KDX Street legal in Pa ?

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NoBs
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KDX Street legal in Pa ?

Post by NoBs »

Mixed opinions about a KDX being street legal here in Pa. Seems if you have a title ( very rare to find one ) you can do it after lights, horn etc.. An MSO might have a chance but just a BOS won't do it no matter what. Is that basically correct ? If so, is there a work around in another state for the BOS owner ? So far out of 19 KDX's I've inquired about 2 had titles, 1 had an MSO and the rest just had BOS's. Where I ride I need to have the bike registered and insured but not necessarily inspected.. Every notary I've spoken with says I can't do it with just a BOS.. Thoughts, experiences ?
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Re: KDX Street legal in Pa ?

Post by henrys »

You can get a title through the state of Vermont. I haven't done it with my KDX yet but it's on my to-do list.
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Re: KDX Street legal in Pa ?

Post by KDXGarage »

Welcome to kdxrider.net.

(moved to general KDX Q&A)
Thank you for participating on kdxrider.net. :bravo:
To post pictures from a device: viewtopic.php?f=88&t=24128
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Re: KDX Street legal in Pa ?

Post by Tripilot »

You have a couple of options; One, you can register your KDX in Vermont but you will NOT be issued a title. You will be issued a registration only. I assume, but am not sure that this registration will be a "transferable" type. https://dmv.vermont.gov/tax-title/vehicle-title

Option two is to title and register your KDX in South Dakota. I have a SD title and registration for my 220.
In my case I live in FL, and my bike came with a FL off-road title. I can never register or title this bike in FL for on-road. However, had I bought a bike form another state that had never been registered in FL, I could have titled and registered it in SD (most likely VT too) and then subsequently registered & titled it in FL.

I also built up a charging 12-volt electrical system for my 220. It has full lighting and an MC battery that gets charged by the electrical system. That's a whole other story. Good luck!
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Re: KDX Street legal in Pa ?

Post by doakley »

Has anyone ever used this company? dirtlegal.com
I only have a Bill of Sale for my bike but they claim no problem to get me a tag and registration out of state; I'm assuming SD. They charge $399 for the guaranteed service though.
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Re: KDX Street legal in Pa ?

Post by TwistedRoot »

doakley wrote: 10:38 am Feb 18 2021 Has anyone ever used this company? dirtlegal.com
I only have a Bill of Sale for my bike but they claim no problem to get me a tag and registration out of state; I'm assuming SD. They charge $399 for the guaranteed service though.
They will git r done but you can do it yourself free by downloading the form and filling it out with the correct fees, taxes, etc. The wait thru vt was over 5 weeks (Nov-Dec '20) but my plate did arrive eventually. :cool:
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Re: KDX Street legal in Pa ?

Post by Tyl3r »

so that dirtlegal site is legit then? I would LOVE to make my hybrid street legal, but never wanted to deal with the hassle. I also only have a bill of sale on the KX125 chassis I'm using, didn't know it would be possible.

Finding an M titled bikes takes away all the hassle, but they aren't easy to come by...should have never sold mine!
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Re: KDX Street legal in Pa ?

Post by doakley »

Just following up. The dirtlegal site is indeed legit. I decided to bite the bullet and used them. Mostly because I found it too much hassle and too confusing to do it myself. I received my VT tag and temporary registration after about 3 weeks, as promised. They sent me email updates as the process went along. I should receive a permanent, transferrable, registration in another 3-5 weeks, maybe less. Not cheap but I'm busy (and lazy) and don't mind paying for results. Again, just my $.02. I'm sure if you had the time and interest you could do this on your own. I found the SD website beyond my comprehension so just threw in the towel and hired dirtlegal.
Now I will start putting on the Tusk enduro kit I bought but was keeping in the original packing in case dirtlegal didn't come through.
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Re: KDX Street legal in Pa ?

Post by NoBs »

Sorry for the massive delay... Seems the only glitch from VT or SD would be the inspection issue. Depending on what site you look at, some are saying you don't even need blinkers, that the law states from 1973 the bike should be equipped with blinkers.. If it actually says " Should " instead of " Shall " it could be interpreted as optional and at the inspection station's discretion. There are a few street legal KDX's in Pa so yes, it can be done....... which brings up an interesting question. How would it be on the road ? Probably similar to my XT250 I'd wager.. perhaps not quite as road friendly.. Certainly not 4 lane material, back roads, gravel/dirt better if you can find them..
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Re: KDX Street legal in Pa ?

Post by Tyl3r »

I bought an M-titled KDX in PA a few years ago and got the plate with the bike when I transferred the titled. Talked to the guy at my local shop about getting it inspected and he said I just needed to add turn signals, a brake light switch to one of the brakes (already had a working tail-light and head light), and a speedometer. Come to think of if it, I can't remember if a horn was required in PA or not; I used a Baja Designs dual sport kit that came with one. But yea I put on that BD kit and trailtech vapor and was good to go on the inspection. Not a bad idea to talk to the guys at your local shop, especially if they are the ones doing the inspection. You're supposed to have DOT tires on there too, but who's to say you didn't do right home after the inspection and swap over to dirt tires :shh:

Here's a video that a local moto vlogger posted up who went through the dirt legal process and PA inspection on a MT250, coincidentally, I went to the same shop when it was under previous ownership for my initial inspection. Not a KDX, but the same process:
[bbvideo] [/bbvideo]

Riding on the road is typical dirt bike lol not great. Tire choice and whether or not you balance the wheels will have a big impact. For running errands around town or going from trail to trail, its perfect. I don't think it would be my first choice though for daily commuting or a lot of long road rides unless you went the super moto route, but then again, still better choices. Its a great traditional dual sport though, can't go wrong with plating it. What part of PA are you in?
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Re: KDX Street legal in Pa ?

Post by Goat »

: ). Mine is terrible on the road. And I probably would not mess w/ kit, had my bike not come w/ one. So far I have broke a battery, drowned a horn, burned up the light switch, and bent the plate into every taco shell variation you can think of.

In theory plate comes in handy here for federal land where state ORV tag is not sufficient to hit the logging roads and fire trails & jumping / riding real roads to access trailheads (which I have never actually done) and then using hwy to wind the sh** out of it to dial in carb jetting.

Had I used the bike as originally intended, a think the kit would probably be quite useful. But I fell in with bad crowd that rides a mix of hard enduro, XC, and MX. The bike is scary good in the woods and scary bad on the pavement. So the kit has not helped much.

I actually have taken the plate off and battery out, and so far not fixed the light switch or horn, yet. But will keep it on the bike, just in case I change or decide to sell.
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Re: KDX Street legal in Pa ?

Post by NoBs »

Tyl3r wrote: 11:25 am Jan 22 2023 I bought an M-titled KDX in PA a few years ago and got the plate with the bike when I transferred the titled. Talked to the guy at my local shop about getting it inspected and he said I just needed to add turn signals, a brake light switch to one of the brakes (already had a working tail-light and head light), and a speedometer. Come to think of if it, I can't remember if a horn was required in PA or not; I used a Baja Designs dual sport kit that came with one. But yea I put on that BD kit and trailtech vapor and was good to go on the inspection. Not a bad idea to talk to the guys at your local shop, especially if they are the ones doing the inspection. You're supposed to have DOT tires on there too, but who's to say you didn't do right home after the inspection and swap over to dirt tires :shh:

Here's a video that a local moto vlogger posted up who went through the dirt legal process and PA inspection on a MT250, coincidentally, I went to the same shop when it was under previous ownership for my initial inspection. Not a KDX, but the same process:
[bbvideo] [/bbvideo]

Riding on the road is typical dirt bike lol not great. Tire choice and whether or not you balance the wheels will have a big impact. For running errands around town or going from trail to trail, its perfect. I don't think it would be my first choice though for daily commuting or a lot of long road rides unless you went the super moto route, but then again, still better choices. Its a great traditional dual sport though, can't go wrong with plating it. What part of PA are you in?
Again, sorry for the delay.. I live in Northeast Pa by the Pocono mts though I have a membership at a coal mining place called FRO ( famous Reading Outdoors ) that has 20K acres of trails scattered thru it. ? Very rocky for my XT250 on some trails but tame at others. Part of my not buying a KDX yet was the uncertainty of licensing it for road use though it would rarely get used for that purpose. That said I still need to do it, just want want the hassle of getting pulled over and not being legal. The market is still extremely high for dirt bikes and especially dual sports. I figure to sell my 2019 XT250, buy a KDX late model and still have money left over to do pretty much what I want or need to. At present I have my sights set on a 2003 KDX 220 supposedly in great shape for a tic less than 3K. Has the skid plate, bark busters, platinum pipe and larger pegs. From others I've looked at, this looks pretty nice in comparison. All I have to do is lower it for my height. Presently waiting for the guy to get back to me as far as title or lack thereof, BOS etc..
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Re: KDX Street legal in Pa ?

Post by K50X200 »

I ride FRO with a street legal 2000 KDX200... I bought it in Maryland with an MC title ( I personally would not buy a bike w/o a title for several reasons which I won't go into here), so I can't really help you thru that process - I did not watch the video posted above, but I can tell you that my inspection place (which specializes in dualsport type bikes) requires registration and proof of insurance, non-resettable odometer (Trailtech), turn signals, head & tail light, brake lights (I have banjo bolt switches on front & rear levers - so I'm not sure if rear-only is ok) horn, chainguard (I fabbed up a removable guard salvaged from a mid-70's Honda street bike for inspection only), DOT tires (once you get to know the inspection guy you may be able to get away with a non-DOT rear tire). Also, the lights etc have to be able to work on the battery alone - I failed my first inspection because my battery was dead a few minutes off the charger. I rarely, if ever, ride on the street because I have a street bike and the KDX with a 12-tooth front sprocket is miserable on the road, and my shop knows that, so I do get a pass for things that a motard bike probably wouldn't, but having the plate makes it nice for connecting trails at FRO, or riding the road back to the truck if it's getting close to sundown, etc... I'm not sure if you read any of the township police literature they gave you when you signed up, but they seem to frown on any bikes on the streets up there, so I'm glad to have the plate for that reason alone, plus I'm covered for insurance at FRO...
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Re: KDX Street legal in Pa ?

Post by NoBs »

K50X200 wrote: 12:43 pm Feb 02 2023 I ride FRO with a street legal 2000 KDX200... I bought it in Maryland with an MC title ( I personally would not buy a bike w/o a title for several reasons which I won't go into here), so I can't really help you thru that process - I did not watch the video posted above, but I can tell you that my inspection place (which specializes in dualsport type bikes) requires registration and proof of insurance, non-resettable odometer (Trailtech), turn signals, head & tail light, brake lights (I have banjo bolt switches on front & rear levers - so I'm not sure if rear-only is ok) horn, chainguard (I fabbed up a removable guard salvaged from a mid-70's Honda street bike for inspection only), DOT tires (once you get to know the inspection guy you may be able to get away with a non-DOT rear tire). Also, the lights etc have to be able to work on the battery alone - I failed my first inspection because my battery was dead a few minutes off the charger. I rarely, if ever, ride on the street because I have a street bike and the KDX with a 12-tooth front sprocket is miserable on the road, and my shop knows that, so I do get a pass for things that a motard bike probably wouldn't, but having the plate makes it nice for connecting trails at FRO, or riding the road back to the truck if it's getting close to sundown, etc... I'm not sure if you read any of the township police literature they gave you when you signed up, but they seem to frown on any bikes on the streets up there, so I'm glad to have the plate for that reason alone, plus I'm covered for insurance at FRO...
They may be a bit more forgiving since at least one small town is opening up the town to M/C and ATV's to come in and spend their money.. I'd still prefer to play it safe however.. I did a bit of reading and from previous experience if the law says " shall " instead of should, you're pretty much obliged to do what they say.. If it says " should ", well that's a whole other story. In 1973 turn signals became necessary in Pa. but my inspection guy said it would be OK to use hand signals instead of turn signals if they weren't on the bike.. I didn't delve into it any further, but rather than trust an inspection station ( no offense ) I'd like to see it and read it for myself.. Pretty sure my guy would inspect it if it had lights, brake lights, and an odometer, maybe a horn.. That's not to say it would comply with other stations however, and therein lies the rub..
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Re: KDX Street legal in Pa ?

Post by billie_morini »

I have a plated KDX 220. My street drives to the vaious national forest trails I ride require 25 to 40 minutes on county roads. Speeds rarely exceed 45 mph. One exception is the street route that requires about 3 or 4 miles of highway travel at 60 mph. My tires are knobbies. The KDX is fine on the street and the knobbies rarely slide out in turns.

I would not say, "Don't ride KDX on the street!" or "It's frightening!" As stated above, it's fine.
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