California Loophole?

Automatic trans means "no shifting" of gears. A single speed with a manual clutch is considered automatic... Now the real... don't be an idiot, or ride like one. no one ever gets pulled over going 20!

vehicle number: the bike's serial number.

engine number: same as bike serial number with an "E" in front of it.

make: schwinn, huffy, whatever kind of bike it is, or make it up. i use "bairdco."

license plate number: "new vehicle," or "none," or "new registration."

bairdco said:

vehicle number: the bike's serial number.

engine number: same as bike serial number with an "E" in front of it.

make: schwinn, huffy, whatever kind of bike it is, or make it up. i use "bairdco."

license plate number: "new vehicle," or "none," or "new registration."

Click to expand...

You are filling out an original application for a license plate and ID Card
so leave the box blank where it says CALIFORNIA LICENSE PLATE

The DMV will assign you a numbered plate.

Do not make up the kind of bike. Use the actual brand and serial #.
This is very important if your bike is stolen or if your bike is stopped
and checked.

Fill out sections A and D

Paying with a Postal Money Order may get a faster response?

When you get the ID card make a few copies and carry one with you
when you ride.
Keep the original in a safe place because it will cost you time and money
to get a replacement.

Thanks for posting the DMV website. I think I'll get my two whizzers registered! Seems simple enough. I thought I would have to go to the DMV and have those guys go through them with a fine tooth comb. That had me a little worried because the one I built myself has a Quenton built engine and the rest of it came piece by piece from E-bay. The frame and engine numbers don't match.
I wonder if I unknowingly bought a hot frame on E-bay. If so would they impound the whole bike or just the frame?
Sure seems funny being an outlaw biker on a Whizzer. LOL

Bairdco is right on the money. Even if your bike doesn't have a VIN, just make one up and, if you want, stamp it into the bike frame later. But I honestly wouldn't bother; what cop is going to tell you to flip over your bike to see the VIN??? Only if you encounter a real piggie, but then again, most cops don't know much about motorized bicycle law.

For the license plate section, I left it blank and they generated a number and I got my plate in the mail a few weeks later.

From this I take it that a CA ebike is exempt from any license or registration requirements as well as the DOT helmet requirement.

V C Section 24016 Motorized Bicycle Electric Motor Safety and Equipment Requirements
Motorized Bicycle Electric Motor: Safety and Equipment Requirements
24016. (a) A motorized bicycle described in subdivision (b) of Section 406 shall meet the following criteria:

(1) Comply with the equipment and manufacturing requirements for bicycles adopted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (16 C.F.R. 1512.1, et seq.) or the requirements adopted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (49 C.F.R. 571.1, et seq.) in accordance with the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 (15 U.S.C. Sec. 1381, et seq.) for motor driven cycles.

(2) Operate in a manner so that the electric motor is disengaged or ceases to function when the brakes are applied, or operate in a manner such that the motor is engaged through a switch or mechanism that, when released, will cause the electric motor to disengage or cease to function.

(b) All of the following apply to a motorized bicycle described in subdivision (b) of Section 406:

No person shall operate a motorized bicycle unless the person is wearing a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet that meets the standards described in Section 21212.

(2) A person operating a motorized bicycle is subject to Sections 21200 and 21200.5.

(3) A person operating a motorized bicycle is not subject to the provisions of this code relating to financial responsibility, driver's licenses, registration, and license plate requirements, and a motorized bicycle is not a motor vehicle.

(4) A motorized bicycle shall only be operated by a person 16 years of age or older.

(5) Every manufacturer of a motorized bicycle shall certify that it complies with the equipment and manufacturing requirements for bicycles adopted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (16 C.F.R. 1512.1, et seq.).

No person shall tamper with or modify a motorized bicycle described in subdivision (b) of Section 406 so as to increase the speed capability of the bicycle.

Added Sec. 3, Ch. 804, Stats. 1995. Effective January 1, 1996.

Source - http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc24016.htm

Yeah, ebikes rock!