Ducati Monster Forum

If you have a moto-shop near you.  Have them do $20 worth of work to it and then claim the 'owner' didn't ever pick it up.  They can then put a 'lien' on it for the title.  You'll owe the shop owner a case of beer and have to cover their fees but it shouldn't be too expensive.

That's probably the least amount of hassle as the DMV acknowledges that people flake out and they don't want to jam up the shops w/vehicles that haven't been paid for or picked up.  This route usually bypasses a LOT of red-tape and BS. 

So long as the bike doesn't come up stolen, this should be your fastest route.

So, I bought a 1976 CB550-four, fixed it up, and turned the thing into a cafe racer. Bike looks nice, runs nice, and is ready for the road. Unfortunately, I only have a bill of sale from a guy, and he bought it from somebody else, who bought it from somebody in California. The plates look like they were last registered in 2006. I just want to plate it, and ride it, in Oregon. Any ideas on how I get California to hook me up with a title? I don't mind a little legwork... but flying out to Cali is probably not on the agenda... and definately not going into a California DMV... ugh.

Thanks for your time.  [thumbsup]

there are title companies that do all the work for you, and they don't cost too much. I got a title for a '81 honda ascot that way. Most states don't require titles for motorcyles that old though. I'd check with the dmv and see what they say.

Every single one of these stories turns out to be about six months worth of hassle or a stolen bike. After going through one a bunch of years back I settled on never buying anything without a title. No title, no sale, plain and simple.

That's called fraud.

Better off just going to your local DMV and asking how they would like you to handle it.

How about vintage racing? No title needed to flog her at the track! [evil]

its only "fraud" in the eyes of the law if you are caught and its proven in court of law.

Ok.....

The OP goes to a legitimate bike shop and asks for $20 worth of work to be done to his bike.  He doesn't pay.  The owner then files a lien on the bike to obtain the title waiting the appropriate time and paying the appropriate fees.  After a legal title has been obtained, the owner of the shop can do with this vehicle as he sees fit (usually sold off to recoup the loss of revenue).  Is it illegal if the OP buys the bike back from the shop owner?!?

So is it only murder if you are caught and it's proven in court?

with all due respect and no offence, but i see what you are trying to do.

first, if i say anything to rebut this you are going to then say things that are viewed from the side of the law enforcement viewpoint (this is understandable in view of your profession)  which then i can't say anything against because you are part of the "protected class, meaning Law enforcement" that we have rules against this. 

so i'm in a catch-22 situation, you are smart enough to know this so that only your opinion will then be tolerated.

instead, let us drop this, since it has been shown in the past that even slightly contrary views to the "protected class" are not tolerated by this board. 

As such i will respect that rule and i suggest you do the same and keep away from mentioning topics that may even relate to the "protected class" even though you are part of the "protected class". 

so let's agree to disagree.  I will keep my opinion to myself on this matter if you do the same and we can end this civilly right now.

thank you and have a nice day.

Sooo.... according to California DMV... I need to send them this weird form with money... and they send the last titled owner a letter asking if they should be able to tell me who they are... if they say yes... then they send me contact information... then I send the letter to the registered owner... who needs to then certify that they are signing the bike over to me... then I take that certified letter... and send it to the DMV with an application for a lost title and money... and then they turn around and ship me title.

or I can pay somebody in Maryland like $350 to have them do all the legwork... as all those lost title companies are in Maryland due to the lax title laws in that state. Which seems to be circumventing the California viewpoint on how things should be done.

Anyhow... I sent the weird form.. could be 6 months or more to here anything back.

You may be surprised. I'd had good luck with CA DMV the last 5 years or so. They aren't as bad as they were in the past.

The rule is "don't bash cops" not "don't ever talk about points of law". You don't like the rule so at every chance you get you try to poke or prod the rule with a stick. There is no other way to look at this thread. Someone suggested (more then likely innocently) something unethical and illegal. I pointed that out for the benefit of the OP. You don't like authority so you tried, yet again, to poke at authority with your stick. Sorry, I'm not going to agree to disagree. Your wrong to suggest that not getting caught somehow makes something illegal legal. If you want to continue with your chosen course I would suggest a PM.