TOPIC:

I'm new here but would love to hear if any of the membership has any experience with getting a title for an old motorcycle, without any documentation.
We all enjoy the stories of finding exotic bikes and restoring them but no-one seems to address the legal obstacles trying to return these to the road. Here in North Carolina it is simply amazing the amount of misinformation that exists within the DMV. They just don't know and are free to misinform without consequence.
I will prevail and when I do I'll share the lessons I've learned.

There seems to be a lot of variation in paperwork requirements from state to state so good luck. At minimum a Bill of Sale is typically needed, from the owner of the barn most likely.

Good luck

www.chinonthetank.com/2016/03/how-to-get-a-motorcycle-title/

Vermont will issue a title and plate for anything. All of the required steps are described in the link. The process was also covered on Jalopnik.com recently.

If you don't have a notarized bill of sale, "sell" the bike to a friend and then "buy" it back. Go with your friend to the notary to create the notarized BOS.

I'm about to start this process on a 1967 Yamaha.

in 2011, I restored a T500 suzuki without a title. Did the bonding thing in NC and had no problems.

Now, i have just done the same thing for my GPZ1100 and the L and T bureau is telling me that it is against the law for someone to sell me a bike without a title and I can only file a criminal complaint against them for them to get me the title. The website clearly says the indemnity bond is the way to get a title in this case. Here is the link to the NCDOT website regarding this. www.ncdot.gov/dmv/title-registration/spe...bonded-vehicles.aspx I am not sure where the disconnect is, but I agree there doesn't seem to be an authority within NC that can say what the real story is. I have been told by 2 different people who deal in this stuff to just call back to the L&T Bureau and will maybe get a different answer. Frustrating.

Nerdy wrote: Vermont will issue a title and plate for anything.

I’m told that Ohio (for example) won’t honor Vermont titles if you try and transfer it here. I wish we were all playing by the same rules, but I gather that most politicians aren’t old bike collectors and don’t give a hoot about this sort of thing.

I'm pretty sure that in most states you can title and register a bike with a bill of sale and a registration card from the seller. As far as Vermont goes yeah they will title anything but without a registration most states won't honor it. I just picked up an 83 Gpz 750 from Maine with no title but the owner had a valid reg so getting it titled in NJ was no hassle

Hi Rex, Vermont will not issue a title. They will only issue a registration and plates for one year for vehicles 15 yrs or older. So if all NJ needs is a registration, then a VT registration should still work.

Just throwing in some extra info. Vermont is the best candidate for registering a bike without a title, since they don't require titles for vehicles 15 years or older.

There's one thing no one has mentioned though, they also don't require any motorcycles with a engine size of 300cc or less to have a title. So you could, in theory, register a brand new scooter in Vermont without a title.

You would still need a bill of sale of course, and it can't be stolen or they'll tell you too bad to sad. But yea, if you ever come across a newer bike that isn't stolen and has no title and is under 300cc you could title it.

I'm in Missouri. I use the same procedure that a wrecker company or similar uses to title abandoned vehicles. As long as it is not stolen, there is a section for private landowners. it's a lot of registered letters and forms to send out to the last known address of the registered owner. I use a folder to keep track of all of the forms and receipts. Once all of the mail notifications come back, I make a appointment with MSHP troop F in Jefferson city for the inspection. (120 miles one way)They look at the numbers and check them in the national database. If stolen it will be seized. If not stolen they will issue you the competed form 555, and then just drive to the MO DOR office 4 miles away from the inspection station with my folder full of paperwork. I rather do it in person than by mail so that in case they want just "one more thing".. East peasy.. NOT! lol

dor.mo.gov/motorv/abandoned/

We're in the process now of doing the VT registration thing for our recent "The Wounded Z" project bike. So far, so good.

The Wounded Z was last titled in WA circa 1986. WA deletes title records after being dormant for15yrs. We called WA state DMV office to confirm there were no records of the last 1986 plate, and that there are no records of either plate/registration or VIN.

We obtained the necessary documents & process steps for doing a VT registration from a bike exporter who frequents the Mid-Ohio swap meet every year.

Next, a LEO for our KY county of residence came to the house to do a VIN confirmation. In addition to completing a VIN verification form for our KY county of residence, he also completed the VT VIN verification form. We then mailed the complete VT form, a signed/notarized bill of sale and a check (well under $175.00 for a '73 Z1) to VT. Three weeks later (last week as of this writing) we received a VT plate, with paper registration document soon to follow. It hasn't yet arrived; it's just the way the process works, plate & registration mailed separately.

We'll then take the VT registration, the bill of sale and the completed KY county VIN inspection form to our county DMV to obtain a KY title.

When we actually complete the final step & receive the KY title we will publish the exporters' contact info. He's already given us permission. We just want to make sure everything proceeds as planned before we do so.

If anyone wishes to strike out on their own, the basic process is described in the link below:
www.chinonthetank.com/2014/04/get-a-titl...ermont-registration/

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

Titles are ALWAYS a PITA on motorcycles! 5 out of the last 6 bikes either had no title, or a totally screwed up title that some dipsh!t cobled up. My 81 csr had a kansas title, AND a lien release that the morton I bought it from had filled in his info, but then never registered it. ($200.00 title penalty in MO) I had to send registerd notices to the lender too, to complicate matters even more. My old Kaw was out of Illinois, and I had to request the Secretary of State, the registered owners info twice. First as a private citizen.. nada.. Then as a business.. OH! OK! DUH.
My ironhead sporty had changed hands I think ~8 times on a Arizona title and bill of sale. I over paid on this one ($1600.00) People are idiots when it comes to "that dead bike sitting out back". Title? ummmm.. well that's the thing. lol
They were also mechanical geniuses!


All that along with the locks punched out on a bike that had been passed around between idiots for 15 years. I don't pay too much for a dead bikes, since the legal aspects of just titling it take so much work.

I'm in Florida.. It's IMPOSSIBLE to get a title for an untitled bike in this state...
Pisses me off....!!!