Legal: Motorcycle License And Helmet Laws

[RUCRAYZE]

no problem here- florida is a helmet free zone! -go 'gaters

 

[goldwing06]

Let's hope that this requirement for title in Fla. doesn't cause any problems for EM...
Found in Section II General Information:

"NOTE: A tri-vehicle is not a motorcycle. FRVIS will not allow this vehicle type to be entered

as the body type for a motorcycle (MC).
D. A manufacturer, importer, distributor, or dealer of tri-vehicles must be licensed.
The Bureau of Field Operations (BFO) Dealer Licensing Section will verify tri-vehicle
applications from manufacturers, importers, and distributors with NHTSA. As tri-vehicle
manufacturers, importers, distributors, and dealers are licensed, BFO will approve the
line makes, and these vehicles will be captured as tri-vehicles in FRVIS.
NOTE: Only NHTSA-approved tri-vehicles from authorized manufacturers, importers, and

distributors may be titled and registered."

Does the second note mean that NHTSA will require these vehicles (which are currently defined as motorcycles) to now meet all the requirements of regular 4 wheeled autos? If so I suspect this may not be such a good thing... Think safety bumpers, mandatory crash tests etc...
I also noticed they are going to tax it like a regular automobile...

"B. A tri-vehicle is registered and taxed in the same manner as an automobile. Calculate the
fees like a regular auto using the appropriate motor vehicle class code based on the net
weight and registered use of the tri-vehicle."

It would be interesting to see what the difference in taxes are when titled as a car vs. as a motorcycle...

PROCEDURE TL-67
SUBJECT: CERTIFICATE OF TITLE REQUIREMENTS FOR TRI-VEHICLES
DESCRIPTION AND USE:
THIS PROCEDURE PROVIDES INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS TO ASSIST TAX
COLLECTOR EMPLOYEES, LICENSE PLATE AGENCY EMPLOYEES, AND THE
DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAY SAFETY AND MOTOR VEHICLES FOR ISSUING A
CERTIFICATE OF TITLE TO A TRI-VEHICLE.
well, this pretty much says it all. i just hope paul has legal department working on this. however, if fl has this vehicle reg and lic as a tri wheel, what does that do to the laws of a state that thinks it's a 3w mc? hmmmm?

 

[zelio]

PROCEDURE TL-67
SUBJECT: CERTIFICATE OF TITLE REQUIREMENTS FOR TRI-VEHICLES
DESCRIPTION AND USE:
THIS PROCEDURE PROVIDES INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS TO ASSIST TAX
COLLECTOR EMPLOYEES, LICENSE PLATE AGENCY EMPLOYEES, AND THE
DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAY SAFETY AND MOTOR VEHICLES FOR ISSUING A
CERTIFICATE OF TITLE TO A TRI-VEHICLE.
well, this pretty much says it all. i just hope paul has legal department working on this. however, if fl has this vehicle reg and lic as a tri wheel, what does that do to the laws of a state that thinks it's a 3w mc? hmmmm?

That is the facts of life in this country. Every state, district, etc. has their own vehicular laws. :-) Z

 

[goldwing06]

That is the facts of life in this country. Every state, district, etc. has their own vehicular laws. Z

yeah, but all states have resoprosity of many things, including vehicle reg and lic, so if a state has a catagory of vehicle that another state doesn't, that could cause a conflict, as far as helmet laws, tag size, number of doors, etc, etc.........

 

[zelio]

yeah, but all states have resoprosity of many things, including vehicle reg and lic, so if a state has a catagory of vehicle that another state doesn't, that could cause a conflict, as far as helmet laws, tag size, number of doors, etc, etc.........

From what I understand if it is legal in the state you live in, then you are OK when traveling through other states. I know my Elio will be licensed as a mc because that is how Oregon sees it. Of course this makes sense since the chair person of the AAMVA group that wrote the Best Practices information is from Oregon. Also, I think in many instances, unless you are breaking the law otherwise, the Elio is going to "seen" as a car and therefore treated as a car. I know when I look at it I do not see a mc. I believe when Rickb sees it he sees a motorcycle because that is what he is wanting. He can't physically ride a mc so the Elio is his mc. If there are states that I suspect will give me trouble I will avoid them. The main ones are the 5 that require helmets. Again, though, I think they will see the Elio and unless they know it is a mc and is licensed as a mc, they are not going to stop to give you a ticket for not having a helmet. Of course that is, as always, my very biased and totally not humble opinion. :-) Z

 

[trock59]

I know of people from Florida who have traveled to northern states and been pulled over for "illegal window tint" As long as you are just visiting and the vehicle is legally registered and insured there's nothing they can do- not to say they don't try. As far as wearing a helmet- register it in FL, get dark tint and drive around - most people will be more interested in where to get theirs!

 

[trock59]

yeah, but all states have resoprosity of many things, including vehicle reg and lic, so if a state has a catagory of vehicle that another state doesn't, that could cause a conflict, as far as helmet laws, tag size, number of doors, etc, etc.........

The elio falls into a new category of vehicle - Autocycle. Our leaders are currently ? working on federal regulations to clarify the requirements. The elio has airbags and ABS/ESC for a reason, it also has a 3 point seat belt so requiring a helmet would just be silly.

 

[eddie66]

The elio falls into a new category of vehicle - Autocycle. Our leaders are currently ? working on federal regulations to clarify the requirements. The elio has airbags and ABS/ESC for a reason, it also has a 3 point seat belt so requiring a helmet would just be silly.

As I see it, the questions for Elio are,

1. Will Elio be treated like a car in Florida, and will it require a car licence plate, or MC plate?

2. Will we not be able to drive in the HOV lanes as promoted by Elio Motors

3. IF it is a car, then no MC endorsement, no helmet. If it has a car plate, what happens when you drive through a state that requires a MC licence and helment.

4. Will it be insured as a car or MC.

These item will affect Elio's popularity with people and I'm sure affect sales if not resolved, prior to purchase.

 

[MASCMAN]

This is interesting Bowers. You could not buy a new motorcycle, because you did not have a license? The Stores map on www.eliomotors.com says a store will be in "New York - Northern New Jersey - Long Island, NY", but the little dot on the map that looks like it's for this location, is not in NJ.

Questions to everyone as well as Bowers: Is this just a strange NJ law? If in NJ you can't buy a new motorcycle without a license, then Elio probably won't have any stores in NJ. I'll have to google this to see what I can learn, if it applies to any other states.

Bought my first street bike in 2004 brand new from Suzuki dealer...no MC license.

Got a permit by getting a money order and was able to ride in daylight hours but with no passenger and had to wear a helmet. After passing the test and getting a license, still had to get 2 years in before being able to ride legally without a helmet.

 

[ks6c]

From what I understand if it is legal in the state you live in, then you are OK when traveling through other states. ... Z

Kinda, sorta, but not always. In the motorcycling world, I see reciprocity usually applied to vehicle equipment or modifications, but never to practices.

For example, I ride a motorcycle and ALWAYS wear a helmet, even though Colorado doesn't require them. That said, riding without a helmet is legal in Colorado but if I cross the border into Nebraska, helmets are required of all riders - despite the fact they're not required in my home state. Another practices example, lane splitting/sharing is allowed for motorcycles in California, but a CA rider would be ticketed for doing that here in CO.

Window tinting, mentioned in another post, would be an example of equipment modifications allowed in one state (darkness of tint) that might not be allowed in another, resulting in a contact/warning but not a ticket.

So, until the Elio/helmet question is resolved in ALL states, I'd treat it as a practices issue and not an equipment issue and not rely on reciprocity. I do have confidence, however, that the EM team is on it and will have it resolved before production!