California green sticker used bikes??

[michaelofnsh]

So, I'm moving to California and looking to buy a used bike.
Lately I've been riding a 2004 Yamaha WR250F. I'm looking for a used green sticker compliant bike, I'm thinking of getting something pre-2002 and I want to keep it under $3000.00. I can't find a list of green sticker bikes anywhere. Thanks for the help.

1) your physical size: 6'2 190LBS.
2) How physical / aggressive are you? Moderate...
3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ????? Mostly woods, interested in Hare Scrambles...
4) Do you have any riding experience? Yes. Decent rider, not embarassing
5) Do you think you will race ? I would like to
6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work? Yes, Probably do most of the work myself.
7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)?Four Stroke
9) How much ($) do you plan to spend on a bike? $3000.00
10) Do you live in California? YES
11) Your age? 26

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

If you are thinking of a 2002 or older bike, then you are luck, as they are ALL green sticker eligible.

Model years 2003 to 2005 get pretty hard to find a decent MX bike that is green sticker eligible as it took the major manufacturers a little bit of time to figure out how to meet the requirements and still have a competitive bike.

When looking for a bike in California consider the value of the bike having a vailid registration and sticker. You will find a LOT of used bikes available that for whatever reason were never registered and thus have no sticker at all. If you do your riding out in the desert you can usually get away with that, but if you want to ride in any of the county, state or federal parks the sticker becomes essential.

If a bike you are looking at does not have a valid registration it isn't a deal killer per se, but it does effect the value. My experience is that it will take at least two trips to DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) and one trip to CHP to get the bike registered, IF you get all the forms filled out correctly the first time. Those trips can easily double or triple if fail to follow the instructions exactly. Figure at least two hours for each trip. (be sure to make appointments, you can wait all day without an appointment!)

Rod

 

[michaelofnsh]

Thanks. That helps. Do you know where to find a list of the eligable bikes?

Mike

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

No, I can't help you with a list.

If you are looking at a specific bike and want to make sure if it is green sticker eligible then you want to examin the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), which should be stamped into the frame of the bike on the right side of the "stem", where the front fork/steering tube is. Since ~1980 the VIN uses a standard convention.

The first thing you want to check is the year. The tenth digit of the VIN encodes the year, starting with A = 1980. Letters I, O, Q, U, and Z are skipped. After Z come the number 1, which coincides with the year 2001. So, if the tenth digit is a 2, a 1 or any letter then the bike is green sticker eligible based on its age.

If it is a 2003 or newer you need to take a look at the 8th digit of the number. If it is a 3 or a C then the bike does NOT meet the EPA requirements and it will get a red sticker.

Rod