Quote:
Originally Posted by extrashaky
That's what one would expect.
However, when you register a car here in Florida, the only inspection is a VIN verification, and that's only necessary if you bring a vehicle in from out of state. If you buy one that is already registered here, there's no inspection at all. And even if you need a VIN verification, you can have a notary do it so that the tax office employee never even sees the vehicle.
So there's no inspection mechanism to tell you it's not legal.
That leaves traffic enforcement. Can a cop pull you over for driving a car with a motorcycle tag? How, when the VIN verifies that it's a motorcycle?
Can a cop ticket you for not having the correct safety equipment? Again, how, when the VIN verifies that it's a motorcycle?
Can a cop ticket you for illegally modifying your motorcycle? Possibly, but so far I haven't seen any state law that says you can't do it.
Thus it seems to be a legal hole that the converted Slingshot fits right into. There doesn't seem to be anything official saying it's illegal, and there doesn't seem to be an enforcement mechanism even if it is.
If these things were to become a problem, the state legislature could always pass legislation that outlawed it after you spent the money on the conversion. However, this is a state that is staunchly against inspections and allows golf carts to be driven legally on residential streets. I seriously doubt our lawmakers are going to bother, and the cops don't seem to want the paperwork.
That's just Florida, though. People in other states with stricter motor vehicle regulations have run into problems. I know that thing is pretty much illegal as it sits in Pennsylvania. In some states you can't keep the motorcycle registration, but you can convert it over to a home-built, which exempts you from some equipment rules but not others. IIRC Missouri does this, but they require you to pull the VIN tag off and throw it away, replacing it with a new VIN, VIN plate and title issued by the state. So there are some ways around it.
Apparently someone has developed 300 HP and 600 HP turbo kits for them. Now the fun thing seems to be to turbocharge a quad with widened rims and end up with a total weight of something like 1400 lbs.
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that probably wouldnt pass in california, but it would in states like washington. They dont really ever look at the car unless its a salvage to rebuilt inspection.
And california is starving for money so theyll pull you over just because.
Thats said California LOVES their Kit cars/homebuilt cars ( harken back to the Manx era) So guys in the exocet community are registering their cars that way. Im sure the singshot could do the same route.