I have read how tough the California EPA is on motorcycle emissions and that there is NO tampering with stock bikes anymore. I have made modifications to my intake, exhaust and ECU.

Here is the question. Can I ride out there to the left coast and not be hasseled if I am just visiting?

 

the non-tampering regs are Federal and the current stage came into effect in 2010, along with cats. ( as with most emissions regs back to the 60's, CA was a year ahead.)


some CA towns are hard on riders and use exhaust noise regs as an excuse to hassle.

newport, huntington beach, la jolla, just about anywhere which is money'd. they rather have krapdashian wanna-bes in their town than motorcycle riders.

so it is town-by-town.



mike

 

Only time I have seen anyone hassled was due to loud pipes and rapping them up through town.

 

The testers are every where, stay at home or go to phoenix, lol.

 

Well, considering there is no inspection for motorcycles in CA it is really irrelevant unless some guy wants to stop you and tear your bike apart. The only ticket I ever gor for any such thing was when I was riding like an idiot revving my motor as I passed a cop who was already writing a ticket. Learned my lesson on that one. That was in 2006.

 

I'll stand corrected, but I would think that if you bike is registered in a state that has no epa requirements that CA has, they couldn't do anything unless you lived there. I could be wrong though

 

As long as you don't ride like an idiot, no one will bug you, even with loud pipes. As one poster also mentioned above, some towns are stricter than others, but if you start raspin the throttle every 30 seconds to make yourself more noticable, you'll get dinged.

Some guys just love making noise for no reason and they usually get bit eventually.

 

I work in the Bay Area and there are tons of loud bikes on the road. If you ain't a fool it probably ain't a problem.

 

Any differences in California emissions for motorcycles are like passenger vehicles: they are not applicable unless moving here. There are no emission testing for motorcycles and when passing through, it doesn't apply anyway. An out of state vehicle that is belching blue smoke can get cited, and motorcycles with loud pipes can be cited. Most that do get cited usually brought it on themselves, hot-rodding through town, revving it up as they go through an underpass, acting stupid at 2:00 am through residential neighborhoods. Again, all self-inflected.

Starting in 2013, for model-year 2013 and newer bikes, California passed the Motorcycle Anti-Tampering Act, which gives police the authority to ticket motorcycles with non-compliant exhaust systems. A rider must be initially cited for another infraction -- such as speeding, not signaling or an illegal turn -- before he or she can be cited for violation of SB435.

"Signed in 2010, this new motorcycle exhaust law isn't the first to hit the California law books. SB435 is a law meant to support already existing motorcycle exhaust restrictions by allowing police to ticket motorcycles that are parked, ridden or used for any other matter that have been manufactured after January 1, 2013 and have an aftermarket exhaust system or any motorcycle that has a motorcycle exhaust system manufactured after January 1, 2013 that does not display a label directly on the exhaust system showing that it adheres to previously instated noise emission standards."

 

As said already, unless you're riding like an idiot or revving your bike to draw attention to yourself the cops here don't even look twice at motorcycles, especially cruisers.

I've logged 200,000 miles in CA and had ZERO hassles. Only time I've been stopped was for doing 80 on the Fwy and got a warning.

Have a great trip and be safe.