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  Sept. 14, 2009 10:20 p.m. CarKid1989 Reader

  This weekend i went to a Vintage Bike Show. A hand full of bikes there and the crowd was amazingly friendly and i have pics to share if i can get them off my camera....

  Anyway

  Im bike hunting. Its stupid fun, lots of cool stuff, and lots of low prices....also lots of bikes with NO titles.

  Now im from the fine state of Ohio, land of ECheck, strict law enforcement, and im afraid to see what it would take to get a title for a bike without one.

  Can this work? can anyone help?

  I think it can be registered in GA but is too new to register without a title in AL. The easiest way I can think of is to register it under a friends name in a state like GA and then transfer it to your name in your state. After it's been registered in a state like GA all you need is the registration and a bill of sale to get a title in your state.

  something to that effect

  So what do i do about this? how do i obtain a title? and shortcuts? any tricks?

  HELP!

  Thanks!

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  Sept. 14, 2009 10:38 p.m. ManofFewWords Reader

  As i get older I have realized that the best way to get an answer to a question like this is to go right to the source. Go to the DMV and say, "I want to buy a bike that may have no title....." Once armed with that info, you can figure out your next step.

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  Sept. 14, 2009 11:55 p.m. PHeller HalfDork

  BroadwayTitle.com

  However, you need to know the previous owner had the title at some point or a paper trail leading back to whoever held the title last. They can't give titles without the paper trail or a signature showing the motorcycle changed hands from original title holder.

  It's incredibly frustrating how many awesome old small bikes from the early 70's (CB1XX, CB2XX) have changed hands multiple times without titles because the buyers thought they'd use them as a farm-runaround or dirt bike.

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  Sept. 15, 2009 8:26 a.m. stuart in mn SuperDork

  ManofFewWords wrote:

  As i get older I have realized that the best way to get an answer to a question like this is to go right to the source. Go to the DMV and say, "I want to buy a bike that may have no title....." Once armed with that info, you can figure out your next step.

  x1000. Every state has different rules, so it's really the only way to get solid information...when that question is posted on an internet board you usually get fifty people telling you how it's done in their state, but that won't do you any good. Check your state's DMV website, there may be something there.

  edit: The most common method for getting a new title for a vehicle like this is to get a bonded title. Here's a page from the Texas DMV outlining the basic process (it was the first one that popped up in a google search, you'll have to do your own research to see if Ohio has a similar process.) http://www.txdot.gov/drivers_vehicles/vehicle_titles/bonded.htm

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  Sept. 15, 2009 11:54 a.m. aircooled SuperDork

  Yes, go to the DMV. But realize, they have rules, but there is still some interpretation in those. I managed to title an untitled bike in California, I can't imagine Ohio would be much worse. The basic things that were needed (in California, I point them out just to give you an idea of what might be required) were:

  • A VIN inspection by the Highway Patrol (this may not have been required, seemed to be a judgment call by the DMV worker). This was essentially an equipment inspection and VIN confirmation.

  • A statement from the previous owner of how they got the bike. Basically they want to know why it is not registered.

  Obviously you want to confirm that it is not stolen. Beyond they, the DMV will likely just wants a paper trail. I say give them as much as you can, they seem to like paper, it's just their way... ... is any of it confirmed.... HIGHLY unlikely...

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  Sept. 15, 2009 1:29 p.m. alex HalfDork

  If it's old enough, this is a pretty easy way to go: ITS Titles

  In MO, to have a new title granted, you basically need a lawyer. A sheriff/patrolman inspects the VIN, runs the numbers to ensure it's clean, then signs a written statement to that effect. Then you basically file a lawsuit against the DMV, and the judge will issue an order for a title to be created in your name. If you know a lawyer (or happen to be the son of one, or have been dating one for almost 12 years) it's pretty easy, and all you have to do is buy them drinks - which, in the case of the lawyers I know, is not a terribly cheap proposal, but still... Otherwise, it'll take a couple/few hundred bucks. Not a big hurdle, but a hurdle nonetheless.

  The DMV will provide you with the rules, and that vintage bike club local to you will probably be able to offer first hand experience about how to make it happen. Pick the brain of an old-timer. They've been there, done that, and got the commemorative pin for their rally vest.

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  Sept. 16, 2009 8:18 a.m. Dr. Hess SuperDork

  That's about how you do it in Arkansas, too, alex. I sued the state myself (Pro Se) for the Locost title. Costs $150 to file. For the trailer I built, I bought the trailer at HF for $142 and it came with a MSO, which you can get the title with. It was like buying a title and having all the parts to build a trailer thrown in free.

  Each state is different.

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  Sept. 16, 2009 8:47 a.m. Tim Baxter Online Editor

  Every time I see this topic I misread the title as something else entirely.

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  Sept. 16, 2009 9:44 a.m. alex HalfDork

  Goddern prevert.

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  Sept. 16, 2009 9:55 a.m. Tim Baxter Online Editor

  Maybe.

  And that reminds me, from the old Dr. Demento show... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd0WOD9yw0E

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  Sept. 16, 2009 10:08 p.m. CarKid1989 Reader

  anyone around AL in a state that only requires a bill of sale to get a new title?

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  Sept. 17, 2009 8:09 a.m. CarKid1989 Reader

  anyone in MI able to help get a title? i hear all you need is a bill of sale up there too

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  Sept. 17, 2009 8:17 a.m. EvanB Reader

  I think in MI you need the title but it doesn't need to be notarized. Could just be for cars though, I haven't bought any motorcycles there.

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  Sept. 18, 2009 12:12 a.m. MitchellC HalfDork

  I do not have a title, but that's not the first issue. The first problem is that when my frame got powdercoated, it made the VIN almost impossible to read. What is the best way to either remove the coating in that area or making it easier to read without looking like I was trying to fudge the numbers?

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  Sept. 18, 2009 3:51 p.m. aircooled SuperDork

  If the impressions of the numbers are still there but just hard to read, brush some contrasting color paint (e.g. white on a black frame) over the number than wipe it off lightly. That should leave only the numbers colored.
  

  If you need to get rid of the powder coating, powder coating is just paint of a different name (fully dried of course) so treat it like paint, sand etc. If it is black powder coat and you need to touch it up and it does not get exposed to light, you can touch it up with POR15, it looks almost exactly like powdercoating when dried (it will fade to grey in sunlight though).

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  Sept. 22, 2009 5:15 p.m. White_and_Nerdy New Reader

  I was given - for free - an '82 Suzuki GS650L by a friend in NH for my first bike. It had no title - wasn't required there. I lived in Mass at the time, and a title was required. The bike had sat for 3 years, and was unregistered during that time. But I was able to put it back on the road after my friend registered it in NH (at my minimal expense), and then I used his active registration as proof of the bike's legal existence, and the bill of sale to prove that it was legally mine.

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  Sept. 22, 2009 9:02 p.m. jwdmotorsports HalfDork

  That's what I thought. I was pretty sure you could do it that way.

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