Sorry to beat this into the ground, but does anyone have the definitive statement and advice on bringing an out of state Senna to CA for registration? I spoke with the DMV today, and they said the new law has nothing to do with emissions, it has to do with encouraging buyers to purchase from CA auto dealers, etc, whcih sounds like a stupid reason. They said in so few words you cannot bring a NEW (less than 7500 miles) out of state vehicle into CA. Period. Sorry to belabor this, but Iiterally was about to make payment on a Senna today until I came across thissite and read about some of the problems with registration. Any advice comments much appreciated, otherwise, I have $25,000 to spare.

PRD

-- Philip Delio (prdelio@sbneuro.com), July 24, 2002

Answers

Do you have a friend or a relative who live out of the state? just to have the bike register in an other state for a year or so ???? There is other guy who were looking for used speedo with +7500 miles. I don't think there is a lot of thoses arround.

-- o (okthomas@tir.com), July 24, 2002.

INTRODUCTION The rules for registering new vehicles in California are different for California residents and for people moving to California from other states.

In other words, in order to prevent California residents from buying a NEW motorcycle in another state or country and then importing it into California thereby bypassing the more expensive and stricter emissions required by California, the state says you must have at least have 7,500 miles on the bike to bring it in.

Exceptions are made if you acquire a vehicle through a transfer by inheritance or by a decree of divorce. Also, the bar to registration would not appy if your vehicle was damaged or stolen while out of California and you had to replace that vehicle while out of California.

These rules clearly amount to selective enforcement and an injustice perpetrated upon California residents that probably would not pass muster in a class action suit or civil claim against the DMV. You could appeal to the DMV asking for logic in the matter and request a waiver citing selective enforcement.

IMPORTING MOTORCYCLES FROM OTHER STATES BY CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS Individuals are prohibited from importing, purchasing, or leasing a new vehicle from another state, unless the vehicle was manufactured for sale in California, and the EPA label certifies the vehicle has California smog equipment. California considers a new vehicle to be any vehicle with less than 7,500 miles on the odometer AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE.

In other words, in order to prevent California residents from buying a NEW motorcycle in another state or country and then importing it into California thereby bypassing the more expensive and stricter emissions (read lower performance models) required by California, the state says you must have at least have 7,500 miles on the bike to bring it in.

The 7,500 mile requirement is ONLY for vehicles that don't meet the California emissions requirements. There is no 7,500 mile minimum requirement for motorcycles that have a manufacturer’s sticker indicating that they comply with California standards.

The odometer statement on the title or bill of sale should exceed 7,500 miles. The California DMV wants the mileage to be over 7,500 miles at the time it enters the state. They check the odometer reading against the odometer statement on the title and/or bill of sale. They consider the date of the sale (i.e. when you take ownership) as the time the bike "enters the state". If your bike was purchased and documented with 3,000 miles, and you try to bring it in with an odometer reading 7,500+ miles, you’ve got a problem.

When you attempt to register the bike for the first time the emissions label is inspected at the Department of Motor Vehicles to determine what standards the bike meets, and the odometer reading taken. The DMV doesn’t visually check that the California emissions equipment is actually installed, so swapping parts with a California-certified bike to obtain the manufacturer’s emissions sticker could be a work-around (depending where on the bike the sticker is mounted). There is no emissions testing of motorcycles in California.

-- LJ (ljkelly@mac.com), July 29, 2002.

Just registered my 2000 F4s with 4500 miles on it in CA today. I purchased it new in OR 2 years ago and registered it there. I took the OR title, DMV did a vin verification and registered it as a Cagiva, which are legal in CA. If you notice the VIN sicker on the head tube says manufacturer Cagiva Motors S.P.A.

Hope this helps,

Scott

-- Scott Cote (scott@ferrari-losgatos.com), July 30, 2002.

I've dealt with this before. Last time, I registered the bike out of state. However, this time I have a speedo which reads 10,000 miles which I'll swap out when I register. I too was wondering about swapping the sticker area. It is pretty easy to do, but I was under the impression that the sticker acutally has the VIN# on it as well. When they check it, the do a VIN verification to make sure that all 3 VINs match (frame, motor, emissions sticker). Is there anyone who has a CA bike and can answer this for sure?

THANKS

-- trajulio garrety (tgarrety2000@yahoo.com), November 23, 2002.

The VIN number is not on the EPA sticker. On my bike it's on the frame, therefore, not able to switch. Maybe look into printing your own, digital picture, into computer, add a few words, print, cover with clear packing tape, attach with glue, Hummm...

-- Roger Adkins (rga@dslextreme.com), December 06, 2002.