Moving to California for 12 months, what can I do about riding?

[smccdes]

Hey guys,

Firstly, I'm new here, seems like a cool community so thanks for having me. I've just picked up my full license in NZ and at the same time picked up a year long contract working in San Diego, California (heading over this month). I was wondering if anyone has an information about riding over there and what I have to do to be able to ride? I plan to buy a bike as soon as I get there so I can get around, currently riding a Ninja 300 but looking for a fairly decent step up.

[iYRe]

check out a user on youtube called hammy 4949 - he is the (17 yr old) son of a friend of mine, who lives in Riverside, in Cali. His dad is a mechanic (a very good one) and a guitarist, and from Mangere originally. Good kiwi bloke.

Riverside is inland from LA - and I am sure they'd love to catch up and give you some pointers and advice.

[scumdog]

When crossing the road look LEFT first...

[smccdes]

check out a user on youtube called hammy 4949 - he is the (17 yr old) son of a friend of mine, who lives in Riverside, in Cali. His dad is a mechanic (a very good one) and a guitarist, and from Mangere originally. Good kiwi bloke.

Riverside is inland from LA - and I am sure they'd love to catch up and give you some pointers and advice.

Thanks heaps for that! Will definitely check it out.

[iYRe]

no worries. His youtube channel is: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxr...p4ZHHUsi5YCfqA

I also have his mom on facebook, so if you want to friend me, then once you get over there I can hook you up. https://www.facebook.com/geoff.gummer

[RDJ]

Terrific riding in California once you get off the freeways, especially, of course, the Pacific Coast Highway

YMMV but here's what I found many years ago when I first started riding in the US

• renting bikes is possible but prohibitively expensive for the medium term
• buying a bike is relatively straightforward, best if you have a California address
• registering that bike in your name is all but straightforward unless you have a California address
• the DMV is every bit as bad as everybody says it is
• insuring your bike will be almost impossible even with a New Zealand driver's license and an International Driving Permit, unless you have a California address... even then you'll pay well over the odds because you have a foreign driver's licence, so if you're staying for a year try and get a California driver's licence as soon as you can.
• very few insurers will insure foreign drivers, even fewer will insure foreign riders, my recommendation would be try State Farm
  
  and...
  if you buy a nice bike, get a cover for it to deter thieves who are lazy
  carry your passport everywhere
  watch out for the 'California cut'
  use the HOV lane, it's legal
  lane splitting is allowed in CA
  join the AMA they have excellent roadside assistance if you need it
  do whatever 'the officer' says, they are armed and wary
  

Enjoy!!!

[Latte]

watch out for the 'California cut'

http://thecaliforniacuts.com/

?

[RDJ]

http://thecaliforniacuts.com/

?

haven't seen any of those, they don't frequent the places I go in LA...

I was referring to the CA freeway cut, a.k.a. the swoop. Commonly seen when dozy people in the left-hand-most lane suddenly realize 'their' exit is coming up and immediately cut / swoop across four-five lanes of fast-moving tailgating traffic to get to their exit. Frequently they make it intact, sometimes they don't, sometimes they sandwich another car or a rider...