DOT (Street Legal in Michigan)

[family adventure]

As requested here is what is required to do the road legal to your UTV.

1.) Laminated glass windshield (Auto style) You can get them direct from Polaris for either the ranger or rzr.
2.) Wiper. I prefer electric but you can use a manual wiper. Again Polaris has a very nice power wiper system for either Ranger.
3.) Horn. A squeaky ball style is ok but for about $12 you can get a power one from Auto Zone.
4.) Lighted plate holder. Most auto stores will have one.
5.) High and low beam lights with indicator. The factory switch from polaris on either ranger or rzr lights up so simply wire in a set of auxilary lights on another switch. Like driving lights. It passes just fine. Or you can get a hi-low set up from polaris but it is much more expensive.
6.) Windshield Washers. You can get a universal kit with jug, switch, hose and wireing for about $25 at Auto Zone.
7.) Turn signals and 4 way flashers. I use the EMPI universal chrome switch. It is a very compact unit and simply clamps onto your column. Works great and is very water resistant. The I simply use 4 truck clearance lights. Follow the directions from the switch and build a separate wireing harness for the signals. It is very easy and total cost for signals including switch is about $60 with a flasher. Now if you use LED lights make sure you buy a flasher compatible with LED lights.
8.) Dot tires. We use 28-850-14 Super Swamper TSL bias ply tires. They work great in almost any situation and are 6 pounds per tire less than the radial TSL. Simply mount them up on your favorite 14" wheels and go.
9.) You must have a front and rear bumper.
10.) One rear view mirror. The Yamaha Rhino clamp on style works great and costs about $30 from the dealer.

Now once you have that part done you need to get an inspection form from the secretary of state. #TR-54. Fill out your portion and make an appointment with your local law enforcement agency to have them inspect the vehicle. We use the State Police as they are the best in our area to work with right now. The officer will ask you to give them the run down and then he will verify the Vehicle identification number and sign off on the form. After this you take your completed form, proof of insurance, and title to the secretary of state. Now this is where it gets tricky. The procedure is not consistent from office to office. The proper way for them to complete this per Lansing main office is as follows. The re-title the vehicle as a assembled pick up using the existing vin number as it is a legal 17 digit vin. They will send in the title and the next day (due to the time it takes to reallocate the title to a DOT legal status) you can pick up your plate and you are road legal. Now some offices try to get a state assigned vin to your vehicle and insist on a state inspector coming up from Lansing and and doing another inspection at which time he would issue this state assigned vin. THIS IS BS AND IS NOT THE WAY TO GO!!!! If you do you will have issues with your lender (Polaris says no way on a new vin) and insurance goes through the roof if you can even get it at all. Progressive (last I heard) said they would not insure a vehicle with a Michigan assigned VIN. We use Progressive with our units and pay about $125 (includes comp and collision) a year for full coverage and have no hassles at all. I have heard many horror stories about state assigned vins and per Lansing as long as your vehicle has a legal 17 digit vin a state vin is not required. Just make a couple calls to find an office near you that will do the assemble pick up title. It is a bit of hassle and on average to buy every thing you need and do the work your self it will run about $2000 to do it right depending on what your unit comes with at purchase. But really in Michigan it is well worth doing based on the area it opens up for riding. You have no more worries of can I be here? Am I legal here and so on.
Have fun and if you have questions contact me. I will try to help if I can.

[GPER]

Thanks for all the info, that will be a big project.

[GRAZOR]

Well done Familyguy!

This can't be done here in NY but great info for those by you.

Now my question is where can you legally drive it once you jump all the barriers and get it street legal?

Does this mean you could get out on the interstate and cruise to work or just allows you on secondary roads in small towns and such?

I know for sure places in WV allow you to ride them on the local roads to and from trail heads and to do stuff like fuel up and grab a bite to eat while on the trails. They don't ever say it is legal but they make it pretty clear they look the other way unless you get stupid.

Thanks

Gary

[blue flame rzr]

Just got my rzr last week and already have it inspected and ready for the road as soon as the title shows up in the mail. Stopped by the sec. of state office and they said there would be no problem as soon as i have the title. Being road legal is the best idea ever, now I can go on the 2-tracks in state land and down to the store for gas without looking over my shoulder

[family adventure]

Being road legal in Michigan is like being pregnant either you are or you are not! In Michigan a plate allows you to run two tracks through the state land, All roads the same as a car, not that a trip down the freeway would be a fun ride but it would be legal as long as you can hit the minimum legal speed. The biggest advantage is the fact the state will run two trails within a short distance from one another, especially here in lake county, and you legally would have to trailer from one to the next. Now you can just drive over hit the next trail and go. For instance I live less than 2 miles on paved road from a designated trail, there is a two track right at the end of my property, I would need to cross a road, hit the two track follow it 2 to 3 miles and it comes out across another road from the trail head. By Michigan law I could not legally go on this two track and would be forced to trailer my Rhino (at the time) to the trail head or risk tickets and fines. Another benefit is I no longer have to drive my truck to go hunting on state ground!!! No more scratches on my Dodge Duelly! It is well worth the effort to do if you live in Michigan!

[GRAZOR]

Thanks Guys. For those of us not up on the area lingo, two track

Here where I live we have regular two lane country paved roads like what I live on called county roads and we have state highways that could have two or three lanes in each direction. We also have unpaved "Seasonal Use" roads that don't get plowed in the winter and ofcourse all sorts of trails and logging roads thru the mountains, some are listed on topo maps as Jeep trails.

The term 2 track does not register like I think you mean it.

Gary

[family adventure]

Two track is what we call the trails through alot of state land up here. They are called two tracks because a lot of them have two pathes down to dirt where tires run and the center will have grass in it so you literally see two sets of tracks. These are extremely plentiful in rural Michigan and often times are some of the best riding.

[GRAZOR]

OK, Now I understand what a two track is I THINK! It is what we call trails or Jeep trails.

Now you have me really confused with this. "By Michigan law I could not legally go on this two track and would be forced to trailer my Rhino ". You have to be street legal to go on state land on the two track trails or you have to trailer your machine to other places that you can ride.

That sounds like if you want to ride on state owned land up there you have to be street legal, even if they are just old dirt logging roads, and it does not sound right.

Here in NY all machines have to be registered with plates but none---ZERO are street legal. If an area allows ATVs then you can ride them on any trails but not on any roads. All we can do is cross a highway or road but never ride on it except to cross it.

I think what you are trying to say is in order to be legal going from trail to trail on a real road you must be street legal. Once you get to the two track, you don't have to be street legal to ride on it. Is this correct?

Gary

[family adventure]

No. In Michigan you need a Secretarty of state plate to be on the two tracks. In a nut shell if it is not a designated ORV trail or a Designated ORV Scambles area it is not open to ORV traffic. ATV,UTV,Motorcycles and so on with out a plate are considered ORV's. So as a rule of thum the DNR here says it is closed unless posted open. We refer to them as Skunk Cops here. Most have horrible attitudes and thrive on harassing people. But that is an entirely different topic!

[blue flame rzr]

you say you ride in lake county? Do you gas up at carrieville store. I ride lake county trails as much as I can. If you see a black rzr with blue flames, flag me down. I'de like to see how your street legal rzr looks compared to mine. I hope to be riding this weekend if work allows. By the way have you been stopped yet on the road by the coppers and if so what was there attitude like.