Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I have seen some bikes for sale with no title. Is it hard to get a lost title or is it not worth fooling with?

It's not that hard to get a title from Maine or Alabama the problem is where did the original title disappear to? I would never buy a bike without the title except as a parts bike.

I haven't used them, but I've heard good things about companies like Broadway Title (http://www.broadwaytitle.com) and ITS (www.its-title.com).

As for why a bike would be sold without a title, it seems that bikes that are in disrepair have a tendency to go forgotten and then some brave soul comes by and decides they want to bring it back to it's former glory. In the middle of all that time, the bike could have been abandoned, which would mean a lost title.

The main thing, make sure to get a VIN search done on the bike prior to buying to verify that it's clear. Then pony up the cash to a title company.

It's incredibly difficult to get a bike titled in Va without the old one signed over to you.

The first step is sending a note to the last owner on record by certified mail saying "Hey, I have your old bike and I intent to title it under the abandoned motor vehicle act. I live at X address and the bike is here (ready for the kicker) YOU HAVE 30 DAYS TO CLAIM IT OR I'M GOING TO PROCEED WITH THE PAPERWORK".

Yep- you first have to offer it back to the last owner on record. If you're in Va I hope it's a junker.

No title. Stolen bike, maybe? Does it still have the VIN?

--Dave

I know the problem. My first bike (not inc.minibikes) has no title. Never got it in my name,hell I was only 9. I've had this bike since 71. Still have previous owners reg. from 71. DMV records don't go back that far.

Just get a new title for the bike. My frined lost the title to her car and she had to go to the city hall to do some paperwork to get a new title. Had to show and ID and stuff, prove they are the actualy owner of the car/bike.

eyeeatingfish wrote:Just get a new title for the bike. My frined lost the title to her car and she had to go to the city hall to do some paperwork to get a new title. Had to show and ID and stuff, prove they are the actualy owner of the car/bike.

This is a little harder to do when you've aquired an abandoned bike or something of the sort, which is what happens quite often. You are basically talking about a lost title, but if you weren't the last registered owner of the title, you are not going to be able to get a lost title.

Some states (Texas for one) will allow a person to get a bonded title, which basically means that you buy a bond for a certain value (determined by the appraised value of the vehicle) and for a set period of time, if the original owner comes up and says that they want the vehicle back, then they get it back and you get your money back. After the set perios has expired, I do believe you get your money back and then you get a full on title.