September 15, 2021
The good news is that the Rickman is back running again and hopefully the oil leaks are no more. The engine breather hose now goes into a very cool, baffled catch container before exiting out the rear of the bike as just vapor. There is a petcock at the bottom of the container that can be drained when needed and the can un-screws for cleaning if needed.
Yesterday was the big day to get the Rickman registered. What a joke this turned out to be. A real day-killer and the joke was on me! I had a VIN inspection set up with the CHP, as required by the DMV, at 10:30AM. I couldn’t figure out why this was necessary as the bike was previously registered and the VIN, license plate number, and my name and address were already on the title. My son Eric came over from San Anselmo with his truck and we loaded the bike into the back and headed to our appointment. The officer came out and checked the VIN, saw the title and said, “Why are you doing this? Everything is already correct on the title.” Great question, but I am just the victim here. We speculated that because it is titled as a SPCNS (special construction) and not a Triumph, DMV requires this. The officer was great and suggested I might attempt to re-title the bike as a Triumph, a process that would be extremely completed with a Rickman frame. We thanked him, took his paperwork for the VIN inspection and took the bike back to my house.
Then while on a roll and feeling like this was going to be completed easily, Nancy & I followed Eric to the Novato DMV to complete the registration. Of course I should have known that a bureaucracy like DMV wouldn’t sign everything off. Since I originally applied for registration about 6 weeks ago at the San Andreas DMV, and they asked for a “Official Brake And Light Inspection”, Novato DMV was compelled to require this step. Even though the bike never came with lights from the factory and was a pre 1973 bike which now requires them. We argued to no avail that this bike was already street legal and previously registered. I was told that I would have to go back to San Andreas and have the manager change this requirement, IF he or she were willing to do so. With fresh bureaucratic BS ringing in my ears, I decided to just get this inspection. It’s complicated for me since I can’t just ride the bike to the inspection station since it isn’t registered. This means renting, picking up and returning a trailer, or getting Eric to help me again with his truck. Eric said no problem, just let me know when.
The fun really started when we tried to find an inspection station. Nancy called one on our way back home from DMV and the first one we called said sure, just bring in an owners manual with the bike so he could see the specifications, and he could NOT inspect the bike without this! What owners manual??? Nancy said all we need is a certificate stating that the head lights and brake lights function properly and the guy replied “It’s not as simple as you think.” Sure I realize that checking to see if the lights go on or off is just one tiny step below rocket science, but we thanked him and started making other calls. None of the next 5-6 light stations would inspect a motorcycle, and I started to think that checking if a light goes off or on really might be rocket science and it’s me that’s screwed up. Then Nancy suggested we call an actual motorcycle shop to see if they offer this official service. We struck out on the first call but found one on the next. Would I need to make an appointment? “No it only takes about 5 minutes. No appointment necessary.” The shop is KC Engineering in San Francisco and they are an official light and brake station. Even better (I hope), they build and repair race bikes and classic bikes. We go there this Thursday morning in Eric’s truck and they will issue a certificate after passing the inspection, which I will take to San Andreas DMV on Friday. Since I have already paid my fees, getting my registration tags should be a piece of cake. Right??? Hopefully the bike will start as it needs to be running for the lights to work!
Update: The brake and light inspection took less than 5 minutes and everything passed. We didn’t even have to un-strap the bike and remove it from the back of the truck. We did have to start the bike in the back of the truck, since there is no battery and it needs to run for everything to function. An hour later, DMV signed everything off and we were street legal!
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