New license plate

[vancelot69]

Got my truck registered today. I did *not* get personalized plates, it's just coincidence that it came like this, but I thought it was hella cool! Now, I just have to make up something for the KNR.

[richard2717]

Pretty cool

[tristan]

King of Nasty Roads?

[vancelot69]

Originally Posted by tristan

King of Nasty Roads?

I like it!

[hemi43]

What are the laws for using those in Texas? Here in Ontario, a car/truck must be 100% original and can only be driven in parades and registered car events. You cannot use it on highways or even local car cruises. A lot of people are getting $170 fines by the Cops if they are caught pleasure driving with them.

[vancelot69]

I think it's similar here, as far as parades and car shows, but I don't think there's a limitation on stock vs. modified, but the cops don't seem to be as strict, although you probably wouldn't want to drive it daily. I see people with Antique plates at the local off road park all the time, and I've see an Antique plate or two driving around during the week. I even have a cop friend who has an Antique plate on his '87 Toyota 4Runner that he drives to the off road parks nearby - we live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and we go to Bridgeport a lot, and I know he's driven it to Gilmer at least once. Not sure what the fines are. Either way, this is just a stop gap to get it legal in Texas for now because Antique doesn't require an inspection and the high beams don't work, there's no license plate light, and the horn doesn't work, so I need to get all that fixed before I can get it inspected and get put the Classic plate off my previous Jimmy onto my "new" Jimmy.

[hemi43]

Originally Posted by vancelot69

I think it's similar here, as far as parades and car shows, but I don't think there's a limitation on stock vs. modified, but the cops don't seem to be as strict, although you probably wouldn't want to drive it daily. I see people with Antique plates at the local off road park all the time, and I've see an Antique plate or two driving around during the week. I even have a cop friend who has an Antique plate on his '87 Toyota 4Runner that he drives to the off road parks nearby - we live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and we go to Bridgeport a lot, and I know he's driven it to Gilmer at least once. Not sure what the fines are. Either way, this is just a stop gap to get it legal in Texas for now because Antique doesn't require an inspection and the high beams don't work, there's no license plate light, and the horn doesn't work, so I need to get all that fixed before I can get it inspected and get put the Classic plate off my previous Jimmy onto my "new" Jimmy.

Interesting !! I'm always curious how the law is in the States. Here in Canada, specifically Ontario, we are controlled worse than California. If I told you some of BS we have to go through with the Government here, you wouldn't believe it. Just you mentioning an "Off-Road Park" makes my blood boil, because we have absolutely nothing like that available to us up here.

[truckster]

Here they have to be at least 30 years old (it used to be 25), they're allowed to be used for occasional transportation (I consider 6 days a week to be occasional), and they're exempt from inspection and emissions testing.

[vancelot69]

"Off road park" is in Texas. Last I checked, in places like Colorado and Nevada, you can just go off roading anywhere (I mean, tread lightly of course, and probably don't make new trails) because it's all public domain. In Texas, every square inch is privately owned so you have to find a park to play in, you can't just go anywhere you see cool trails.

[truckster]

Come visit Utah. There are thousands of places you can legally off-road here, including the most famous area, Moab.

Google "off-road Moab" and you'll see what I'm talking about.

[Tom Vogel]

Originally Posted by truckster

Here they have to be at least 30 years old (it used to be 25), they're allowed to be used for occasional transportation (I consider 6 days a week to be occasional), and they're exempt from inspection and emissions testing.

This. Is what I'm going to do.

[hemi43]

Originally Posted by truckster

Come visit Utah. There are thousands of places you can legally off-road here, including the most famous area, Moab.

Google "off-road Moab" and you'll see what I'm talking about.

I'm quite familiar with Moab, Glamis etc.. I couldn't even imagine living near something like that because I'd build one hell of a sand buggy. The closest thing we have here for off-road are ATV trails, but the problem is that anyone that uses them must be insured, and insurance companies wont insure anything custom made anymore. I found out the hard way a couple years ago when the insurance company I was with changed their view on home-made vehicles, and refused to renew my policy for a couple buggys I had made for my Son and I. We were able to ride them for 3 years until they pulled the plug. With them uninsurable, I had to sell them. My Son was devastated because we would go out on most weekends. The only way for us to be able to get back into the trails is to purchase something with a proper VIN like a Polaris Ace, but I can't justify the cost.
Was fun while it lasted, because we put over 3000 hard miles on them.

[tristan]

Maybe you can arrange a residence trade with one of those thousands of bitter folks on the losing side in the last US election who vowed to move to Canada. Bring your buggies, sand rails and K-5s/C-10s on down and have some warm weather fun!

[lux]

I live down in Austin, TX and I was talking to the local guy who does state inspections on classic cars and motorcycles. He said things are changing around here with the state cops. Apparently they are ticketing folks with antique plates more often. He told me several stories about people on weekend cruises stoping at the bar and grill out west and the cops writing them tickets. I have classic plates on my 72' C10 but I was thinking of getting antique plates on my 43' Indian. I might rethink that, inspections are easy on old bikes at his place. As far as I know the only advantage to antique plates is no inspection, is that correct?

[vancelot69]

Originally Posted by lux

As far as I know the only advantage to antique plates is no inspection, is that correct?

That, and you only have to register every 5 years, unless you register in the last year of the cycle like I just did, so mine is only good until next year, but if I keep the Antique plate, it will be good for the next 5 years after that.

However, for me, like I mentioned below, getting it registered Antique is only a stop gap to get it Texas legal until I can fix the high beams, license plate light, and horn, then I'll get it inspected and tagged as Classic.

I don't have an old bike, but all they've checked on mine is that my lights and brakes work. I can't recall if they even checked my horn and turn signals... But my bike is an '03, not a '43.

[lux]

Thanks Vancelot, You are correct they do not require turn signals on bikes. I think its also important to find a guy who knows the laws and understands old vehicles. My inspection guy has classics himself. I couldn't imagine taking my 43' to a kid at a inspection chain sore.

[hemi43]

Originally Posted by tristan

Maybe you can arrange a residence trade with one of those thousands of bitter folks on the losing side in the last US election who vowed to move to Canada. Bring your buggies, sand rails and K-5s/C-10s on down and have some warm weather fun!

Ha !! These bitter folks had better realize the grass isn't greener on the other side of the fence.

[hemi43]

Originally Posted by vancelot69

That, and you only have to register every 5 years, unless you register in the last year of the cycle like I just did, so mine is only good until next year, but if I keep the Antique plate, it will be good for the next 5 years after that.

However, for me, like I mentioned below, getting it registered Antique is only a stop gap to get it Texas legal until I can fix the high beams, license plate light, and horn, then I'll get it inspected and tagged as Classic.

I don't have an old bike, but all they've checked on mine is that my lights and brakes work. I can't recall if they even checked my horn and turn signals... But my bike is an '03, not a '43.

So you have both "classic" and "antique" plates ?
We only have "classic" plates here and the only advantage to using them is it costs $18 per year versus $108 for regular car plates. I could never understand some guys putting antique plates on a car/truck they just put $50K into, just to save $90 per year.
Here in Ontario, we only have mechanical inspections when the vehicle changes owners. I think this will change in the near future, because some vehicles could go 20+ years without ever being inspected. We do however have to get an emission test every two years for vehicles 1988 and newer. So as it stands now, my 70 Blazer never has to go in for anything.
The one rule I had to follow was I had to retain all emission controls that came with my engine. Since I'm using an 03 5.3, I must have converters and everything else including the charcoal canister. Lot's of people here getting fines for having a mid 70's engine in an older car but they don't have the original EGR, breather tube, etc.. and all the other emission crap that came with the engine. It's a stupid law that some bureaucrat that knows nothing about cars came up with.

[68panelman]

How about, KNR= "Kick N Ride"

[mister.freeze]

Killer! Neat! Rad!

We have both Classic and Antique plates in TX. No restriction on 'stockness' but antiques cannot (should not) be daily drivers. Mine is and has Classic plates as a result.

[vancelot69]

Originally Posted by mister.freeze

Killer! Neat! Rad!

We have both Classic and Antique plates in TX. No restriction on 'stockness' but antiques cannot (should not) be daily drivers. Mine is and has Classic plates as a result.

^ yeah, that.

Also, I didn't re-read this entire thread, so not sure if I or someone else already mentioned it, but:

Antique: doesn't require inspection, no "conditions" (i.e. stock), renew ever 5 years, not supposed to be used as a daily driver; I'm not sure about insurance - I have mine insured anyway, just liability though.

Classic: requires safety inspection, no "conditions", renew every year, can be used as a daily driver, since it can be driven daily, it needs insurance.

One thing about emissions testing though, in Texas, at least in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, even newer cars don't require emissions if it's over 25 years old, so the 92 Cadillac I used to have would no longer require an emissions test.

[mister.freeze]

Correct on the safety vs emissions inspection. Harris County (where Houston is) and all adjacent counties requires emissions for anything newer than 24 years.