Build a Motorcycle


Just one quick little thought here before I get between the sheets.
I'm sure most of you have heard about the new law that says that you can now only build one motorcycle. That means a kit bike or one from scratch to in your life time. Is that a crock or what! It does not hold true for a car or truck. Build as many as you like.
Now I can't lay my eyes or hands on the bill that tells us this but it's around somewhere. You can probably find it on the net fairly easy. One thing that gets me about a home built bike or any other for that matter, is that the police are not that up on the serial number thing. The expect the numbers to look like vin's on a car or something. The stampings on bikes are not perfect even from the factory. I looked at the numbers on my Pan Engine and they are a bit funky and not in perfect line and neither are the ones on my Yamaha either. Older antique Harleys only had numbers on the engine so there are no numbers on the frames of these. A cop not up on this would think the numbers on the frame had been taken off and probably impound the bike. This has happened with newer bikes too as the numbers stamped in the engine and the frame are not in perfect line or evenly spaced apart on most. The industry has tried to do better but the older iron still has issues.
Basically if you crashed your bike and had to buy a new frame and put all your components into it the police would most likely impound the ride if you do not have all the paper work with you. One thing you can do in such a rebuild is go to the DMV and get them to stamp new numbers on it for a rebuilt title. There was an article about two guys a couple of years back who had their rides both taken by the police even though the owners had the titles and to them. As far as I know they never got them back because the police auctioned off the bikes and told the two that they could bid on them like anyone else if they had wished. This was an on going case with a lawyer and the police still auctioned the bikes even after determining they weren't stolen.

But here is what I'm pissing in the wind about. You can only build one bike now in your life time unless you get a manufacturers license. What is unjust about this law is that it does not pertain to any other motor vehicle. So, you can go out and build as many kit cars or hot rods or what have you with mis-matched numbers on the frame, body, engine, transmission, rear end and so on and not have a care. The police just are not going to crawl all under your car looking for matching numbers because it is to big a hassle. Someone may be driving around in a car with a stolen engine but the police are only looking at the VIN on the dash. A motorcycle has easier access for them to look at so the hassle is on the bike owner.
Throw in the profiling of a biker with long hair and already your a criminal in the eyes of the law. So while Johnny law is giving you the shake down beside the road, the guy driving past with his short hair and stolen engine go motoring happily on his way in his car, probably with a body in the trunk. (It's hard to carry a body in the saddles bags).
Funny how the most notorious crooks and killers ever caught all have short hair and drive cages isn't it?