Grief Avoidance in OC, CA

Courtesy of fatdaddy;

www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/det...3/c1/a8.1/5030

Hope this helps!

Tom, you have it covered so get out there and ride!
You have nothing to worry about.

you have the major stuff covered. plate, helmet and M1 (or M2or permit) are what most cops are lookuing for, if they're looking at all.

the only city i've ever been ticketed in, stopped in, or hasseled in was newport beach. and that waa before i was "legal." the main cop there was officer darking, and he had a real hardon for illegal bikes. once i had mine registered, he was always cool with me and would stop just to chat.

the horn, mirror and brake light are all required, but can only be equipment violations( fixit tickets) if your bike's registered.

and you gotta get pulled over by a real jerk if he writes you up for that.

according to cops i've talked to, they can only impound your bike if it's unregistered or used in a crime. even if you don't have an M license yourself.

i've been to donut derelicts many times on many bikes and the one time i saw a cop hassling people it was for the idiots who light up the tires on their fancy jalopys leaving the parking lot.

come on down and say hi to me, dale, and the rest of us...

i lived in costa mesa for 3 years with my bike as my only transportation. i rode it everywhere, everyday. i was stopped once for drafting a box van down newport blvd at 50mph. the cop let me go 'cause he didn't know what to bust me for. mostly just scolded me.

i've ridden side by side with motorcycle cops, getting thumbs ups all the way.

my bikes were fast enough to keep up with traffic and i rarely rode in the bike lane. only did on certain streets where every car was speeding.

all my personal bikes were registered, had my permit, dot helmet, lights and a mirror. only one had a working brake light, and i had a bell on one. which surprisingly, was legal to use for a horn. i proved that with a decibal meter app i had on my phone.

my mirrors were custom made from small blindspot stickon mirrors from pepboys. during one of my chats with officer Darling, he said my mirror was too small. i said, "i saw you coming, didn't i?"

my experience with CM cops have always been good, as long as you have a plate and helmet. and don't ride like an idiot. obey the laws and they left me alone.

i rode around newport on a fresh built bike with no plate one 4th of july. got flagged down and yelled at by a cop standing on pch directing traffic, so i went home and came back on my "legal" bike and purposely rode up to him again. he gave me the angry cop stare but didn't do anything.

i can't promise that you'll never get hasselled, but if you have the basics and don't piss off the cop, you'll probably be fine...

Tom, you are stressing out way too much, but get a mirror for your own safety.