[ScubaSven]

I'm a long-time dirt bike rider and have been considering buying a street bike for the daily commute. On some ads I saw on the web, the bike was advertised as "without title". I also noticed a lot of ads that promoted the fact that the seller had title.

Why is this an issue with street bikes? What are the problems with buying a bike without title?

Thanks,
S

[mitchshrader]

bikes without title are *stolen* bikes.

the exceptions to this are irrelevant, cause that's how you have to play it.

if you have a bike TITLE.. but no bike.. say, your bike got stolen..

well, some people want the matching set.

i would heartily recommend Not Owning A Bike With No Title if i were planning on driving on the highway.

if, however, you merely need parts for a dirtbike, it might be less dangerous to not have a clear title, and arguably worth listening to a good explanation why it didn't have one..

ymmv, buyer beware, CYA, look before you leap, and don't whack your pee pee with a hammer just cause the hammer is on sale.

[ScubaSven]

Originally Posted by mitchshrader

bikes without title are *stolen* bikes.

the exceptions to this are irrelevant, cause that's how you have to play it.

if you have a bike TITLE.. but no bike.. say, your bike got stolen..

well, some people want the matching set.

i would heartily recommend Not Owning A Bike With No Title if i were planning on driving on the highway.

if, however, you merely need parts for a dirtbike, it might be less dangerous to not have a clear title, and arguably worth listening to a good explanation why it didn't have one..

ymmv, buyer beware, CYA, look before you leap, and don't whack your pee pee with a hammer just cause the hammer is on sale.

That's what I was afraid of. Thanks for the info!

[G30Big]

Ditto on this... I was looking at a cherry Kawasaki 700 shaft drive and the guy had moved to FL from PA and lost the title. He just wanted to sell it but not cheap enough to make me want to buy it. I called FL DMV and they said I could not get a title - he had to get it from PA then I could buy the bike and xfer the title to myself. For some strange reason he never got around to getting the title... waste of my time.

[aaronrkelly]

Depends on the age of the bike and the state.....after a certain amount of years, depending on the state......you dont need a title for a vehicle.

[Super Trucker]

Also I will add, a track bike doesn't need a title. A no title bike could be one bought from an auction that was totaled, which may be called a salvage title and useless for rode use.
I see some listed as having the title, meaning it is paid for, or no lein.

[HollowHead]

Originally Posted by Super Trucker

Also I will add, a track bike doesn't need a title.

True, but it had better have some kind of documentation proving ownership. A bill of sale is fine if you never plan on registering it. HH

[MatGlock]

It may not be a big deal. If the seller titled the bike, he can go to the DMV and get the title. If not, many states have a process that you can use to located the last owner who titled the bike. Neadless to say, I would not buy it before I had the title worked out.

[Super Trucker]

Posts # 7 & 8 are correct. I just wanted to show that you don't have to always be scared of a no title bike. You do want to research to make sure it isn't hot. But don't always discount a good deal just because there isn't a title available.

[J.R. Bob Dobbs]

Well this certainly depends on where you live. Here in Ga, an older vehicle (don't know the thresshold) doesn't need a title, and if you have an untitled vehicle, you can't get a new/duplicate title for it. That's true in the county where I live at least.

[Chopshopchopper]

Convert your dirt bike to Supermoto and get it taged.