DMV Woes

So I trailered up the RD this morning and took a short drive to the local DMV. Another swing and a miss! Since my federal sticker was illegible, I got referred to the CHP. Luckily I made an appointment earlier in anticipation of this problem. Now I have to wait another week to get verified! Oh well, I can probably spend some time polishing and painting the wheels....

Inching Closer to D-Day

I spent the last couple of days painting a couple of parts. I had purchased a fuse panel a long time ago and although it was in excellent condition, it was white. I'm guessing that perhaps some previous owner thought it might match the color scheme of his bike better or something like that. While I was at it, I gave my battery box a good scrubbing to get the surface rust off, then I shot it with a few coats of black paint. I was finally able to put some of the new rubber parts on the battery box. Check that off my list!

Today I spent some time tooling on the carbs- installing the new pilot jets and mains. The pilot was size 30 and just for a guaranteed starting point, I installed 270's. It'll probably run rich, but better rich than lean. I still haven't adjusted the A/F screw yet.

Then I started assembling the bike for the DMV. I called my local CHP office the other day, thinking that maybe they make house calls, so I wouldn't have to get a trailer. But no, I would still have to drag my bike down to their office for the verification process. But Officer Buchannon did explain to me the DMV inspection process, informing me that I wouldn't even have to step foot inside the DMV building- I just need to drive my trailered bike around back, where a DMV employee will be waiting for me to do the VIN verification, clipboard in hand. As far as completion- the brakes do not need to be operational, nor does the bike need to start up, so I'm going to leave all the main electrical parts off the bike (battery and harness), as well as cables, that way the disassembly will easier and I can avoid the current headache of hooking up the harness just for the inspection.

I made some great progress. First I had to scrub and install the old nasty swingarm back on the frame, since I farmed out the other swingarm for powdercoating. After I reassembled the rear brake and shocks, I got the carbs and intake system on there, as well as the side covers. I had to do a little scrubbing, so the red parts would look nice. I installed the gas tank and lid. Then I put together the rear fender situation. The bike is probably about 95% inspection ready- I still have to remove the cables from the instrumentation, tuck away some of the wiring, then get the tires and wheels on the bike.

So the next major step is to finish up those wheels. I don't know why I've been so reluctant to work on them. Probably because the task seems so daunting. I still need to polish up the outer rims, install the new bearings, install the new tubes and tires, then shoot paint. Yup. sounds like a real pain in the ass all right...

I did take a minute to check out the riding ergonomics on the bike. I know that the position will be slightly different in it's final rendition, since I'll be installing a lower seat. But still, I was thrilled to be able to get on it. It has been over 10 years, since I last sat on the bike! And I have been dreaming of putting new rearsets on the RD for even longer than that! So to actually realize the work that I've been doing was pure awesomeness!!!

I Love the DMV!!!

Over the past few days, I was able to give the frame an initial scrub down to remove most of the grease and grime from it. More work still needs to be done, as some of that dirtiness just won't come off that readily. But I did get it cleaned up enough to actually give the swing arm an initial fit test. Man! I've literally been waiting 10 years just to do that! I know it's not much, but it really made me smile!

I was able to spend a little bit more time with my tool wall getting frequently used tools up where I can grab them. This will also help me to be able to keep track of the commonly tools more easily. Of course I still have a shit ton of more tools that are in drawers unorganized- wood working tools, motorcycle and bicycle specific tools, odds and ends tools that I can't actually hang, etc.

Additionally, I'm finally trying to get my motorcycle "closets" more organized too. I probably have 4 or so riding suits of different kinds- the Alpinestars track suit, my neon yellow winter/rain suit, and my everyday cordura and leather wears. Then there's the boots and the gloves too! I bought some metal closet rods from Target that I'll get mounted, so I can actually hang the pants and jackets.

The biggest triumph of the week happened today, as I had my first official trip to the DMV. I was expecting some big runaround like what happened with my classic BMW car (it took me 5 trips back and forth to the DMV). I had a 2:10p appointment, so I showed up early. I was told to sit down and come back to the window, when my appointment time came up. Hmmph! When it was 2:10, I stepped up to the window and was scolded because I didn't fill out the application! (The one she snuck in behind all the paperwork that I brought to the appointment.) So I filled out the paperwork and returned to the window a third time! But then she realized that she had already given me a number and told me to sit and wait for my number to come up. I only had to wait about 5 minutes to see the registration clerk. After going over my paperwork and forms, she told me that I owed $140 and that I would have to bring in my old license plate.! Wow! It was really just that simple!! But I would have to have the VIN verified. But since I was the owner, I wouldn't even have to go through the CHP- I could do it with no appointment with that same DMV! Wow! My day just kept getting better! The only caviat was that the bike had to be assembled. But I was just ecstatic to know that my bike was now 100% for sure going to be able to get registered on the street! That brought me true peace of mind!

Registration- Coming Out of Mothballs....

A few days ago, I began the long and painful process of getting this bike registered again. (I have an old classic BMW car that sat in it's previous owners garage untouched for 30 years, but was luckily put in non-op before being put to bed. It took me 5 trips between going to AAA and the DMV to get the registration up to date!) It was fairly dizzing sorting through all my old DMV paperwork. It seems that at some point, I got a new license plate number for the original frame. And it looks like the bike was actually put into non-op back in 1994! (or at least I have paperwork (proof) from the DMV that I did change the status to non-op.) which is great news, considering that I shouldn't be responsible for back registration, although there might have been an old California DMV policy where the owner had to pay non-op fees every year. If that's the case, then I let it lapse. I'm counting on the fact that the DMV computers have lost all that information, so they will hopefully go off my paperwork and let me go on all past fees.

I have verified on the engine stamping and on the frame stamping that all the numbers match up with all the old registration paperwork. So that should help when it comes time to get the "vehicle" authenticated and verified by local LEO.

I made a couple of calls this morning, trying to get some insurance on the RD. I first tried American Collectors Insurance. Their online interface plain ol' sucks. It bonked out somewhere along the process and referred me to make a phone call to the office to finish the application process. So I made the phone call. They pretty much stated that since the bike was in boxes, the bike would not be insurable.

Next I tried to add the RD to my Geico Harley policy. Their web app also broke, so I called them up. After about 5 minutes, I had successfully acquired the insurance I needed to register the motorcycle! And it only cost me about $35 for the entire year! I printed up my proof of insurance and got all my paperwork together to get ready to do battle with the DMV.

I made my way down to my local AAA office to present my case. Immediately I was informed that if the papertrail went back beyond 10 years, I would have to go to the actual DMV office to deal with the registration.

I drove down to the closest DMV. The time was only 10:00a and the line was already 10 people out the door. After a quick calculation, I decided that I just wasn't that desperate to get this process rolling. I came back home to make some online appointments, hoping to find an early date with a DMV that's not too far away.

A quick trip to the California DMV website got me an appointment next week! Not too bad!