OHV equipment act / What does my bike need ??

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dirtyboy
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OHV equipment act / What does my bike need ??

Post by dirtyboy »

I've been looking for a government web site that describes the required equipment for an off-road motorcycle. I even read some of the Traffic Safety Act in section 117 - 129 it talks about what an OHV is, how to cross roads, registration, insurance but that 's about it. Traffic Safety Act

I found the SRD page about motorized vehicles heading out. No specific info on required equipment or links.

Anyone know where to find the document that states what equipment the bike needs for off-road in Alberta? :confused:


This has been made a sticky thread for reference. Feel free to add.
Last edited by dirtyboy on Mon May 29, 2006 9:51 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Post by WR_Dave »

The regulations for 0ff-highway vehicles are in the government site somewhere, I can't find it right now either. The regs as they pertain to bikes is that we are supposed to have the plate attached to the bike not the rider, headlight must be a white light visible up to 60 meters,tailight must be a red light visible up 60 meters, and you must have a spark arrestor. You are not required however to wear any protective gear such as a helmet.The funny part is that the wardens and rangers don't seem to know the rules themselves as far as what is a spark arrestor and which bikes have lights or not. They seem to operate on the catch and throw the book at you method. The regs seem to be set up as a money grab and not much to do with safety at all. I will keep looking and post if I can find them. WR Dave.

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Post by dirtyboy »

I'd like to find the actual act so that I can talk intelligently about it the next time that I'm stopped and I'd like to be compliant.

I'll keep searching and post if I find it. If you find it, please let me know. Actually if it is this hard to find, perhaps we should post it up here for others?

I think that the government should make it available. That's all part of education isn't it? :buttkick:

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Post by WR_Dave »

I found the document we are looking for. the link to it is http://www.qp.gov.ab.ca/documents/Regs/ ... 077972013X . I hope this works. WR Dave.

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Post by dirtyboy »

WR_Dave, thanks. That's exactly what I was looking for. :cool:

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Summary

Post by dirtyboy »

What do I need to ride my bike on crown land?

The references are above but the following list has it in layman's terms:
  • Insurance (minimum 3rd party liability)
    Registration with License plate mounted on motorcycle and visible by bystanders
    Headlight able to illuminate an object 60 meters away
    Tailight able to be seen 60 meters away
    Spark arrestor and muffler such that the sound is less than 96db when using the standard stationary test

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ticket book

Post by Suzanne »

I have an actual ticket book ("Specified Penalty Listing") that a ranger gave me last year when I was writing an article about this stuff. So if you're ever wondering how much it'll cost you (for everything from no insurance to fishing without a license), let me know.

here are some examples under the OHV section:

no headlight (60m) - $57
no taillight (60m) - $57
tail light not red - $57
headlight shining into eyes of approaching rider - $57
driving OHV on median of divided highway - $57
head light not white /lens/bulb not made clear untinted glazing - $57
drive OHV if device attached to exhaust system/muffler increase noise/allow for ignition of gases from engine/exhaust system - $57
Drive OHV w/o lic plate securely attached /legible/clearly visible - $57
New owner of reg'd OHV fail to return original lic plate to Registrar - $115
Person <14 yrs drive OHV on public property w/o supervision by person occupying passenger seat of OHV in/on MV travelling in close proximity to OHV - $115
Person <18 yrs supervising underage drive of OHV - $115
Operate OHV in Kananaskis Country or Wild Kakwa Forest Land Use Zone - $86


Interesting. :cool: :cool:

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dirtyboy
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Re: OHV equipment act / What does my bike need ??

Post by dirtyboy »

Updated link:

http://www.qp.alberta.ca/574.cfm?page=2 ... 077972013X" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

To the Off Highway Vehicle Act

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Re: OHV equipment act / What does my bike need ??

Post by patwill »

PSA I got stopped by wildlife people today because one of the bikes didn't have a tail light... I was getting a written warning for it "just this once" so make sure you are compliant. Luckily I had a flashlight in my truck I could duct tape to the fender :/
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Re: OHV equipment act / What does my bike need ??

Post by AJRJ »

Hooligan wrote:We got hassled by the man on Saturday.

I was a bit dismayed to hear that the CO didn't know what the law actually says and she said the light had to illuminate 60 meters, when the law actually says the light has to be visible to 60 meters. There is a BIG difference between those two statements.

When we questioned her on the details of that issue she said, "Lets see what the law says." and proceeded to pull out the govt map. In no way is that map a substitute for, nor representative of the actual wording of the laws. Don't let the CO's try to bamboozle you with this BS. The law is available free on the internet and is worth a few minutes reading to understand what it actually says because from my interactions with the CO's I can assure everyone that they haven't got a clue what is actually written there.
I agree, hopefully education is the key. What did they end up deciding? Light visible to 60m is a pretty general description. I assume this came up because you were using small battery powered lights?

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Re: OHV equipment act / What does my bike need ??

Post by malcolmzilla »

I appreciate folks trying to get by with bicycle lights and such, however this might be an area to spend the $ on good gear that serves more purpose, and avoids a fine /arguments with CO's.

My YZFX's didnt come with "enduro" lighting... So to be legal-ish...

I like to have a decent headlight so I run a Baja Designs Squadron LED. IMO the best light out there, pony up the $ once, its worth it. Been running it for 5 plus years now across several bikes. Saved me from a donkey hit in Baja. The base 4pot Squadron under $200 now.

Image

I run this UFO LED tail, like $40, and also provide a handy fender extension to mount the plate on the rear (mounting elsewhere can be a point of contention), and as a bonus reduces the rooster tail mud spray all over your back/pack. I add a piece of puckboard or aluminum under the plate to add rigidity and prevent losing it to vibration and umm, errr, dirt naps / yard sales. This also has outlived a few bikes now.

Image

YMMV
15 Yamaha YZ250FX, 270cc, cams
15 XC250
11 Berg 570, dualsport and supermoto
17 PW50
78ish CT70
Just another Dirt Donkey...

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Re: OHV equipment act / What does my bike need ??

Post by dirtyboy »

I just mounted my license plate on that fender extension and on the first ride the license plate broke apart and now I have 1/4 of a plate on the rear of my motorcycle. Now I have to pay for another plate. :mad:

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Re: OHV equipment act / What does my bike need ??

Post by malcolmzilla »

dirtyboy wrote:I just mounted my license plate on that fender extension and on the first ride the license plate broke apart and now I have 1/4 of a plate on the rear of my motorcycle. Now I have to pay for another plate. :mad:
Perhaps they will only fine you 3/4 of the full penalty then? :redneck:

As mentioned the puckboard or aluminum plate reinforcement has kept mine intact now, if I could find thin UHMW plastic then I'd do that... hmmm thin cutting boards might fit the bill... :thinking:
15 Yamaha YZ250FX, 270cc, cams
15 XC250
11 Berg 570, dualsport and supermoto
17 PW50
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Just another Dirt Donkey...

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Re: OHV equipment act / What does my bike need ??

Post by AJRJ »

malcolmzilla wrote:I appreciate folks trying to get by with bicycle lights and such, however this might be an area to spend the $ on good gear that serves more purpose, and avoids a fine /arguments with CO's.
I agree with the sentiment 100%, although I do use battery powered lights. The bikes I choose seem to struggle with additional loads; A 450XCF and a KTM 65. And that's also not to say that some battery lights are quite awesome. I have a Task Racing battery powered helmet light that's better than any stock headlight I've seen.

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Re: OHV equipment act / What does my bike need ??

Post by thumpin71 »

Does anyone know what the Alberta laws are for people visiting from BC? Visitors will now have a license plate, but in BC they dont need insurance. Will this incur a ticket in Alberta?

I know if you go the other way the BC law is that Alberta residents need to comply with Alberta rules. I am not sure how it works when BC people come to Alberta.

Thanks

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