Rear Fender legality issues and the man?

It seems that converted off road bikes are coming under increased scutiny from state and local goverments in regards to conversion kits and actual street legality. I know we are being watched more closely now than ever here in Idaho. With this(and my XRR) in mind, I was re-reading the Idaho State motorcycle regs. Overall, I think the BRP is "ok"(though maybe a little gray around the edges).........but there is this one little nagging point that keeps catching my eye. In the regs, it states that the trailing edge of the fenders cannot be more than 20" off the ground. To me, it's like having a license plate light burned out. They can stop you if they want to, even though you are not really doing anything wrong. I have not(yet) been stopped for this fender clearance issue and highly doubt the new street legal KTM's or any other "like bike" actually meet this reg.

My question is, have any of "you" ever been stopped or questioned about this before? I don't really want to bolt some old innertube on to the back of my rear fender just to make some bike hater happy.....................thoughts?

If I were you I'd go and take pictures and measurements of bikes that are street legal easily and measure them Several sport bikes come to mind too.

I'd also look to see when that law was written. You may just know more about the law than 99.99% of Idaho's police force.

Still, if you find that they do hang down to around 20" then you can add some silly piece of mud flap or something. Does it say what part of the fender? You could be the only BRP guy with a "Backoff Jackoff" mudflap! Think of the distinction! But it would probably attract more cops than the short fender.

So do cops bother the sport bike crowd with the plate tucked up under then rear tire well??? I think not. I know my FZ1 rear fender hung down very very low, I think the feds say to the top of the rear tire. Most people just cut that piece off *shrug*

Heck I see many tucks that are jacked up way too high with their rear fender way over the legal limit off the ground, again who cares. Only time it will matter is if I were to rear end a jacked up truck, I could possible sue even if I was at fault for extra damages and injuries caused due to them being not legal.

Cops are not going to waste time on trivial matters, especially when you could poke holes at him in court. Is he trained to use a tape measure? At which part of the fender did he start from? Did he take into account when you are on the bike there is sag? DMV saw that they bike was fit when you plated it, so who is this cop to argue with the DMV?

ZT:

The only time I see, or hear about that kind of crap being enforced in AZ, is when the operator is doing something stupid, or looks like a rolling hazard.

Speaking of stupid, I did not even get hammered for doing 71 in a 45 zone on my XRR. The Man ignored my broken mirror, non-DOT tires, lack of a horn and MC endorsement, and changed my speed to 55MPH. The only thing I had going for me was the proper riding gear, insurance and a VERY polite attitude.

Ape hanger bars are illegal here, and it seems every hawg has'em, not to mention illegal, window shattering exhaust systems.

I would not sweat it. Be an outlaw and enjoy it.

Dave

Yeah man, What Dave said.

Just for the record, I am shocked by the flagrant violation of inane rules!

Bump wrote:Just for the record, I am shocked by the flagrant violation of inane rules!

Inane, indeed.

Motion to accept comment as record seconded.

Comment added as record.

Hooligan Dave

How about a flap that swings over the license plate at the flick of a switch. Something quick and spring loaded that locks into place once activated. Once the device is deployed, knowingly and feloniously turn off the road and bust through a field baja style and totaly lose that authority figure! All the while screaming "I'm not going back copper!". If your town is to cheap or to rual to have a heliCOPter. then you might be ok. Of course if your town is that small the cops might know you and where you live. with that in mind I recomend painting your bike flat black and wearing a matching suit and not even having a plate on your bike. And I recomend keeping your bike in a secret cave with a secret camo door. Also only come out at night and have night vision so you dont need a head light. And also have a support teem back inside of the cave with high tech equipment and access to real time satellite imagery. And so on and so forth. Then you could have a mantage, everybody needs a mantage, even rocky had a mantage!-Matt

Yeah, but the Google satellites can still see you. It's tough hiding from the Man.

Yeah but the tech support team in the cave hacks into their system and prevents it, so ha now what! I am talking about a cross between batman and airwolf on a bike!

... why not do what I do and use a hologram?

Bump wrote:... why not do what I do and use a hologram?

A hologram is no match for chemtrails. You are doomed.

Since I work in law enforcement, I personally can say that I leave the bikes alone unless they are doing something stupid... With that said, being stupid also includes hiding the plate or placing it somewhere it's hard to read it. In a nut shell, keep the plate where it can be seen and don't be a butthead jerk on two wheels...save the stunts for the tracks and trails...you'll avoid a lot of hassle just by not bring attention to yourself.

KTM265 wrote:Since I work in law enforcement, I personally can say that I leave the bikes alone unless they are doing something stupid... With that said, being stupid also includes hiding the plate or placing it somewhere it's hard to read it. In a nut shell, keep the plate where it can be seen and don't be a butthead jerk on two wheels...save the stunts for the tracks and trails...you'll avoid a lot of hassle just by not bring attention to yourself.

There ya go. Straight from The Man, himself.

Thanks, KTM265