Hey all.

Might have found myself a bike, possibly. It's a '92 GS500E, I'm gonna be calling the guy back around 5pm since that's when he gets home. The bad part is that there is no title for the bike, from what I gather it's just plain old been lost. I'm hoping to get the VIN number so I can do a search on it (Verify it's not stolen), but whats the procedure for getting a new title in Florida? I know in Michigan it was as simple as getting a form, taking the bike to the police station to get the VINs verified, and then paying $150 for a new title.

Or should I just run screaming from this bike in abject terror? It's the first GS500 I've found in my price range so far. True, further information may turn me off to it, but this title thing is kind of a worry. My uncle has gotten a few bikes without titles, including an old Triumph, and he's been able to get new ones for it.

I wonder, would there be a problem with me getting a Michigan Title for it? My dad is friends with someone who works at a title company up there, and I know he can get some strings pulled (He got a 'Clean' title for my mom's insurance-totaled Escort).

Just hoping from some insight from the gurus of all things GS...  :mrgreen:

You also have to worry about more than just a stolen bike:  if the DMV has a record of the old title, they will only process a replacement title request from that titleholder.  So however easy it is for you to get the title replaced, it should be even easier for the seller to get it.

Hmm. Good point. There's got to be a reason he hasn't done it then.

run away!  At least till HE gets the title to it.  Not your problem.

What John said.
Its actually illegal in most states to sell a vehicle without a title...

I was in the same position w/ a old Honda CB. The guy didnt have the title becuz the guy he got it from didnt have it. The title is the document of ownership. So how can you sell it if you dont technically own it I said. I passed on the deal. Unless the previous owner is willing to work w/ you to get it taken care of I'd pass. Unless he's willing to knock the price down to make it worth your while. Also think about what this is saying about the guy. He takes so poor records as to loose a TITLE  and never bother getting a new one? Come on...  Makes me wonder about how he cares for the bike.
-ash

Yeah, I decided to pass on it. To much of a headache.

I bought a bike (cbr600f3)  from a friend that didnt have a title, I think the story was, the owner before my friend never bothered to get it registered and lost the title, so it seemed like a mess, becuase i didnt have the name of the perosn the bike was actually titled under, but i just called a title bond company, and $150 later i had a title. this was in Georgia.

Yeah, my old Twinstar 185 didn't have a title either when I got it. The guy who had owned it was killed in a car accident, and somewhere along the line the bike got seperated from the title. I think I spent about that getting a new one for it.

I dunno, maybe I'll still call the guy, but I'm going to let him know that the lack of a title bothers me. If he'll do it, I'll pay any title fees he has to do to get the bike.

I mean, he's not asking much for it.

check with your FL dept of motor vehicles for the procedure necessary to re-title it. may be as simple as seller giving you a "bill of sale". best to check with them first. Try their website too...

but remember the old adage: if its too good to be true...

Yeah, I looked at that...

Seems like I just need a bill of sale and something proving my residency in the state. Thats a problem, I don't have a FL drivers linsense...

Hm.

Think they'd accept my Florida Motorcycle Permit?  :mrgreen:

Might go look at a Ninja EX500 tomarrow... I know, I know, it's not a GS. But it's in my price range and sounds decent. I'd rather get a GS though, I just like it's looks better and the simplicity of the engine is a plus, and I recently found out that it was the bike my Cousin wanted to get (He got a Ninja 250 instead). So I figure if Dan thought it was a good bike, it must be!

In Aust you don't need a title (registration papers). If the person doesn't have reg papers you just write out a receipt with both parties details and bike details etc.

If you check with DMV that bike isn't listed as stolen and is registered to the person you are buying from and do a REVS check (REVS is an insurance company clearing house where they list cars or bikes that have money owing on them) everything is fine.

I looked at a bike(not GS) yesterday.  The price was right for the condition of the bike (ex-race bike with ruined plastics but strong running motor).  Had to walk away when I heard that the the seller didn't have the title and that the previous owner was in jail on various fraud charges.

Doing a little internet research showed me that in CA, the seller, if he is indeed the legitmate owner, can apply for a duplicate title for $15.  This is a fairly serious document that voids the previous title and must be notarized.

In the end, after some thinking I decided I didn't really want or need a DMV hassle or another non-street legal bike, even a really good price.  

Adam

Yeah, I finally called this guy and talked to him (not his wife). Turns out he purchased a house, and in the garage was this bike. He tracked down the original owner, who apparently doesn't want the bike back but isn't going to sign over the title (House was a repo).

Er...

Yeah, thats trouble waiting to happen. I'll keep looking, thanks.  :mrgreen:

Maybe I'll buy ThinkAgain's bike.

Maniac...check on the abandoned vehicle titles in your state. If a vehicle is  left somewhere for a certain amount of time...you can file (if you are the property owner) for the title. In Maryland (may be dif in florida) you have to get the last known owners name and adress...send a registered letter to them about the bike and run an add in a local paper.... When the letter comes back unopened you take the letter and proof of your add ( receipt and or a copy of the actual add) and file for the title...you pay tax on it and a registration fee..and you get the title...(I'm currently doing this with a boat that has been left here where I live).

What's cool is the last adress you get that the bike was registered to is likely the house he lost- you send the letter there (of course he's not there...the letter comes back and you do your deal...)...

Of course the new home owner will have to file (if the law is even the same there...)...

Have you considered offering  the original owner a few bucks for doing the title deal?? Obviously he isn't getting the bike back and is probably sore about all of it...but if you offer him a few bucks for the hassle of getting a title and signing it over (cash payed when SIGNED title is in your hand). Tell him you'd rather see him get it then a title company... (Do you think the bike may already/still  have a lien on it??He did lose his house...)



OR... when you buy the bike at a reduced cost (no title...) and if you have a mechanic friend...have him do a lien on it...maybe even Backdate it and add storage..he can get title that way....

What's he want for it by the way?

He was asking $500... but I think it's off the market. He told me he had picked up a frame with a clean title, and was going to move the parts over. Something strikes me as not on the up-and-up with the entire situation, so I walked away.

I can't really purchase the bike and sit on it while waiting for a title to go through, the condo association doesn't allow you to keep untitled and untagged vehicles here.

So... I'm just going to pass on it and keep my eyes open.  :mrgreen:

Good luck with the search.  Too bad you're not in Southern California, because a 1991 GS with 5500 miles turned up on recycler.com for $1000 with carb problems.  Probably be able to knock that down a little, fix the carbs and have a bike.  

If anyone is interested in this bike, I have the sellers contact info and some pics he sent me.  If the bike were in LA, I might have bought it as an investment (fix the carb problem, clean it up and sell it in Newport Beach in the spring for $1700-1800), but since it's in San Diego, well, that's just too much hassle.