I've lived in the SoCal area for a few years, and would heed every piece of advice so far listed. Yes, the drivers here can be challenging - that old rant about SoCalers not knowing how to drive in the rain is often demonstrated true, and is a good indicator of a general mindset that develops in such a climate - but this is also one of the few states (the only one??) where lane-splitting is legal. You can google for yourself whether splitting lanes is a good or bad thing from the biker's perspective.
@groran1000 said: “
south, about 1-2 hours east from LA called Palmdale, we have friends there that say it's a great place. Desert like, but a generally good place.”
Generically true of all communities: generally good places and bad places. Palmdale is historically recognized for both methamphetamine production and the
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works for example.
How will your bike(s) be stored in Palmdale? Desert-like, indeed. Expect scorching dry summers over 100(F) and occasional high winds (
The Santa Anas) - high (and persistent) enough to shred a decent bike cover in a couple windy weekends, not to mention the effect of all that flapping against painted parts. Of course, if bike parking is indoors with even minimal climate control, then who cares what the weather's like, except as it pertains to riding, right? Personally, my bikes did (do) fine covered but outdoors, about 50 crow miles (and a mountain range) SE of Palmdale, and I've learned a pair of cheap ($35) covers last me a year, so I never bothered buying anything more expensive. I am now blessed with covered parking, but am still overcoming the occasional high winds. (But, of course, now I own a Busa and am considering a custom cover for the bike. Go figure)
Last I checked, CA had the highest # of registered bikes among US states, creating a stellar biking community similar to other like-minded geo-communities, except there are more of us. Easy to google that for an update. Also, as bikes are a part of everyday driving life in CA, cagers are slowly, begrudgingly, edging towards acceptance, and even the odd road-sharing on occasion.
To my knowledge, there is no law that prohibits anyone from registering a vehicle in this state, providing it is street legal (google "CA Air Resources Board" to learn about the ever-changing emissions rules, for starters). Also check out the CA DMV website
According to
a page on that site:
Does This Apply to Someone Moving to California?
If you are moving to California from another state, you may register a new 49-state vehicle if it was first registered by you in your home state, or for military personnel, in the last state of your military service. When applying for vehicle registration in California, you must provide evidence that the vehicle was registered.
Or here, for starters:
Registering a Vehicle From Out of State Checklist
@groran1000 asked: “
are the tags expensive? Here in Miss. they are expensive, my truck valued at about $30,000 is $650. But it goes down as it gets older.”
- 2014 gsx1300r registered last month in CA: $235. Stated purch price: $9,000 - ish. So that's 2.5%.
- Your reg of $650 at a $30,000 vehicle < 2.2%
The
“Snake”, SoCal, part of Mulholland:
Hope this helps!
