New Mexico

[BKABQ]

Okay this is going to be long, and VERY detailed.
You better get a drink and smoke em' if ya got em' ...lol.

As I stated on the Intro board, I bought a Trail Buddy/Skyteam ST125-6 on March 15th, 2012. I live in Albuquerque, NM.
I used BillMeLater to pay for transaction so in case anything went wrong I would have them on my side.
I did do the research beforehand; checking with my local DMV as well as my local LE andthe State LE. Showed pics, gave the website for them to look at. I also as mentioned did not get the word from a clerk. I went straight to the DMV Bureau Chief.
Everyone had okayed the buy as a street legal bike.
But when you hear what happened next it will make all that checking useless ...absolutely useless.

I sought out Trail Buddy(TB) after reading about recomendations on either this site or another forum(s) when I was researching who to buy a bike from.
The bike arrived and all was fine. I assembled it and I was even making a video of me taking delivery, assembling it, and going for a test ride to post on Youtube snce I couldn't find any for TB (it's not on there yet, I'm waiting for the conclusion).
After delivery I called TB and verified the VIN for them to send me the MCO and Bill of Sale.
It came a few adys later (actually the Post Office lost it, but then found it and hand delivered it to me at work) but I had to wait till payday and then my weekday off to go to the DMV.

Here in NM we have offical DMV store fronts, spread out in various areas around town, we also have other places that charge on the average 20 extra bucks to do the same thing the DMV does (MVD Express).
Let me make it clear throughout all this I am dealing with the official DMV only.
I go to the DMV with the MCO, insurance, Bill of Sale, and my ID.
I get to the counter and all is going good, when all of a sudden I'm told that the engine block serial number is not on the MCO and he asks if I have the bike there? To which I answer no.
To make a long story short the MCO did not have "street legal" on it either, so now I'm told I need to have an inspection with the state police.
He hands me a form he filled out with phone numbers and email addresses and tells me to schedule and appointment with them.

Now, at the time, I was with the clerk and all he said was to get a VIN inspection from the state police.
I thought this was strange because if I had brought the bike he was willing to go out and look at it right then.
So the next day I called the DMV headquarters, located in our Capital, Sante Fe.
I spoke with someone there who sympathized with me and gave me the phone number to the Bureau Chief of the DMV divsion I had gone too.
The next day I called the DMV Chief.
She was kind of aware of my situation and then explained that the MCO did not have street legal on it, they needed the VIN inspection for the engine block VIN, and there were some strange things not showing up when they would run the VIN.
So I may as well go ahead and get the state police inspection so they could look at these things for themselves.
Btw ...the state police inspection is free.
She did offer the state police or local police, but the SP was free, more on this later.
The strangness of the VIN was because when she was entering the VIN in the national database all they were seeing was that it was built in China and the year of manufacture.
VIN digits, when broiken down are supposed to explain a lot of the characters of the bike.
For example the 1st 3 digits are the WMI or World Manufacturer Identifier.
L means China and there's usually a key that deciphers the other 2 digits.
The 4th digit usually decribes the engine type, telling the CC's and other info.
The 7th digit describes the number of strokes and cylinders
The 10th digit is always the year manufactured. 1=2001, 2=2002, etc...
Until you get to 2010 which is A, 2011 - B, etc...
So when the Bureau Chief looked this VIN up all she saw was descriptions for the 1st 3 digits (manufacture location) and for the 10th digit (year manufactured) and that's all.

On with the story...
I called to make an appointment with the state police. When I called the number given all that would happen was a vmail would come on and say "the person you are trying to reach is not in, please leave a message" ...and that's all.
No lead in like ...you have reached the NMSP???
I left a message just the same.
Aftera few days of no callbacks, I send an email to the address I also had.
A day later no response, so now I find my local NMSP offfice on their website and send an email to the commander explaining how I'm trying to get a hold of the inspection officer (I had a name, but don't want to use it here).
The next day I checked my email and find and auto-reply from the commander.
He on traing now and won't be back until monday ....4 days from now.
So I figure this is where the inspection officer is too.
Lucky for me, the commander stops by his office on Frday and checks his email and sees my letter and I put my phone number, so he calls me.
I explain my situation and he says, no problem as long as it's over 50cc's has lights, turn signals, horn, etc.. everything should go smoothly.
He then asked where I lived? I told him within the city limits.
Ooooh, we don't do inspections for in city anymore, he says.
I tell him it's on the paperwork I have.
He says don't worry, for all you've been through I'll slide on this one and let our inspection officer do yours.
I'm his supervisor so I'll tell him to go ahead and do it, and to call you set up an appointment next week.
VERY nice guy/officer for doing that.
So I paid it forward and called the Bureau Chief back and let her know that the NMSP no longer do the inspections, but they were going to go ahead and do mine.
The inspection officer calls me the next week and schedules an appointment for May 2nd. Yeah, I know ...next month.

Now I'm thinking, I'll just call APD and see if they can do it earlier than that. The DMV Chief told me they do charge a fee, somewhere around 60 - 80 bucks.
So I called them and set up an appointment there.
It was 104.00 ...bummer.
Btw, you send a check in for 104 and they contact you back within 72 hours.
I was like, cool I'll get this done and be riding in a jiffy.

The APD comes out and looks it over and is amazed. He has some original Honda CT70's at his lake house. He can't believe he's seeing one very similar, brand spankin' new and a 125cc to boot.
He looks it over and everything looks good, but he can't find the FMVSS label that is supposed to be around the handlebar area according to standards set forth by the NTHSA for imports (see this link, section 3: http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/impo...ges/page3.html ).

Now the bike does have the EPA label (which by the way states it meets all federal requirements for "on-highway use ...remember this for later) and a manufacture label that states it meets all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards ...BUT ...it is mounted mid cycle on the side wall of the T-frame ..riveted on the 4 corners of the metal label.
The APD officer also sees the MCO. He can't do anything.
He takes pictures of the EPA/DOT plates and of the VINs and tells me that it will be a few days before he can tell me anything, and leaves.
Btw ..when you pay, they come to your house. NMSP require you bring it down to their office.
In the meantime, I start doing research on the troubles with chinese bikes and find the PennDOT story.
I forward this information along with tons of other info to all the parties involed, DMV, APD, TB, and NMSP.
Heck, we've even had the APD vehicle theft divsion checking stuff for APD.
I'm trying to do their work to get this issue moving along. Red tape sucks!

Next I do research on the bike itself.
I'm curious about why the bike does not have the street legal status, on the MCO, when they have certainly built and designed a bike for the road , according to the NTHSA standards on that link above.
The Skyteam website (www.skyteam.cn).
There you have country options. Choose Noth America.
The next screen shows on road, off road, and accessory off to the left.
If you click on "on road", and then click on the large pic of a bike in the center of the page, another widow opens with a row of their 'on road' bikes.
Mine is the Skymax (black), but you have to click on that photo and another window opens to choose the displacement. Mine is ST125-6.

So Skyteam lists my bike as being for ON ROAD use in North America, we've verified that.

Being sold with lights, mirrors, turn signals, and the fact that it also has street tires on it, as stated in the NTHSA statement above (#3), also verifies that it's meant for on road use.

Another hint it was built for ON ROAD use is the EPA plate, it states "This Vehicle Conforms to US EPA Regulations Applicable For Model Year 2011 On-Highway Motorcycles".

I'm trying to get info from TB, about why Skyteam says, almost in every form, that this is for road use ...but refuses to list it on the MCO.
The president of TB tells me he has forwarded my concerns to the Skyteam address he has.
Another problem is that, on the MCO, it states the model/make as Sacin. Nowhere on the MCO does it state anything about Skyteam.
It's clearly engraved in the gear box covers, on the EPA and DOT plate and stenciled on the back of the seat.
It was built at the jaingsu sacin (spell??) motorcycle factory, but that is the only way the word Sacin appears.

Luckily I do live on a self storage property and I do get to ride it around that property and everything is fine with the bike.
That's why I bought the bike. The self storage properties I run are like 3 blocks away from each other.
I live on one property and the main office is on another.
I was going to use the bike to go back and forth only.
It sounded better ...at the time, than dragging my car out everyday to make the trip.
I know what you're saying ...ride it anyway.
I would, but my office is on Route 66 (very busy 6 lane highway) and I have to cross it.
I see lots of police out there everyday, so I didn't want to chance it.
I'm trying to do this all legally as possible.

TB actually gets these bikes in and changes out the carb before shipping it on to the customer. They know the carb on the original is no good so they replace it for you.

As of this writing I am on hold.
I talked with the Bureau Chief a few days back and she stated all my paperork has been sent to the DMV headquarters for the Director review.
Only problem is ...there is no\body in the Directors position at this time ...does it get any worse ...lol.
The Secretary of the DMV is filling in.
As the least, they will okay it for off road use ...but that's not why I bought it.
So i'm wondering about my return options possibly for "item not as decribed"?
TB states on the site that they do not make any promises of street legalness and to check with local and state authories before buying, but this has nothing to do with local or state. They were ready to approve it if it weren't for VIN and MCO issues ...I believe it's more on a Federal level.
After all, how many dirt bikes come with street tires, mirrors, turn signals, etc.. Yes, enduros do but that's not this.
This bike was built, and advertised as on road, that's overly obvious.

This whole situation reeks of red flags.
But this was not something that I could have found out about beforehand. It took having the bike and the MCO in hand to find out there were problems.
That's why I say the checking beforehand doen't work.

Since I have kept the NMSP inspector in the loop, he hasn't called me to cancel my May 2nd appointment, so maybe that's a good sign.

I will update this thread as things progress.

I also heard, from TB, that a man in Lousiana who also bought one was having similar troubles.

Would I do it again? Probably, but I'd have a lot more questions next time around. At the least asking the seller if the engine serial number and "street legal" are printed on the MCO.
I've owned bikes before (Suzuki GN125 street bike, but major manufacturers don't make small street bikes anymore, beisides scooters), about 20+ years ago, but I've never had to deal with MCO's myself.

Any comments, or questions, will certainly be appreciated.
Thanks for reading, maybe you learned something and I will too.

[SpudRider]

Egads! 8O You have got to love all the bureaucratic red tape! :evil: I wish you the best of luck with this saga. I thank God we don't have such problems in Idaho. :roll:

Spud

[Weldangrind]

Wow.

Good for you for taking the high road. For the record, I was not thinking "ride it anyway". Stick to your guns, and there's hope that the NMSP inspector will sort it out for you.

[BKABQ]

After I wrote that initial post, last night, I found an email from Trail Buddy in my inbox this morning.

Here is the email:

Sounds like a little minor tweak and your there...

Sky team manufactures bikes and sell them all over the world there is no regulation other than the US that states label placement -- So their standard assembly practice for position of the label is to place the label where it it presently located.. No other states have had an issue but if this is what your DMV wants to see then it needs to moved.. I can't even comprehend as to why they (NMDMV) are making an example out your situation other than the standard states it so there is zero tolerance and no deviation is going to overlooked - Pretty anal if you ask me after all it is just a mini bike...


Simple solution is to drill out the pop rivets and move the label to the required location. The holes are there in the required location -- 2 pop rivets and your done..


Return the MCO to me and I'll have On Road Motorcycle printed in the description and also send you a new invoice with On Road added to the bikes description I had skyteam send me their print program they use for the MCO so I can add this to the description no problem...

I never dreamed there could be this kind of hassle for any of our customers and we haven't until now 40 bikes later as we have spent thousands of dollars excess of 30K for DOT and EPA testing Certifications and documentation to meet all the requirements to bring these bikes into the US and sell them legally in all 50 states including California... I talked to the other importer this week and he has not even heard of 1 issue like this at all...

I wrote back stating that I couldn't send back the MCO until after my meeting with NMSP on Wednesday.
I also asked that they place the engine VIN on the MCO as they were looking for that on it too.
I also thanked them for helping, again.

Let me say that I've never had any trouble with the Dealer (Trail Buddy). They've helped me all through this fiasco, however they could.
I just have a problem with the manufacturer, not product-wise, just with the way they do their paperwork over in China.

The bike is excellent, runs great and has lots of power for it's size.
I have run it on about a 1/4 mile strip and have hit speeds of 40 -45, just barely getting into 4th gear, but then having to brake at the end of the street.
I've done this about 4 different times usually on Sundays

One will have to be somewhat mechanically inclined as the bikes come with no assembly instructions whatsoever.
That's why I did the video. It wasn't that hard to figure out.
Mount the front tire with speedometer assembly, fender etc.., mount the turn signals, fill and charge the battery, mount the mirrors, change the oil, and adjust the carb for high altitude.
I did have to assemble and disassemble the same parts a few times.

I'll still keep updating this as I go along.
Should get interesting now.

[SpudRider]

Thank you for reporting the excellent customer service you are receiving from Trail Buddy. It sounds as if you are making good progress getting your bike registered! I wish you continued luck.

Please post a link to your video. I would love to watch it!

Spud

[BKABQ]

Certainly I'll post it.
As I stated before, I won't be done with the video until the bike is titled.
I want it to be a total start to finish video.
It sucks having to wait this long just to do the last 5 min. of video ...lol.

Trail Buddy has been so nice, going way above and beyond their normal duties. They sent a 20 page report, as an attachment (about the bike), to the State Police and have been with me all the way.
They're not just an email communicating company either, I have called and spoke with the owners on many occassions.
They don't have any reps to answer the phones . It's a family bussiness.

They also stock most all the parts you would ever need and will help with any performance upgrades. From what they say this bike can be modified to the point where it will do 60 - 70 mph's easily.
They also do refurbs and parts for the original (Honda) CT70's and many more classic styles.
I never lost my cool with them. I did have to get stern with them a few times but that's as far as it gotten.

[BKABQ]

Oh, Btw ....I meant to mention this in the initial post.
Some states have a limit as to how long you can own a bike (vehicle) without getting it registered.
New Mexico's limit is 90 days.
After that they start to charge interest of the total amount on the invoice.
Luckily, I haven't gone that far in this ordeal, only about half that time.

When I bought the bike, TB actually sent 2 Bills of Sale, one for the actual date of sale and one posted for about 2 weeks later, just in case.
Now they'll be sending another updated one when I get the MCO switched out.
Way cool of them to do!!!

[Weldangrind]

That's cool that they can correct the MCO for you! Sounds like good progress. Good for you for being patient; it'll pay off.

[culcune]

I wonder where the breakdown happened? I don't know if it will help your situation, but there is now a Skyteam USA out of the L.A. area. Trail Buddy, Pitster Pro, and probably a few others have used Skyteam as their OEM, but I think this can lead to some problems as you have found out. I have a feeling that you are Trail Buddy's first New Mexico customer, so you will have to be the proverbial Guinea pig for your state as far as registration goes.

[SpudRider]

It sounds as if Trail Buddy is really going the extra mile for you; that's great! We are all rooting for you, and keeping our fingers crossed. I am increasingly hopeful you will yet satisfy the bureaucrats of the Peoples' Republic of New Mexico.

Spud

[BKABQ]

Okay, I went to the State Police inspection on May 2nd.
What an a-hole the inspector was.
He wouldn't even look at the bike.
He stated that since I involved the city police, it was out of his hands.

I found this to be a crock!
I involved everyone in email cc's, state police included.
So for the last month he has known I've been working with city police.
Plus, I called his office on April 30th and left a vmail asking that he please call me back to confirm our appointment.
I waited all day Monday and Tuesday for him to call back.
I never got a call.
Not wanting to piss anyone off, I loaded the bike, in my PT Cruiser (fits perfectly), and went to the appointment the next morning ...all for nothing.

I find it funny that the DMV ...a state entity, would send people to the Municipal police for inspections and no longer send them to the state police?????

Hopefully, I'll get the" new" MCO and just start over from the beginning and everything will go smoothly.

I alerted the dealer to all the red flags on the MCO that brought all this trouble in the 1st place.

The MCO was missing:
The engine serial number(s)
The statement about the bike being designed and built for on-highway use.
The engine size (125cc)

I don't think I'm even going to move the DOT plate because if everything goes right this time, at the DMV, they shouldn't even need to look at the bike.

I even found a few MCO examples (Honda & KTM) on the web and sent them to the dealer too.
Just in case he had never seen what an MCO for a street legal bike looks like and to give him ideas on where all the extra info goes.

I just sent back the MCO today, so it should arrive by Tuesday.

I'll keep you posted.....

[BKABQ]

Originally Posted by culcune

I wonder where the breakdown happened? I don't know if it will help your situation, but there is now a Skyteam USA out of the L.A. area. Trail Buddy, Pitster Pro, and probably a few others have used Skyteam as their OEM, but I think this can lead to some problems as you have found out. I have a feeling that you are Trail Buddy's first New Mexico customer, so you will have to be the proverbial Guinea pig for your state as far as registration goes.

I think you're right.
As far as the Trail Buddy point.
I don't think they have ever sold one out here.
I was told by the DMV Bureau Chief that mine was the 1st from them.
I think she also tried to tell me this is the 1st "L" VIN bike here too, but I've seen all sorts of other bikes I know were made in China here.
Mostly scooters and a few of those 250cc chopper bikes, so who knows?
I just hope this new MCO gets the job done.

[culcune]

We're keeping our fingers crossed!!

[SpudRider]

Good luck! We are rooting for you!

Spud

[Weldangrind]

Your patience seems to know no bounds! Good for you. 8)