Member Contributer dalesvfr Posted July 3, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted July 3, 2014 This 1984 just popped up on my local CL for $700 which sounds dirt cheap. But no title, and in NY state that is a pain in the butt. Do you run screaming? Jump on it? Or buy it to part out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmythecop Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 buy it. a title can be obtained legally. the solo cowl is worth half the asking price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 A no-title bike can be a royal pain in the ass. Here in Colorado you have get the bike appraised, then post a bond for double the value. A title search has to be done. The bike must be examined by the state patrol, by appointment only, and everything has to work (blinkers, horn, etc). For me, it was easier to buy a non-running bike with a clean title and swap everything over than go thru the circus. If you decide to buy it make the seller sign an agreement that if the bike turns up as stolen, your money has to be returned. Make sure you get a drivers license number and home address. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted July 3, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted July 3, 2014 THE BIG PAIN IS IF IT HAS BEEN STOLEN . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 I got stuck with a CB650 a few years ago and couldn't get NC to title it. I made more money parting it out than it would have ever been worth. I would not pay 700.00 for that bike but you could make a little cash if you could get it for 400.00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted July 3, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted July 3, 2014 Any old registrations ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer expvet Posted July 3, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted July 3, 2014 I live in NYS and years ago purchased a bike that had no title. Even though the seller gave me an expired registration card to help facilitate getting it, it was still a real pain to get it processed. If they do not have any recorded vehicle ID you definately should get copies of license and any other evidence of the sellers identity. If they are on the level then they should not hesitate to give them to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer dalesvfr Posted July 3, 2014 Author Member Contributer Share Posted July 3, 2014 Seller said in the ad he can guarantee it wasn't stolen. Have no idea how you can guarantee that without a title. I'll watch CL to see if it goes down in price. I have 4 bikes registered as it is and it ain't cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFR4Lee Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Seller said in the ad he can guarantee it wasn't stolen. Have no idea how you can guarantee that without a title. I'll watch CL to see if it goes down in price. I have 4 bikes registered as it is and it ain't cheap. If he can guarantee it's not stolen, where's the title? Dog ate it? Had a fire? A flood? I wouldn't bother, but I don't need a project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrwt644 Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 run, or part it out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GadiantonRob Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 If he lost the title, it's as easy as 1,2,3 to get a new one. He doesn't have it because it was given to him without it, or he stole it. Bonded titles pretty much say "At one time this bike was probably stolen." Don't pay anything over 500, and get ready for a headache. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFR4Lee Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Receiving, possessing, and selling possibly stolen property? Pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee 2002 Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 When I bought my '68 Yamaha it had no title, no registration, no insurance, no paper trail of any kind in the seller's possession. The seller had hauled it around on an RV and only used it to ride to the showers at campsites. It had a Pennsylvania license tag on it that came with the motorcycle from whomever he acquired it from. He kept it on to avoid the attention that an empty license mount would cause and he had no plans to ever camp in Pennsylvania. I had to take it to the Highway Patrol's headquarters. They wrote down the headstock numbers and the motor numbers, did a stolen property search, title search and maybe some other things. The stolen property search came up negative. There had been some titles on the bike in South Dakota and Pennsylvania back in the seventies, after that.... nothing. I paid the state of Kansas a handful of bills and they created an electronic title, and because it was a new title I also got a paper copy for free. To be completely honest, I don't remember a lot of the process and I don't remember it being a huge hassle. But I was being walked through the process by a life-long friend who has the hobby of pulling 50 year old vehicles out of ditches and returning them to the road. Otherwise I wouldn't have had a clue what to do. In my case, I was ultimately making a judgment call on the honesty of the seller. I got a really good vibe from him and it turned out well for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer DucatiTerminator Posted July 4, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted July 4, 2014 But what would you do if this was the bike? http://bit.ly/VAO1eH Where is the drool emoticon? No title as well. It would be very difficult in California. Could some of you really get this thing titled? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 I would pass on that bike, unless I had a good frame on hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrcapn Posted July 4, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted July 4, 2014 run, or part it out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Wasn't VF1000RS looking for something like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer YoshiHNS Posted July 4, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted July 4, 2014 I wouldn't pay more than $500 either. Then it's worth the hassle if you can't get a title for it. I think someone was trying to sell a VF500F frame for $100 with title around me, but haven't seen that for at least a month now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rice Posted July 4, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted July 4, 2014 R U N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrcapn Posted July 4, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted July 4, 2014 Honestly, I went through the same hassle as Lee, sitting in the Highway Patrol office while they search the stolen bike databases, not knowing if I'm walking out of there with new wrist jewelry...they were even asking me if I stole it. Isn't worth the hassle, I won't bother with a bike without title unless I'm just buying for parts, or a track only bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee 2002 Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 ^^^ Get a signed bill of sale and a photo of the seller's ID and you won't have to worry about any charges or wrist jewelry, you would just be another victim. You won't be leaving the Highway Patrol with your honestly bought vehicle, though. In this modern age of electronic titles, I can envision many situations in which the seller would not have a title in-hand. Just because there isn't a title doesn't automatically mean there are nefarious forces at work. More likely it means that there is someone involved in the vehicle's history who didn't dot their "i" and cross their "t". --- Seller signs over title, purchaser never gets it converted to their name or flat out looses it and doesn't want to deal with the cost or office-to-office-waste-of-time I went through. Somewhere in my process, I recall someone saying that most states discard titles if the vehicle hasn't been registered in a period of time... like 10 years. At that point, the only proof of ownership would be the paper copy in the possession of the owner, I guess. I don't remember if it was an official that told me this or my buddy or someone else I talked to through the process. As I remember it, the whole thing cost me less than $150. I have a motorcycle I really, really enjoy and it was worth it from my point of view. My buddy that yanks vehicles out of ditches and barns and pastures and storage sheds said he has never had a problem getting a title created for any of his vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Here in the fascist state of New York, we still have paper titles and it is much more difficult to get anything done at DMV - titles being among the toughest things to get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrcapn Posted July 4, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted July 4, 2014 I had a signed bill of sale with seller's info and DL number on a scrap of paper, DMV told me it wasn't worth the ink on the page. I think it's 15 years here in Cali and they purge the records. That's why I ended up at the Highway Patrol for a new title. It was worth it in the end, I got a nice 1KR out of the deal. Could have been a nightmare though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee 2002 Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Here in the fascist state of New York, we still have paper titles and it is much more difficult to get anything done at DMV - titles being among the toughest things to get. That probably dooms many otherwise good motorcycles to being parted out or the scrap heap. Unfortunate. Regardless, there is some amount of assumed risk on the buyer's part. It comes down to how much money are you willing to risking on the vehicle you want. I had a signed bill of sale with seller's info and DL number on a scrap of paper, DMV told me it wasn't worth the ink on the page. I think it's 15 years here in Cali and they purge the records. That's why I ended up at the Highway Patrol for a new title. It was worth it in the end, I got a nice 1KR out of the deal. Could have been a nightmare though. The state of Kansas actually supplies a bill of sale form on their website. http://www.ksrevenue.org/pdf/tr12.pdf HOWEVER.... as I went looking for it and briefly read through it... I saw that it can only be used for vehicles 35 years old or greater. So in my situation with the '68, this was not a problem. But with a newer than 35 year old vehicle a title exchange is the only way to transfer ownership. Just learned something myself. I guess my buddy knew what he was doing though. He directed me to the .pdf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmythecop Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 I dont know where the angst is coming from. I have bought literally dozens of bikes without tiles and nothing other than some running around and a few hundred bucks has ever stood in my way of getting a good, legal tile in my name. it really isnt a big deal. and it doesnt matter what state you are in. flag down a cop or go to the station. State that you do not wish to be a part of recieving stolen property and give them the vin. They will tell you in 30 seconds if it is stolen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted July 4, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted July 4, 2014 And let hope the bike wasn't stolen from the cop you ask !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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dalesvfr
This 1984 just popped up on my local CL for $700 which sounds dirt cheap. But no title, and in NY state that is a pain in the butt. Do you run screaming? Jump on it? Or buy it to part out?
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