Ordering an engine kit living in california!!!

[ebmvegan]

Boygofast in eBay is based in Norwalk, Ca. Although I have had good luck with them, there are others that have had bad experiences with them. They usually get the engine to you with in 3-4 days in Glendale.

The reason for the no shipment to California is the emission restrictions placed here. California has the toughest. None of the engines are technically legal. Even the ones with the catalytic converter and the sticker that states EPA certified are not legal. Legal i not proper term either. It's more "not permitted". But once in, then you can install, register, and ride. California is funny.

 

[esp]

zone 8 cycling

 

[NewAge]

I live in Calilfornia also and the answer is that none of the engine kits available meet the mandatory emission control standards in the state, hence no shipping to Ca.
And as if that isn't bad enough, even if you can get one shipped to Ca you will definitely be targeted by the local authorities and receive tickets and possible impound of your machine.

 

[NewAge]

I have a Phoenix Racer setup (1920 watts) from electricrider.com and so far I have not had any trouble with the cops, even though the Ca max is 750 watts, maybe I have gotten away with it because the system is super quiet and I've just been lucky.

My Phoenix bike does 40 mph stock, and has a range of about 10 miles.

 

[Forbisher]

I live in Calilfornia also and the answer is that none of the engine kits available meet the mandatory emission control standards in the state, hence no shipping to Ca.
And as if that isn't bad enough, even if you can get one shipped to Ca you will definitely be targeted by the local authorities and receive tickets and possible impound of your machine.

Hi, welcome to the best motored bike forum

Have you been targeted by the local authorities?
What local authorities are you talking about?
Police?
EPA?
CARB?
who?

Did you get a ticket?
Impounded?
If not, do you actually know of anyone that any of the above has happened to?

Gas powered Motorized bicycles are legal in California
Where are you in California?

 

[Shadeslay]

And as if that isn't bad enough, even if you can get one shipped to Ca you will definitely be targeted by the local authorities and receive tickets and possible impound of your machine.

I seriously doubt an police officer would give you a ticket if it was registered, you had the required equipment and are obeying traffic laws. I go by the police all the time with no worries and have yet to be stopped. But I wear a full face helmet, have my license plate, head/tail light, brake light, turn signals and mirror. I think the police are far more concerned with traffic safety then emission.

 

[rockvoice]

ridiculous, no one's being targeted in cali. there are company's that do ship here (whether legally or not) but once you have the kit installed you can register it and roll.
Iv'e been pulled over and asked for an M2 and thats all. and most cops don't even know you need that.

 

[Maxvision]

Check craigslist.com in your area. My roomie bought his motor kit REAL close to home from a guy that advertised there. He did have to pay a bit more for the convenience. Total was $180 for a 69cc kit.

 

[matt167]

Hi, welcome to the best motored bike forum

Have you been targeted by the local authorities?
What local authorities are you talking about?
Police?
EPA?
CARB?
who?

Did you get a ticket?
Impounded?
If not, do you actually know of anyone that any of the above has happened to?

Gas powered Motorized bicycles are legal in California
Where are you in California?

he's actually right.. gas powered motor bicycles may be legal in California, but only if they are EPA and CARB compliant, which most of these engines carry an EPA sticker, but with no CARB compliance sticker.. they are illegal due to the emmissions, just most people are not bothered

 

[Scotchmo]

As best as I can tell, it is illegal to sell non-CARB compliant gas equipment in California. But that is the only enforcement mechanism. It doesn’t matter if it is a weed eater, lawnmower, or motorized bicycle. Unlike motor vehicles, which have regular inspections as a condition of getting a yearly registration, there is no pollution enforcement mechanism to stop someone from using a non-CARB weed eater, lawnmower, or motorbike that they already have.

There may be some gray areas when we are talking about an selling an incomplete product, kit, or replacement parts. Most of the small engines that are made CARB compliant are self contained units, including an attached fuel tank. I know that a lot of the CARB efforts have been targeted at evaporative emissions, so it would be difficult to classify/regulate something that does not have an attached fuel system.

 

[DOC BOLM]

Have them shipped to mississippi an i will ship them to you.HD

 

[matt167]

it's not the customer that will get ' in trouble ', it's the seller that will. it's there part to not sell stuff where it's illegal, even in an out of state company, by them selling/ shipping to california, they are violating California law, and california could actully go after that company..... auto paint is commonly illegally shipped into callifornia. high voc paint is illegal, and many people get cought smuggling it in

 

[gregalman]

I bought from Staton and they not only ship to California but I have nothing but good things to say about them.
I run the Robin which is CARB certified for "off highway use".
Also absolutely no problems with the local law enforcement at all. I havn't registered it but then I ride legal and don't think an old guy with a backpack riding with traffic draws the same kind of attention as a young kid riding down the sidewalk. The cops have an awful lot of traffic codes to learn and motorbikes just are not on the priority list for them.

Greg

 

[thedude]

It surprises me to read all these stories about people having so much trouble ordering from California. I also live in california and talked to a few, researched many, if not all sources for purchasing bicycle engines. Every single place I talked to was willing to send me just about whatever I wanted. I my prefered site was bicycle-engines.com, birddog distributing. I had phone and email correspondence. All of the staff was very helpful, and continues to be. My only concern is the strict laws, max 2hp, and cannot be able to go over 30 on a flat surface, with or without the assistance of pedaling. Electric was even more strict, 1000 watts (apporximately 1.3hp), which I found odd.

 

[Mozenrath]

My blog has a page dedicated to distributors that ship to California. Just have caution because the only one of them I've ever bought a kit from was rawmotors.com.