I'm in Oregon, bought a 1995 GS500E bike and got a bill of sale and then the bill of sale from the previous transaction.  The owner from me, found out it isn't so easy to transfer titles so didn't do anything.

Anyway, I hope this isn't going to be too hard.

How would one find out which state the bike is titled in?  I know there are a bunch of record reports like carfax, but they all charge around $25..is this my only option?

I'm in the state of Oregon..what does one need to do once they find out what state it was titled in?

Thanks for any advise.

I dunno about OR, but in TX or in NC or in CA, that thing is simpler to be parted out. however in NC you prolly could ride it for years and years and take it to its natural demise. NC - they never stop a bike unless you do very stupid sheite.
TX - no idea.
CA they will check vin at traffic stops if you dont produce all the paperwork for it. If it looks iffy, or if they suspect you did a motor swap ... like put a 2 smoke motor in it, they can check that, CA has engine number in its title, and they will impound it on the spot.
OR copies CA doesn't it. If so, you're SOL.
Cool.
Buddha.

Basically, if you "buy" a motor vehicle without a title, you have not actually "bought" it. It may have liens out the wazoo owed on it, or it may be stolen.

If it's not stolen, the original owner can easily get a replacement title - locally (and we are a known haven of high fees and taxes), a whopping $25.

If the "original owner" did not do that, then one suspects (and the state assumes) that they were not the original owner. In any case, without title, you don't own it, in the eyes of the state.

Perhaps some states vary a bit, I expect not all that much. If there's a great deal of variation, one should be able to follow the flow of stolen vehicles to the states in question...which is why I doubt it varies all that much.

Your best bet is to call or go by the local DMV Office and ask them on the procedure.
Tony

Quote from: DoD#i on August 12, 2008, 07:22:09 PM
Basically, if you "buy" a motor vehicle without a title, you have not actually "bought" it. It may have liens out the wazoo owed on it, or it may be stolen.

If it's not stolen, the original owner can easily get a replacement title - locally (and we are a known haven of high fees and taxes), a whopping $25.

If the "original owner" did not do that, then one suspects (and the state assumes) that they were not the original owner. In any case, without title, you don't own it, in the eyes of the state.

Perhaps some states vary a bit, I expect not all that much. If there's a great deal of variation, one should be able to follow the flow of stolen vehicles to the states in question...which is why I doubt it varies all that much.

Yep ... possession is 9/10's of the law maybe if you had say a loaf of bread then yea ... for larger things, possession without paperwork is theft.
Now some states are very lax about old bikes. Like 25 years and older or 20 and older, but slowly those states are going by the way side.
Cool.
Buddha.

Not to be an asshat, but Googling "lost title automobile oregon" turned up this link in about .10 seconds:

http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/vehicle/titlereg.shtml

Included in there is the procedure for "Replacing Title and Changing Ownership: Use this link if you wish to replace a lost  Oregon title and the title needs to be transferred to new owner."

Okay, I'm an asshat. 

Green - not to point out your lack of reading comprehension ... but ...

The title of his post says

Bought a 1995 with BOS lost title out of state any advice on getting ... and if that is not clear enough

His post says

How would one find out which state the bike is titled in?  I know there are a bunch of record reports like carfax, but they all charge around $25..is this my only option?

I'm in the state of Oregon..what does one need to do once they find out what state it was titled in?

So yes ... You are an asshat 

Cool.
Buddha.

As per usual the Buddha is right.    My bad for only comprehending the easy parts.

Good luck in your quest for clean ownership.

I knew I was an asshat.

Gaaaa you're making me feel bad now.
I usually read 1 sentence and jump to a conclusion.
Just that in this 1 case that sentence happened to be the right one.
Cool.
Buddha.

Yah, we have a local one on Craigslist who I actually bothered to poke about it. "It's not stolen" says he - "I don't even remember if it had a title" - it's a 1984 bike - so it had a title. Claims it was on road two years ago - so the tiotle must have been around to get it registered.  Our Hero is "selling" cheap cause no title. If the SELLER does not come up with the title, the BUYER is throwing his money away, not actually "buying" a bike. The only person who can "sort out" a missing title is the person who should have the title that is missing. A bill of sale without one is just so much scrap paper.

Burn that little tid-bit into your brains, folks.

Essentially, your only hope is to track down the SELLER from the "previous transaction", or make the current seller do so, and get them to either find and sign over the title, or have a new one issued. It's generally better to have the leverage of not getting the money to motivate them - since you've already paid, you may be SOL - but check your local consumer protection laws - you may be able to hand the bike back to the "seller" and get your money back, at least in theory. Many places you have 3 days to a week to back out. Of course, that time may be long gone.

Yea I believe one of the western states got in hot water a few years ago when they titled somehting to someone when they had an owner on record. I think it was washington and I think that guy was away at war or somehting. They titled his dry clutch GSXR to someone else if I remember due to lax licensing laws. In many states titleless wonders can be parted out, but CA and others that have engine numbers in the title may soon make it harder to do that too.
BTW this has not put 1 bit of a damper on the screwup's from the DMV ... I once received a title for a bike ... with 1 digit missing. Like WTF ... supposed to have 17, had 16. How did it pass the software checking it for being correct ...
Cool.
Buddha.

Quote from: The Buddha on August 13, 2008, 01:56:54 PM
... How did it pass the software checking it for being correct ...
Cool.
Buddha.

It didnt, DMV was being an asshat 

If you get no joy from the DMV, and can't track the previous owner down, get a Title from Staab Agency, I used them for my '89 GS that originated in NC and came with no paperwork of any kind. www.staabagency.com

Ooooo what did that cost dude.
Cool.
Buddha.

or purchase a titled frame 

Quote from: The Buddha on August 13, 2008, 06:06:01 PM
Ooooo what did that cost dude.
Cool.
Buddha.

About $100, and the turnaround time was 3 days - they FedEx a new tag and registration to you that you can take to the DMV, and change into a Title for your State. It worked in TN, they took it without any problems.