Looking for stock Honda undertail for 2002 F4i
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06-07-2013, 09:41 PM
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Looking for stock Honda undertail for 2002 F4i
I actually only need the Federal emissions sticker, which is on a part of the plastic undertail.
The issue is, I just bought a 2002 F4i from out of state and I'm having insane trouble getting it registered because a previous owner had peeled off the Federal emissions compliance sticker. The sticker is not replaceable. The Honda dealer doesn't even show it in the computer, and American Honda Powersports says the stickers are issued by the EPA, one per vehicle, and cannot be replaced. They are going to send me a letter to show to the DMV, but I have my doubts that a DMV clerk is going to agree to anything unusual. After all, they can already tell that the bike is a legal U.S. bike from the VIN; common sense would tell anyone that it was EPA compliant at the time of manufacture, which is all the sticker says.
The F4i owner's manual shows the sticker location on the right vertical plastic surface under the pillion pad, just above the rubber tool roll mount on that side (I can still see the adhesive residue from where it was). As far as I can tell the whole undertail plastic assembly is one piece. Since that's commonly replaced with an aftermarket part, I thought perhaps someone might be able to hook me up with one. Sure would appreciate it!
Craig Haggart
Sunnyvale, California
The issue is, I just bought a 2002 F4i from out of state and I'm having insane trouble getting it registered because a previous owner had peeled off the Federal emissions compliance sticker. The sticker is not replaceable. The Honda dealer doesn't even show it in the computer, and American Honda Powersports says the stickers are issued by the EPA, one per vehicle, and cannot be replaced. They are going to send me a letter to show to the DMV, but I have my doubts that a DMV clerk is going to agree to anything unusual. After all, they can already tell that the bike is a legal U.S. bike from the VIN; common sense would tell anyone that it was EPA compliant at the time of manufacture, which is all the sticker says.
The F4i owner's manual shows the sticker location on the right vertical plastic surface under the pillion pad, just above the rubber tool roll mount on that side (I can still see the adhesive residue from where it was). As far as I can tell the whole undertail plastic assembly is one piece. Since that's commonly replaced with an aftermarket part, I thought perhaps someone might be able to hook me up with one. Sure would appreciate it!
Craig Haggart
Sunnyvale, California
#2
06-07-2013, 10:05 PM
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06-07-2013, 10:53 PM
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Thanks for the fast reply, Demon. The DMV vehicle verification person is indeed the one who told me the sticker was necessary (and missing). She was simply checking the boxes on the form, so I'm not feeling very hopeful about the letter from Honda being sufficient. I'll find out next week if I don't score a stock undertail with sticker first!
Although a registration service seems like a good idea, it unfortunately isn't an option in this case because I am registering an out-of-state vehicle. That can only be done by first having DMV or CHP (California Highway Patrol) do a physical verification of the required stuff (VIN, engine number, EPA compliance sticker) and signe off the paperwork.
Oh, and although it's true that motorcycles don't have emissions checks, they DO have to be emissions compliant. That means they have to be California bikes if they have under 7,500 miles, or 49-state EPA legal if over 7,500 miles.
Craig Haggart
Sunnyvale, California
Although a registration service seems like a good idea, it unfortunately isn't an option in this case because I am registering an out-of-state vehicle. That can only be done by first having DMV or CHP (California Highway Patrol) do a physical verification of the required stuff (VIN, engine number, EPA compliance sticker) and signe off the paperwork.
Oh, and although it's true that motorcycles don't have emissions checks, they DO have to be emissions compliant. That means they have to be California bikes if they have under 7,500 miles, or 49-state EPA legal if over 7,500 miles.
Craig Haggart
Sunnyvale, California
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06-08-2013, 12:13 AM
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06-08-2013, 12:19 AM
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Not new, but only an issue for registering a vehicle previously registered in another state. The bike currently has a Washington title, and California requires certain things before they will issue a new California title.
I understand the basic idea, but I don't understand why the VIN isn't sufficient. It contains the info they need (EPA 49-state emissions compliant when manufactured in 2002) and the vehicle verifier already verified the VIN and engine number against the Washington title. She seemed like the border guard in Costa Rica, just itching to find a reason to say no. Grrrrrr.....
Craig Haggart
Sunnyvale, California
I understand the basic idea, but I don't understand why the VIN isn't sufficient. It contains the info they need (EPA 49-state emissions compliant when manufactured in 2002) and the vehicle verifier already verified the VIN and engine number against the Washington title. She seemed like the border guard in Costa Rica, just itching to find a reason to say no. Grrrrrr.....
Craig Haggart
Sunnyvale, California
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06-08-2013, 11:14 AM
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07-13-2013, 07:29 PM
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Done! The bike is legally registered in California now.
I took it to the California Highway Patrol office in San Jose. The very nice officer finished the vehicle verification form by checking the "remarks" box and writing a brief sentence stating that although the EPA sticker is missing, he confirmed that the bike is a U.S.-spec vehicle by decoding the VIN. Took him all of five minutes.
He chuckled at the silliness of it and told me that the issue comes up regularly. The emissions sticker on cars is usually on the underside of the hood, which often gets replaced after an accident. The EPA never reissues the sticker, so the same deal applies -- they just check the VIN and sign the form when it comes up as a U.S.-spec vehicle. Not sure why the DMV clerk couldn't just do that.
By the way, the nice folks at American Honda in Torrance did send me a letter stating that my 2002 F4i was indeed a U.S. bike that came with an EPA sticker, but for some unknown reason they totally screwed it up by adding the phrase "this vehicle is for off-road use only." Worse than worthless. If I had taken that to DMV, I would NEVER have gotten a California license plate.
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Craig
Sunnyvale, California
I took it to the California Highway Patrol office in San Jose. The very nice officer finished the vehicle verification form by checking the "remarks" box and writing a brief sentence stating that although the EPA sticker is missing, he confirmed that the bike is a U.S.-spec vehicle by decoding the VIN. Took him all of five minutes.
He chuckled at the silliness of it and told me that the issue comes up regularly. The emissions sticker on cars is usually on the underside of the hood, which often gets replaced after an accident. The EPA never reissues the sticker, so the same deal applies -- they just check the VIN and sign the form when it comes up as a U.S.-spec vehicle. Not sure why the DMV clerk couldn't just do that.
By the way, the nice folks at American Honda in Torrance did send me a letter stating that my 2002 F4i was indeed a U.S. bike that came with an EPA sticker, but for some unknown reason they totally screwed it up by adding the phrase "this vehicle is for off-road use only." Worse than worthless. If I had taken that to DMV, I would NEVER have gotten a California license plate.
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Craig
Sunnyvale, California