It can be done!

j57little

Active Member
#1
Back in the day a lot of kids had mini bikes when practically no one considered making them legal on the road. Even if the bike could be made legal no one did it because the riders were all under 16. Back in the day if you encountered a police officer you were likely told to go home and if he was in a bad mood he made you walk it. Nowadays they impound the bike and if a child is riding the parents get charged with child endangerment! As an adult in Michigan if a police officer stops you on a public road you are likely to have the machine impounded regardless of your age...unless it's legally titled and registered!

I am pleased to report that I can now ride my Rupp anywhere except restricted access highways! The only trick was getting a title for a bike that had never been titled before. I had to post a surety bond (about $100). So while the registration process was more costly than I planned, it's done! If anyone else in Michigan wants to go this route send me an IM and I can talk you through it. Rupp fans may note that the original Rupp tires were not DOT approved so I had to change the tires. The good news is that DOT tires were only about $25.00 each! Except for the tire change, all I had to add was a horn. Using the switch already on the Rupp, I added wires to the horn (make sure it's a 6 Volt horn!). The local police came out, inspected it and passed it as road worthy.

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#4
Congratulations and JOB WELL DONE.! You provided HOPE to the rest of us. My son will be attempting to go through the process here in California with his 1970 Rupp Roadster, which I suspect will have (possibly many?) more hoops to jump through than Michigan.
Michael
 
#6
I went a slightly different route ...



One Hilltopper came with a title .. it was fairly easy getting a second title and new vin issued.

The bikes meet all Moped criteria but one ... can not be over 100cc .... I'm betting that wont be an issue.

No insurance needed and the license is good for 3 years.

Just waiting for the horns to show up from India ...
 
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