Legally allowed to ship a bike to CA?

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stuckonreplay

New Member
Aug 14, 2012
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Frederick, Maryland
I am selling a 80cc 2-stroke bicycle on eBay and the buyer is from California. I told him he needs to register it or whatever they need to do, but am I legally allowed to ship the bike there or not?
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
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living the dream in southern california
shipping a 2 stroke to california is legal. it's importing them for sale by a dealer that has restrictions. a one time deal from a private seller is fine.

the only problem is gas and oil. technically, everything has to be drained and cleaned, if it smells like gas, they won't take it.

if it's new and never been run, you won't have any problems.

pack it up really good, and label it as a bicycle. if you tell them it's got a motor, you're just asking for trouble.
 

stuckonreplay

New Member
Aug 14, 2012
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0
Frederick, Maryland
shipping a 2 stroke to california is legal. it's importing them for sale by a dealer that has restrictions. a one time deal from a private seller is fine.

the only problem is gas and oil. technically, everything has to be drained and cleaned, if it smells like gas, they won't take it.

if it's new and never been run, you won't have any problems.

pack it up really good, and label it as a bicycle. if you tell them it's got a motor, you're just asking for trouble.
I purposley took it for a ride to drain the gas. And I was thinking of having UPS package it then ship it, should I just pack it myself?
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
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living the dream in southern california
i've shipped a couple bikes out of california and i took off the tanks and washed them out with soapy water, and drained the carb and cleaned it out with carb cleaner.

you really gotta make sure all the gas is out or a shipping company like ups won't take it. you'd be left with having to crate it up and ship it by truck like a motorcycle.

you can get a big bike box from a bike shop, usually for free and google "shipping a bicycle" to figure it all out.

the one thing you really want to do is make sure it's packed up nice and tight. i've bought bikes that arrived all scratched up, dented, with axles poking out of the box, etc, and that really sucks, especially since i paid for shipping.

it's a pain in the a$$, but that's what ya gotta do.
 

MotorBicycleRacing

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Jul 28, 2010
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SoCal Baby!!!
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I am selling a 80cc 2-stroke bicycle on eBay and the buyer is from California. I told him he needs to register it or whatever they need to do, but am I legally allowed to ship the bike there or not?
Yeah, you can ship the bike to CA.
Legally, nobody cares.......

Check out Greyhound Bus Lines for the best deal on shipping bikes.
They take more care in handling too unlike UPS, etc.
 

Wickedest1

Member
Oct 31, 2012
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connecticut
I agree with mbr...i took a greyhound to ohio and brought my moped with me both ways...going there it was new and looked it...coming back tho I had to drain the gas out...
 

Falconhead

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Mar 31, 2013
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California
Your purchaser is not allowed by California law to operate an 80cc engine on a bicycle or moped - although you can sell it to him. The most California will allow is 50cc. He is required to register the bike with the DMV as a "Motorized Bicycle" and the form he fills out specifically asks for the engine number. Therefore, he will be illegally operating the bike if he doesn't register it and if he tries to register it, he won't be able to.

You better have a signed Agreement between both parties that specifically states, "The purchaser is responsible to verify any laws pertaining to the legality of the operation of the bike in Californiacvlt1 and that the seller cannot be made responsible for any violations of state law with regard to the operation of the bike in the state of California sold to the purchaser outside the state of California."
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
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living the dream in southern california
complely wrong. i've registered 6 bikes so far with the 66/80cc motor with no probs.

california's engine limit is 149cc's. it's the horsepower limit of 2hp that's in question. since the cops don't carry around a small engine dyno, there's no way to test it.

there are numerous laws in california, but shipping it here in a private sale isn't one of them.

you could build a nitro-methane powered drag bicycle with 500cc's and still ship it to anyone you want. it's what the buyer does with it after that that'll determine it's legality.

if you're really worried, send a bill of sale stating it's for offroad use only, or for display only, or buyer assumes all risks, blah blah blah...
 

The_Aleman

Active Member
Jul 31, 2008
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el People's Republik de Kalifornistan
Your purchaser is not allowed by California law to operate an 80cc engine on a bicycle or moped - although you can sell it to him. The most California will allow is 50cc.
California does not have a 50CC law. Some other states do, but California does not.

California motorized bicycle law is 2HP or less and the displacement cannot exceed 149CC or it is classified as a motorcycle.