Legal Mods

[B-mtrd]

this question is for any LEO's.
i'm doing some mods on my bike, clear turn signals, LED break light, removing stickers. one thing i'm not sure are those reflective yellow plastic things it has on the sides of the fork, can those go as well??

thanks in advance

Ride Safe :thumbup

[Junkie]

non-stock turn signals are rarely legal, the same is true of brake lights. and yes, you're required to have the reflectors.

[B-mtrd]

thanks for the info. actually the turn signals are the stock one but instead of having the yellow lens it is clear. the new bikes on my model come with those. for the break light i changed it to clear lens and red LED bulb. i've seen a lot of cars with that setup. i'm planning on changing the license plate carrier but i will still use the stock plate light.

[Mangoat]

Pretty much if item doesn't have a DOT stamped on it or if it is marked for offroad/racing use only.

[B-mtrd]

Thanks Mangoat. i think those mods have DOT on them, or at least the urn signals. good rep for both of you :thumbup

[Rel]

thanks for the info. actually the turn signals are the stock one but instead of having the yellow lens it is clear. the new bikes on my model come with those. for the break light i changed it to clear lens and red LED bulb. i've seen a lot of cars with that setup. i'm planning on changing the license plate carrier but i will still use the stock plate light.

Can't have white light to the rear. Must have a properly mounted license plate, as well as white light illuminating the license plate. Need red reflectors to the rear as well.

Get it set up the way you want, and have someone look at it.

[Junkie]

I'm forgetting, do you only need the light at night or do you need it even during the daytime?

edit: yes, I know bikes have lights on all the time, but if you never ride at night are you required to have one?

[Rel]

I'm forgetting, do you only need the light at night or do you need it even during the daytime?

edit: yes, I know bikes have lights on all the time, but if you never ride at night are you required to have one?

The light? Headlight? Tail Light? Which light?

Headlight, yes.
License plate light, yes.

[B-mtrd]

Can't have white light to the rear. Must have a properly mounted license plate, as well as white light illuminating the license plate. Need red reflectors to the rear as well.

Get it set up the way you want, and have someone look at it.

I will be using the same light that is being used right now to illuminate the plate but if i put the plate carrier that i'm thinking of it will make me remove the red reflectors on the rear. :(

[Rel]

I will be using the same light that is being used right now to illuminate the plate but if i put the plate carrier that i'm thinking of it will make me remove the red reflectors on the rear. :(

All, and I mean, ALL fender eliminator kits are illegal. Can't remove the rear reflector, must have a license plate light. License plate must be properly mounted, and to the rear of the bike *Not behind the tire*.

[B-mtrd]

look at the pic. also the blinkers i have are the stock ones but with clear lens.
:cool

[Rel]

look at the pic. also the blinkers i have are the stock ones but with clear lens.
:cool

Yep. Illegal, no red reflector to the rear.

[B-mtrd]

thankss for the info, at least i havent received it so i'm leaving the stock one. why cant they build something that looks cool and also legal :mad
i really appreciate the responses :thumbup

[Rel]

thankss for the info, at least i havent received it so i'm leaving the stock one. why cant they build something that looks cool and also legal :mad
i really appreciate the responses :thumbup

You can have it on your bike. Find a red reflector with a screw back, and attach it to your license plate. Don't have it so big that it covers your plate numbers, but they do sell ones that attach to the plate on/at the two holes on the bottom of the plate.

[B-mtrd]

thanks,
i will post pics as soon as all the mods are done, it is going to look amazing :cool

[Mangoat]

To add to Rel's post you can get these small reflectors at the cashier counter at almost any m/c gear shop. Just don't get fancy and put on red and blue ones. Then your fuxored again.

[Junkie]

The light? Headlight? Tail Light? Which light?

Headlight, yes.
License plate light, yes.I meant license plate, and good to know. All, and I mean, ALL fender eliminator kits are illegal. Can't remove the rear reflector, must have a license plate light. License plate must be properly mounted, and to the rear of the bike *Not behind the tire*.well in most cases... on the EX250 if you knock the bottom out of the tail light (it's actually a separate piece, designed to come out) and put some reflectors on the bottom of the plate you're good.

[B-mtrd]

finally i'm done with the mods.
i posted some pics
http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=229259

Ride Safe

[Oddjob]

this question is for any LEO's.
i'm doing some mods on my bike, clear turn signals, LED break light, removing stickers. one thing i'm not sure are those reflective yellow plastic things it has on the sides of the fork, can those go as well??

thanks in advance

Ride Safe :thumbup

99% of all legal problems, if ignored, will go away. The question is not whether it's legal, since most of the modifications you might be tempted to make are likely to be illegal; the better question is: "Can I get away with it?" Remember, this is America.

[mikhail]

Another question about reflectors...the bike I just bought had a custom fender elimination on it that not only had the license plate at about a 60 degree vertical angle but also had ALL reflectors removed from the bike.

I corrected the license plate issue by using some aluminum spacers behind the screws so it's only at a slight verticle angle and much more visible now...and I added two of those red wingnut-backed reflectors to the license plate. The rear is good to go now, fully illuminated by a white light, visible, no problem. I have the same bike as Beemer.

The front is another story...the two reflectors on the front were completely removed. Can I install two strips of say, black 3M Scotchlite reflective tape on the fork covers? It's black during the day which would keep the theme of the bike but super reflective at night.

[B-mtrd]

Did you keep the stock light? i remember CC71 left the stock plate light. i think you're ok with the small red reflectors. In regards to the front i'm not sure if you could use the 3m scotchlite tape. Anyone knows if that would make it legal??

[mikhail]

Yeah the stock plate light is still back there, it's held in place by some pretty heavy duty velcro. Let me go take some pics.

[mikhail]

Here are a few pics. Not sure if you can tell from the last pic, but I got a couple of 1" aluminum spacers from Lowes that go over the license plate screws between the plate and the bike, increasing the vertical angle of the plate about 15 degrees over what it was. It's still at an angle but it's pretty visible and not buried under the tail or anything.

[B-mtrd]

I think you're good to go. For the front not sure, REL any input here??

[Rel]

I think you're good to go. For the front not sure, REL any input here??

I'd have no problem with it. As long as I can see it and read it... I'm happy.

[B-mtrd]

how about the front part of the bike? the fork reflector was removed.
here is a comparison between mine and his bike:

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=229259
http://img228.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture108wb1.jpg

REL, i tried giving you positive rep but it doesnt let me.:Port

ride safe

[mikhail]

Thanks for the opinion on my plate...any further input on using reflective tape on the front in lieu of the stock reflectors? They've been removed and I didn't get them with the sale.

[Rel]

Thanks Brother!!

Gotta spread that rep around first, then get back to me. :rofl

REL, i tried giving you positive rep but it doesnt let me.:Port

ride safe

[motorman4life]

The side reflectors are required... that would be red on the rear sides and amber on the front forks.

I believe there is a specific number of square inches of reflectorized material that is required, but I think 3M and Reflexite tape (in the appropriate color spectrum) will suffice. I understand the desire to strip down to the bare minimum, but I think conspicuity (defined as: The state or quality of being clear or bright; brightness; conspicuousness) should be high on your list of priorities if you intend to survive on the street.

There is black and gray tape out there that reflects red or amber or white, so you could keep a stealthy look in the daytime and increase your conspicuity at night. A 3M or Reflexite sticker on the back of your helmet tends to really draw attention at night. I believe this is due to the natural (and unnatural) head movements and it being something moving in an unusual manner in a sea of various lights and reflectors.

Just a suggestion.

[Archimedes]

I agree with the LEOs on the plate position and making sure your lights are DOT (which most of them are these days), but the reflectors? Come on. The day law enforcement has the time to pull over and ticket bikers for not having the required reflectors is the day we have our priorities officially 100% unequivocally screwed up. I'm a huge supporter of the police, but this would be a ridiculous waste of resources.

The first thing I've done on every bike I've owned is rip off all the nanny reflectors and I've never got a ticket. If I ever did I'd probably be laughing so hard it'd be hard to sign the ticket.

To the OP, rip the reflectors off if you want and don't worry about it. Everybody does it and I've never heard of anyone getting ticketed for it. But I'd make sure the FE is legal.

[mikhail]

There is black and gray tape out there that reflects red or amber or white, so you could keep a stealthy look in the daytime and increase your conspicuity at night. A 3M or Reflexite sticker on the back of your helmet tends to really draw attention at night. I believe this is due to the natural (and unnatural) head movements and it being something moving in an unusual manner in a sea of various lights and reflectors.

Just a suggestion.

Thanks for the input...I actually ordered a quantity of 3M black tape that reflects white from eBay last night in 1"x4" strips. I'm going to put a couple on my front wheel carrier and probably one on the front and one on the back of my helmet. (I was calling the trim up front "fork covers" but that's incorrect as the bike doesn't have forks...it's just a "wheel carrier" up there in the Duolever suspension)

I'm going to be one shiny mofo with all of the reflective piping I already have on my gear. That was really the only problem with this bike as I received it...no reflectors and a borderline illegally mounted license plate.

[mikhail]

I agree with the LEOs on the plate position and making sure your lights are DOT (which most of them are these days), but the reflectors? Come on. The day law enforcement has the time to pull over and ticket bikers for not having the required reflectors is the day we have our priorities officially 100% unequivocally screwed up. I'm a huge supporter of the police, but this would be a ridiculous waste of resources.


I agree but I like being visible for safety at night. I'm going to maintain the look of my bike with black tape, though.

[motorman4life]

...but the reflectors? Come on. The day law enforcement has the time to pull over and ticket bikers for not having the required reflectors is the day we have our priorities officially 100% unequivocally screwed up. I'm a huge supporter of the police, but this would be a ridiculous waste of resources.

The first thing I've done on every bike I've owned is rip off all the nanny reflectors and I've never got a ticket. If I ever did I'd probably be laughing so hard it'd be hard to sign the ticket.

To the OP, rip the reflectors off if you want and don't worry about it. Everybody does it and I've never heard of anyone getting ticketed for it. But I'd make sure the FE is legal.
I have done 2 fatal investigations where required reflectors were removed or did not meet DOT standards. In both cases, the "victim" of the crash was held to be primarily liable for their own death as a result of their choice to not be in compliance with the law and that their intentional lack of conspicuity was deemed the primary cause of their demise. I guess it could be seen as a form of Darwinisim in action. :thumbup

Take all of the facory lights and reflectors off your bike and replace them with the lights that come with an errector set and :ride ..you may never get ticketed, sure. But, you may not live to see your next birthday either. If you are willing to surrender your right of way at night.. party on. :Party

Please make sure you tell your family now, because I truly hate to hear them :cry bitchin' after the fact. It is just so fucking annoying.

[Archimedes]

I have done 2 fatal investigations where required reflectors were removed or did not meet DOT standards. In both cases, the "victim" of the crash was held to be primarily liable for their own death as a result of their choice to not be in compliance with the law and that their intentional lack of conspicuity was deemed the primary cause of their demise. I guess it could be seen as a form of Darwinisim in action. :thumbup


Well, as an educated person, I'd like to see the supporting analysis upon which that conclusion was drawn, i.e., that the lack of reflectors materially contributed to his/her death and that, had the reflectors been in place, they would have survived. I have a hard time believing that there was any real scientific evidence of that, unless you consider the other driver saying 'I didn't see the biker' as evidence. Sorry, I just don't buy it.

Don't get me wrong, I totally agree that removing the reflectors make you less visible. But then, why not just mandate reflective wheels on all bikes or a big reflective sticker on each side, or reflective helmets? I mean where do you stop? I don't ride at night, so reflectors are irrelevant to me.

And let's face it, US laws about reflective surface area on both cars and motorcycles are ridiculously overbearing as compared to European coutries, and they don't seem to be doing much of anything to create lower accident rates than those countries.

[Razel]

I agree with the LEOs on the plate position and making sure your lights are DOT (which most of them are these days), but the reflectors? Come on. The day law enforcement has the time to pull over and ticket bikers for not having the required reflectors is the day we have our priorities officially 100% unequivocally screwed up. I'm a huge supporter of the police, but this would be a ridiculous waste of resources.

The first thing I've done on every bike I've owned is rip off all the nanny reflectors and I've never got a ticket. If I ever did I'd probably be laughing so hard it'd be hard to sign the ticket.

To the OP, rip the reflectors off if you want and don't worry about it. Everybody does it and I've never heard of anyone getting ticketed for it. But I'd make sure the FE is legal.
Kawowie, white courtesy telephone...

[mikhail]

Update...

I got my eBay black reflective tape and put some on my helmet today. The other pieces will be going on my wheel carrier covers, but I think I'm going to trim the ends at an angle and maybe cut them in half at the same angle as well to make the reflections look cooler at night. Here's what they look like on my helmet, with and without flash.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh19/mikhail-k12r/IMG_0195.jpg
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh19/mikhail-k12r/IMG_0196.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh19/mikhail-k12r/IMG_0198.jpg
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh19/mikhail-k12r/IMG_0197.jpg

[JPM]

Can you get pink, or red? Then you could be a power ranger! :twofinger

I'm sorry, I just had to............Now cut it into the shape of ^^^^ and put it on the back.

[Razel]

Red and blue if he's lit up...:p

[T-1 Thunder]

Did you include removing stickers are part of your concern?

;)

[Razel]

Did you include removing stickers are part of your concern?

;)

ESL? :confused