Finally have my Roxor Michigan fully street legal "Built Vehicle" VIN (as of 7/1/2026)

[Den_the_Rube]

I spent the winter installing the parts to make my 2024 Roxor street legal. In April I started the actual legal process to make it street legal and get road plates. I finally have the new VIN and it's street legal as of 7/1/2026. Here's the Michigan process if anyone is interested. The only part that may vary for you is the law enforcement agency that comes out to inspect your vehicle and whether they'll come to you or you have to bring your Roxor to their office. I live in the UP and made a simple call to local Sheriff's department and a deputy was literally at my place in the middle of the woods in BFE within an hour (I think he was bored since it really is the middle of nowhere.) I have friends downstate that have waited weeks or had to trailer their vehicles to a State Police post of Sheriff's office for the inspection.

1. Get a copy of "Titling Process - Form BFS-72." This outlines the actual process. Search for "State of Michigan, BFS-72 Instruction for Titling an Assembled Vehicle — michigan.gov" using your favorite search engine. The link below is valid as of 7/1/2026 but MI is always changing them.

https://www.michigan.gov/-/media/Pr...903_.pdf?rev=ea87961feae2456b8ce2d4615f12380e

2. Get a PRINTED copy of the "Michigan Built/Assembled Vehicle Inspection — Form TR-54" sheet. Search for "State of Michigan, TR-54 Vehicle Number and Equipment Inspection form (09/19 revision) — michigan.gov" using your favorite search engine. You need to print this form out for the officer to complete. The link below is valid as of 7/1/2026.

https://www.michigan.gov/-/media/Pr...TR54.pdf?rev=1801d481bf554e6e95d883c600bccd6e

3. Follow the instructions to get your vehicle in compliance with the checklist.

4. Once step 3 is completed contact your local county sheriff's department or state police post and request an inspection. In my county in the UP a deputy immediately showed up within an hour of the call to inspect. He was done with the actuall inspection in less than 10 minutes and we spent the next hour bullshitting about hunting, shooting, offroading and talking about Roxors in general. He was really cool. The inspecting officer has to put a physical ink signature and date on the form. The process is not digital.

5. Make a copy of the completed form for your own records.

6. Make an appointment with your local DMV. It took me over 1.5 hours at the counter since no one knew how to fill out the online forms and submit the documents. It was a goat rope. You will need the following documents to even begin submitting the documents at the DMV. They want to know what you spent in total for the vehicle including add-ons so they can charge you the "proper" amount for your registration. Use your best judgement on the numbers you provide them but your original bill of sale is a must.

A. Your Roxor's bill of sale showing the price you paid​

B. An itemized list with costs of the things you added to the vehicle to make it street legal.​

C. Roxor's title​

D. In my case they asked for insurance several times but you can't get the proper road insurance until you get your new VIN. ORV insurance doesn't cut it. You may have to explain that to them Barney style but it will click eventually.​

At my DMV they kept trying to send me home to get documents and reschedule. Luckily I had them all. It was really obvious they didn't want to deal with it because they didn't know how to complete it properly. The process for them is to scan the documents and submit them to Lansing through their network but it seemed genuinely difficult for them to find how to do it. Two employees and a supervisor all said they'd never done it before. I know it's been done before in my county because I have several friends that have gone through the process with other "built vehicles." This particular group just didn't know how to do it.

7. Once submitted you wait and wait and wait and wait and wait. I submitted my paperwork at the beginning of April and it's taken to the end of June to get my new VIN and updated title. Eventually you will get a random phone call from a nice lady or gentlemen located in your region. His/her job is to drive to your location and physically put the new VIN sticker on your vehicle. He saves up different "built vehicle" vin stickers and eventually makes a trip throughout his territory visiting you at your address to affix them. He will take a picture of your Roxor and talk about shooting, hunting, off-roading, your dogs if you have them and deer flies for about an hour. The folks that showed up at my cabin were all really nice and I had legitimate fun bullshitting with them.

​

8. Get regular auto insurance through your preferred auto insurance company for your Roxor.

9. At this point you can get your vehicle legally registers in Michigan and get it fully plated. Go back to the DMV with your new title/VIN, license and insurance information. The process is like registering any new vehicle from here on out and you can drive anywhere you drive with a regular car or truck.

 

[USMC]

Hello Den_the_Rube,

It sounds like you were close to being in the ringer. I am originally from Southern Michigan, and my process was really smooth. The State Inspector who puts the new VIN on even went out of his way to inspect it before he went on vacation. Interesting, the DMV asked if it was purchased in Michigan, and they said it made a difference; I am not sure why because they did not explain that. (Actually, my DMV work was done by the dealer during COVID and they said they had to use the Drop Box process 13 times) The part about the DMV inspector and purchase place is true though.

My Roxor is a 2022 and when the inspector put the new VIN on the State registered it as a 2023 Assembled vehicle. Here in Florida, the DMV Supervisor said, it has 4 wheels and looks like a Jeep, we will call it a Jeep. In Florida you can assemble a vehicle (antique) but you are limited to driving it no more than 50 miles per day. You cannot register a Roxor for the street because the Mahindra VIN shows that it is a side by side and Florida will not register side by sides for the street; interesting, they will register a golf cart. That is also the reason I registered it in Michigan, I knew they would give it an Automotive VIN and not a side by side VIN.

By the way, nice background in your pic!

 

[Bob R1]

Nice write up.
Someone here in Missouri in my area did manage to get one registered and get plates on it.
My understanding was that the DMV figured out that they had made a mistake registering it, and took the Plates back.

Bob R

 

[Den_the_Rube]

Hello Den_the_Rube,

It sounds like you were close to being in the ringer. I am originally from Southern Michigan, and my process was really smooth. The State Inspector who puts the new VIN on even went out of his way to inspect it before he went on vacation. Interesting, the DMV asked if it was purchased in Michigan, and they said it made a difference; I am not sure why because they did not explain that. (Actually, my DMV work was done by the dealer during COVID and they said they had to use the Drop Box process 13 times) The part about the DMV inspector and purchase place is true though.

My Roxor is a 2022 and when the inspector put the new VIN on the State registered it as a 2023 Assembled vehicle. Here in Florida, the DMV Supervisor said, it has 4 wheels and looks like a Jeep, we will call it a Jeep. In Florida you can assemble a vehicle (antique) but you are limited to driving it no more than 50 miles per day. You cannot register a Roxor for the street because the Mahindra VIN shows that it is a side by side and Florida will not register side by sides for the street; interesting, they will register a golf cart. That is also the reason I registered it in Michigan, I knew they would give it an Automotive VIN and not a side by side VIN.

By the way, nice background in your pic!

The DMV must not have a good standard statewide SOP for the process. I talked with a bunch of local folks that had gone through the process and the DMV seems to be the part where the process breaks down if it’s going to break down. My county is full of backwoods Yoopers that have done this so I was surprised the local DMV acted like it was a new process. The first DMV lady didn’t even understand what I was trying to do even after giving her the completed forms. You’re a Marine and I’m Army. If we were handed a form we hadn’t seen before the form number and title usually explained exactly what it was for. He eyes said “Does not compute.”

The picture was at the end of my lane. I had to beat a storm to get gas for my generator. I got out when I got home to stretch and thought “wow, this is a post card picture.”