open title

[jurand]

hi,

last week I checked xs650 on CL in NW Indiana(near South Bend). was speaking with guy and he said it has "open Michigan title". could anybody explain to me what that mean? is it clear title? something wrong with it? deal did not happen, but I would like to know for future... and second thing. how do you handle situation when somebody is selling motorcycle without/lost title "for parts only" (parts bike). sometimes with bill of sale. as far as I know bill of sale means nothing in Illinois. in dmv (nw Chicago) they told me to apply for replacement(copy of lost original) title and then transfer it to me. Police officer, I was speaking with, told me do not buy this (hypotetic) bike because it can be stolen etc. etc. I see a lot of 'titleless' bikes on CL and do not want to have troubles with registering it or with police... every input will be appreciated, thanks...

 

[gggGary]

Open title should mean; signed by the owner of record with no date of sale or buyer information filled in. A filled in buyers name (not yours) can be near endless grief. The fact is a lot of old bikes have no title for various reasons including theft. Unless you enjoy lots of paper work and dealing with officials who do NOT want to see you, with no clear chance of success. Assume a no title bike is a parts bin, nothing more. This all varies by state, some are easy to get titles for old bikes others are near impossible. Buyer beware. So; ALWAYS start with a titled bike and THEN consider a good deal on a non titled bike for parts. In my area decent fairly complete, chance of running, no title XS650 go for about $100 to $300 depending on year, model, condition, completeness and rust.