Planet Minis

robe338 · 09-11-2008, 06:25 PM

Hey was the 72-78 Z50a a street legal bike? I noticed they had headlights and tail lights. Or are they basicly a eariler version of the z50r with lights. I know thw frames/seat/tank and stuff are different.

50minikid · 09-11-2008, 06:30 PM

where do you live? I have seen ones that are street legal.

LoudFastUgly · 09-11-2008, 08:47 PM

1972 to 1978 Z50A were never originally manufactured to be street legal in North America (I believe they were in the U.K.). As to whether or not you can make it so now depends on your state or province's dmv. Tell us what you have and where you are, maybe someone from your state can chime in.

HondaZrider · 09-11-2008, 11:46 PM

I have a 74 thats street legal. Basically up till jan 2004 you could pretty much legalize any bike as long as it met all the dot requirements--no longer.

fiddyonefiddy · 09-12-2008, 01:18 AM

they were street legal sir
69 up to I think 79 they were legal.
i had a 71 and my cousin had a 73 and both were street legal when they were new.

robe338 · 09-12-2008, 04:46 AM

Well im in Georgia. Right now all I have is the Z50a frame. I also have a complete z50r, couple of Z50r frames, and a box of parts. Like lots of others im wanting to build a street legal Z. I didnt know if they were made to be street legal because they had lights. I was hoping I could use this frame instead of going with the lifan.

robe338 · 09-12-2008, 04:48 AM

That pic is of a z50J. I dont think they were sold here. I may be wrong though.

mexicanyella · 09-12-2008, 07:04 AM

As far as I can remember the '72-'78, while they did have lights, did not have stop lights and related switches. The pre-'72 ones that came with lights--hardtails--had stop switches and a tail/stop light. States vary on what they require, but I think the tail/stop light requirement is fairly common in the requirements. Probably some areas don't need it, but why would you want to ride without a brake light, unless in an area where you KNEW no one would be behind you?

I've got two of these early bikes, and their original manufacturer's statement of origin documents, and the documents say something like "this vehicle was not manufactured for use on public streets, roads or highways." I'm in the process of titling them through I.T.S., and my hope is that when I get the titles back and transfer them into my name, the "nt manufactured for street" disclaimer won't make the jump. I once titled a YZ490 and the new title didn't say anything about off-road only, maybe it will work that way this time too.

Many states have moped laws that are much less restrictive on 50cc vehicles, so you might squeak by there. I think the mopedarmy dot com site has moped rules broken down state by state. I'm in Missouri and theoretically my bike qualifies: under 50cc, less than 3 hp, able to reach a max speed of 30 mph or less, automatic trans (well, sort of).

As such it doesn't need license, insurance or anything since it's a "motorized bicycle." I just need a valid driver's license, though my motorcycle endorsement is not required on it.

Of course you may want more cc and a higher top speed...

robe338 · 09-12-2008, 04:33 PM

Well not what I wanted to hear but Its what I figured.

fiddyonefiddy · 09-13-2008, 07:34 PM

the switches are in the cables .actually yeah my bad on the photo
if you can get it to pass inspection it can be tagged under most circumstances.
and i can tell you the 50 law here just like mexicanyella our laws consider it a bicycle
under 50cc. no liscense tag or insurance.
the qa from 71 to 75 had no lights,it was for dirt only. the mini trail was street legal up to 78 when it went to the z50r.
the only one that wasnt was the first one the 69 KO

LoudFastUgly · 09-13-2008, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiddyonefiddy

the switches are in the cables .actually yeah my bad on the photo
if you can get it to pass inspection it can be tagged under most circumstances.
and i can tell you the 50 law here just like mexicanyella our laws consider it a bicycle
under 50cc. no liscense tag or insurance.
the qa from 71 to 75 had no lights,it was for dirt only. the mini trail was street legal up to 78 when it went to the z50r.
the only one that wasnt was the first one the 69 KO

I should clarify, Z50A 1972 to 1978 was never manufactured to be registered street legal as a motorcycle.

fiddyonefiddy · 09-16-2008, 02:53 PM

Because the Z50A series bikes for the US market in 1970 were street legal, Honda also produced the QA50. This model was specially designed for off-road use because of the lack of lighting. It also had its own unique engine. The QA50 was only built for 5 years until the K3 version in 1975.
to read more:
History Motor City Mini Trails

they wouldnt have batteries or brake lights if they werent meant to be street legal.

Z · 09-16-2008, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiddyonefiddy

Because the Z50A series bikes for the US market in 1970 were street legal, Honda also produced the QA50. This model was specially designed for off-road use because of the lack of lighting. It also had its own unique engine. The QA50 was only built for 5 years until the K3 version in 1975.
to read more:
History Motor City Mini Trails

they wouldnt have batteries or brake lights if they werent meant to be street legal.

The Z50K2 and newer models didn't have batteries and were never manufactured to be street legal. None of the Z50's were. They were considered trail bikes. However, they aren't hard to get titled for road use.

Find me one pic from any of the US Honda ads where is shows that the bikes were street legal. Some dealers provided an MSO for road use, but it was a different time with different laws then we have today. Most don't legally comply with current law.

Porta photo album

mexicanyella · 09-17-2008, 01:04 AM

The MSOs for my two '71 K2 bikes both say "not manufactured for use on public streets, roads, highways..." at the bottom. I'll try to license one of them, once I get my title from ITS. I'll report back.

09-11-2008, 06:25 PM	#1 (permalink)
robe338 PM Newbie Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 34	Z50A question Hey was the 72-78 Z50a a street legal bike? I noticed they had headlights and tail lights. Or are they basicly a eariler version of the z50r with lights. I know thw frames/seat/tank and stuff are different.

09-11-2008, 06:30 PM	#2 (permalink)
50minikid 2nd Gear Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bothell, WA Posts: 936 My Mood:	Re: Z50A question where do you live? I have seen ones that are street legal.

09-11-2008, 08:47 PM	#3 (permalink)
LoudFastUgly 2nd Gear Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: GTA, Ontario, Canada Posts: 383	Re: Z50A question 1972 to 1978 Z50A were never originally manufactured to be street legal in North America (I believe they were in the U.K.). As to whether or not you can make it so now depends on your state or province's dmv. Tell us what you have and where you are, maybe someone from your state can chime in.

09-11-2008, 11:46 PM	#4 (permalink)
HondaZrider 1st Gear Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 120	Re: Z50A question I have a 74 thats street legal. Basically up till jan 2004 you could pretty much legalize any bike as long as it met all the dot requirements--no longer.

09-12-2008, 01:18 AM	#5 (permalink)
fiddyonefiddy 2nd Gear Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Dallas Posts: 322	Re: Z50A question they were street legal sir 69 up to I think 79 they were legal. i had a 71 and my cousin had a 73 and both were street legal when they were new. Attached Thumbnails

09-12-2008, 04:46 AM	#6 (permalink)
robe338 PM Newbie Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 34	Re: Z50A question Well im in Georgia. Right now all I have is the Z50a frame. I also have a complete z50r, couple of Z50r frames, and a box of parts. Like lots of others im wanting to build a street legal Z. I didnt know if they were made to be street legal because they had lights. I was hoping I could use this frame instead of going with the lifan.

09-12-2008, 04:48 AM	#7 (permalink)
robe338 PM Newbie Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 34	Re: Z50A question That pic is of a z50J. I dont think they were sold here. I may be wrong though.

09-12-2008, 07:04 AM	#8 (permalink)
mexicanyella El rey de los puntos Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Troy, MO Posts: 973	Re: Z50A question As far as I can remember the '72-'78, while they did have lights, did not have stop lights and related switches. The pre-'72 ones that came with lights--hardtails--had stop switches and a tail/stop light. States vary on what they require, but I think the tail/stop light requirement is fairly common in the requirements. Probably some areas don't need it, but why would you want to ride without a brake light, unless in an area where you KNEW no one would be behind you? I've got two of these early bikes, and their original manufacturer's statement of origin documents, and the documents say something like "this vehicle was not manufactured for use on public streets, roads or highways." I'm in the process of titling them through I.T.S., and my hope is that when I get the titles back and transfer them into my name, the "nt manufactured for street" disclaimer won't make the jump. I once titled a YZ490 and the new title didn't say anything about off-road only, maybe it will work that way this time too. Many states have moped laws that are much less restrictive on 50cc vehicles, so you might squeak by there. I think the mopedarmy dot com site has moped rules broken down state by state. I'm in Missouri and theoretically my bike qualifies: under 50cc, less than 3 hp, able to reach a max speed of 30 mph or less, automatic trans (well, sort of). As such it doesn't need license, insurance or anything since it's a "motorized bicycle." I just need a valid driver's license, though my motorcycle endorsement is not required on it. Of course you may want more cc and a higher top speed...

09-12-2008, 04:33 PM	#9 (permalink)
robe338 PM Newbie Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 34	Re: Z50A question Well not what I wanted to hear but Its what I figured.

09-13-2008, 07:34 PM	#10 (permalink)
fiddyonefiddy 2nd Gear Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Dallas Posts: 322	Re: Z50A question the switches are in the cables .actually yeah my bad on the photo if you can get it to pass inspection it can be tagged under most circumstances. and i can tell you the 50 law here just like mexicanyella our laws consider it a bicycle under 50cc. no liscense tag or insurance. the qa from 71 to 75 had no lights,it was for dirt only. the mini trail was street legal up to 78 when it went to the z50r. the only one that wasnt was the first one the 69 KO Attached Thumbnails

09-16-2008, 02:53 PM	#12 (permalink)
fiddyonefiddy 2nd Gear Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Dallas Posts: 322	Re: Z50A question Because the Z50A series bikes for the US market in 1970 were street legal, Honda also produced the QA50. This model was specially designed for off-road use because of the lack of lighting. It also had its own unique engine. The QA50 was only built for 5 years until the K3 version in 1975. to read more: History Motor City Mini Trails they wouldnt have batteries or brake lights if they werent meant to be street legal. Last edited by fiddyonefiddy; 09-16-2008 at 02:58 PM.

09-17-2008, 01:04 AM	#14 (permalink)
mexicanyella El rey de los puntos Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Troy, MO Posts: 973	Re: Z50A question The MSOs for my two '71 K2 bikes both say "not manufactured for use on public streets, roads, highways..." at the bottom. I'll try to license one of them, once I get my title from ITS. I'll report back.

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