I thought it would be nice to make my first post to this forum a contribution of information I could not previously find on here. Here goes:
I've been trying to figure out exactly what I need to do to roll legit in Washington DC. After spending a couple hours on the phone with the DC "call center," I finally know. The fact sheet on the DC DMV website entitled "Non-Traditional Motor Vehicles and DC Law" sets out the definitions of motorcycles and motorized bicycles. I trust you can all find this with relative ease. Here's why I think the kind of motorized bikes discussed on this forum are not defined on that sheet: "motorcycles" have a "manual transmission" and "motorized bicycles" have an automatic transmission. I think that there is a serious argument to be made that our motorized bicycles do not have a transmission at all, that is according to the normal understanding of "manual transmission" and "automatic transmission." What do you think?
However, if you really want to roll legit, here's what you have to do:
1. Have a DC driver's license or photo ID.
2. Take your machine to inspection with receipts for the parts of which it is composed. Inspection will test the emissions and, upon passing, will generate a VIN for your machine.
3. Bring your literature from inspection to the DC DMV, along with your receipts for parts, and they will generate a title document.
4. Proceed with title document and proof of no-fault insurance to registration at the DMV.
5. Wait for the plates in the mail.
6. Mount plates, and roll legit.
Of course, I did not mention the fees that you will have to pay for all those documents/plates. As for me, I'm not going to go through all this until I'm stopped and there's a problem. That is because I truly believe that my machine is in the grey of the law because a centrifugal clutch (in the case of my 4 stroke Titan) does not constitute a "manual transmission" nor an "automatic transmission." In the case of a hand-clutched 2 stroke, I would say that you have an even better argument as to not having any kind of transmission.
That's all I have to say about that.
I've been trying to figure out exactly what I need to do to roll legit in Washington DC. After spending a couple hours on the phone with the DC "call center," I finally know. The fact sheet on the DC DMV website entitled "Non-Traditional Motor Vehicles and DC Law" sets out the definitions of motorcycles and motorized bicycles. I trust you can all find this with relative ease. Here's why I think the kind of motorized bikes discussed on this forum are not defined on that sheet: "motorcycles" have a "manual transmission" and "motorized bicycles" have an automatic transmission. I think that there is a serious argument to be made that our motorized bicycles do not have a transmission at all, that is according to the normal understanding of "manual transmission" and "automatic transmission." What do you think?
However, if you really want to roll legit, here's what you have to do:
1. Have a DC driver's license or photo ID.
2. Take your machine to inspection with receipts for the parts of which it is composed. Inspection will test the emissions and, upon passing, will generate a VIN for your machine.
3. Bring your literature from inspection to the DC DMV, along with your receipts for parts, and they will generate a title document.
4. Proceed with title document and proof of no-fault insurance to registration at the DMV.
5. Wait for the plates in the mail.
6. Mount plates, and roll legit.
Of course, I did not mention the fees that you will have to pay for all those documents/plates. As for me, I'm not going to go through all this until I'm stopped and there's a problem. That is because I truly believe that my machine is in the grey of the law because a centrifugal clutch (in the case of my 4 stroke Titan) does not constitute a "manual transmission" nor an "automatic transmission." In the case of a hand-clutched 2 stroke, I would say that you have an even better argument as to not having any kind of transmission.
That's all I have to say about that.
