California motorcycle laws?

[BrandonRoy]

Going to spend the summer in CA and bringing my bike over.

Any special regulations/laws different than MA I should be aware of?

I'm on my permit still.

[DuncanMoto]

You are allowed to lane split under certain circumstances.

[BrandonRoy]

You are allowed to lane split under certain circumstances.

Wow, so I can cut through stopped traffic on the freeway?

[DuncanMoto]

Wow, so I can cut through stopped traffic on the freeway?

Yeah. Like I said, under certain circumstances, you need to learn the laws on it.
Also, I think you may be better off getting your license in MA. and then transfering once in Cali.
I'm sure some of the recent NESR transfers will chime in soon. Jackie, Lauren, JRO, Alex?

[crowspeed07]

you cant operate a motorcycle out of state on just a permit says so right on it get your lic.

[Jonny Rocket]

Internet search reveals:

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/dl655/dl665mcycle.pdf

[FirstDuc-1098]

page not found ?!?

[DuncanMoto]

page not found ?!?

The government probably couldn't pay their hosting bill and got shut off. :oops:

[lrrs182]

Unless it's changed, they allow you to split lanes between the furthest left 2 lanes. They don't want you weaving thru traffic. OK, so I got stopped for that! There is a trick to it. When traffic is stopped, I'd whip right thru. The moment you see an open spot in one lane ahead, lookout! Someone WILL try to take it. A cop told me the reasoning behind them allowing it is that the sooner you get there, the sooner there is one less vehicle on the freeway, plus bikes use less road, so in LA, that's viewed as favorable. They als never had a problem if when you are on a 4 or 6 lane blvd, if you split lanes while everyone is stopped for a light. Cop said as long as you are acting safely. they are cool with it.
Just my experience, your results may vary.

[drop]

you cant operate a motorcycle out of state on just a permit says so right on it get your lic.

i hear this all the time (thought so myself when i had one) but the official MA RMV statement is "you may not operate a motorcycle outside MA if that state's laws prevent you from legally doing so."

i haven't seen one in awhile, but i think the wording on the permit is written along the lines of "may not be valid out of state" rather than "is not valid out of state"...OP, can you check yours?

while you may be able operate out of state, you'll definitely need to do your research beforehand to make sure the state regulations where you are will accept your permit. also, some states require you to meet the restrictions of their permits in addition to your own state's limitations, so you'll need to know those as well.

some examples:
- NY will accept out of state permits, but NYC will not.
- VT does not accept any out of state permits.
- CA does not allow permit holders to operate on the highway.
- NH accept out of state permits, but MA permit holders must wear a helmet because it is a restriction on their MA permit. (edit: i was wrong, NH does not allow out of state permits at all. the theory is the same though.)

it's almost as confusing as differing state gun laws.

[markbvt]

Also, I think you may be better off getting your license in MA. and then transfering once in Cali.

Definitely get your license before heading out, but if you're only spending the summer in CA, don't bother to transfer your license or registration. Not worth the effort for such a short time period.

--mark

[crowspeed07]

i hear this all the time (thought so myself when i had one) but the official MA RMV statement is "you may not operate a motorcycle outside MA if that state's laws prevent you from legally doing so."

i haven't seen one in awhile, but i think the wording on the permit is written along the lines of "may not be valid out of state" rather than "is not valid out of state"...OP, can you check yours?

while you may be able operate out of state, you'll definitely need to do your research beforehand to make sure the state regulations where you are will accept your permit. also, some states require you to meet the restrictions of their permits in addition to your own state's limitations, so you'll need to know those as well.

some examples:
- NY will accept out of state permits, but NYC will not.
- VT does not accept any out of state permits.
- CA does not allow permit holders to operate on the highway.
- NH accept out of state permits, but MA permit holders must wear a helmet because it is a restriction on their MA permit.

it's almost as confusing as differing state gun laws.

got a link to a website that says this? could help out with some friends who wont listen to reasoning about taking the msf class.

[drop]

got a link to a website that says this? could help out with some friends who wont listen to reasoning about taking the msf class.

unfortunately i don't really have much more for you from the MA RMV than what i've linked below, mostly because it's really not about MA law in this case - the key is what the reciprocal state's laws will or will not allow you to do with a MA motorcycle permit. the important part (as far as MA is concerned) is that MA does not specifically disallow you to operate out of state on a permit. i'll ask around tonight to see if i can get a more comprehensive answer for you.

http://www.mass.gov/rmv/license/6motcy.htm

Limitations with a Class M Permit

You may NOT carry a passenger. You may drive during daylight hours ONLY (between sunrise and sunset). You must wear a DOT standard helmet. You must also wear eyeglasses, goggles or a protective face shield unless the motorcycle is equipped with a windscreen or windshield. You may not operate a motorcycle outside Massachusetts if that state's laws prevent you from legally doing so.

[Awesome]

Lane sharing is allowed, lane splitting is not.

[Jonny Rocket]

page not found ?!?

fixored.

[BrandonRoy]

i haven't seen one in awhile, but i think the wording on the permit is written along the lines of "may not be valid out of state" rather than "is not valid out of state"...OP, can you check yours?

It says "The holder of a learner's permit may not operate in another state if it is in violation of that state's law" I guess I can't go on their freeways then.

Anyone has good recommendations for the motorcycle class South of Boston?

[crowspeed07]

It says "The holder of a learner's permit may not operate in another state if it is in violation of that state's law" I guess I can't go on their freeways then.

Anyone has good recommendations for the motorcycle class South of Boston?

where on the south shore the msf does one in brockton and plympton i did mine in plympton. there are a few other spots check there website

[ThisBitch]

It says "The holder of a learner's permit may not operate in another state if it is in violation of that state's law" I guess I can't go on their freeways then.

Anyone has good recommendations for the motorcycle class South of Boston?

Get your license, it will be easier. Also, you have to have proof of insurance with you. If you're from MA I'm sure you probably carry it anyway, but just so you know.

Also, as opposed to NH where the person entering the highway has to yield to traffic already on the road, in CA its the people on the highway that are expected to alter speed and/or change lanes. The theory is that the person on the on ramp has no where else to go, whereas you have 5670464068408 lanes in CA.

DO NOT piss off CHP ( CA Highway Patrol). Those guys don't fuck around and they write speeding tickets like Jim writes sonnets about dicks and Kham writes haikus about the po-po.

Most importantly, people in CA absolutely DO NOT use turn signals. Be extremely cautious if you're going to split traffic because people change lanes on a whim without looking or signaling.

[nilez]

Calling all CA NESR reps!!!

Can anyone actually show me a link or guide me in the right direction to find the laws and regulations in print with the vehicle code section number regarding motorcycle specific CA laws?! I've looked all morning, and can't find jack shit. Specifically with respect to lane splitting/lane sharing. The motorcycle handbook PDF is crap. It's a generalized overview, does not refer to specific laws, and actually even states "Lane sharing is not safe... Riding between rows of stopped or moving cars in the same lane can leave you vulnerable... Discourage lane sharing by others." But again, coming out of the handbook, these are just guidelines regarding motorcycle safety, and do not mention the specific laws that either allow or prohibit the act.

I'm lost! PLEASE HELP!

EDIT: This is the website I've been reading through all morning, and haven't found anything in it.

http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/vc/vctoc.htm

I thought I was in the right area, but I dunno...

[ThisBitch]

Calling all CA NESR reps!!!

Can anyone actually show me a link or guide me in the right direction to find the laws and regulations in print with the vehicle code section number regarding motorcycle specific CA laws?! I've looked all morning, and can't find jack shit. Specifically with respect to lane splitting/lane sharing. The motorcycle handbook PDF is crap. It's a generalized overview, does not refer to specific laws, and actually even states "Lane sharing is not safe... Riding between rows of stopped or moving cars in the same lane can leave you vulnerable... Discourage lane sharing by others." But again, coming out of the handbook, these are just guidelines regarding motorcycle safety, and do not mention the specific laws that either allow or prohibit the act.

I'm lost! PLEASE HELP!

EDIT: This is the website I've been reading through all morning, and haven't found anything in it.

http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/vc/vctoc.htm

I thought I was in the right area, but I dunno...

http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/dl655/dl665mcycle.pdf

[R1]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

Stupid phone. Lulz

[cbr_chick_nh]

It all sounds so confusing to me... Got into a long conversation about Cali last night and the girl was saying the worst part about it is driving... And stop signs?

[ThisBitch]

It all sounds so confusing to me... Got into a long conversation about Cali last night and the girl was saying the worst part about it is driving... And stop signs?

Stop signs are more of a suggestion than a rule in CA. That's why they call rolling through a stop sign a 'cali stop'.

Driving in CA is horrible. There are a LOT of people that come from other countries where they don't drive and get their licenses. This means thousands of people with the driving skills of a teenager all over the roads. They don't look, they stop at the end of on-ramps, they freak the fuck out when it comes to any weather that isn't 80* and sunny.

I stopped riding my bike on the street within about 2 months of living in CA for fear of getting killed. Lane sharing is nice, but not worth it when you see motorcycle fatalities once or twice a week during your commute.

[R1]

http://www.laneshare.org/ca.htm

[a13x]

I just went and took the CA MC written test 3 days ago. read thru the book while waiting in line. recommend getting the CA MC book at the local DMV and reading it. will take about 30 minutes.

Yes you can lane share.