XS Registration - NO TITLE

[Appleberry]

I am looking at purchasing a project xs. The bike doesnt come with a title. VIN is 4N9-004822 and the engine I am getting is 3G0-003159. The seller says they will furnish the paperwork for a Title Reassignment.

I just dont want to get into the project, take it to get registered and find out the bike was stolen or something back in the day.

Any advice on this situation??

 

[Corys35]

Im dealing with the same crap right now, i got a 79 frame and engine with an 80 title

 

[Appleberry]

Have you learned anything thus far??

 

[blackbetty]

Man life is so much easier when you can buy with a title. I just read on JJ that a dude who just finished a panhead build was taking his bike to the CHP for VIN confirmation....apparently the motor was stolen in '74.....so they pulled the engine and crushed it right there.

 

[Corys35]

Man life is so much easier when you can buy with a title. I just read on JJ that a dude who just finished a panhead build was taking his bike to the CHP for VIN confirmation....apparently the motor was stolen in '74.....so they pulled the engine and crushed it right there.

Ouch thats gotta hurt, and to the op yes ive learned not to buy motorcycles off of crackheads that live in doublewides

 

[OakBehringer]

Man life is so much easier when you can buy with a title. I just read on JJ that a dude who just finished a panhead build was taking his bike to the CHP for VIN confirmation....apparently the motor was stolen in '74.....so they pulled the engine and crushed it right there.

The CHP has an "engine crusher" on hand? Sounds a little far fetched.

 

[OakBehringer]

I am looking at purchasing a project xs. The bike doesnt come with a title. VIN is 4N9-004822 and the engine I am getting is 3G0-003159. The seller says they will furnish the paperwork for a Title Reassignment.

I just dont want to get into the project, take it to get registered and find out the bike was stolen or something back in the day.

Any advice on this situation??

Just search the forum. No offense, but this topic has been discussed a dickton of times. Some states are easier than others, 90% of them make it more hassle than it's worth.

 

[littlebill31]

Rule number 1: Get a bike with a title!!
States are not messing around anymore with "lost"titles. There are a bunch of places that will get you a title in Vermont, then you can transfer it to your state, BUT if the bike is stolen or something like that you just lost it.
Word of advise, don't sink a GD penny into that hunk-o-shit 'til you get a title IN YOUR NAME!!!!

 

[pamcopete]

No title, walk away. Even with a title it is sometimes a pain if the seller is not the named owner on the title but has had it reassigned to him years ago. I recently bought a Honda CB450 like that but no money changed hands until the seller went down to the DMV and had a new title issued in his name. He had to drag the bike down to the DMV and leap through a hoop of flame. Better him than me.

 

[ReycleBill]

The most expensive part of any motorcycle is the title. Case in point. Back in March I bought a 1979 H-D Superglide off the widow of a guy I once knew. I knew the bike wasn't stolen because I knew the guy when he bought the bike new. But she couldn't find the title.

The price was right so I bought it for a parts bike but before I got home I ran into an old friend who just had to have it. I told him I couldn't produce a title but he was throwing money at me anyway. I told him to wait and I'd find another bike with clear title but he had to have that hog.

Turns out the original owner (now dead) didn't have a title because he had gone to a finance company and borrowed money against the bike and the finance company registered a lien against the title.

But to add insult to injury, the finance company has gone out of business and the title is tied up in a bunch of crap that involves the North Carolina Attorney General's office and will take months if not years to straighten out. Not to mention the fees he has to pay.

I'm just glad he remembers I tried to talk him out of it 'cause the dude is a giant and strong as a bull.

No title equals parts bike. And I've got a yard full of them.

 

[Chito]

Agree with everyone... I have a title w/ matching frame/engine numbers. I took the title down to dmv and after they had me run all over town they told me I couldn't title it because since it was previously titled in another state it has to pass inspection and be a "complete" motorcycle before they allow me to even title it.

I understand having to pass inspection to get plates, but just to claim ownership... that's just stupid.

 

[xjwmx]

has to pass inspection and be a "complete" motorcycle before they allow me to even title it.

I understand having to pass inspection to get plates, but just to claim ownership... that's just stupid.

It's the same here; I had a signed over title from out of state for my first bike, but I couldn't get a new title in my name until I did a lot off work to the bike. Mainly so I could get it down to the dmv for inspection.

But the thing is, if you have a signed over and notarized title it's yours. From who sold it to you you know if it's stolen or not.

Turns out that inspection here just amounted to checking the vin against what was on the title, and ASKING if all the lights worked. Pretty good.

 

[pamcopete]

Well, maybe we all complain about the hassle of getting a title from the DMV, but all of these regulations are in place to protect us from thieves, both those that steal our bikes and those that try to sell us a stolen bike or one with liens hanging all over it.

It's really simple. Don't buy a bike without a title in the name of the person selling the bike and keep the title to your bike in a safe place. If the seller has a title not in his name, but assigned to him, tell him to get a title in his name first, especially if the title is out of state.

And, when you go to see the bike, ask for the title and walk right over to the bike and verify that the VIN on the bike is the same as the title. If I was selling a bike and someone did that, I wouldn't be offended because mistakes are made, and there is nothing worse than taking possession of a bike, complete with a title and then finding out later that the VIN doesn't match the title.

 

[sparklow]

I am always interested in these title threads. I do not have a title for either of my old bikes because the state of CT does not and will not title any vehicle over 25 years old and they were both older than that when I registered them. As long as I live in CT its not a problem but I do wonder what would happen should I choose to move to a title state or sell one of the bikes to someone in a title requiring state. Anyone know the answers?

 

[yamasarus]

If you bring a bike into NC from a non title state you must show the previous owner had it registered for at least 3 years. There may be other challenges dependant on the age of the vehicle.
I have found that the easiest way to bring a bike in from out of state is to contact my DMV and ask them what I need. They are happy to answer my questions and it becomes a smooth process. I actually enjoy going to my local DMV and that's a good thing because they see me alot!

 

[pvt joker]

Lots of horror stories apparently. Don't sweat it dude, you've got the VIN, in California, you can call the DMV and they'll let you know the registration situation.

I had to do it with my XS, turned out that it wasn't in the system and just needed a cursory inspection at the DMV and then registered all legal. Took about 40 minutes total.

 

[catastrophe]

alright i went through the same situation. if you go to google search nicb. it will come up with nicb.org. its the national insurance crime bereua. then click on run vin check. its free and when i talked to chp about my problem they said its the same system they run. has the bike fallen out the system?

 

[Appleberry]

Thanks for the lead on ncib. I checked it out, and nothing showed up for this bike. Though, the last place this bike was registerd was Florida back in 02-03. I am going to call the Florida DMV tomorrow and run the VIN to see whats up from the state of origination. Then file a mechanics lien on the bike. I was told I basically will have to post something in the newspaper and try getting a hold of the previously titled owner first. Give it 30 days then claim a title.

 

[pamcopete]

I am always interested in these title threads. I do not have a title for either of my old bikes because the state of CT does not and will not title any vehicle over 25 years old and they were both older than that when I registered them. As long as I live in CT its not a problem but I do wonder what would happen should I choose to move to a title state or sell one of the bikes to someone in a title requiring state. Anyone know the answers?

Even in a no title state, the registration can serve the same purpose as a title to show that you had a reasonable expectation that the bike was not stolen and that along with a bill of sale should entitle you to maintain possession if a previous owner shows up and claims the bike was stolen. The person who sold you the bike would then have to settle with the PO claiming it was stolen. That's the way it is in most states. If you purchase something with a reasonable expectation that the seller is entitled to sell it and you pay fair market value for it, then it's yours even if someone later claims it was stolen. The fair market value is important because if you paid far less than fair market value, it could be inferred that you knew it was stolen and you would not be entitled to keep it. This is a trap that you can fall into when you and the seller agree to show a lesser value for the purchase to save on the tax. Doing so could damage any future claim you may have on rightful ownership based on the reasonable expectation that the bike was not stolen.

Non of this will protect you from a previous lien, however. The lien goes with the bike and stays active regardless of who, how or why the bike changes hands.

As far as a registry for stolen bikes, that may not be useful either as a lot of bikes are stolen from a lock up storage unit precisely for that purpose. That it may take months for the owner to report it stolen if he is out of town for a long period, like an active duty member of the armed forces.

So, back to my original position. I would not buy a bike from someone without a title in the name of the seller and a bill of sale showing the actual money payed.

 

[gggGary]

Sounds like Michigan has tightened up on titles, I had gotten a few through them in the past. I'm just an old reprobate but signed open titles are just fine coming and going. As long as there is no buyer info filled in, it all goes smooth here. But no title = parts.
There are some states now that require you to bring registration up to date from the last time it was licensed. Like ten years of registrations. In those states even a title isn't enough. I think California and Oklahoma and I am sure some others. That really bites the green wienie.