OK, I understand that you can't just put street tires, lights, signals and a horn on your 250R, go see the DMV for plates and just ride it down I-40... It probably won't pass emissions and is stamped "for off road use only".

But, what about rebuilding a streetbike into a 4 wheeler?

It has a title, horns, signals, lights and can be insured as a motorcycle or maybe even a kit-something...

I've seen these VW engined choppers on the road...



They do it overseas in China, Europe and the UK... Why not here?



Is this possible in NC?














BMW makes this thing for like $45k

5/9/2012 8:54:51 PM

as soon as it has 4 wheels it has to pass emissions and crash tests unless its a home built or kit car then there are some weird loop-holes.

My thought would be you'd have to buy an r1, then a 4k conversion kit or something.

5/9/2012 8:57:15 PM

not saying it wouldn't be cheap, but a crashed bike + crashed 4 wheeler and a tig welder...

Can't think it would be too difficult..

but, only if you could get it legalized

just never seen one on the road, wondering why not?

5/9/2012 9:00:41 PM

in 2009, a company called wesll corp came out with this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wesll

bring that shit to market.

5/9/2012 9:06:09 PM

yeah no shit.... that would be the ultimate track vehicle

some of the SAE cars did that for a while, along with adjustable downforce based on steering angle and /or brake pressure.

Neat shit... outlawed in no time thought.

5/9/2012 9:12:32 PM

p.s.

this burbble sound familiar?

5/9/2012 9:14:06 PM

this thing looked badass until I realized the front and back weren't where I thought they'd be. I thought it was the rear 3/4 of a single seater

imo, if you're going to go through that much trouble, you might as well sling the seat low and do it Ariel Atom/Xbow style

[Edited on May 9, 2012 at 9:59 PM. Reason : ]

5/9/2012 9:58:51 PM

Tim Nine (from NC) built this one.





http://www.myspace.com/nineon3/photos

Three wheels is the magic number. The fourth only causes government headaches.

[Edited on May 9, 2012 at 10:32 PM. Reason : .]

5/9/2012 10:29:52 PM

its a trike

5/9/2012 10:33:42 PM

quads can be made street legal in some states, but I don't think NC is one of them. Three wheelers can be titled as motorcycles. If you want something like the Lazareth quad and you want to buy turnkey and street legal, your bet bet would be a CanAm spyder

5/9/2012 10:43:28 PM

Tim's creation up there would be a lot of fun if it can keep power on the ground somehow(lean bike portion?) because it's so low.

Anyway, they're cracking down on those too. Feds only allow one custom bike per lifetime now.

http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2006/08/14/what-everyone-should-know-about-the-new-kit-and-custom-motorcycle-rules-from-the-epa/

[Edited on May 9, 2012 at 10:46 PM. Reason : .]

5/9/2012 10:44:03 PM

If I was gonna do this, you KNOW it would have to be AWD.




I saw that STi quad a few years ago. That's too big, I want a 'busa powered raptor or something along those lines, with AWD.


This European street quad looks pretty badass:

5/9/2012 11:12:12 PM

They don't do it. They don't do it because it's gay. Man up and ride 2 wheels

5/10/2012 12:11:18 AM

Quote :

""

DO WANT

5/10/2012 12:30:17 AM

^ my thoughts exactly. so sick.

5/10/2012 12:45:04 AM

Whats so sick about that hackjob with hastily lowered suspension and improperly fitted tires? Just cause it got some pepboys universal 4 lug wheels with some dish on them?

5/10/2012 10:00:19 AM

Lazareth builds some of the nicely finished hand built quads in the world.

http://lazareth.fr/

Every once in a while he will throw a crazy engine in there for a change, like a v8 or a v12



I think he shoehorned a v8 into a mini cooper quite a few times, and then chopped the roof off

5/10/2012 10:08:11 AM

I looked into it many years ago and found that the legal definitions of car and motorcycle would never allow it in this state without a change to our general statutes. Basically a motorcycle is defined as a vehicle with a saddle seat and two or three wheels; thus excluding four wheeled ATVs. A car can't have the saddle style seat. Something to that effect at least...Like I said it's been several years.

[Edited on May 10, 2012 at 10:24 AM. Reason : l]

5/10/2012 10:23:36 AM

That's unfortunate.

5/10/2012 10:41:14 AM

I know right.

At least let us title UTVs NC.

5/10/2012 10:46:24 AM

Tim Nine (of T. E. Nine's fame) has built some interesting trikes in the shop at his salvage yard. A 5.0 fox body Mustang that has a Harley front wheel, and a sport bike trike thing with what appears to be an ATV front end. Go visit him.

[Edited on May 10, 2012 at 11:54 AM. Reason : LOL DIDNT READ THE THREAD, SMC BEAT ME TO IT! ]

5/10/2012 11:53:15 AM

Quote :

"imo, if you're going to go through that much trouble, you might as well sling the seat low and do it Ariel Atom/Xbow style "

Two completely different experiences. WIth the quad, the forward/tall riding position and lack of wind screen makes you feel like you are gliding through the air. Also you can shift your weight around and get more physical with your cornering. I am not sure which layout is actually better for performance, as cockpit-style setup has a much lower overall center of gravity, but in general those are apples and oranges.

5/10/2012 12:11:48 PM

Also, I'm not trying to build a serious track rat or anything

I want more of a unique motorcycle / quad for the street

factory street bike performance / reliability is fine with me

as long as I can drive it legally

[Edited on May 10, 2012 at 1:09 PM. Reason : t]

5/10/2012 1:09:33 PM

They are all legal here in Montana!

5/10/2012 6:00:40 PM

i like this one...

5/11/2012 8:54:14 AM

i like this one...

5/11/2012 8:54:14 AM

all i can think of is DMC's 'rough ridas anthem'

5/11/2012 9:10:02 AM

i thought of that too i remember watching it and saying... so who's the dumbass that can't ride a bike ?


i mean a banshee can be fast but still not sport bike fast.

5/11/2012 9:16:23 AM

it can if it has a busa motor

5/11/2012 1:00:13 PM