Titling and registration, by state

ALABAMA

Alabama is not a title state for vehicles of model year 1974 and older. This makes registering and plating of many of the Honda horizontals pretty easy. You're on your own with 1975 and later vehicles.

Required items:
Drivers License
Bill of Sale
Previous owner's registration documents and plates (if any).
Vehicle being registered.

I registered my Z50K1 and CT70HK0 simply by loading them into my van and going to the DMV with a handwritten BOS from the previous owner, showing the buyer, seller, VIN and purchase price.

The clerk made a copy of the BOS and did a database search for previous registrations since I had no tag/registration documents. Upon finding that neither were ever registered in Alabama before, she asked me to meet her outside to verify the VIN plates on the bikes. Since the bikes were really dirty and rusty, she just looked briefly at the plates and showed little interest in examining them further. If you can't bring your vehicle to the office, you can get any policeman to verify the VIN and sign a form for you to submit.

I was delayed a bit because I wanted to get Vintage plates, so I had to fill out an application for vintage plates. The upside of vintage plates is that they never need to be renewed, the downside is that you aren't supposed to drive on the streets except for shows, parades and fueling up. The vintage plates mainly caused a delay because the VINs were in an uncommon format, were not previously in the system, and the clerk hadn't done any vintage motorcycles before.

After an hour and payment of about $20 each, I walked out with plates and registration documents. I don't know if other states will accept this registration in lieu of title, but I would argue that they should.

I don't know if out of state residents can register in Alabama, but if you have a friend in Alabama who wants to buy your pre-75 untitled bike, he should have little problem getting a registration and plate. At some point, he might wish to sell it back to you since its now much more valuable as it will have a current registration.

Update: I've been made aware that while proof of insurance is not asked for when you register,you need to have liability insurance. While you are not required to have insurance on stored or non-operational vehicles, all registrations are subject to random insurance verification letters. If you get this letter and have no insurance by virtue of the vehicle being non-op or in storage, then they will want proof of insurance on the date of registration. This is especially important for the vintage plates as they never expire. A regular registration will expire if you don't renew. The penalty for this is $200.


http://license.limestonecounty.net/pdf/mvt-5-10.pdf
http://www.revenue.alabama.gov/motorvehicle/mvforms/mvr4012290.pdf

boz said:

ALABAMA

I don't know if out of state residents can register in Alabama, but if you have a friend in Alabama who wants to buy your pre-75 untitled bike, he should have little problem getting a registration and plate. At some point, he might wish to sell it back to you since its now much more valuable as it will have a current registration.

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Talk about doubling your investment overnight.

Good information. I have a cousin in Alabama. I'll have to remember this as it may come in handy someday. Do you remember how much the DMV fees were?

cottielee said:

Talk about doubling your investment overnight.

Good information. I have a cousin in Alabama. I'll have to remember this as it may come in handy someday. Do you remember how much the DMV fees were?

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As I mentioned, about $20 and that included the sales tax. My Bill of Sale showed that I paid $100. Vintage plates are $10 lifetime, but there's a few bucks in other fees.

If you do want to try to buy an untitled but registered bike from Alabama, just make sure your local DMV will accept the registration for your title application.

They will here in Louisiana. And I believe the other States must accept the registration under the Commerce Clause of the US Constitution. As long as you meet any other requirements such as a VIN or mileage check, safety inspection, a requirement for liability insurance or something along these lines, they cannot deny you the use of an out of state registration that does not carry a title. Louisiana took my Vermont registration and gave me a Louisiana title, no problem.

If your bike has been registered before and owes back fees, this might not help. But for other situations, this can be a good way to go.

Rick

Is there anyone with experiance with getting a z50 legal in Missouri? I have a 1978 I want to get put together and use it as a scoot.
Any help you can give would be great.

hornetgod said:

California

1.) Bill of Sale-Ensure it's signed by previous owner and identifies the motorcycle by VIN number and also includes sale price.
2.) Previous Owners Statement of Facts Form-Stating when and from whom he or she purchased the motorcycle and why it had never been titled and registered previously.
3.) Vehicle Non-Operation Form-covering time it was residing but, not riden in California.
4.) New Owner Statement of Facts Form-Stating from whom the motorcycle was purchased and that you desire to attain a title and registration.
5.) Application for Title Form.
6.) VIN Verification Form
7.) Appointment and trip to California Highway Patrol-They verify VIN numbers and check stolen database.
8.) Proof of insurance
9.) Out of State Resident Form-Military Stationed in State but, legal resident of another State (waives all taxes-this is a big money saver)
10.) Lots of patients-many DMV representives have never delt with this and have to refer to the California Vehicle Code Manual (it's huge!) and/or ask other representives for help.

The Title, License Plate, and One Years Registration cost me $82.00 excluding tax. They will give you the License Plate, Stickers and Registration Paperwork at the DMV and mail the title to you in about 14 days time.

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One more thing to add to this list. If the bike you want to register does not have plates but does have a title and the title says "off Highway use" and you want to have it registered to be street legal, you will also need to get a brake and light inspection which cost me about $87.00 with tax. Some smog check sations have a person who is certified but most do not.

No dice on any ideas for titling in Missouri?

deezil said:

No dice on any ideas for titling in Missouri?

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You could buy an out of State titled and registered bike.

Have someone out of state get a title for your bike for you and then do a transfer as if you bought it from them.

deezil said:

No dice on any ideas for titling in Missouri?

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fishin4bass said:

how much did that ITS cost ?

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I was looking at a 1970 with no title. Here is what I got from ITS:

Total cost for the 1970 Honda CT70 will be $275. This includes a license plate good for one year. No insurance, photos or inspections will be required.
Attached are the instructions and forms needed to process your vehicle. Please put the $275 on the SPECIFIC PRICE QUOTE on the VEHICLE INFORMATION FORM.
Thank you,
Joe
International Title Service

I did not see any info for IL, does anyone have anything specific for IL?

ITS registers your bike in a state that doesn't require/issue hard copy titles for vehicles more than 25 years old, then "sells it back to you". You then present the paperwork to the DMV for your "out-of-state purchase" to apply for a title in your state. Whether it's worth the price depends upon your circumstances, including where you live.

As the hassles, bureaucratic fees, and liabilities increase, so too does the cost. Less than 5 years ago, ITS only charged $75 for a CT70. The increase sounded outrageous to me until last month, when titling cost in MI increased by $100...which is more than the total cost was as of December 2011!

IDAHO

I just had a 1978 CT70 titled here in Idaho. If you're willing to deal with a branded title, which you can have removed after 3 years, the process isn't too bad, especially if you buy from out of state. Then, all you need is a vin inspection and you're good to go.

Out of State Sale

If you can prove to them that the seller is from out of state, they will probably just make you pay your taxes on the purchase price and you have have a branded title.

In State Sale

You have to show that the prior owner paid sales tax. I was going to have problems with this, but my seller moved out of state the weekend after I bought it, so after a lot of time on the phone, they let me go with just paying my own sales tax and titling fee.

Ultimately, in Idaho, just get someone from ITD Titling on the phone. They are very helpful and want to make things work. I spent a lot of time talking and working with them and my situation went from "you can't get it titled" to "you can get it titled if you pay for your sales tax and the last owner's sales tax" to "give us the titling fee and your sales tax and we're good".

If you have questions, feel free to drop me a line.

I registered my 1972 ct70 through New York. It didn’t have any paperwork so this is how I went about getting my new transferable registration (to sum up 4 DMV trips and 3 phone calls to my insurance agency).

Forms needed:
MV82 (standard registration form) http://www.dmv.ny.gov/forms/mv82.pdf
MV51 (transfer ownership) http://www.dmv.ny.gov/forms/mv51.pdf
MV51b (statement of ownership) http://www.dmv.ny.gov/forms/mv51b.pdf
DTF-802 (tax form) http://www.dmv.ny.gov/forms/dtf802.pdf
Picture or stencil of V.I.N. (I went with a picture)
Insurance Card
Drivers License
Form of Payment


I have the previous owner sign the MV51, DTF-802 as well as a hand written bill of sale.

I did not check what class the CT would be registered at, the lady at the DMV looked up in the system what previous CT70s were registered as, both Class A and Class B mopeds came up. She asked if it goes faster than 30 mph. Faster than 30 mph would make it a class A which would require a motorcycle inspection and a motorcycle license to operate. I registered it as a class B (I haven’t ridden it so I don’t know how fast it goes

They printed a non-transferable registration there and gave me a license plate, the transferable registration came in the mail about 5 weeks later.

It probably would have been a good idea to have them run the V.I.N. before I bought it to make sure it would not come up as a stolen item. Guess I lucked out there.

Good luck!

CALIFORNIA as of 6-2012

To register for "highway use" you need the following.

** Just changed recently (within the past couple months) You no longer HAVE to go to the CHP for inspection. You are now allowed to "self educate" by reading form CHP888 and claiming you have done so on REG 256.

Print and fill out DMV froms: (go to www.dmv.ca.gov)
REG 31 - Vehicle Verification - Vehicle Verification form (REG 31) This form will be used to verify the VIN on the motorcycle. You can now have your local police agency do this inspection. Not all departments do this, so call first. The inspecting officer will need to verify the 2 VIN's, one located on the head stock located on a metal tag riveted to the bike, and the other on the left side, lower portion of the frame just ahead of the rear tire. and lastly the engine number located on the left lower side of the engine just behind the kickstand pivot. (Stamped into the case) They might also need to see the emission labels if the bike is 1978 or newer.

REG 343 Application for title or registration - Application for Title or Registration REG 343
This needs to be filled out with bike and new owner info.

REG 256 Statement of facts. - www.dmv.ca.gov/forms/reg/reg256.pdf This form will have you declare how you acquired the motorcycle, when it first entered CA. and other details. You also must declare in writing that you request dual registration on a permanent basis and confirms that you understand renewal fees for both the on-highway and OHV will be required to maintain the dual registration. (this of course if you are being forced to or are wanting dual registration)

Here are some other details that i learned during my process.
According to the 1-800 # for DMV Section 30.065 of the CA DMV code book, any motorcycle 1977 and older can be registered for either "on highway' or "dual registration"

You also need to get a Brake and Light Certificate.
*** here is the loop-hole in this requirement***
"Exception: When an official California brake and light station that inspects specific vehicles, such as motorcycles or large commercial vehicles is not located within a reasonable distance, the DMV will accept a Statement of Facts (REG 256) from a California repair shop certifying that the brakes and lights are in proper working order.

Maybe you can make that work for your situation. :3:

Now, my DMV office made me register "dual registration" (on highway and off highway) Regardless of the above info, they claimed it was because my bike had been registered first as "off highway" - i do not know if that fact is true. At that point i had given up fighting them.

Also, do not let them tell you your bike needs to meet the emission requirements if your bike is 1977 or older. They were not required then to have CA. emission equipment.

Has anyone had any luck getting a Michigan ORV title transfered to an Indiana ON road title? Sure would have been nice to know about the title before I bought it....never even occured to me.

MI SOS sent me a letter, stating that the Surety Bond that I was forced to buy, was not enough, and that they want a Power of Attorney for my insurance agent, from the bond company. This is ridiculous.

I bought my bike with a title and I plan on doing alot of work before its road worthy. However, from reading this it sounds like the hard part is the title. I have that so should I expect any issues getting it inspected and plated in PA for road use?

Does anyone have any information on getting a title in MN?

Reading through this thread and searching elsewhere, I haven't found much info on registering a bike in Wisconsin. I've heard that WI is one of the toughest states to deal with. I picked up a K1 CT70, and would love to be able to cruise around the streets on it. Any suggestions? I've also read about this sticker on the bike that says "for offroad use only", which I've heard is an automatic no go if on the bike. Where might that be located on the bike (assuming it has one), because I can't find it on mine?

I know I could go buy a street legal bike from MN and transfer everything into WI, but I'd rather just keep the bike I have now and hopefully get it road-legal.