So I FINALLY got the bike up and at 'em. Now to get it properly inspected and tagged. Here's what I want to know if anyone knows..

I have the title, in the prev. owners name that I need to get transfered over, expired registration stickers, and expired inspection. What order does that all need to be done in? I don't want to drive across town to the license place if I need to get it inspected first... Which brings up a good point. What all do I need to look out for on inspection? What are some of the things that they look at that I might have missed? Signals/horn/etc, all the obvious stuff works fine, what are the nit-picks? Anyone know a good place to get it done in Austin?

Anywho, I'm in TX, so it might vary, but I figured you guys could give me a good idea of what to expect.

trey

Two scenarios:  Texas title or out of state title?

Texas title:  You need the signed title, a signed bill of sale, and a signed title transfer form.  The forms may say they need to be notorized, but they do not.  Once you have this, get insurance.  Once you have insurance, go transfer the title into your name.  

Here is a nice Bill of Sale form.  Use the MV-015.pdf. - http://www.tax.co.harris.tx.us/forms.asp.  

And the title transfer form.  Use the 130-U. (Application for Texas Certificate of Title) - http://www.dot.state.tx.us/vtr/vtrreginfo.htm?pg=form1


Out of State title:  You need the signed title and a signed bill of sale.  Go get insurance.  Then go get the bike inspected.  They will give you a green paper (VI30).  Take this paper, your insurance, your out of state title, and your bill of sale to the tax assessor's office to transfer the title.

Hope this helps!  

And I thought this was going to be a math question :lol:

Ha.. that was the allusion anyway. Thanks bcbickers, I thought someone would know.. now I don't have to sit on the phone all day Monday trying to get a hold of someone..

trey

You'll need the insurance to get the inspection paperwork.  You'll need to take both, along with a signed bill of sale (I just had a hand written letter with all the info that the form has on it) and the signed over title from the previous owner to the County.  I took it all down to the Travis County offices on Airport Blvd (not the courthouse downtown).  Stood in line about an hour and got assigned a clerk-ina-cubicle who was very helpful.  He filled out the title transfer paperwork for me and took my check, gave me a temp registration for my wallet.  I got my license plate and stickers in the mail about 2 weeks later.  Wall-la.

I got mine inspected at Woods (along with a tire replacement due to nail from previous owner).  I also got my insurance through them.  Dairyland, liability only...it was only $45/year for my 48 year carcass...it was much cheaper than any of the other companies my friends told me about trying.  Waiting and getting the insurance actually took the longest (1.5 hours).  The inspection on my 2002 went fine, I think all they checked was brakes, tranny, lights, reflectors.  I saw the service guy riding it around the parking lot with a smile of contentment on his face.

If Woods is too far for you, I am told that any dealer or shop will inspect any type of bike (but you'll need insurance from someone else).  I live south and was going to take mine to the yamaha dealer on Congress.  I only chose Wood because I had never been there and wanted to see what a big dealership looked like (lucky for me they also sell cheap insurance).  I'm still waiting to see what a small shop is like.

Glad to hear you got it running...very impressive.  Also I saw another post where you were looking for end weights...I recommend getting some bar end mirrors, I put some on and the rear view is greatly improved...don't think I could change lanes as confidently without them.  They vibrate a little at over 50 so the view gets fuzzy, but not enough that you can't discern a car beside you.  If you still want bar weights, you can have my old ones.

Thanks for all the info, that's definintely helpful. I'll have to get on top of all that here this week. I was looking for bar ends, but now that I have it running and going, I don't get what the big deal is. My bars don't buzz at all or vibrate much. I'm going to check out this bike shop down the street from me tomorrow and see if I can find some cheap bar end mirrors..

Do I need the reflectors on the front forks..? I noticed most bikes have them, of course, mine doesn't....

trey

I was looking on the web at the rule for reflectors a few weeks ago due to some issues with a rear rack I am fabricating.  I seem to remember that the rear side reds are required but was suprised that the front yellows weren't mentioned .  Even so, I too have noticed that all have the front fork yellows, so it might be advisable to pick some up.  (note: I've also noticed that many but not all cars have little yellow reflectors on their bumpers too).

I got the KEN SEAN bar end mirrors off the internet...seem to remember them being about $20 cheaper a pair than the NAPOLEON.  They look a little lighter, and the end bolt has a hex head (kinda low tech).  I seem to remember they were about same cost as EMCO but looked to be of better construction.