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registering a bike w/o title

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TwoSmokeDS

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Howdy

I found a little dualsport (300 miles odo) for $800.

Seller says he bought from a guy who bought from a guy who bought it from a guy in Colorado who is dead. -- No title.
Seller says he only ride it on his ranch.

I plan to take it on the road.
Can I still do the bonded title thing, even without a Bill of Sale from original deceased owner?
 
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I go a different route. For small cc (300) bikes you can send a bill of sale to vermont and get a plate. They don't title smaller motorcycles or older than 15 years. You have to get it inspected first here and that does the VIN check. Once you have a VT plate, Texas will plate and title it. I did it once about 2 years ago no problem. Will do it again in another month for a ct90 project. Best thing is that the blue title does not say bonded which might scare someone off.

Edit: I no longer recommend this route to a title. Today, 12/16/2016 I just successfully did the transfer from VT registration to Texas and the title is coming. But it was a long and stressful ordeal and I think the cost is about the same as Bonded.

VT charged $75. Texas $177. For a $300 69 CT90 bought with a frozen engine.

I would do VT only and just ride with those plates where it is legal or go the bonded route. For me, I am only going to buy titled. Just too much time wasted.
 
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Yes, you can still do a bond, but the bond can run$200, then you pay tax on 80% of book.
You don't need anything but the VIN- no bill/sale.
 
Clever idea, Mike.

If you decide to go the conventional route, you can take the bike through bonding without a bill of sale. However, save yourself some potential trouble down the way, and find a cop friend who can run the VIN for you. If it comes up clean, odds are you'll never have an issue.
 
No matter what, I would do a bill of sale from the last guy who owned it.

I am assuming this is a street legal bike?
 
SL350 said:
I go a different route. For small cc (300) bikes you can send a bill of sale to vermont and get a plate. They don't title smaller motorcycles or older than 15 years. You have to get it inspected first here and that does the VIN check. Once you have a VT plate, Texas will plate and title it. I did it once about 2 years ago no problem. Will do it again in another month for a ct90 project. Best thing is that the blue title does not say bonded which might scare someone off.
Click to expand...

Why not just ride it around with the VT plate?
 
It helps to know how bonding works; it's pretty simple & safe. You go to a bonding company with whatever paper you have, plus the VIN. They run the VIN. If anything at all squirrely pops up, they'll politely decline. If the VIN search comes back clean, you hand them $100 or so, they hand you a "bond", and you can now take that bond to the county tax office where you'll receive a bonded title. If, at some later point, a claim comes back that the bike was stolen or has a workman's lien on it or whatever, it's not your problem; the bonding company will have to deal with - and if necessary pay off - the claimant.
 
SL350 said:
I just did for the first year.
Click to expand...

I like your way. Most times, cops can't figure out out-of-state plates anyway. One might pull you over if he sees you frequently and recognizes you. Otherwise, don't attract attention....
 
FYI - I have never been pulled over on a ct90.

And the way I read the registration laws is something like you have a month after you move to Texas to register your vehicle. But I didn't move.

Then there is the reason VT allows Texas and other states to register there - they know many are like snowbirds and only live in VT during skiing season but want to register there.

It would be an interesting conversation if a cop ever did pull me over, in Texas. I don't think riding in Arkansas or Oklahoma it would matter at all either.
 
On the bonded title route, after I think 2 or 3 years you will get a notification that you can now get a clear title for the bike removing the bonded part on the title.
Michael
 
SL350 said:
send a bill of sale to vermont and get a plate.
Click to expand...


What other states allow this? I would like to find a state hat does not require a front license plate on my car. Vermont does require a front plate.

These 19 states that require only the rear license plate:

Alabama
Arkansas
Arizona
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Michigan
Mississippi
New Mexico
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
West Virginia
 
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TLRam1 said:
What other states allow this? I would like to find a state hat does not require a front license plate on my car. Vermont does require a front plate...
Click to expand...

Don't install the front plate and never drive your car near Vermont and nobody will ever know.

_
 
These "need title" threads are always interesting.

I would like to find a state that does not require a plate on the front on my bike.
 
The out-of-state biz works until you run into the wrong cop. Don't try it in a high-profile car, or if you like to speed. When I'd been out of the Army a couple of months and was living in Euless, a cop "noticed" my car - I guess the orange & yellow racing strips might have had something to do with it - and my non-Texas plates. He pulled me over and went out of his way to try to pile tickets on me for not having gotten Texas plates, to match my Texas driver's license, within a month of coming home. I eventually escaped with only one ticket for $25. I'd personally rather not ever deal with that again.
 
tshelfer said:
The out-of-state biz works until you run into the wrong cop...
Click to expand...

Don't take that chance. Put another name on the title and registration. Put it in the first position with an "and" then your name. Drivers license matching no longer applies. Just ensure that the person named in first position is not licensed in Texas.

_
 
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SilverBullet said:
Don't install the front plate and never drive your car near Vermont and nobody will ever know.

_
Click to expand...

Good point, didn't think about that. If I did get a ticket it would be non-moving, may not be too bad.
 
I'd just ride it, the law just don't pull over bikers that ride small bikes and that are not doing anything wrong. If you get pulled over just say you are test riding it to see if you want to purchase it and you know the owner has not registered it in years. Live on the wild side, your a biker now. :eek2:

trainman
 
SL350 said:
I go a different route. For small cc (300) bikes you can send a bill of sale to vermont and get a plate. They don't title smaller motorcycles or older than 15 years. You have to get it inspected first here and that does the VIN check. Once you have a VT plate, Texas will plate and title it. I did it once about 2 years ago no problem. Will do it again in another month for a ct90 project. Best thing is that the blue title does not say bonded which might scare someone off.
Click to expand...

Mike, is that 300cc and less which all fly under this for VT?
 
OT but I'm not sure why Vermont has this loophole but I'm guessing they make money off it. Delaware let's non-residents setup LLCs to register their boat without paying tax.
 
They do it because it is a second home for so many in the east. Lots of people with the money buy vacation homes in VT.
 
I have been emailing the Vermont DOT, this is what they say is needed for me to get Vermont plates.

Any advice?

QUOTE

We will need the following to register your vehicle, this all can be mailed into our Montpelier branch office for processing.

- Completed registration application (attached)

- The title properly signed over to you

- A bill of sale

- Odometer disclosure statement


Fees are $76.00 for registration, $35.00 for title, $11.00 lien fee if there is a lien holder, and 6% tax based on the purchase price of the vehicle.

I do have a Texas title in my name and that will need to be changed to a Vermont title as noted below upon further questioning. My title is about 5 months old.

The TX title will be turned into VT at the time of registration. If the title had been titled in your name for more than 3 years or if you can provide an affidavit of taxes paid to TX, you will be exempt from paying taxes in VT.
 
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