Anyone in Michigan here? Did you get it street legal?

Hey all,
Just looking for fellow michiganders with mini's! My brother is looking at getting one and i'm thinking about the possibility. I know if I get one, I want it legal to shoot down the road to the gas station, etc and I can do it on my rzr and pretty sure a mini would pass in michigan the same way. I know they say the gov says no and some mini dealers, but the utv's originally say off road only until they become assembled vehicles. Curious if anyone has been successful in michigan?

 

I bought my truck last January, and haven't had any luck getting license or insurance. I do very rural road driving with it, probably no more than 7 miles on paved and dirt roads, and have seen numerous cops and have never been pulled over. They have just waved a few times. I have a slow moving vehicle sign on the back, but I usually go over 25mph anyways.

I know of people who have licensed their trucks in Michigan. It's not "legal" by law, but if you talk to the right people at the SOS they are getting through and not having any problems. If you want any contact info to these guys let me know.

I really thought about trying harder to make mine road legal. But once I figured that with insurance, plates, and sales tax (mine is farm use = no tax) I'd have around $700/year into it, it made me feel much more like slowly taking my chances out in the sticks, for now anyways.

-Andy

 

I hear you on the insurance! My rzr would go from $250/year now to $400 every 6 months......not sure why, but that was only one quote.

 

Yeah, insurance really bites. I checked with probably 5 insurance companies...4 said they wouldn't insure it and the last one said for $700/year they would.

Where in Michigan are you from?

-Andy

 

Located between paw paw and mattawan along I-94 in southwest mich.

 

Haven't done it to a mini, but there are many utv's now on the road in mich. Simple as adding hi/low beams to the headlight, windshield, wiper, turn signals, and dot approved tires. Then call the state police to have them sign an inspection form to make it an assembled vehicle and down to the sos you go to get your new plate. That's why I was curious about the mini's, but sounds like it isn't worth the trouble or money. I just can't get myself to pay $6000 for a mini that is 10 plus years old when I paid $9999 for my 08 rzr brand new and can ride it on all trails and get it street legal. Don't get me wrong, these mini's have me drooling and wanting one, but not at the current prices. NOW, if you could get them street legal, i'd pay $5000 for one that was no older than 99 or if I owned a farm where I used it just for working around the property, then i'd look around for a deal like mini mog has been offering lately....$2500-3000.

 

Yeah, that's the great irony. You can add all that stuff to a Razor or golf cart and it magically becomes street legal. My mini has all that, plus air bags, plus side impact protection, plus crash-tested crumple zones, and it doesn't make the cut, according the the guy at the SOS the day I happened to ask.

Lots of mis-information and uncertainty because most people don't know what they are....

-Andy

 

The street legal thing isn't that big of a deal, but the fact I can't take it up to state parks or on the trails to ride like the UTV's is bs. I could deal without taking it on the road, but as soon as I heard no trails either, it made it pointless for me to get one.

 

I guess I didn't realize that. You can't even get an ORV sticker for it?

-Andy

 

I could, but I don't think it would matter. They will sell you an orv sticker for anything, but when I ask a dnr officer, he made it sound like you can't if it is farm equipment, which is what they are sold as. I think importing them as equipment is what messed it up.

 

Saw one on the road the other day for the first time and it was for sale!It was on I-94 around Jackson/ Chealsea area.Wonder if they would tranasfer the plate?

 

I belong to the Keweenaw Bay Indian tribe here in Upper Mi and you pay 10$ to register it for 5yrs and I insured it for $106 for the year of course it is not street legalbut you can run it in the woods all you have to have is your tribal # on it

 

I insured mine through my home owners insurance. 332 a year for limited liability, and full coverage, on or off road. I told my ins agent it is a slow moving vehicle that I often drive on the road, even through the town of leslie Mi. almost daily with a smv sign. No prob with the fuz as long as I do 25 mph. Slow moving vehicles DO NOT have to be used as farm equipment. They just have to be slow moving vehicles. Blinkers, lights, 1 wiper, drivers side mirror and either a passenger or a mid mount mirror required. Lights are to be on 1 hour befor darkness and 1 hour after. Hope this helps and is perfectly legal.

 

street legal in Michigan 2010, no problems

 

Where in Michigan?

You said no problems legal in 2010, could you let us know where and explain how easy it was to plate your vehicle?

 

mi plate

Iwent to sos got the green vehicle insp.form put a back bumber on had a troper fill out the form went back to sos with form and plpd ins they gave me a plate before that I had a title I had vin check by a cop that gave me a title another form I was up front with my ins broker plpd was cheep this is the same way u do a sandrail Ithink

 

Yea I did a similar setup a month or so ago. I had the cop go through the green on road form. He did some calls to verify the sale and check the VIn. I got alot of crap from one SOS. But another I went to another SOS and asked for an assembled vehicle title and she knew what it was and had no prob handing over a plate and tags with a new full title sent in the mail. I was kind of surprised how easy it went through at one and the other place wanted to shoot me.
Btw I am in the southwest side of Michigan out near Holland and zeeland area. Anyone know of any good off roaring areas? And what does Michigan classify the mini trucks for the off road sticker orv or ATV? I need to know for trying to go find some trails.

 

I just titled and plated my Sambar in MI 9/2023 with no problem. State Farm was perfectly happy to sell me 'Crash and Cry' PL/PD coverage. I purchased mine from Duncan Imports, so it came with a TN title. I got a conventional MI title
for a "Subaru Pickup" in the mail a few days later. Plates were $41/year.

Jim

 

I bought a Subaru also and the sos in the up titled it as a 4weeler No Plate

 

I feel like I’m dealing with a bunch of idiots in Michigan upper peninsula , so now I’m wondering what to do next as I would like to be able to drive it around up here. Any ideas? Thanks

 

Go talk to them. In general, once a vehicle is titled, that is what it is titled as forever [in that state]. In some instances, it can be possible to file for an amended title or to do a conversion of the title if the vehicle is inspected to meet the standards necessary for the classification you're going for. I looked at the Michigan SOS website and they list a process for getting an ORV set for road use via the use of an Assembled Vehicle Title. Recreational vehicles and watercraft (michigan.gov) That may be one method you can follow, but it doesn't seem like the best. I would call or visit an office and ask the question: "I was issued a title for this as an ATV. It's actually a truck and I need to use this on the road. What can I do to fix this?"

 

Still trying to get my truck plated in Michigan.three sos offices later no luck.need to know one that isn’t going to be saying no way

 

Where in Michigan?

 

Center of the Lower Peninsula.

 

Which office location, I would like to go to that location specifically ?

 

Need sos location, did you know someone there or what?

 

Just got my inspection for the assembled vehicle today and went back to sos , lady says oh that’s still not able to be plated even with a police inspection what a bunch of crap. What sos office do I go to to get this taken care of????? Location or town of sos office would be helpful.

 

I find it interesting getting a mini truck plated in Michigan people saying that they got their truck plated but when asked where you get vague answers. Not one says I went to this location or town to get a plate. This just makes me feel like everyone is talking bs . I just want to get my sambar plated. Any real help would be greatly appreciated

 

Did you try doing @ Olde Phart (remove the space between the @ and the name) ? He may not know you asked otherwise.