Registering a Race bike..

[budman]

Courtesy of Scot Winders:

This is some text from Kevin Smith of the AFM that might prove useful to folks that want to do the right thing, DMV-wise, for their track only bikes.

Scott

This is not spam, just a useful tip for other racers.

Most of you probably know that bikes have to be registered within CA
if you are transporting them on public highways. Yes, even race
bikes. You can certainly do a PNO (Planned Non-Operation), and pay the annual fee. However, there is an alternative that will let you legally transport your racing motorcycle and pay a ONE-TIME fee of $3. *edit says 15, but I am not positive..disclaimer..*(Every year the DMV will send you a form stating that if nothing
has changed you don't need to send a payment.)

The process is nearly unknown at DMV offices and has to be the only true bargain left in California's bloated DMV system. Sure, you can go the easy route and pay the PNO every year, but I decided the hated DMV won't get any more of my money than is necessary, and I also loved causing consternation at the office as they went looking through dusty file cabinets for the right form. If you're willing to put up with the time involved, I think it's worth it.

The required form is "Motorcycle Transportation Permit", Form #712. If my experience is any indication, the DMV employee will have no idea what this form is, and may not even be able to find a copy on site. I found it very helpful to show them the Vehicle Code sections below, and to tell them the Form number.

Further, Sacramento may reject the application after it is submitted by the local DMV office. In my case, Sacramento seemed to think I was applying for an "off-road" (dirt bike) permit, and sent me letters warning me that my registration was past due and severe penalties could result. It took several months of repeated letters to finally get the proper permit. I could still transport the motorcycle during that time, as I'd received proof of payment while at the DMV office.

The relevant Vehicle Code passages are repeated below. These were copied verbatim from the California Vehicle Code on the DMV Web site. You can find a listing of the sections (Articles) here:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/vc/vctoc.htm

38232. A special fee of three dollars ($3) shall be paid to the
department for the issuance of a special transportation
identification device issued pursuant to Section 38088 and shall be deposited in the Motor Vehicle Account in the Transportation Tax Fund. Such fee is in lieu of the fees provided in Section 38225. [Note: 38225 is the Off-Highway fee section, and this is an important statement because off-highway vehicles still require annual registrations.]


38088. (a) Upon payment of the fee specified in Section 38232, the department shall issue to the owner of a motorcycle, which the owner has certified as being used exclusively in racing events on a closed course, a special transportation identification device for the purpose of identifying the motorcycle while it is being transported upon a highway to and from racing events on a closed course. Such device may be either a plate or a sticker, whichever is determined by the department to be the most appropriate. (b) Such device is nonrenewable, nontransferrable, and becomes invalid when the vehicle for which it was issued is sold or dismantled.
(c) A certificate of ownership may not be issued in
conjunction with a special transportation identification device.

38022. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 4000, motorcycles issued a special transportation identification device pursuant to Section 38088 may be transported upon a highway to and from a closed course.
[Note: Section 4000 essentially says that any motor vehicle on a
public road has to be registered.]


Thanks Scot ..I am sure this will help many here on

[MOBILE WELDER]

Answer to the Question in general. Another thing that will help you do this procedure is go to your local CHP OFFICE and have the officer on duty sign that he she has seen the paper work. Badg no. ect. Please no stolden biked with switch frame numbers or head sets. you will loose. With the chp-s sign and no. Sacramento looks at it as a qualified observer has over seen your paper work and deemed it to be correct.
MR RPM ROBERT

[JeffKoch]

Just curious, anyone know how this works if you have a bike that's already PNO'd? If you don't renew your PNO, DMV will start accumulating fines for you, same as if you stop paying for normal registration - does this permit stop the fines from accumulating?

With my race bike, the previous owner had stopped registering it after turning it into a track-only bike, and when I bought it and went to DMV to do the title and registration I had to pay an extra few hundred bucks in fines (which said previous owner kindly reimbursed me for). I then put it under PNO, since I didn't know about this permit deal.

[GymMouse]

Thanks for that info. I was wondering why I have to pay DMV $$$ for a bike that they /CHP will never (hopefully) see on the highways and streets of CA.
It sounds like a long process. Giving the form # should help the wonderfullly eager to help DMV employee to expidite the registraion. I guess the $3.00 may be worth it in the long run.
Will check it out.

[TenacityRacing]

Originally Posted by GymMouse

Thanks for that info. I was wondering why I have to pay DMV $$$ for a bike that they /CHP will never (hopefully) see on the highways and streets of CA.
It sounds like a long process. Giving the form # should help the wonderfullly eager to help DMV employee to expidite the registraion. I guess the $3.00 may be worth it in the long run.
Will check it out.

This is just Californias way of lining their pockets and also a venue of finding stolen bikes. I do not agree with the fee but I do agree with the inspoection ..I personally AFM should make the racers provide some sort of clean VIN to them for every bike raced ... my .02 cents for what its worth

[wsitch]

I just did this for my racebike.

The bike has to be PNO to apply for the $3 transportation permit, and I assume that it the PNO certificate needs to be "current". Ie: if the previous owner didn't pay the PNO registration, you will need to pay (plus fines!)

What sucks is that you still need to pay for the PNO license before you can apply for the transportation permit (the first time). I assume that the permit will not require the PNO license to be renewed, but I'm not sure about that.

I asked about reversing the permit, ie: if I ever wanted to sell or street the racebike, and I was assured that it was possible.

[Luke225]

just did this today. as if 1/1/04 the permit fee is raised to $15 (though the sticker still says $3). no PNO. this bike was just purchased so i had to do title transfer and pay sales tax (private purchase), but no PNO. thanks to this thread it was somewhat easy (relativly speaking) but if i didn't have this info i would have never got it done. the woman helping me had to consult with about 3 others to figure out what i wanted. in the end it was still a onetime fee of $15, what a deal!

[acbrooks2]

I got my Transportation Permit today. $15, although the sticker does still say $3. I bought a race bike that only ever started out life as a race bike, so no title or registration is needed.

This thread was really useful as I printed the codes off before i went to the DMV and after 15 minutes of them looking in the back they asked me if they could have a look!!

Another thing the DMV told me is that PNO is not really supposed to be used for track bikes because PNO means the vehicle should never even be started!

Many thanks!

[lanesplitter2]

but I don't think there is an annual fee for PNO.

They send you a notice each year about renewing your bike, but if you're already PNO - they just say ignore it.


If you want to register it for the street again, you'll have to pay registration.


but $3 sounds cheaper

[virtu]

I have registered cars and bikes as non op. It is a one time fee. The only fees you have to pay is when you plan on registering it as street ready.

[duh_ave]

Yesterday morning I asked a group of 4 CHP officers in a coffee shop about this transport permit.

First, they were unaware of it.

They told me "as long as it is not touching the roadway we don't care. If it is in your truck or trailer it is the same as if you were hauling a lawn mower or any other thing as far as we are concerned."

They felt it was a good idea to get a transport tag in the event it was stolen there would be some kind of record of it.

[budman]

Cool...glad this info has helped a few guys..out..

Guess ya never got your answer Jeff...

I will edit to reflect the 15 dollar fee..

[magyarbetyar]

I don't know about the yearly PNO fee. I have a Mercedes(looooong arduous ground up restoration) that has been PNOed for about 4 years now and have never had to pay a penny. The registration form that comes out yearly says this is not a bill only if you plan on registering your vehicle do you need to send payment. It has shown the same fee form the get go.

[duh_ave]

I just got back from the DMV trying to do this.

I was told that I had to file a PNO, but was also issued a transpo permit.

You're right, the most senior person there said it was only the second one she had issued in thirty years!!

Since my bike has no title to begin with, and no paper trail to speak of, I was told that I have to get a title bond for the amount of purchase/ vehicle value before a title will be issued in order to protect the state in case someone else turns up with paperwork on it and tries to claim it. This is a title only, no regisitration.

I have already had the chp verify the serial numbers.

[Ssketchy RC]

What do you do if you bought a salvaged title bike from out of state and want to register the bike in your name and PNO it?