Panic in Quebec!!

freema · Apr 15, 2007

I am getting information that the SAAQ (the motor vehicle division of the province of Quebec) is trying to pull out of the street supermotos and other off road bike that were "modified" to be street legal. We have a friend who owns a FE650E 2006 and received a letter last week from the SAAQ that he cannot renew his bike registration.

This is a possible nightmare for all of of us who purchased Husaberg and face street withdrawal. I have not received any letter yet. It seems they are doing the same thing as with the XR 650R. If I can't use my bike for street, I think I will go berserk!!! I use my bike for everyday use including commuting to my work.

I just purchased my bike last fall and it's been licensed for street for 3 years now. It seems that this government is just getting more stupid every year. I went on the SAAQ web site and downloaded their guides on "fabricated" or "modified" motorcycle and there is absolutely no requirement that my bike does not meet.

Flagman · Apr 16, 2007

I'm from Montreal and my DRZ400E was just "de-plated" too by the license bureau. It had been street plated for 4 years. This is very frustrating but we all knew we had screwed the system by getting street plates for our dirt bikes.

I removed the street equipment off my DRZ and it is now for sale. I'll get a legit dual-sport of some sort next year...unless they really increase the license fees as they have promised to do for 2008. Great province we live in.

Scott · Apr 16, 2007

I talked to a KTM dealer in PQ and he told me that everyone is just re-registering their bikes as fabricated or home built.

freema · Apr 16, 2007

Flagman, when did you get the notification? I receive my new registration that will start on April 30th. My payment will go through in about 10 days. Did you have your new registration or they never sent it? I am trying to find out why, how, what and who they are going to remove from the street. I guess your bike was the DRZ400E and not the S? Did you have to go through an inspection with your bike or just plated the bike when the bike was new? I am willing to get a lawyer if I have to.

Flagman · Apr 16, 2007

I did not get a notification for the DRZ. What I received was the renewal notice for 3 of my 4 bikes, excluding the DRZ. When I went to the SAAQ office to pay, I inquired about the DRZ and they wouldn't renew my street plate, so I got the off-road plate there and then. If you got your renewal paper, I would say you are off the hook.

My DRZ is indeed the E. When I bought it new in 2003, I just went to the license bureau and asked for a plate, and they handed me a street plate no questions asked. The Suzuki paper apparently didn't differenciate S or E, so on went the horn and blinkers. The bummer for me is that I learned of this deplating of the DRZ hours after selling my street bike. So I went from two street bikes to none! And I had spent the whole winter fixing up the DRZ with nice USD forks, bigger tank, better light, new everything...I am really fond of my DRZ, but I don't have any use for it anymore with an off-road only plate.

Re-registering a bike as home built might work, but I wouldn't want to go through the nit-picking inspection that would follow. My new Berg and CRF will have the task of keeping me entertained this riding season. Off-road only it is for 2007.

freema · Apr 16, 2007

My friend who has a FS650 2004 got the inspection done even though he had his license plate for the street; he got harassed twice by the police and decided the only way was to get the inspection "sticker" and be done with it. The cost for the inspection is about 70$ and he said they were not too complicated. I purchased a car from US and it is a Dodge-Chrysler dealership close to my house that does the inspection. If you look at the documents on the saaq web site, there is nothing hard to satisfy to pass the inspection; there is nothing about steel tank for instance.

After all the trouble we went through to get our bikes street legal, it's not 70$ that will stop me. Like you said, if I got my registration renewal that I might be fine for this year at least.

Scott · Apr 16, 2007

You should have a legal case if you followed the rules the SAAQ had in place at the time of registration. We are starting to have similar problems in Ontario, but the MTO has said that they will not revoke registrations, they will just refuse new ones. The only bikes in Ontario that you cant street plate any more are Gas Gas'. GGs that were previously plated are safe but no new applications will be accepted.

Panic in Quebec!!

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