S&S Cycle makes a lot of engines used by custom and kit builders and they just received EPA certification for all three of their V-Series engine families. Last year, as we noted on The Kneeslider, the EPA issued new guidelines that caused a lot of concern in the custom and kit bike builder market and among anyone that had the desire to build more than one bike. According to those rules, all engines used had to pass EPA certification before being used in a motorcycle, individuals got a one bike in a lifetime exemption, which wasn’t any benefit since your first bike may be a learning experience more than anything, bike two is where you apply your hard won knowledge. Your only recourse is to use an engine from a manufacturer that has passed the government tests and install the engine according to their instructions.
With S&S getting their EPA blessing, you can be sure they’ll keep a big chunk of the custom and kit market (which they seem to have already) and other engine manufacturers will need to get their engines through their testing phase if they want to stay in the game.
As we noted before, pre-1980 motorcycles do not have to meet these rules so rebuilding an old bike may be the thing to do, especially if you’re looking at something other than a V-twin. Of course, how much of that old bike has to be present to qualify as a rebuild before it’s classified as a new bike?
Doesn’t this look like a great opportunity to get the motorcycle crate engine business for street legal motorcycles in high gear?
Link: S&S Press Release
Related: What Everyone Should Know About the New Kit and Custom Motorcycle Rules from the EPA
Related: S&S X-Wedge V-Twin Engine
Bryce says
I think this is great that S&S has made kits available to people who want to build custom bikes.
At the risk of being seen as encouraging people to break the law, how would the EPA know if I went out and built 3 custom bikes for myself in the next few years? And I’m also unsure of what they would do for enforcement. There is an importer of Chinese built motor scooters who went through EPA certification only to have their EPA labels forged by a competitor. It was reported a while back last I heard, there had been no action taken at all.
The EPA rules are probably mostly written to stop companies from cranking out “custom” motorcycles without any emissions certification.
Your mention of “rebuilding” an old bike has merit, however I think the same could be done even with a newer bike. Every state has its own rules about what must be retained to be considered the same bike, but I bet in several states you could build a sport bike powered chopper with a unique frame and be just fine as long as you meet the requirements for turn signals, mirrors, etc.
chris says
S&S – Thank You.