[culcune]

I am not sure how or where NY falls into the self-registration category, but the issue has definitely come to light in the past year with Tesla. Tesla sells their cars via a mail-order model pretty much just like someone buying a bike via mail-order. Several states (which seemed to kind of answer the issues some had with self-registering a mail-ordered bike) do not allow Tesla to sell their cars (or at least register them) due to the lack of physical dealers.

It would seem, then, and my guess the answers would be more vague, if one approached their motor vehicles offices and flat out asked how they can register a mail-ordered bike. It seems that the dealer requirement is a protection clause put into certain states' statues, rather than allowing free-market (I find it ironic that some of the states that won't allow Tesla are predominantly 'red' states--I am not trying to bring politics into this, but I find it interesting that in a state that you would expect would allow free-market principals to prevail, they have dealer restrictions in place; however, not every politician is 'red' leaning no matter the state, and these laws could be part of some compromise made by 'blue' politicians for other things?) principles to apply.

That all being said--I am of the belief that Pennsylvania, if recent memory serves me, seems to have more difficulty for people trying to register mail-ordered bikes, as far as the northeast goes.

In spite of all the issues, a majority of the bikes that are EPA/DOT certified are technically 49-state certified, which means that Californians need not apply (although there is a technicality there, too, for another discussion).