Floridas new bill Starts Oct 1

[motorman587]

I should've add that cars can be stopped two with improper tag also. It has to be attached with two bolts. Temp tags can not longer be in the rear window.

 

I have always stop motorcycle with improper display of tag. IE, in the wheel well, on the swing arm etc........

 

Usually will give them a fix-it ticket, which is lesser fine if they get fixed and removes the points.

[bridwell52]

Cops aren't that bad in Florida. If they were you would not be waving. Florida statue states that you have both hands on the hand grip.

 

(4) No person shall operate a motorcycle or moped while carrying any package, bundle, or other article which prevents the person from keeping both hands on the handlebars

 

That does not require the operator to keep both hands on the grip. It requires that the operator not carry a something that prevents both hand s from being on the grip, an entirely different matter altogether.

 

Which means they want both hands on both handgrips at all times.

 

Motorman,

What does the law say about standing on the pegs?

I do it alot to stretch and dont need any tickets if it is illegal.

David

[motorman587]

Cops aren't that bad in Florida. If they were you would not be waving. Florida statue states that you have both hands on the hand grip.

 

(4) No person shall operate a motorcycle or moped while carrying any package, bundle, or other article which prevents the person from keeping both hands on the handlebars

 

That does not require the operator to keep both hands on the grip. It requires that the operator not carry a something that prevents both hand s from being on the grip, an entirely different matter altogether.

 

Which means they want both hands on both handgrips at all times.

 

Motorman,

What does the law say about standing on the pegs?

I do it alot to stretch and dont need any tickets if it is illegal.

David

 

Under Florida Statue 316.2085, yes. If I saw you no. A lot of my motorcycle stops are based on what the rider is wearing, believe it or not, what they are doing at the time, location of enforcement, age and etc............

 

If I saw all gear out on a 6 lane highway, you look like your are travelling, your good to go. If I see you on a sport bike, riding with a pack of 10, near campus, blue jeans t-shirt and you stand up, different story. We may need to talk.

 

Becareful, some officer have no clue about motorcycle, so you could get the rookie, by the book or the old about to retire "I hate the world/department cop". I

 

2) A person shall ride upon a motorcycle or moped only while sitting astride the seat, with both wheels on the ground at all times, facing forward, and with one leg on each side of the motorcycle or moped. However, it is not a violation of this subsection if the wheels of a motorcycle or moped lose contact with the ground briefly due to the condition of the road surface or other circumstances beyond the control of the operator.

[ghaverkamp]

If I saw you no. A lot of my motorcycle stops are based on what the rider is wearing, believe it or not, what they are doing at the time, location of enforcement, age and etc............

 

In other words, if you want to do wheelies in Tallahassee and lessen your risk of attracting attention, ride a BMW and wear goofy looking ATGATT. Right?

[russell_bynum]

If I saw you no. A lot of my motorcycle stops are based on what the rider is wearing, believe it or not, what they are doing at the time, location of enforcement, age and etc............

 

In other words, if you want to do wheelies in Tallahassee and lessen your risk of attracting attention, ride a BMW and wear goofy looking ATGATT. Right?

 

 

Lisa and I got pulled over once by CHP out on I-15 as we were going to Torrey. Traffic was rolling along at 75-80 and we were moving through it as usual, so we were probably in the 90mph range (70mph speed limit).

 

The officer let us off because he said we were the first bike he'd pulled over all day that had decent gear on, a valid motorcycle license, and valid motorcycle insurance.

 

 

[Ken H.]

Do I hear any votes for a little calm of reasoning here? This isn’t about waving, or looking over your shoulder, or a wheel leaving the ground over a bump, or a bit on a pull away, a plate being bent a bit, or even standing up to stretch.

 

This is about cracking down on blatantly illegal and dangerous activates on a bike, e.g. high wheelies in traffic, ulta-high speeds and bike modifications intentionally done to allude law enforcement. E.g. hide-away plates.

 

I personally get so tired of “slippery slop” arguments that take everything to an extreme. E.g.- “If I wave to a LEO he’ll pull me over, burn m bike on the spot and send me to jail for 10 years.” Pleeease...

 

The image of motorcycling by the general public is bad enough. I say 3-cheers for efforts to force riders to clean up their act if they won’t do it voluntarily.

 

[russell_bynum]

Do I hear any votes for a little calm of reasoning here? This isn’t about waving, or looking over your shoulder, or a wheel leaving the ground over a bump, or a bit on a pull away, a plate being bent a bit, or even standing up to stretch.

 

This is about cracking down on blatantly illegal and dangerous activates on a bike, e.g. high wheelies in traffic, ulta-high speeds and bike modifications intentionally done to allude law enforcement. E.g. hide-away plates.

 

I personally get so tired of “slippery slop” arguments that take everything to an extreme. E.g.- “If I wave to a LEO he’ll pull me over, burn m bike on the spot and send me to jail for 10 years.” Pleeease...

 

The image of motorcycling by the general public is bad enough. I say 3-cheers for efforts to force riders to clean up their act if they won’t do it voluntarily.

 

I totally agree with you that we need to do something about the idiots doing 100mph stand-up wheelies in traffic, and the people who's plates are intentionally mounted so as to be impossible for a LEO to read.

 

I just don't like the idea of making something that's totally reasonable illegal and then saying "officers discretion means you will not get a ticket when your front wheel comes up and inch leaving an intersection or when you stand up to stretch."

 

On the license plate thing...what does "properly affixed" mean? On my CBR (when I was riding it on the street", I had a fender eliminator installed. The plate was not in the stock location and it was recessed under the tail a little bit, but it was still illuminated, mounted horizontally, and was perpendicular to the ground so it was still very easy to see/read. My DRZ's stock mud guard/license plate mount broke off at some point in it's life and now the plate is mounted on a custom bracket on the rear fender. Again...it's still very easy to read, but it isn't a stock mount. Does "properly mounted" mean I have to use the stock mount, or what?

[smiller]

I say 3-cheers for efforts to force riders to clean up their act if they won’t do it voluntarily.

Even if the efforts involve laws so broadly written that they could easily apply to non-offenders as well, with the only protection being at the whim of a LEO? Is that really good public policy?

[ghaverkamp]

Does "properly mounted" mean I have to use the stock mount, or what?

 

"Properly affixed" is defined in the statute, in the text I quoted. It must be "permanently affixed horizontally to the ground and may not be adjusted or capable of being flipped up." Frankly, that seems pretty clear to me.

 

I just don't like the idea of making something that's totally reasonable illegal and then saying "officers discretion means you will not get a ticket when your front wheel comes up and inch leaving an intersection or when you stand up to stretch."

 

This is the part that really troubles me. I guess this is where I get called anti-LEO, but this sort of thing leads to the equivalent of pretextual stops all the time. Look suspicious? Find a burnt out taillight. Here? Find a license plate that off of horizontal or watch the rider stand on his pegs. The Supreme Court allowed it in Whren despite the fact that "the use of automobiles is so heavily and minutely regulated that total compliance with traffic and safety rules is nearly impossible, a police officer will almost invariably be able to catch any given motorist in a technical violation."

 

But that's just more of the eroding 4th Amendment I keep prattling on about.

[smiller]

This is the part that really troubles me. I guess this is where I get called anti-LEO, but this sort of thing leads to the equivalent of pretextual stops all the time. Look suspicious? Find a burnt out taillight. Here? Find a license plate that off of horizontal or watch the rider stand on his pegs. The Supreme Court allowed it in Whren despite the fact that "the use of automobiles is so heavily and minutely regulated that total compliance with traffic and safety rules is nearly impossible, a police officer will almost invariably be able to catch any given motorist in a technical violation."

But there's really no need for concern. LEO's are pretty experienced at spotting illegal behavior patterns and will only use pretextual stops against those who deserve it. Problem solved.

 

 

[russell_bynum]

Does "properly mounted" mean I have to use the stock mount, or what?

 

"Properly affixed" is defined in the statute, in the text I quoted. It must be "permanently affixed horizontally to the ground and may not be adjusted or capable of being flipped up." Frankly, that seems pretty clear to me.

 

OK, that's fine. (Being incredibly lazy, I hadn't read the statute.) I don't have an issue with that part.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

I don't have any problem with leaving things to an officer's discretion. I wave to my local guys all the time. I actually want them to recognize me, my bike and my gear. Believe it or not, it does help. Especially if you are not in the habit of blatantly disregarding the traffic rules and regulations.

 

A perfect example of this is the local, motor operated lidar unit. They like to sit near where I go for breakfast when I'm not cooking at home, grabbing folks for abusing the 35 mph, clearly posted speed zone. It is 35 mph for miles and posted quite often so there really is no excuse. I wave to the guy operating every time I go by him and it has come to the point that he just pulls the gun up in the air as I go sailing by, again, with a wave. He knows I'll be going 40 or so and not much over, he always waves back as well.

 

Then there is the guy who was on motor/lidar duty up J'ville way, along I-95 during the recent "Alive on 95" speeding crackdown. I'm probably 80 in a 65, just running a little faster than the flow. He beeps me, the V1 jumps off the dash, I look up, he's making slow it down signals, I do so, salute and he waves back. I continue on my way and in my mirrors see him nail a car I had passed a hundred or so yards back. I attribute that one to my riding gear and use of signals to change lanes. You don't see many riders in Florida in full regalia in July.

[Twisties]

Cops aren't that bad in Florida. If they were you would not be waving. Florida statue states that you have both hands on the hand grip.

 

(4) No person shall operate a motorcycle or moped while carrying any package, bundle, or other article which prevents the person from keeping both hands on the handlebars

 

That does not require the operator to keep both hands on the grip. It requires that the operator not carry a something that prevents both hand s from being on the grip, an entirely different matter altogether.

 

Which means they want both hands on both handgrips at all times.

 

No, John, that's not how I read it all. At most we can infer that they want you to be able to put both hands on the grips, but I don't even think it means that. The prohibition is against carrying something, and says absolutely nothing about putting your hands on the grips.

 

Look forward to meeting you at the BRR!

 

Jan

[motorman587]

Cops aren't that bad in Florida. If they were you would not be waving. Florida statue states that you have both hands on the hand grip.

 

(4) No person shall operate a motorcycle or moped while carrying any package, bundle, or other article which prevents the person from keeping both hands on the handlebars

 

That does not require the operator to keep both hands on the grip. It requires that the operator not carry a something that prevents both hand s from being on the grip, an entirely different matter altogether.

 

Which means they want both hands on both handgrips at all times.

 

No, John, that's not how I read it all. At most we can infer that they want you to be able to put both hands on the grips, but I don't even think it means that. The prohibition is against carrying something, and says absolutely nothing about putting your hands on the grips.

 

Look forward to meeting you at the BRR!

 

Jan

 

Will have a beer over this one. Right, carrying something that prevents you to put both hands on the hand grip. If it was legal to ride one handed, why would they have a statue that states not to carry something to prevent you from putting two hands on the handgrip.

[motorman587]

If I saw you no. A lot of my motorcycle stops are based on what the rider is wearing, believe it or not, what they are doing at the time, location of enforcement, age and etc............

 

In other words, if you want to do wheelies in Tallahassee and lessen your risk of attracting attention, ride a BMW and wear goofy looking ATGATT. Right?

 

[motorman587]

If I saw you no. A lot of my motorcycle stops are based on what the rider is wearing, believe it or not, what they are doing at the time, location of enforcement, age and etc............

 

In other words, if you want to do wheelies in Tallahassee and lessen your risk of attracting attention, ride a BMW and wear goofy looking ATGATT. Right?

 

 

Lisa and I got pulled over once by CHP out on I-15 as we were going to Torrey. Traffic was rolling along at 75-80 and we were moving through it as usual, so we were probably in the 90mph range (70mph speed limit).

 

The officer let us off because he said we were the first bike he'd pulled over all day that had decent gear on, a valid motorcycle license, and valid motorcycle insurance.

 

 

[Tony_K]

The wording is flawed.

 

(4) No person shall operate a motorcycle or moped while carrying any package, bundle, or other article which prevents the person from keeping both hands on the handlebars

 

Handlebars are not hand grips. By their wording I can hold onto any part of the handlebars and be free and clear!

[ghaverkamp]

Handlebars are not hand grips. By thier wording I can hold onto any part of the handlebars and be free and clear!

 

And does it have to be a tubular bar to be a handlebar? Are GS's more susceptible to this than those riding with clip-ons?

 

I can only assume this came about because of people doing nutiness with objects while stunting. But maybe it's something else.

[BailyD]

Visible tag? That's what I tell the operator. I got two more today. One was mounted under his seat, upper fender area where his fender eliminator kit is. It's a toss up to see a eliminator equipped bike with it's tag properly situated. I give it a good look to see if I can "see" his tag like it's suppose to be "seen". If I can, I don't bother, but more times than not the rider gets stopped.

 

If you choose to alter your motorcycle with a fender eliminator kit it's the owner/rider's responsibility to make certain their tag is clearly visible.

 

Today's stops: One vertical tag and one under the frame, above the rear tire. Keep in mind that when the motorcycle is in operation the swing arm moves up and down depending on what the rider is doing, example: hard acceleration, as in "running from the police" will cause a compression of the rear of the bike making it harder to see the tag or if the bike is being operated with two up.

 

Being able to see the registration of a vehicle is not open to debate with me. If it cannot be seen, it's improperly mounted. I take pictures of the rear of bikes I stop so I can show the judge in court to make it easier for him. I also keep pictures of the stock registration position I've taken at the local cycle shops. I show the Judge the "before" and "after" photo's so he can decide.

 

Before everyone jumps on me, everyone here knows exactly what tag displays I am talking about.

[motorman587]

Does "properly mounted" mean I have to use the stock mount, or what?

 

"Properly affixed" is defined in the statute, in the text I quoted. It must be "permanently affixed horizontally to the ground and may not be adjusted or capable of being flipped up." Frankly, that seems pretty clear to me.

 

OK, that's fine. (Being incredibly lazy, I hadn't read the statute.) I don't have an issue with that part.

 

Found this under Florida Statue 316.605

 

(1) Every vehicle, at all times while driven, stopped, or parked upon any highways, roads, or streets of this state, shall be licensed in the name of the owner thereof in accordance with the laws of this state unless such vehicle is not required by the laws of this state to be licensed in this state and shall, except as otherwise provided in s. 320.0706 for front-end registration license plates on truck tractors and s. 320.086(5) which exempts display of license plates on described former military vehicles, display the license plate or both of the license plates assigned to it by the state, one on the rear and, if two, the other on the front of the vehicle, each to be securely fastened to the vehicle outside the main body of the vehicle not higher than 60 inches and not lower than 12 inches from the ground and no more than 24 inches to the left or right of the centerline of the vehicle, and in such manner as to prevent the plates from swinging, and all letters, numerals, printing, writing, and other identification marks upon the plates regarding the word "Florida," the registration decal, and the alphanumeric designation shall be clear and distinct and free from defacement, mutilation, grease, and other obscuring matter, so that they will be plainly visible and legible at all times 100 feet from the rear or front. Vehicle license plates shall be affixed and displayed in such a manner that the letters and numerals shall be read from left to right parallel to the ground. No vehicle license plate may be displayed in an inverted or reversed position or in such a manner that the letters and numbers and their proper sequence are not readily identifiable. Nothing shall be placed upon the face of a Florida plate except as permitted by law or by rule or regulation of a governmental agency. No license plates other than those furnished by the state shall be used. However, if the vehicle is not required to be licensed in this state, the license plates on such vehicle issued by another state, by a territory, possession, or district of the United States, or by a foreign country, substantially complying with the provisions hereof, shall be considered as complying with this chapter. A violation of this subsection is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a nonmoving violation as provided in chapter 318.

 

[ghaverkamp]

Being able to see the registration of a vehicle is not open to debate with me. If it cannot be seen, it's improperly mounted. I take pictures of the rear of bikes I stop so I can show the judge in court to make it easier for him. I also keep pictures of the stock registration position I've taken at the local cycle shops. I show the Judge the "before" and "after" photo's so he can decide.

 

I don't think there's any reasonable quibble with having readable tags.

 

I think the problem here is changing the law as it impacts motorcycles, so that it's no longer a non-moving violation, but rather a moving violation with a $1000 fine. The law could have been written to punish those with obscured tags or folding mounts or obscured mounts, but it wasn't.

[motorman587]

Handlebars are not hand grips. By thier wording I can hold onto any part of the handlebars and be free and clear!

 

And does it have to be a tubular bar to be a handlebar? Are GS's more susceptible to this than those riding with clip-ons?

 

I can only assume this came about because of people doing nutiness with objects while stunting. But maybe it's something else.

 

Is a tank bag a bundle????

[ghaverkamp]

Is a tank bag a bundle????

 

At the very least, it's "an other article."

 

However, if the use of your tank bag prevents you from keeping both hands on your bars because of how you're carrying it, we might need to get you some instruction on what tank bags are all about.

[BailyD]

I don't agree with the large fine UNLESS your tag is mounted in such a fashion that it can be purposely hidden/changed while on the fly.

 

 

[ghaverkamp]

I don't agree with the large fine UNLESS your tag is mounted in such a fashion that it can be purposely hidden/changed while on the fly.

 

I could support that. It's too bad that's not the law that was passed.

[tallman]

Ditto.

And the attempts to hide or obfuscate them with plastic covers.

And, and, hiding them with loud pipes.

[EddyQ]

I would attach the file version, but I can't attach a PDF. Find the final version here and the original here. (I'm tired of copying, pasting, and reformatting.)

 

(2) A person shall ride upon a motorcycle or moped only while sitting astride the seat, with both wheels on the ground at all times, facing forward, and with one leg on each side of the motorcycle or moped. However, it is not a violation of this subsection if the wheels of a motorcycle or moped lose contact with the ground briefly due to the condition of the road surface or other circumstances beyond the control of the operator.

 

 

So is it common for standing up to be illegal? I do it all the time to stretch.

 

Jan

 

 

I wonder what those folks with scooters are gonna do with there feet?? Can't have them in from of themselves as the machine is designed.

 

Come on folks, do you think a LEO will pull you over for stretching?