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TUrnsignals. Is it legal to not have them at all?

23K views 21 replies 15 participants last post by  racerboy88 
#1 ·
Can I get away with just hand signaling and not having any signals at all on the bike, legally speaking?
 
#4 ·
Easy guys, I'm building up a motard and I'm just wondering if I can get away with just hand signaling, from a legal point of view, since I'm waiting on a couple of resistors to come in for my home built LED turnsignals and I'm taking out the bike for its inaugural ride this weekend...
 
G
#6 ·
hand signals

Yes...I believe hand signals are legal if no turn signals. I was pulled over in Whistler for a license check two weeks ago by a friendly local RCMP. We talked about the weather etc....I had my dirt wheels on my motard, I have rear turn signals only and I had a comp knobby on the rear aka not DOT. I asked him about both and he said, not an issue. Hand signals are fine, although he said he would rather I had a DOT knobby on the rear.

Note that driving a car you can use hand signals instead of your turn signals if you want.
 
#9 ·
cosworth said:
If you have no actual turn signals it's legal. If you have turn signals and they don't work. Illegally equipped motor vehicle. This assumes that you are using hand signals.
yeah I hear that!
My dad was pulling a homebuilt trailer. This kind of trailer is not required by law to have brakes. But my dad did initially put brakes on it just 'cause. Then he found that they were unnecessary and disconnected them but did not remove the brake cylinder. He was pulled over by the vehicle inspector who proceeded to tell him that even though the trailer doesn't need brakes, because the brake cylinder was still attached to the trailer frame, it had to be functional. Fucking brainless morons! "It's the law. I read it in my manual." morons!
 
#10 ·
Motorcycle Man said:
If the bike was required to have turn signals when it was new, then you are required to have them now. I believe it was in the mid '70s when turn signals became required.

You don't have to use them, though. Hand signals are fine.
... actually that sounds about right!!! My bad!!!:angel
 
#13 ·
For your reference... and to ensure you get it right...

http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/reg/M/MotorVehicle/26_58/26_58-01.htm#section4-13

Turn signal devices
4.13 (1) A vehicle may be equipped and mounted with

(a) a lamp type turn signal system, or

(b) a semaphore turn signal device,

functionally equivalent to original equipment supplied by the vehicle manufacturer or of a type or make approved by the director.

(2) A lamp type turn signal system must

(a) have 2 lamps, mounted on the front of the vehicle, that are capable of displaying flashes of white or amber light which are visible to the front,

(b) have 2 lamps, mounted on the rear of the vehicle, that are capable of displaying flashes of red or amber light which are visible to the rear,

(c) be visible on each side of the vehicle at a distance of 100 m in normal sunlight at an angle of 45° from the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and

(d) include a tell-tale lamp which gives a clear indication that the system is activated.

(3) During the time specified in section 4.01, a semaphore turn signal device must be capable of illumination by light or reflection visible from a distance of 100 m.

(4) A public passenger vehicle or a commercial vehicle that weighs more than 4 500 kg may be equipped with supplementary turn signal lamps in addition to the turn signal system required by subsection (2).

(5) A turn signal lamp must be mounted on the vehicle at a height of not less than 38 cm and not more than 1.83 m.

(6) Subsection (5) does not apply to highway construction vehicles, maintenance vehicles, tow cars or vehicles being towed by a tow car.

(7) A vehicle which is being transported in a drive-away/tow-away operation, or is being towed by a tow car, must have turn signals that are synchronized with the turn signals of the towing vehicle when the tow vehicle turn signals are illuminated.

(8) Despite subsection (5), a tow car may be equipped with supplementary turn signal lamps mounted within the maximum allowable vehicle height (4.15 m) and as far forward as the rear of the cab.

(9) The centre of the front signal lamps must be at least 10 cm from the edge of the low beam headlamps


Note the use of the word "may." "May" is not "must." However... this is where the regs trip you up.

http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/reg/M/MotorVehicle/26_58/26_58-01.htm#section4-02

4.02 (1) A vehicle on a highway must only be equipped with and use lamps, reflectors or other illuminating devices authorized by this Division or authorized in writing by the director.

(2) A vehicle on a highway must be equipped with lamps equivalent to those provided by the original manufacturer in accordance with the requirements that applied under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Canada), or a predecessor to that Act, at the time of vehicle manufacture.

(3) All lamps, lamp bulbs and reflectors required or permitted by this Division must comply with

(a) the approved standards established by the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Canada) and the applicable SAE standards,

(b) the conditions of use described in this Division, and

(c) the requirements of Table 1 of the Schedule to this Division.

(4) The function of 2 or more lamps or reflectors may be combined if each function meets the following requirements:

(a) no turn signal lamp may be combined optically with a stop lamp unless the stop lamp is extinguished when the turn signal is flashing;

(b) a clearance lamp must not be combined optically with a tail-lamp or identification lamp.

(5)The director may exempt vehicles or classes of vehicles from the requirements of this section.


Oh, and Manic? STFU. Try not to make mass generalizations about groups of people. :flip I'm not a fucking moron. Asshole, maybe; but not a fucking brainless moron. ;) :thumbup
 
#14 ·
Ah ha, but in my case my bike (motard) is more of a home built project, as in, there was never any original turnsignals. I assume that this bike will classify as a full custom and have to have an inspection, which i would assume, means that the bike has to be built to code. Although I don't know.
 
#15 ·
Talk to Bill at 5th gear. He's been through all this before. I think he told me he had to mount some signals for the inspection when converting an off road to road legal and then he can take them off again and use hand signals.

I like that you're putting SOME signals on there. Too easy for someone to do something to ya that requires both hands to avoid. Best to have them on the bars rather than waving at the sidewalk plebes... :D
 
#16 ·
I never had signals on my first bike, and I had a couple of near incidents at intersections. Well, I guess they weren't really incidents, cuz I avoided them, but basically if I'm turning left from a two-way stop sign from a side street onto a busy road, the guy going straight, across the busy street, won't see me signal as I pull up. Even if I went through the trouble of putting in in neutral to use my clutch hand to signal, those two times they didn't see it. And putting it in neutral is a real pain when you're in a bit of a hurry. This getting cut off has only happened once with turn signals on my bike, and that was during my road test :thumbup
 
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