Modern Buddy

Will be moving to California, and the DMV website says i do not need to register my scooter. Does any one know if this is true?

Thanks

I don't live in California, but I can state: That is not true. You will have to register your scoot in CA.

you DO need to...


https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detai ... ca/newtoca

Vehicle Registration about half way down should answer your needs.

If you are coming to California, get your wallet out. I find it really funny in a pita kind of way, that the annual registration on each of my scooters is more than on my 1989 Porsche 911.

Make an appointment with the DMV. You'll be done in no time and cost you very few $'s.
Welcome to warm and dry California. I'm from the PNW and will not return to rain country unless I must.

GregsBuddy wrote:Make an appointment with the DMV. You'll be done in no time and cost you very few $'s.
Welcome to warm and dry California. I'm from the PNW and will not return to rain country unless I must.

Yep, we do get a bit of rain up here but it does help to keep all the Golden State people from rushing north and overpopulating us. Hey, I can say that as I was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Glendale!

Bill in Seattle but currently wintering in Tucson
'09 150 Blackjack
'12 170i Italia (my AZ scoot)

Yep, we ride in dryness ~355 days a year.
If it weren't for our ~$35 billion ag business that uses 75% of our water, we would have no draught issues.
The almond business alone, worth ~$2 billion of that figure, accounts for enough water to sustain 20 million citizens.
The ag lobby is by far the largest in the state and drives citizens to save water. Saving water is an admirable thing but many of us think a realignment of best farming practices (grow high water crops in another location) is the true answer. For example, cotton is grown in the central valley because there are profitable government subsidies. Silly for all but a few very wealthy family farmers. YMMV

(Sorry I'm very new here, and sort of jumping in, AND not contributing to the topic but ...)

I visited SF last summer ... first time ever and have totally fallen for it. I can't wait to go back. Wifey is from LA but is resisting moving back out. I would LOVE roads without salt.

About water ... what is the general feeling about desalination? Isn't there a big, expensive endeavor happening in the bay right now? I'm guessing it's not quite the answer anybody wants right now, given all the expense and energy needed. I wonder if it has future potential?

Let's try not to get political here

On a technical level...desal is very very very very expensive to build and run. Tampa has the largest desal plant $158 million to build a 25 mgd (million gallons per day) plant. A proposed plant for the SF area is estimated at about $1 billion

I don't remember the exact numbers but the annual operating budget for Tampa desal is like $20 million of which about $11 million pays the electric bill.

For the OP...and anyone else that wonders about registration and licencing etc.

An internet forum is probably not the best place to get this information. Forums don't make or enforce laws. You would not believe how much totally wrong information is given out.

It always amazes me how many people ask legal questions on a forum.

Check the statutes for your state.

Desal requires massive pressure to drive sea water though very tight filters.
We will be okay and are always open to new folks with an open mind and ideas.

GregsBuddy wrote:Desal requires massive pressure to drive sea water though very tight filters.
We will be okay and are always open to new folks with an open mind and ideas.

That's what requires the power. Desal pressures are usually about 1,000psi. Not super high but lets remember...that is to produce 25 mgd of finished water so you need to process more than 30 mgd raw water.

In addition...let's not forget that all the stuff that is removed..salts, dissolved solids etc...must be disposed of...that part (which is what I do a lot of work on) isn't cheap either.

It's not that desal is bad....it's just one of those things that sounds like it should be easy but gets very complicated

register / insurance / full motorcycle endorsement

BuddyRaton wrote:

GregsBuddy wrote:Desal requires massive pressure to drive sea water though very tight filters.
We will be okay and are always open to new folks with an open mind and ideas.

That's what requires the power. Desal pressures are usually about 1,000psi. Not super high but lets remember...that is to produce 25 mgd of finished water so you need to process more than 30 mgd raw water.

In addition...let's not forget that all the stuff that is removed..salts, dissolved solids etc...must be disposed of...that part (which is what I do a lot of work on) isn't cheap either.

It's not that desal is bad....it's just one of those things that sounds like it should be easy but gets very complicated

Thanks for the info. I never looked into the process. Hopefully technology can move forward to make it more efficient, but I don't see how.

GregsBuddy wrote:Yep, we ride in dryness ~355 days a year.
If it weren't for our ~$35 billion ag business that uses 75% of our water, we would have no draught issues.
The almond business alone, worth ~$2 billion of that figure, accounts for enough water to sustain 20 million citizens.
The ag lobby is by far the largest in the state and drives citizens to save water. Saving water is an admirable thing but many of us think a realignment of best farming practices (grow high water crops in another location) is the true answer.

+1 to all of this. Everything about agricultural water usage in this state is ludicrous, particularly when it comes to gosh darned almonds. Read a few in-depth analyses and government reports and it'll make you want to cry. Anywhooo...


California is ah-mazing for riding, ScootLady. I've spent the last 17 or so years in California, split nearly evenly between the SF Bay Area, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. The 355 days of riding sounds about right for LA, though definitely much less in the other areas. Much more rain in Northern California. Depending where you're moving, it's doubtful you'll see snow though, and little sub-freezing temperatures. (It's rare to drop below about 50*F in LA, for example).

You'll hear conflicting reports about "registration for scooters" due to disagreements in semantics/terminology with the general population and the legalese used by the state. And a change in laws, in 2006. (iirc, in many states 50cc don't need to be registered. As of 2006, they do in California). Now, obviously, your Buddy 170i fits. I've only ever ridden in California, so I'm not sure what the process is in other states, but I'll summarize this one for you:

1 - get it registered. My Blur was $99 and $100 annual registration for the last two years.

2 - get insurance. (For scooters, this falls on you - other people can give you recommendations about service/quality, but not about price. Get quotes at SEVERAL different companies, as the cost is completely contextual to your personal history, and where you live. The company that gives me the best rate in this city may give you one of the worst in your city.)

3 - helmet is required by law.

4 - There is no annual inspection or anything like what I've heard some other states have. As long as you keep up #1 through 3, you are free to go about and ride all willy nilly.

5 - It's California: get used to the idea of lane splitting.

I know some people on this forum hate it and think it's inane, and others (like me) think it's the best thing ever and can't imagine riding in any other state. It's preference, but be comfortable and safe either way. Keep aware of your surroundings and use good riding etiquette. You may not want to ever do it yourself, but other riders around you might, and it's probably best if you're not 'all over the lane' or startled by it, for example.

Also bring anything with you that you really like or want. There are many, many things you can buy anywhere else in the world but you can't get or order in Kalifornia. See the Battery Tender thread for an example.

Almost any kind of usable fuel container is illegal as another example.

I have to laugh that the auxilary fuel can on my Ural is stickered with: "Not for Fuel and Water" So following the rules of Boolean logic, I interpet that to mean you can use it for either but not both.

Went to a "Lemons" (automobile) race at Sonoma Raceway yesterday and saw many, many, opaque white plastic gas containers being used.
Having said that, I wouldn't be surprised to be turned down for trying to fill a can of any color other than red and marked for gasoline at a "public" gas pump.
I've also been in the state and lived in Sacramento and Bay Area for 20 years. Went on a 160 mile ride today on my Honda Silverwing. Cool, clear and dry, like most winter days here.
Enjoy!

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but in CA people might confuse a 50cc or smaller motorized cycle with a 50cc scooter when looking up our Motor Vehicle laws.

Mopeds (motorized cycles) are exempt from registration on an ongoing basis (meaning it's a one time deal- when new).

Just saying, that might be the part of the DMV web site OP was confused by.