Project Linkin's FZX250 Zeal

Blueslip woes

The bike is apparently an import. The VIN is on a plate riveted to the headstock. Every single FZR250 import I've seen just has the original frame number with a line scratched through it, and the new VIN on the compliance plate, riveted to the frame near the headstock. All the same no matter that the bikes came from QLD, SA, VIC or NSW, all that I've seen were in this format...

There is no compliance plate on the Zeal... I didn't catch this when buying it, because with the VIN on a plate riveted to the headstock, it didn't click in my head that it was an import... I did do a PPSR check before buying the bike, which came up clean, and the VIN/Eng no match the PPSR.

So, mechanic sends me to the RMS with my receipt of sale for the bike, and the PPSR report, to get a "previous registration confirmation" which should have all the previous rego details of the bike. The RMS have these in their database. I pay to get this info on a sheet. Go back to mechanic. RMS didn't put the engine number, number plate, or last rego date on the right spots the paper... which the mechanic needs to do a blueslip for any imported vehicle that's missing the compliance plate.

Back to the RMS. I get a new printout with the engine number, vin, and date of last rego expiry in NSW. But they can't or won't give me the old plate details. I ask them "if you won't give me the number plate number, why does the mechanic need it for a blueslip? If no one has this information, and you can't provide it, what am I supposed to do?" Blank stares all around... someone remind me why we pay these idiots for anything!!!

The mechanic showed me the RTA book he has for doing blueslips on imported vehicles missing a compliance plate. They need confirmation of the VIN, engine number, make/model/year, number plate number & date of last registration in the state. It can be done and is not dodgy - just have to satisfy the identification requirements. The receipt of sale & PPSR search record gives you the make/model/year, VIN, engine number, and what state it was last registered in (but didn't give me the dates or rego plate number).

So, they ring the mechanic and speak to him. I didn't get to hear any of this, but I have a regular "confirmation of registration" like you would get after registering a vehicle, but very anemic on info... only has the VIN, engine number, make/year/model and first/last date of rego in NSW. By now it's after dark and the mechanic is closed.

If the compliance plate is gone, and there is no number plate or rego papers, how the hell can you get the rego plate number to satisfy the identification requirements!!? The RMS will have that, but won't give it to me. It obviously matches the VIN, engine, and make/model/year that they have on file, so why can they not give me the plate number? Without it, I can't even check the RMS database against the PPSR!

Even if I had all the information off the compliance plate, making or buying one is highly illegal. How silly is that.

To top it all off, if the compliance plate was there, I wouldn't need any proof of previous registration, so long as it has still been registered in NSW before.

 

I could really go for a holiday somewhere warm and sunny right now...

 

You don't need the plates or previous papers for a regular blueslip. That being an australian delivered vehicle, unregistered. You get the blueslip and receipt of sale (plus CTP) and you're golden.

What I have is a grey import, missing its import compliance plate. The main thing is the import approval number. If this bike had the compliance plate I wouldn't need any of that crap I mentioned for a blueslip, but because the plate is missing (either fell off or was the target of theft), it has to go through identification.

I'm lucky that this bike has been registered before in NSW. If it hadn't and the compliance plate was gone - can't be registered via a blueslip. It would have to go to a certified engineer and be registered as an individually constructed vehicle. Meaning it has the pass the latest ADR's and emissions testing. $$$$$$$$

 

That would have been my next step but didn't need to in the end... If this vehicle hadn't been registered in NSW before, I would have needed to find proof of 2 years registration from another state. Take a look at this form.



Went and got a greenslip and paid for rego, too.



I also bought a non-contact thermometer to try my hand at tuning the bike. After eyeballing the butterfly sync and using the standard 1 and 3/4 turns out of the fuel pilot screws from the manual, I found that it was almost perfect. Cylinder 1 is a little colder by a few degrees, and cylinder 3 is too high to get a reading in the same spot as the others, but a bit lower and it reads a near-perfect 255 degrees c. The others are very close to that. This pic was after I stopped the engine, the temperatures are up around 240-260 degrees c idling after fully. warmed up

 

And just like that, the speedo backlight has magically come alive. Before replacing the harness, I had the tacho backlight but not the speedo. Replaced the harness and lost the tacho light. Evidently, there is a dodgy connection in the sub-harness or connections to the backlights Now I just need to fix that and the neutral bulb

 

Yeah it was the same guy as he is a small shop in the industrial area, all the big places in town want you to wait 6 weeks minimum to fit their schedule. He'd never had to go through this process before. First he had to identify the bike & confirm with the RMS, then do the blueslip after that. The compliance plate is normally used in the blueslip for imports, to get the import approval number. If you have that number recorded and compliance plate is gone you might be able to get through it.

 

Well I didn't know the bike was an import and missing its compliance plate until he told me. He had the PPSR report, but I had to go to the RMS and convince them to give me information I needed. The identification process for unregistered imports with a missing compliance plate obviously exists, but how often would a mechanic have to do that? Not very often at all, I would venture a guess.

The RMS only cares that the vehicle has been registered in NSW for any amount of time, or at least 2 years from another state.

Until this is done, no mechanic could blue slip the bike. Once the bike details were confirmed, he blueslipped the bike. It passed that with flying colours because I did all the important work on it

The process is stringent and all AUVIS mechanics are sticklers for the RMS rules. Both of them are concerned about written off or illegal imports getting rebirthed with a stolen VIN. That's why the chassis/engine numbers HAVE to match their records. If something doesn't match, the vehicle cannot pass a blueslip.

All VIN/Compliance/Chassis plates issued in Australia are done by one mob contracted by the government, and use special anti-tamper rivets. In my case, there was no compliance plate, but there were 2 anti tamper rivets in place where a compliance plate should be. So the plate has either fallen off, or been removed. The compliance plate on its own is no good if someone steals it, as it's linked to the frame, engine, and registration numbers.

 

On my way down to Sydney, I lost all electrics just before the Hornsby turn off.

Turned out that the voltage regulator had died and overcharged the battery until it puked up its' guts. The casing was all bulged and buckled, and it stank like you would not believe. Not happy, that was a brand new SSB Powersports one

It also blew the headlight low and high beam, the remaining dash backlights, melted tail light bulb internals right down to the glass, both left indicators (not just the bulbs, it's actually melted the connections in the housings) and seems to have stuffed the tacho, as its now reading way lower than normal at all times. Overdrive light is dead as well. Hope it hasn't fried this CDI box and coils too... though I rode it back from Sydney after fixing it...

The reg/rec is in a dumb spot... right hand side under the seat, with a fairing over it. No airflow whatsoever, just a tiny aluminium backplate/heatsink. I borrowed the reg/rec from an FZR as its the same unit, except on the FZR it's bolted directly to the frame on top of the swingarm. There is at least some airflow there. Have not personally seen or heard of an FZR doing its regulator in but I'm sure it has happened to someone... the same unit is used in heaps of Yamahas.

Gives me an excuse to get a new set of clocks from buyee

Still looking for those elusive front zeal fairings as well...