Question regarding used bike (re: title)

[ragin cajun]

New member to the forums, taking my safety course in a couple of weeks. I've been searching the forums for some information as a new rider.

Came across a bike in the local area today, here's the description:

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HERE I HAVE A PRETTY NICE BIKE BUT ITS SOLD WITH A BILL OF SALE ONLY.I BOUGHT WITH A SALVAGE CERTIFICATE TITLE BUT IT STATES TO SELL FOR PARTS ONLY.IT CAME OUT OF FLORIDA AND WAS A FLOOD DAMAGED BIKE [NOT KATRINA]I BOUGHT THRU A VIRTUAL SALE WHERE I BUY A LOT OF VECHICLES FROM AND HAD  DELIVERED AFTE WINNING IT AND IT CRANKED RIGHT UP.IT HAS COBRA PIPES,THE CARB. MUST BE JETTED BECAUSE ITS FASTER THAN HELL.IT SOUNDS/RIDES MORE THAN AWESOME,IT HAS A SUICIDE SHIFTER AND BRAKE.IT COULD USE A GOOD DETAIL AND IT HAS A DENT ON TANK BUT THATS IT.A PERSON DEPENDING WHICH STATE THEIR END CAN GET A BONDED TITLE ON IT OR ITS GREAT FOR SHIPPING OVER SEAS ???.SO FOR NOW KEEP IN MIND SOLD WITH BILL OF SALE ONLY.BUT IT IS A REALLY A GREAT RUNNING AND RIDING BKE. 

Just curious, is this something that I should even look into? How hard would it be to get re-titled? Any other suggestions that I might not be thinking about at this time?

[Sev]

Imagine what would happen to metal after it's been sitting in salt water for a couple of days, or months even. Everything starts to rust, the salt works it's way into the forks, inside the frame, the tank the handle bars, behind the mirrors... rust rust rust.

If you got it right away, pulled it apart and completely cleaned and dried everything + drained all the fluid's and replaced them after cleaning out the storage tanks and motor I'd say yes. Otherwise, it's WAY more work then it's worth.

[camthepyro]

Ummm... what kind of bike is it? How much?

but yeah, it's probably too much trouble.

[KarateChick]

Flood damaged? Sev makes a good point. This article is about flood cars but I'm sure there are similar mechanics that apply with a bike too

http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmonton ... 510&page=1

[ragin cajun]

Well, putting aside the possible water damage.. I was more interested in the title issue and how complicated that would be to resolve to make a "legal" bike.

[camthepyro]

Depends, what kind of bike is it?

If it's older than an '86, you won't need a title, just registration.

[TechTMW]

Titling depends on your state. Your best bet is to call the DMV and ask someone there.

I lived in GA where Titling wasn't necessary after 20 years. Then I moved and this cause me a freaking WORLD of pain. I couldn't register the bike in a different state without a title ...

This bike sounds like it's newer though. Suicide shifters went out of fashion a long time ago, and didn't become popular again until just recently.

[BigChickenStrips]

more trouble than a newbie would want to deal with. thats my oppinion. also even if you get a "good deal" if you get bored with it, vehicles with salvage titles/retitles are much harder to sell and you'll take a pretty big loss unless the deal you get is a steal.

[Loonette]

Ask you state department of motor vehicles. They are the only ones who can fully answer your question. I'm guessing it wouldn't be easy to get a clear title. Not only would getting a clear title be difficult, but registration might be a problem too - they would probably do a safety inspection under your circumstances, and with a suicide shifter and brake, my guess is they'd turn you away. (what type of bike is it again?) Give them a call first for the straight info.

Cheers,
Loonette

[bok]

A PERSON DEPENDING WHICH STATE THEIR END CAN GET A BONDED TITLE ON IT OR ITS GREAT FOR SHIPPING OVER SEAS ???

i'm a naturally suspicious person, and this one has me screaming stay away.

first it is in all caps? not sure if the rest of the ads were in all caps but that's just nasty.

second it's written poorly. phrases like "which state their end" are just horrid. "which state they are in" or "they're in" sure, but i question the legitimacy of it for the same reason i laugh at those nigerian bank scam emails.

third it's been flooded in Florida, and the seller makes a point to say "not katrina" does that make a difference? flooded for 10 months or 10 days still makes it flood damaged.

fourth, it was supposedly bought with a salvage certificate, not sure the laws in your area, but in some places when it's written off for insurance it isn't supposed to enter back in to the system so licensing, insuring, registering, and all of those things become so difficult as to be another huge warning sign.

Unless you are an amazing wrencher and do-it-yourselfer, i would stay WAY far away from this bike.[/quote]