DOT Ratings

Ok,

So I am looking at buying some parts for my black beast (that's catchy name, however if you listen to Chacal i should call her MASH+) and I am curious and confused by DOT ratings.

I understand some things 'have' to be DOT certified, like your helmet, lights etc.. I looked up the DOT guidelines and some of it is pretty vague though.

For instance, DOT says you have to have right/left mirrors - however it doesn't specify that you have to have DOT 'Certified' mirrors. So in this instance, is there such a thing as a DOT certified mirror?

I have more questions on this topic, but this is the one I am on currently ;-)

TIA!

 

A good place to start would be CFR 49, known as the Code of Federal Regulations, and then start searching for anything that says FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards).

When you finally slog your way through it, say, 10 years from now, do right back and let us know what you've found, will you?

Greater men have tried and failed to figure these things out. I believe, from looking again at your fairing, that this task is your true calling in life...

 

HA!

Thanks, your a man of heart ;-)

Ok then, will I get arrested if I put on new mirrors that are of unknown DOT status?

 

I didn't know there was such a thing as DoT certified mirrors.

I like mirrors that WORK I don't care about their papers...

 

Probably not, but if your state has safety inspections required AND your inspector wants to be a butt, well...............

 

Fitz:

LOL, that's my point. I never heard of them, but I was surfing ebay to find something I like and the one I found specifically says 'NOT DOT CERTIFIED", so I wasn't sure if I missed something or what.

 

Ok,

I think I found the answer for NY at least.

I found the NYS DMV inspection requirements for auto repair shops (Form CR-79 and amendments Here. The last 5 pages are the motorcycle inspection requirements for NYS and as far as my quick look tells me, none of the amendments address this).

It says nothing about DOT requirements for mirrors. It does reference other such requirements on other things, so the omission verified (to me at least) that it is not a requirement.

 

You only need one in New York.

 

Good point, I didn't fix that after I fully read the inspection requirements ;-)

 

I've seen dog-serious chopper bike gang-type bikers get around the mirror requirement by fitting a dentist' mirror. I'm sure those aren't DoT certified...

 

I've heard from talking to other guys that some DOT's require a mirrors of a certain size -> to avoid the dentist mirror get around.

Other than that the only other DOT things I know of are taillights, signals etc. From what I've heard from distributors at work, the difference is usually none. It costs $x to get a batch of parts dot certified. So they get one batch certified and sell it for $50, they don't spend the money certifying the other batch and sell them for $25.