anywhere (except bike paths. Bike lanes ok.) And best of all...if I take it off, I'm a class 2 eBike. Gonna make a quick release mount of some kind. Plate on....ride to trails...take plate off...ride trails...plate back on...ride home.Last edited by sc-surfer; 01-18-2021, 04:08 PM.Comment
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