legality of mods

Hey guys curious about the legality of my bike since I chopped it down. Anyone one know the law in New York in regards to a side mount vertical license plate and taillight on the left side of my bike? What about fender length. Do I have to have my front fender on? Tried googling but cant find anything this specific. Thanks, Lou

 

The New York State Police should have a web site to give you that info.

 

You might also check NY's DMV site. I wound up calling Vt's DMV at the local PD's suggestion when I had a question.

mikeg

 

Oh, they do all right, and here are the basics:
http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/forms/mv529b.pdf
BUT read the one line that says: *If you are building a homemade or custom vehicle, please contact our Technical Services Unit at (518) 474-5282 (select option 4).
Have fun with that.

Found this too, from the same NY State site:

Section 381 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law establishes that no person shall operate a motorcycle on any highway which is: (1) not equipped with a muffler to prevent excessive or unusual noise; (2) equipped with a muffler from which the baffle plates, screens or other original internal parts have been removed or altered; (3) equipped with an exhaust device without internal baffles, known as "straight pipes"; or (4) equipped with an exhaust system that has been modified in a manner that will amplify or increase the noise emitted by the motor of such vehicle above that emitted by the exhaust system originally installed on the vehicle. Furthermore, no person shall operate a motorcycle on any highway which is equipped with an exhaust device that is intentionally designed to allow for the internal baffling to be fully or partially removed or interchangeable. This does not apply to a motorcycle manufactured or assembled prior to 1979 or a motorcycle registered as a limited use vehicle or certain all terrain vehicles.

 

Go to your local DMV and get a motorcycle handbook. Different states require more or less. equipment.

 

This is how I get around alot of potential issues in Indiana. "Limited use" allows enough mileage for me to ride my bike whenever I feel like while weather permits, and I didn't get anywhere near the limit last year.

Just my 2 cents.

Motorcycle equipment laws are fun to interpret. The letter of the law in indiana says my bike "must be equipped with a rearview mirror" which I interpret to mean one or more. LEO that lives on the block claims I have to have two, but hasn't written any tickets yet....

 

Switch, I would bet money your right, unless the legislation says two, then the presumption is for one mirror.

That being said I don't want to be the guy who goes has to go infront of the judge (cause he gets the final say as to what the legislation means!)

 

I believe FL specifies only one needed (left or right, your choice). We also have similar verbage about the muffler. Additionally, I just read that handle bars can not be higher than the riders shoulders when seated normally on the bike. (Hmmm... I know I see ape hangers around here violating that one, especially during bikeweek and biketoberfest.)