Posted on 01/19/2006 3:26:39 PM PST by SmithL
LOS ANGELES - At least he remembered the registration.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the state's most famous unlicensed motorcyclist, had an up-to-date registration for the Harley-Davidson he was driving when he collided with a car earlier this month.
Schwarzenegger has acknowledged a scofflaw past - he's tooled around on motorcycles for years without a license. But state records reveal he's been more attentive to state-required vehicle registrations.
Schwarzenegger has a veritable fleet of vehicles cataloged under his name at the state Department of Motor Vehicles, including three motorcycles - two Harley-Davidsons and an Indian. The agency released the governor's records after first saying they would be shielded from disclosure.
Schwarzenegger's office confirmed Thursday he was driving one of the Harleys when he hit a car at low speed on a twisting canyon road near his home - an accident that left him with 15 stitches above his upper lip. His 12-year-old son was in a sidecar.
He was driving "one of the Harleys registered to him," his spokeswoman, Margita Thompson, said in an e-mail.
Despite the lack of a motorcycle license, Schwarzenegger skirted a ticket on a technicality - LAPD officers didn't cite him because they didn't see the celebrity governor driving.
State officials, including the DMV, contend the governor's auto license was sufficient, since he was using the sidecar at the time. Nonetheless, the governor plans to get a motorcycle license, presumably before another ride.
Even if Schwarzenegger's Harley was damaged in the minor fender-bender, he won't be at a loss for road toys.
Along with the motorcycles, his garage includes a 1999 Mercedes, a 2001 Chrysler minivan, a 2001 GMC sport utility vehicle and an exotic 1977 Excalibur, records show.
His beloved Hummer fleet has been trimmed to two vehicles, which aides say he drives rarely.
As governor, Schwarzenegger doesn't need to get behind the wheel - he's ferried to events by the California Highway Patrol. CHP officers were with him at the time of the crash.
I guess the AP is running this in lie of a story on the Barrett report.
Doesn't one need to have a license to operate the vehicle he/she is registering?
Anyone without a valid license knows you better keep your registration up to date....you're farless likely to get pulled over that way!!
Not necessarily...It varies from state to state, but keep in mind that some corporations or businesses licence and register vehicles under the business name...not all states have a "commercial plate."
Likewise, a blind, wealthy person could conceivably be a car collector, in which case his disability precludes his operation, but shouldn't bar him from owning and registering them....
He has a valid license. He just doesn't have a motorcycle endorsement.
I'm far more concerned about his promotion of a trip down the hydrogen highway on my dime than his trips down 101 on his bikes.
IIRC, there is some ambiguity in the vehicle code - the DMV interprets the code to mean a MC license is not necessary with a side-car, but LAPD (and perhaps CHP) says it is.
It sounded to me as if the LAPD ordinarily tickets in these circumstances, but chose not to in this case. I don't really care if the officer has some discretion in whether or not to ticket (especially if the motorist is insured and takes responsibility) but the 'didn't see him driving' explanation is ludicrous.
Absolutely and there may even be child endangerment involved...
The California Vehicle classifies it as a motorcycle if it is three wheeled or if it has four wheels, of which two belong to the motorcycle.
I might disagree there. Having a valid driver's license doesn't entitle one to drive out of class. I cannot drive a truck, unless I get the proper endorsement. He can still be summoned to court and fined. (I'm not betting on it though.)
He was not legally operating a motorcycle. He did not have the proper endorsement.
This is lame. I had a valid registration on the motorcycle that I was riding when pulled over and subsequently incarcerated. Yet without the proper license endorsement, it means that the registrant is violating the law by operating that vehicle on a public roadway. Private property, no problem. It is shameful to attempt to excuse a failure.
Regardless of what the DMV may state, if you are stopped while riding a motorcycle with a sidecar, and you don't have the proper endorsement, you are likely to be cited.
What you said!
If memory serves me correctly he wasn't operating a motorcycle at the time of the accident. He was operating a three wheeled vehicle weighing less than 1500 lbs. He had however, sometime prior to the accident, by his own admission, been operating motorcycles without an M1.
I looked up the definition for a motorcycle according to the California Vehicle Code. What he was driving was clearly a motorcycle, otherwise there would be no discussion of a "citation."
Definition of a Motorcycle
400. (a) A "motorcycle" is any motor vehicle having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider, designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground, and weighing less than 1,500 pounds.
(b) A motor vehicle that has four wheels in contact with the ground, two of which are a functional part of a sidecar, is a motorcycle if the vehicle otherwise comes within the definition of subdivision (a).
(c) A motor vehicle that is electrically powered, has a maximum speed of 45 miles per hour, and weighs less than 2,500 pounds, is a motorcycle if the vehicle otherwise comes within the definition of subdivision (a).
(d) A farm tractor is not a motorcycle. (e) A motor vehicle that has an enclosed seating area for the driver and passenger, and is used by local public agencies for the enforcement of parking control provisions, is not a motorcycle.
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