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waffle there aren't any laws regarding what a motorcycle can or can't look like. period lol.
It has to have less than 4 wheels. It used to have to weigh less than 1500 lbs but now it doesn't.
And police officers are frequently not that well informed. I get pulled over at least once a year on stolen car suspicions because I have Acura badges on my Honda Del Sol. I'm not kidding, its annoying if I am running late, but usually it happens on the highway when I have time to spare and then its just amusing.
Its not whatever the owner wants it to be. Its whatever the DMV says it is. If the DMV says its a motorcycle then the police are going to have to deal with it being a motorcycle. The reason to register it out of state first is because other states won't care about emissions so that will get him a modeal year thats smog exempt(we don't care about model years so its easier to get whatever year you want). Then carwhisperer takes it down to the DMV with a DMV-issued title stating that it is a motorcycle.
DMV will look at it, its got only 3 wheels, so i'll be darned this must be a motorcycle as the title says. The only thing this process is doing is avoiding getting assigned a smog year and the DMV is not likely to pop the hood and start poking around and asking what year the engine is. It's a rebuilt motorcycle engine remember? I doubt there are very few people working for the DMV that can identify the engine by looking at it, and since you registered it out of state. . .you can get them to sign off on stamping the engine with whatever VIN you want as well(your old motorcycle VIN that is smog exempt would be best just in case they actually decide to check it out).
Now you're going to have A title, California registration and motorcycle plates. Cop pulls you over and unlike your two listed examples we aren't missing any paperwork. We have the DMV certified photocopy, registration, the tags, and insurance if we have to have that. The cop might not like it but he as I said before has no rules to send you anywhere rather than on your way.
point out a law that its breaking that he can call you out on?
The only one this process circumvents is model year and engine year. The title will read rebuilt motorcycle. Cops most likely are not that informed about cars and their model years as normal enthusiasts or exotics(try calling in and telling them to look for a lotus exige, they will then ask you to describe it), but they are very well informed on the law. Law says if its rebuilt it can be and look like and work like whatever the owner wants. Also if he really wants to he can take a peak and the engine's VIN plate will match the motorcycle's so no need for suspicion there.
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