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Old 05-06-2009, 04:14 AM   #54 (permalink)
roflwaffle
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Quote:
Originally Posted by theunchosen View Post
Right but my point is still that the modification the engine in the case of an MC would be an emissions improvement over what the MC used to be.
That depends on the modification. A turbo alone may or may not improve emissions, it depends, which is besides the point since crewing with the emissions system is still a federal crime, albeit one not really enforced.
Quote:
Originally Posted by theunchosen View Post
As I originally stated its a toss up. IF we were talking swapping car engines you'd probably not get by with it(if emissions were worse), but since your trading classifications it doesn't really resemble either, because no Honda I've ever seen has 3 wheels(playing Devil's advocate for for the inspector) and no motorcycle has a car chassis(Aptera and a few others excluded).
There's no huge gray area here. The DMV explicitly states a SPCNS vehicle, in this case a motorcycle, can't be something modified from it's original design. It has to be unrecognizable as a production vehicle, can't resemble anything, and a Honda with three wheels is still just a modified Honda, and fairly recognizable, even if the inspector hasn't yet seen someone take a wheel off a Honda yet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by theunchosen View Post
I think your originaly note denotes a spcns vehicle? If it does not resemble the original its spcns? If thats the case it can't be done in CA.
Yup... That's what the DMV stuff says.
Quote:
Originally Posted by theunchosen View Post
If thats describing something else it needs more clarification before discussion can advance.
It's already as clear as it's gonna get as per my last post. If it resembles another production vehicle, even if it's modified from it's original design, then it's not SPCNs. It doesn't get as clear as that. A Civic with three wheels does not get a SPCNS reg AFAIK, since it's still just a modified Civic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by theunchosen View Post
I think the next quote puts us in inbetween turf though. The one stating SPCNs does not entail vehicles that have been modified. . .Its really hard to say. I'm still banking you could pull it off with out-of-state paperwork, to get your instate, take it to your BAR station and have them check it out and get some kind of stamp or notice in case you get pulled over.
Not AFAIK. The ref will look at it, maybe comment on the interesting Honda, and designate it as a modified 199x Civic, provided the modifications are safe enough as per a CHP inspection. It won't be a SPCNs unless the body doesn't look like anything else in production, ie a tube frame or similar.
Quote:
Originally Posted by theunchosen View Post
But to answer the emissions questions yes the mc engines passed inspection by having an active emissions system(water injection and temporary lean burn). The MC engines were NC and a little trickery was used to get through inspection^^^, but they got stamped with the car model year and the engines were re-stamped as car engines(after which they were custom kit cars and got a selected model year).
It must be nice to have such a loose system over there, but unfortunately, it;s pretty strict here.
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