I bought a 97 gs500 about 6 months ago.  The guy gave me the title and all was good.  Well since then I have lost it.  I'm about done with repairs and getting closer to being able to ride the bike.  Is there a way I can get another title?  I never switched the title in my name, but the title is clear in the system.

Where are you from? The laws can vary state to state.

Just guessing though......you may have to find the PO and have him apply for a duplicate title since it's in his name in the system.

Yeah, just contact the guy you got it from tell him you lost title and ask if he will get a replacement one and you will pay all cost involved. However you did just open up a door for this guy to say your stole his bike and now you have no proof otherwise unless paid with a check which i doubt(hopefully this wont happen).

Not really unless you get a new frame with a title or apply for a bonded title since you are not the owner of the bike or contact the guy.

Quote from: rharding91 on March 02, 2013, 09:02:54 PM
Not really unless you get a new frame with a title or apply for a bonded title since you are not the owner of the bike or contact the guy.

I would diffidently try to get the guy to request new title, just tell him you got the old title wet and its a little hard to read. That way he will be to scared to claim you stole it since there is a possibility to still read old title. Most people or decent people and will help you out as long as you pay the fee's involved. Think its around $20-25 to request new title, but very's per state.

go to DMV and pay for a replacement?

Quote from: browncheetah on March 03, 2013, 09:21:12 AM
go to DMV and pay for a replacement?

... Read the the top post again, he did not transfer the title into his name yet and lost it. Therefor he needs the last owner to do this for him(as he as no right to do so since the bike is not in his name) 

It depends on the state.

Here in Ohio, it's a PITA.  You have to petition the court for a new title...and after all that drama, you may not be able to get one after hundreds of dollars of court costs.

Contact the PO.  Explain the situation.  Be nice, and cover all the costs.  Easiest way.

If nothing else, I have heard that Georgia is a state that has very easy ways to get a title if you are out of state.  Google it.

Quote from: jestercinti on March 03, 2013, 10:00:06 AM
It depends on the state.

Here in Ohio, it's a PITA.  You have to petition the court for a new title...and after all that drama, you may not be able to get one after hundreds of dollars of court costs.

Contact the PO.  Explain the situation.  Be nice, and cover all the costs.  Easiest way.

If nothing else, I have heard that Georgia is a state that has very easy ways to get a title if you are out of state.  Google it.

That's crazy, last time i lost title i just went in and asked for a duplicate title. They charged be I think around $20 and i got it in mail 2 weeks later. This is in KY, hate to do it in Ohio 

http://www.dmv.org/replacing-a-lost-title.php

Quote from: shanne1020 on March 02, 2013, 03:41:16 PM
I bought a 97 gs500 about 6 months ago.  The guy gave me the title and all was good.  Well since then I have lost it.  I'm about done with repairs and getting closer to being able to ride the bike.  Is there a way I can get another title?  I never switched the title in my name, but the title is clear in the system.

bill of sale should do it. you'll have to fudge the signatures, dates, and basically lie.

wait, it's not a lie, because you bought it, paid for it, and are paying fees/taxes on it. go ahead.

Quote from: wayne242 on March 03, 2013, 11:08:18 AM
That's crazy, last time i lost title i just went in and asked for a duplicate title. They charged be I think around $20 and i got it in mail 2 weeks later. This is in KY, hate to do it in Ohio 

http://www.dmv.org/replacing-a-lost-title.php

Wayne, the title is not in his name.  Same situation of you bought a bike without a title.

Lost title in your name in OH is easy.  Present the VIN, and ID, and they print it out right there for you while you wait.

I transfer titles right away. Just common sense. If possible I go with the buyer or seller to the licensing office. Now its all done. paperwork finished.

With no title, there can be issues. I asked about a bike with a voided title. Filing for an "Unknown owner" takes 3 years. During that time, the original owner can claim the bike. Needless to say, that became a parts bike. (Seller divulged all the title issues so I wasn't screwed. I knew it would be a parts bike and went to licensing to verify the title issue.)

If you can't get the seller to give you another title, you may be in trouble - especially if you do not have a signed bill of sale.

Hopefully you can get a new title. Without the bike in your name, if something happens to it you can't claim it as a loss or theft. One important reason I complete paperwork the next day the office is open.

Consider it lesson learned for everyone buying or selling a bike.

Quote from: jestercinti on March 03, 2013, 12:27:43 PM

Quote from: wayne242 on March 03, 2013, 11:08:18 AM
That's crazy, last time i lost title i just went in and asked for a duplicate title. They charged be I think around $20 and i got it in mail 2 weeks later. This is in KY, hate to do it in Ohio 

http://www.dmv.org/replacing-a-lost-title.php

Wayne, the title is not in his name.  Same situation of you bought a bike without a title.

Lost title in your name in OH is easy.  Present the VIN, and ID, and they print it out right there for you while you wait.

Well i was posting with the mind the guy signed the back of the lost title. hint my suggestion to tell him it got wet.  I highly doubt anyone is dumb enough to take a title with out getting the back signed by last owner if not transferring it that day(but could be wrong i guess). 

I'm like adidasguy, i always go with the person to the court house/DMV. If i cant that day he signs back of title, then we meet up the next day at court house. By not doing this your just buying a parts bike or worse falling for a scam when he claims u stole it so he can profit off it.

I cant help the OP but I just bought my first bike 06 gs500f and I bought it from a guy who did not register it (i didnt know this) but he had a title that didnt show any leans. I then take it to the DMV and the girl tells me the title I have is not the most recent title. There was another title issued three months after mine but that it was a elctronic title that the bank had issued. So I had to track down the ORIGINAL owner and ask very very nicely if he would come to the DMV and have a title printed out and sign it over to me. Holy crap talk about being worried about not getting the title! Lucky for me the guy was super cool and came to the DMV the same day he came back from SEER training.

ALWAYS TAKE THE TITLE TO THE DMV SAME DAY!!!

Best of luck bro maybe you can track down the guy and get a new title.


Toole

I am from Mississippi so I will check on the laws.  This was a learning mistake for sure.  We moved from a apartment to a home a few weeks after I bought the bike.  I lost the title in the move.  Live and learn, but will not happen again...
If I cannot contact the guy I bought it from, can I get the DMV pull up his name and address with the bike numbers?

Shane, I'd just call/e-mail/emit smoke signals/send out beach combers/etc. if you know his info.

If not, not sure if the DMV will give you that info.  Although I do not know the laws in MS, I'm sure there is some privacy thing.  The DMV might be able to contact him/her on your behalf though.

Quote from: shanne1020 on March 04, 2013, 12:57:09 AM
I am from Mississippi so I will check on the laws.  This was a learning mistake for sure.  We moved from a apartment to a home a few weeks after I bought the bike.  I lost the title in the move.  Live and learn, but will not happen again...
If I cannot contact the guy I bought it from, can I get the DMV pull up his name and address with the bike numbers?

every single time i've tried to do things by the book with the DMV, i ended up failing. even worse, they'll make it harder, tell you to be bonded, contact the old owner, all kinds of stupid shaZam!.

then, i learned from a friend, that a bill of sale is the ticket. WHEN YOU BUY ANYTHING WITH A TITLE, do a bill of sale. copy it. scan it. upload it to freaking youtube. just make sure you have the OWNERS INFORMATION, including phone number, address, age, drivers license number, all that junk.

THEN...

when you inevitably loose the title, or his uncle goes to jail and forgets he was supposed to mail it to you.... you have the bill of sale.

forge it and forget it. hate to say it, but it works and you won't spend 15 trips to the stupid DMV because some chick with 3" fingernails and a booger on her lip doesn't like your aftershave.

forge it. done.

bill of sale is effectively useless in michigan.

Quote from: PatheticPuma on March 04, 2013, 06:11:25 PM
bill of sale is effectively useless in michigan.

the point is, you have the sellers information, not the legality of the document. (copy, scan, upload, etc)

it has uses, when titles go wrong.

I just transferred the title for the $400 Ex500.

Just some things today: (Washington by the way)

1. Bill of sale not needed as the title has a place for selling price. If title doesn't, you need the bill of sale.
2. Tabs had expired 5 years ago. No penalty for that. I was asked if I wanted plates right now since the bill of sale said "as is. not running". If it was going to be a while before on te road, I can wait on tabs and get them later.
3. Penalty comes if you do not transfer TITLE within 15 days of the sale.
4. There was a "notice of sale" that the seller fills out. Not needed by me. The seller mails it in (if they want to) so the state knows they sold the vehicle. THAT DOES NOT RELEASE LIABILITY OF THE SELLER! Tickets and stuff still go to the registered owner until title transferred. Though that document COULD help the seller if you completed the transfer (and got tickets in the mean time).
5. My TS-185 is 40 years old so I can now re-register it not as a "Collector" bike but an "Antique" and put the original 1973 license plate on it.

REMEMBER #3! Penalties for NOT transferring title right away. TRANSFER TITLE ASAP AFTER A SALE! At least in WA, you do not need to pay for plates UNTIL you are ready to put the vehicle on the road.