I took my bike to a local inspection station for my annual inspection this past week. I've had it and my previous two bikes inspected there, with car tires going back at least 16 years.
The inspector looks at the back tire and says, "Is that a car tire?" I responded that I don't see where it says car tire on it but it does say DOT. Long story short, he says car tires on motorcycles have been illegal for the last 20 years here. I'm kinda surprised at that and asked him, "if car tires have been illegal for the past twenty years, why was it just last year that Captain Stewart of the Virginia State Police issued a decree stating that, which was quickly snuffed out by my Delegate after I contacted her about it?" He said the laws are on the books and that's how he inspects. I told him, I've been getting new stickers here for the past 16 years. He said I shouldn't have.
OK, so I left and went home to check on the law just to be sure there wasn't something recent that I missed. Yep, sure enough, the inspection regs, dated March 2026, just two months ago say nothing about car tires on motorcycles. I went back to the shop the next day and asked him to show me were he's getting his info from. He pulls out the book on inspections, turns to the page for motorcycle inspections, paragraph 400 where it talks about tractor tires or trailer tires could not be used. Nothing else. He said, "I'm still not inspecting your bike". I told him that will get his inspection permit pulled and that I would be going to the VSP for assistance on this. I walked out then a moment later he calls me to come back inside. So I do. He asks me to come around the counter to look at his computer screen. He's got a page up with the full Admin order concerning tires on motorcycles and it states a couple times that car tires shall not be used. As I'm reading it a couple times I realize this is CoPilot summary of the reg, not the actual law but using the actual paragraph from the inspection book. I told him that's not the actual reg and left.
So this guy has lied to me twice now over this and then refused me service as a public inspection station.

 

Wow, that's pretty harsh. I hope you get satisfaction. Seems like the guy's quite a ***** over such a simple issue he could just let pass.

How do they handle a bike that has been upgraded with a bore kit or ECM tuner?

In California, we don't have annual inspections or biannual smog checks for bikes, so that's one for us!

John

 

Go Give um Hell Gunny, let him remember you,,,,

 

The initial reaction would have been to do just that, but it wouldn't help my cause.
I've got the VSP involved to come out and talk to the guy. I'm not lookin to shut house garage down. That's his living and lots of people rely on him for their cars. He's been here for a long time.
The point I'm carrying on this is to follow what's established and proven, not a frantic hysteria about something ya have no idea about other than what ya assumed while reading about it in your easy chair.

 

Inspect requirements..
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/adminco...70/section400/

Recent rule change.






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Try to keep up moron. That was overturned by Delegate Pugh. The updated inspection procedure of March 2026 doesn't have that intuitive there.
Typical BS by people chiming in who have no idea of the topic.

 

No problem run the right tire.

 

Actually what I see is what I posted in post 5. Some people learn from others. Sadly some teachers call the students morons.

Didn't see your source to Delegate Pugh who ever that is.

Interestingly this is what they say about you source .




We are back in VA for the summer. The Rutrain Seafood festival in, Hayes VA is Wednesday and college summer baseball season in two weeks.

Sitting here waiting to get all the vehicles inspected. See what they say if there not too busy, maybe they have a paper since car tires really aren't in the VA inspection code. Trailer tires are. But since that depth is over this student moron head.

 

I don't know how a single delegate can change or decide on the law, but maybe it's different in VA.

John

 

It's not. He pulled the wrong lever. That for him calling me a moron.

He better not try Williamsburg inspection station either.

Best I can tell they don't pull you anymore for State Inspection anyway. That will be the easiest way around this.

The inspector I talked to that I have know for years, I think since I ask, probably though I was going to do it to my Harley.

I got a blow by blow why not to do it pointing to the lip on my Toyota rim, side wall weakness for rolling over on and the flat footprint. Then a flat it won't pass because it's unsafe.

I did give him a $5.00 tip only after telling him for the advice and the fact that he gets his torque wrench out and sets it to 83ft/lbs rather then his impact.