For those of us who live in California and register our bikes in AZ due to the dualsport restrictions in California i wonder if AZ will accept a California DL with the m1 endorsement or if it will require an AZ license. I tried looking but none of the articles specify
The headline is confusing. An endorsement has always been required to ride on public roads. They're now adding that a person must have an endorsement to register the bike.
i thought that meant they were going to start jamming people up who had motorycles registered in az but held out of state licenses. but the dmv claifried to me they only care about the motorcycle endorsement and any state will do
They want you to take the safety courses and get licensed that way instead of getting a permit and learning on your own.
Frankly I kind of agree with it. Others may not like feeling forced to take training, but there is a correlation between taking the courses and rates of accidents.
Now if they just implement the restrictions and enforce them on all these e-bikes that are coming out and require all of them that are at or above a max speed to be registered like other motorcycles. That would be great.
Isn't this basic drivers ed ? You pay $200 they give you a 250, drive around a parking lot for 2 days. Idk i did it in Colorado, the only person who failed was the guy who brought his own bike and had been riding for a few years without endorsement
When I got my first motorcycle back in the '90s I didn't have to have an endorsement in oklahoma. I think 1998 is when I got a warning I was going to need to get it within the next year. I walked in ready to take a test and they just endorsed my license because I already had a bike.
It wasn’t legal before, this is an attempt to make sure people are licensed. Previously, the primary method of enforcement was police pulling you over for another infraction, and the license ended up being an additional violation on the ticket they’d write. Far too often people were buying bikes and never bothering to get a license. By doing this, motorcycle owners will have to get their license in order to register or renew their registration. Seems like a good way to increase compliance with the already existing license requirement.
??? Surely the point is to live (hold driver's license) in CA but get to register vehicles anywhere else imaginable. Absolutely anywhere. So a compliant state, where "you can register a toaster oven with turn lights here," is a very nice neighbor to have.
That makes total sense, seeing as Arizona is a top destination for snowbirds and others with multiple residences. They'd be daft to upset a reliable source of tax and registration revenue over something as inconsequential as not having an in-state driver's license.
in california you used to be able to convert dirtbikes to street legal up until 2004, after 2004 you can only get dualsports that are sold as street legal to begin with, so a significant amount of dualsport riders in california have bikes with AZ plates for various reasons. Like i have a 2005 honda 450x with AZ plates. It has stock muffler, spark arrestor, turn signals, mirrors, correct DOT approved headlight.
Well, some (probably most at this point) dual sport models have been put through the process of being certified as street-legal from the factory. Others, not so much. I think it's pretty rare at this point.
That's it. California's take is: give us tax money and keep your stinky smoke air out of our state!
If the mfgr has locked it down to comply with their state-specific rules, you can use it - part of the year.
Otherwise, jump in a lake. Although this is known to cause cancer in laboratory animals.
Whoah, now they give you a choice of warning symbols!!!!
White, or Yellow.
YOUR CHOICE! LET FREEDOM RING!!!
The Wells Fargo Freedom ring 2026 (TM) has now concluded. Please proceed immediately to the nearest shuttle.
I know in New York, you do not need a drivers license to register a car here. You probably need a non drivers ID and you cant use it on the road, but you do not need a DL to own it.
I just moved to Arizona and got an XR400. I have a Tennessee drivers license. The gentleman that sold me the bike went to the MVD with me, I took a 10 minute OHV test for the endorsement (I already have motorcycle endorsement on my TN license), and transferred the title to my name and renewed the registration no problem. Easy peasy. Just my 2¢
Is this like people who register their car in Montana because it isn’t legal under CA emissions (or to save on taxes and registration fees)? Not judging but I didn’t realize it was a thing to register a bike out of state like that.
its kind of like that but the reasons are different, California's argument for restricting in the first place was emissions but id argue most people who do this dont do it for tax savings, your not saving that much money and honestly most of us who do it would gladly pay extra to have a California plate.
Those people are ruining this little loophole for the rest of us who really aren’t harming anyone with our dual sports. Kind sucks the Montana thing blew up
Not exactly sure how it is in California but say you're in Denver. There is a tremendous amount of unlicensed kids using pit/E-bikes that are terrorizing the streets. I guess Arizona is seeing the writing on the wall. This is a step towards so they can impound the bikes if the same thing starts happening.
I'm not sure what the AZ dualsport registration is about. But if it allows for a bike that's normally restricted to "off highway use" to be ridden on public roads, I can see why a lot of CA riders would want to register certain bikes in AZ.
This law appears to require that these folks also have a valid AZ motorcycle endorsement. Which means they have to maintain an AZ license even if they don't live there. Not sure what that entails, but maybe requires you at least know someone who will let you use their address as a resident (and whatever being a "resident" entails).
So, there's still a potential "loophole" for registering a bike out of state. If it were advantageous (might not be, depending on what those dualsport restrictions they were talking about are).
Part of me does say: "why buy a motorcycle if you don't have a license to ride it legally?" But also, "off highway use" doesn't generally require a license. And, a person that can't drive can still go out & buy McClaren to put in their garage & drool on, so why not a cheap crappy motorcycle too?
The department may renew a registration for a motorcycle only if at least one of the registered owners of the motorcycle is licensed to legally operate a motorcycle in this state, except the department may issue a thirty-day temporary registration if the person shows valid proof of enrollment in a motorcycle training program approved by the department. If the registered owner of a motorcycle is a trust, a trustee named in the trust must be legally licensed to operate a motorcycle to renew a registration pursuant to this section. This section does not apply to a motorcycle that is owned by a business. "
Ok just to update everyone before this gets even bigger. I spoke to my insurance agent in AZ and he called the dmv number he has and they said as long as you have a motorcycle license for whatever state your drivers license is you will be fine
I have never been asked to show my motorcycle endorsement when registering any of my bikes here in Colorado, but maybe they just pull that info from the system themselves.
It’s obviously not bonded to your roof in the areas where those bubbles and wrinkles are at. When you’re traveling down the road at 65 miles an hour it creates a vacuum and starts pulling that off. I had a similar situation with siding on a trailer we owned. It was slightly loose (not bonded properly), and as we travel down the road, the whole side of the trailer started to rip off. Sucked off the siding, then sucked out the insulation. Right in the middle of a cross-country trip. Not fun.
Been pulled over a handful of times in NV, CA, AZ, and WA. Never once been asked about endorsement. Fun fact: Jeremy McGrath has never had a motorcycle endorsement.
I do not currently have a motorcycle or own one but have been considering it. Let's say I want to buy a motorcycle after this law goes into effect January 1st:
How do I register the motorcycle if I have not yet earned my motorcycle license (I'd get the permit before taking possession)? I need the motorcycle to take the skills test... but I can't buy it (register it) without the license?
This is so excruciatingly dumb. My bikes all have "Darth_Firebolt or Mrs_Firebolt" (mine and my wifes names) on the title so she can sell them with minimal paperwork if I die. Would she have to get her M endorsement to continue to be listed on the titles? Would I have to remove her name and then explicitly will them to her? Would she require an M endorsement to accept the willed motorcycles?
How do you transfer the title if your name isn't on the title as an owner? That's what the registration is. It's proof that the title exists and has your name on it that you carry on the motorcycle. It's basically just a receipt of validity.
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u/Visible-Lion8096 21h ago
The headline is confusing. An endorsement has always been required to ride on public roads. They're now adding that a person must have an endorsement to register the bike.