Kalifornia is a real PITA to register some vehicles, especially two strokes, more so, if they are also Grey Market.
When I first registered the RZ, it was easy, Canadian statement of origin, no taxes/fees due to Canada, and the previous Canadian owner's documents, sailed right through.
Two weeks later, hate letter, "we're coming for you and your puppy, surrender both the Kalifornia title, registration, AND the motorcycle, we will have a mobile vehicle crusher there to render the vehicle unusable/destroyed". I countered with "The vehicle isn't in Kommunist Kalifornia any longer, but, return the original paperwork to me, and you can have the plates and registration back". Five weeks later, after going back and forth with the State Aty. General, and DMV, I stood in the Whittier DMV, their stuff in one hand, they with the Canadian stuff in their hand, we both held all the stuff at once, and we let go of the other stuff, returning it to the right persons.
The reason for all this, emissions. Canadian vehicles weren't built to either U.S., nor Kalifornia specs, so, no go to Kalifornia. However, NEW Kalifornia spec vehicles, bought new, had the ability for their owners to NOT have emissions inspections for a total of two complete emissions inspections cycles, 4 years, and, if a fee was paid at new purchase, another two years were added, so, the first emissions tests would be mandatory at the 6 year mark, because Kalifornia was erroneously convinced that NO new vehicles ever had emissions system failures. This would mean that if a new vehicle emissions system had an issue, and started belching out some form of deadly, toxic killer chemical, the vehicle would go the entire 6 years doing so, because even if the "check engine" light went on, most of those vehicles wouldn't need any servicing for 50K miles, so, dealers would never see the cars and find the problems.
It was just that insane there, cars broken for 6 years, and bikes that were run less than 4K miles per year, that polluted a lot less than a broken new car. Before that, near where I lived, one wrecking yard, Ecology Center, was on a state program to pay $700.00 per old car, drag, pull, push, trailer, drive it in, get it crushed, here's yer bucks. There was NO saving a lot of really historic cars, we'd watch them come in, offer a grand, and watch the "environMENTALists" crush 'em anyway.
If you do decide to come this way, avoid Clark (Las Vegas), and Washoe (Reno) Counties, they have Kalifornia style emissions regulations and mandatory inspections.
|