California

[CMW-Rhett]

We are frequently asked about the availability of Royal Enfield motorcycles in California.

New Royal Enfield Motorcycles are not currently available for purchase in California. Like many other bikes with smaller distribution volume, new Royal Enfield models are "49-state bikes". We've added a California Availability Page on the website to answer common questions and provide more information.

[doxiedog]

65 people before me,have read this. Thats a lot of missed sales,for a simple gas tank mod.

[Thumper]

65 people before me,have read this. Thats a lot of missed sales,for a simple gas tank mod.

I doubt any MC mfr is going to ignore potential profit. It can't be economical for them to provide separate and distinct models for the PRC(alifornia) - or they'd be selling them there.

Most mfrs have discontinued their separate California-version bikes. It was too costly. Instead, they make all models conform to CARB standards. Smart move economically, especially since other states (like my own) continue to tighten their emissions regulations.

RE cannot pass CARB with the current models. One reason (I have to guess) that they're rolling out the new unit-construction engine.

They also have to worry about Euro 3 standards.

Just my two cents.

[Kevin Mahoney]

There are two things driving the development of the Unit Construction Engine. Tightening misusing standards (Euro 3 is the most imminent) and the desire to raise quality and reliability. We actually hold a CARB certificate. What it took was a small catalytic converter in the silencer and a sealed petrol tank. Simple enough. The factory has been unwilling to make the modifications because in a relative sense California is a small market (for them, not for us). They are more open minded about it with the new UCE.
  The Bullet engine has hung together all of these years through lots of engineering fixed which have been hung on the old engine design. It has reached the end of those possibilities. To meet emerging emission standards and to make the unit more reliable the new engine was designed. The design charge was to make a long stroke singe engine that was modern yet vintage. Not an easy task, but I think they did a good job.

[Spitting Bull]

I can't add anything to the discussion but speaking as a Brit, I was astonished to learn that you can't buy a RE in California although you can buy one in any of the other states.

Tom

[RagMan]

California is  DIFFERENT  to say the least - they have laws nobody can understand.

[Spitting Bull]

Just out of curiosity - it it legal to OWN a Bullet in California, say by going to another state to buy it and then bringing it home?

Tom

[RagMan]

You can own one, as long as it is not brand new - it can only be used, and titled in another state.  If it is really old, you have less hassle.

I moved to CA for a few months, in '98. I had any amount of problems with my vehicle licensing.  I never got it resolved, as I left the state before that.  Now, I will not live in California again.

[Kevin Mahoney]

Although I lived in San Francisco for many years and love California, one of the greatest problems they have ever put on themselves was the installation of a full-time legislature. Besides feeling obligated to pass more laws than anyone needs it also makes certain that the rule making is in the hands of professional politicians and lobbyists not citizens. My father- in -law was a State Senator in a state where the legislature only met every other year and then for a limited amount of time. No office, no secretary, no minions kissing his as* etc. Although a small state they had the same issues that any large state has and got the work done in a short amount of time. It forces common sense and practicality. It also insures that the legislators are everyday working people and not professionals.

[gapl53]

Although I lived in San Francisco for many years and love California, one of the greatest problems they have ever put on themselves was the installation of a full-time legislature. Besides feeling obligated to pass more laws than anyone needs it also makes certain that the rule making is in the hands of professional politicians and lobbyists not citizens. My father- in -law was a State Senator in a state where the legislature only met every other year and then for a limited amount of time. No office, no secretary, no minions kissing his as* etc. Although a small state they had the same issues that any large state has and got the work done in a short amount of time. It forces common sense and practicality. It also insures that the legislators are everyday working people and not professionals.

Hear, Hear!
Couldn't  have said it better.
It's a diffrent country in that state.

[scoTTy]

lived in LA...  4 a while..

got pulled over in Hollywood In a 68 muscle car cause I had KY tags..  was told to go get legal or face a fine.. I was told at the inspection place I was illegal from the air cleaner down..  I said stick ure emmisions checker to the pipes.. he said it doesn't matter if you show up cleaner than their requirements..  you can't change anything.. so i moved to Houston, and didn't pass their test either until I took out my european halogen headlights and put in inferior sealed beams..

stupid  rules..  gRRRRrrr.. I'l refrain and be nice... grrrrrrgrUmbLe

[RagMan]

I refuse to live anywhere that has vehicle emission testing, or annual inspections.  Just a matter of principal.

[JLR]

No inspection or test in Kansas...unless you buy an out of state vehicle and then it must pass inspection before tagging. I think..never done it myself. However...property tax here is a bite!

[Thumper]

I refuse to live anywhere that has vehicle emission testing, or annual inspections.  Just a matter of principal.

So, you'll be living in which third world country in about 10 years? 

It's bound to bite you sooner or later!

More and more of our counties require emission testing as we continue to see urban and suburban sprawl. Most of them only require it on cars; but I'm sure bikes are next. Yuck.

[RagMan]

It is unlikely to get me, anytime soon - I buy houses in extreme rural areas - not enough funding to enact a clean air program in such areas, and there probably will never be.  If I lived in a town, without emission testing, I would expect them to enact it some time, but out here in the boonies, it will never happen. 

[luoma]

isn't it odd that the state with some of the worst air and water quality problems has the most rules? Guess you can't legislate mother nature.

[LinerHead]

In general, the days of an air cooled engine with a carb are numbered.  Emissions are going to kill them.  No new air cooled Beetles being made or sold.  We will all be riding water cooled fuel injected systems soon enough.

It's easier to control emissions when you can keep the temperature down (water cooling) and precisely control the mixture (fuel injection).  You can lean out the mix via the computer as required to keep it within specs.

Advantage to the FI, I can drive anywhere in the country without adjusting the jetting.

Downside is that it isn't as much fun to re-map the FI as it is to poke at the carb.

I think that most places will probably exempt, or continue to exempt, motorcycles from emissions test, just based on the low mileage that most bikes get used, and the relatively lower percentage of motorcycles relative to cages.

[scoTTy]

hhee. heee.. I live where ther is no emissions tests..

 when I lived in southern cally so many years ago I got stopped by a police officer in Hollywood.. I lived in Burbank a the time  and said He had noticed my ky plates on my car for quite a few months.. gheezz i thought I was invisible a 2 seater that was black with white racing stripes   he said If u are going  live here.U got to get inspected , so I did.. and opend my hood and the inspector's eyes bugged out and said SoN, You are illegal from the air cleaner down.. I said well put your smog machine pipe on the exhaust.. he said doesn't matter if your engine is cleaner than it came from the factory.. U can't change anything.. so I sleuthed around a ew more months and movd to Houston Texas,, where my headlights made me flunk their tests.. what a funny sight  on the guys face when he put the machine on my headlights and it buried the needle..  I had european halogin lights..  I could see forever.. so i had to tak out those lights and put inferior sealed beams in to pass.. and then.. well , Yall know how long it took for me to change back to good lights..

so now I am in KY once again in an area that doesn't have a clue

[dewjantim]

I've got an idea. Why dont all the manufactures say screw the CARB standards and just keep making vehicles that adhere to the Federal Govt guidelines. I think that the people of California would be pretty mad if they could no longer buy new vehicles there. The rules might even be changed. I think it is crazy that California thinks they can, in effect, be their own country and make their own rules reguardless of the federal government. Yeah, I know, states rights and all that crap. I just think the laws should be uniform from state to state......Dew.

[RagMan]

You are not the only one, that wished California was not so annoying.  I moved from there because of their crazy regulations.

[DaveG297]

They don't much mess with you in Michigan and that goes for noisy HDs too.   We ain't holding our breath either cause it will happen soon.     How about electric bikes with speaker and recorded sound.............not far off..........dg

[DaveG297]

How do I post a new topic..........dg?

[doxiedog]

What i find strange, is there are NO smog testing on motorcycles in calif.
  But if your 49state model has 7500+ miles you can get tags.

[1 Thump]

Or if the bike was registered in your name in a different state, it can be registered in CA.

[raderj]

I'm gonna give a bump for this because it may be helpful to someone.  Some Triumph dealerships in SoCal sell Enfields now.  I got mine from Rocket Motorcycles in San Diego.

[1 Thump]

Interestingly they do not smog test motorcycles in CA.

[jartist]

They tried to pass a bill to smog test bikes but it got watered down to be a noise pollution bill. I read somewhere that part of the problem was the infrastructure required to install dynos for the smog test. The harley lobbyists probably saved our butts too!

[GreenMachine]

If they did install dynos, maybe us iron guys can re jet and tune our carbs while they check for smog. Why would states continue to waste taxpayer money on smog testing, new cars and I would say, cars that are 10 years old or even older probably would past their test anyway with a few that might not due to a defective sensor or check engine light on...Cars, bikes today are nothing like the lead sleds of yesterday..Gasoline has morphed into a chemically enriched alcohol..Isn't the car/motorcycle industry manufacturing vehicles to meet or exceed fed guidelines.. Clean air is a good thing, it seems to me that doing it at the front end is the way to go vice dragging everyone to the smog testing center every year.. I brought two different gas powered leaf blowers from home depot over the past 3 months, one was a midprice ryobi and the other a cheaper home depot brand model..After using one time and using the manufacturer 50-1 mix  (mind u new gas ), they wouldn't start. Good spark (ouch) but neither unit would start.   My neighbor and I took a plug out of older model that happen to use the same size and still it was a no go).. I can't explain it...I personally think they are set up very lean or Sunoco is providing inferior fuel. I ended up emptying the gas and taking both back within the 30 day purchase and got my money back. They are now very fuel efficient and emit little to no pollution....Is fuel changing again? Sorry for the rambling but eventually I'm going to need a leaf blower that works...GM

[Arizoni]

Arizona requires testing but for the most part it just involves testing your ability to reach into your wallet and pull out a $20.

When I bought my new license plates for my RE this year I didn't even have to take it to the test station.
My '99 Miata on the other hand has to go in but their idea of testing it consists of plugging in their computer scanner, shaking their heads and grabbing the $20.

My old '78 GMC truck on the other hand has to get sniffed with the probe while it's idling.
They would try to run it up to 40 mph on their rollers but it is a full time 4 wheel drive truck so it would just climb off of their machine and charge off down the road if they tried it.

Some of the low cost lawn equipment isn't made for the new gas/alcohol fuels and it will mess up the carburetors.  That's probably what happened to your leaf blowers.

[LarsBloodbeard]

I was told at the inspection place I was illegal from the air cleaner down..

Curious what year this was....  '68 is exempt from smog testing and has been for a while.
It is true that you're not allowed to modify exhaust on any vehicles (including motorcycles), but everyone does it anyway.  Also not allowed to tint your windows, yet you see window tinting shops everywhere.  Oh, and it's illegal to put any other tires than the size and type that the manufacturer specified.  /sigh

Once in a while you'll get a cop that just wants to be obnoxious or has to fill his quota and will ticket you for that stuff, but it's pretty rare.  And it's usually a fix-it ticket, which means you have to prove you changed it or you can't ride it on the road any more.  This is the reason I'm keeping my stock muffler in the garage. 

[LarsBloodbeard]

Gasoline has morphed into a chemically enriched alcohol..  I brought two different gas powered leaf blowers from home depot over the past 3 months, one was a midprice ryobi and the other a cheaper home depot brand model..After using one time and using the manufacturer 50-1 mix  (mind u new gas ), they wouldn't start...

You answered your own question in a sense.  You simply CANNOT run ethanol gas in a 2-stroke without it suffering for it, especially if you only run it once in a while.  Typically you're gonna fill up a gas can and let that gas sit for a while.  Well, ethanol, being a great solvent will eat away at the gas can and leave those deposits in your cylinder when it burns the gas.  Also, it gathers water in as little as a few hours, and starts to decompose in as little as a week.  Stabilizer will help, but really you need non-ethanol fuel.

This is what you need: http://amzn.com/B007U592HU

[Arizoni]

I think rather than paying $23.33 per gallon (plus shipping) I will buy a gallon of Coleman fuel for the $12/gallon I saw at the store.

It is basically "white gasoline" and it will work in small gasoline engines.

The last time I did this, the gas was for my chain saw so I poured some into my lawnmower and then added the 2 cycle oil to the rest that was still in the can.

To help me identify this fuel and to keep me from using this pre-mix in my Coleman stove and lantern I painted the outside of the can with some black spray paint.

It's still expensive but weighed against the cost of screwing up small 2 stroke engines with gasohol it is a cheap way to go.

[LarsBloodbeard]

I think rather than paying $23.33 per gallon (plus shipping) I will buy a gallon of Coleman fuel for the $12/gallon I saw at the store.

It is basically "white gasoline" and it will work in small gasoline engines.

The last time I did this, the gas was for my chain saw so I poured some into my lawnmower and then added the 2 cycle oil to the rest that was still in the can.

To help me identify this fuel and to keep me from using this pre-mix in my Coleman stove and lantern I painted the outside of the can with some black spray paint.

It's still expensive but weighed against the cost of screwing up small 2 stroke engines with gasohol it is a cheap way to go.

Thanks for the tip!  I forgot about white gas.  The link was really for informational purposes, I don't recommend paying VP's premium.  I know there are some go-kart shops and performance engine shops around my area that will sell you similar stuff without such a premium.

[tooseevee]

I think rather than paying $23.33 per gallon (plus shipping) I will buy a gallon of Coleman fuel for the $12/gallon I saw at the store.

It is basically "white gasoline" and it will work in small gasoline engines.
It's still expensive but weighed against the cost of screwing up small 2 stroke engines with gasohol it is a cheap way to go.

                I suppose about 5 of us on this forum remember Amoco White. It's all I would use in my cars AND bikes all through the '60s & '70s until it disappeared. I still remember the last Amoco station that closed up in my area. Amoco White helped maintain carbs & engines clean as a whistle inside unlike today's chemistry experiment, political scam, bullshit story gasolines. 

[LarsBloodbeard]

                I suppose about 5 of us on this forum remember Amoco White. It's all I would use in my cars AND bikes all through the '60s & '70s until it disappeared. I still remember the last Amoco station that closed up in my area. Amoco White helped maintain carbs & engines clean as a whistle inside unlike today's chemistry experiment, political scam, bullshit story gasolines.

Before my time, but that sounds awesome. 

I barely remember oil coming in cans -- they were switching to bottles when I was a kid.  In my older vehicles I always thought it was dumb that the oil fill location is often awkward to reach with the bottles so you basically HAVE to use a funnel... then it dawned on me one day that they were probably designed with oil cans in mind, where you jam that nice long spout into the can top.  I really wish I could still buy oil in cans.