was cited for "non-original suicide clutch" in southern california. Calif vehicle code 24002(a), unsafe vehicle.

Never heard of getting a ticket for a suicide clutch. Any help with literature or resources to fight this ticket are appreciated. Thanks.

 

The full California code reads:

Vehicle Not Equipped or Unsafe
24002.(a) It is unlawful to operate any vehicle or combination of vehicles which is in an unsafe condition, or which is not safely loaded, and which presents an immediate safety hazard.

(b) It is unlawful to operate any vehicle or combination of vehicles which is not equipped as provided in this code.[/align]Amended Ch. 696, Stats. 1992. Effective September 15, 1992.[/align][/align]


Sounds like a bogus ticket. You would just have to show that it is a safe vehicle and can be safely operated. You might have a problem if the bake came equiped with a standard clutch and then you modified it but that would be an interpretation of the law. See the Judge.[/align]

 

Time to go to court for this one! There is no "original suicide clutch" on a bike, but every car and truck with a manual transmission has a "suicide clutch." Since the ticket was written for no legitimate purpose except to illegally harrass you, I'd probably ask the judge to sanction the cop, at least for being a complete and utter idiot fool of something less than a human being who was stealing air from some endangered slug located in the armpit of an overweight capybara that somehow found its way to the High Andes by hitching a ride under the skirt of a runaway prostitute from Mother Russia. Or something like that.

 

Wow pococjyou are poet. I'm impressed. Will you be my lawyer?

 

What will it be next, we bikers with controls for all limbs be outlawed for too many distractions?Good Luck!

 

I dont know Bro......if I had to guess there was some other reason you got pulled over....then he gave you the ticket for the clutch just because he didn't want to give you one for a moving violation that would have cost much more and given you points. I just cant see anyone using a suicide clutch getting pulled over for it.....and it alone.

If you do take it to court and the LEO is called in.....he will say it was unsafe because you have to take one hand off the bars to shift....thus making it unsafe. At that point and only then your reply should be...."I also have to remove my hands to give hand signals when turning", IIRC using hand signals is still a legal option in California. I know it is in NJ. Here you can legally opt to not use your turn signal in favor of using a approved hand signal....and you have to take your hand off the bars to do it.

 

Just a little advice... If you do go to court to fight that it's safe, don't use the term "suicide clutch." [8D]

 

does the vehicles have to be inspected prior to registration? Sounds like the LEO would have to proved. I doubt that the simply having the suicide clutch on the bike is "reckless" operation. I don't this the DA would want to take this to court. The only think they MIGHT be able to get is if there is some stupid law stating that both hands must be on the handlebars. Other than that I think the LEO was being an A$$ for that ticket.

This summer I was participating in an Iron Butt and the guy I was riding with had bad knees lifted his butt off the seat to stand on the footpegs.Had a small town LEO pull us over and wanted to know why the guy was "stunting" Picture a guy in his 50's wearing a 2 peice Aerostich suit riding a BMW 1250GS (Their Dual Purpose bike) getting a lecture for "stunting".

 

If you were riding a 1948 pan head that came stock with a suicide clutch would you recieve a ticket?

 

Yea, I had a cop pull me over a few years ago for doing that.....on a two lane highway just riding along. My butt was sore and was tired.....so, I just decided to standup on the pegs. A cop was hiding behind a billboard sign and saw me standing on the pegs riding by him.

He was going to give me a ticket for the vehicle being unsafe......I tried getting out of it. Anyways, I got the ticket and finally made it home days later. As soon as I got home, I changed tags on the bike. They kept sending me warnings about the ticket in the mail. The original ticket started out about $100, then it began to increase about $40 per month because I didn't pay it. They said there was a warrant out for me and I may face possible jail time.

One day, I got another thing in the mail from them.....big envelope with something. Anyways, I took a big black marker and wrote "Deceased" on it. Dropped it back in the mailbox and never received anything else from them.

This all happened around 10 years ago......I just couldn't seem them traveling all the way from Philadephia to Arkansas and make me pay some dumb ticket.