Topic: Bike Title Question - RESOLVED :)

[liPPy]

I bought a bike with a matching title.

The title has the original owners (ie not the person I bought the bike from) details and signature in the transfer section on the back which is undated.

The PO told me this is how he received it and that I should simply fill in the odometer reading and date it and that I'll be fine. This seemed to make perfect sense at the time but now I want to transfer the title to my name I want to be sure I don't trip myself up!

Will I run into issues if I do as described?

From what I can gather this appears to be a fairly common occurrence but I would rather be safe than sorry.

I'm in Illinois by the way as was the original owner so the title is not being transferred out of state.

[Untold]

I had the same situation in Massachusetts.  I filled out the title with my info as buyer, and (shhh) forged a bill of sale just for good measure. Good luck

[Eydugstr]

If the title was notarized, don't think they'd blink an eye at it, and just run it on through (the notary stamped signaling that the title holder was the seller).  At least that's how it works in KS.

If you're on good terms with your local dealer, they might even be nice enough to notarize a bill of sale for, regardless (more shhing sounds)

[liPPy]

Looking at the DMV website it looks like in Illinois no Bill Of Sale is required:

"If the original Certificate of Title exists, it is used instead of a bill of sale in Illinois when a vehicle is bought or sold. The owner of the vehicle (the seller) signs off on the back of the old title, and this serves as proof of the sale. The filled-out title should include full names and addresses, as well as all pertinent vehicle identification information."
http://www.dmv.org/il-illinois/bill-of-sale.php

I can't see any reason why I wouldn't be okay to just go ahead and date it and fill in my own info?

[lucky]

What state?

[aperry]

I did this in MA recently.  Bought the bike a year ago, registered it a couple of months ago.  The seller and I left the date blank when we transferred the title last year.  In MA if you register a vehicle too late after purchasing it, you get fined.  But this state really likes to fine people!

[Sniper X]

If no bill of sale is required, AND the other buyer didn't sign it. All you need to do is put the odo at the time of YOUR purchase. And you sign it as the buyer and fill out pertinent information like odo, address and purchase date. When it is a double transfer, it can get sticky because that means the guy you bought it from signed the title but never transfered it to his name so he needs to do that before you get the new title from him and do like I said. But in this case, if he never signed it (the guy uoi got it from) all you do is sign date addy and odo the title and go get a plate.

[Eydugstr]

Looking at the DMV website it looks like in Illinois no Bill Of Sale is required:

"If the original Certificate of Title exists, it is used instead of a bill of sale in Illinois when a vehicle is bought or sold. The owner of the vehicle (the seller) signs off on the back of the old title, and this serves as proof of the sale. The filled-out title should include full names and addresses, as well as all pertinent vehicle identification information."
http://www.dmv.org/il-illinois/bill-of-sale.php

I can't see any reason why I wouldn't be okay to just go ahead and date it and fill in my own info?

Okay, hope this helps...but how old is the title?  Does the title form look the same as other titles you have on vehicles you've bought more recently?

One thing that did happen to me one time...Kansas has a similar law, but that law is pertinent to when that title was issued.  What happened to me was that the PO was the original owner in 1972.  The title form looked different, and back then it required a notarized bill of sale as well as the notarized title.  Because it was a KS title, went in thinking that all I needed was the notarized title from the seller and that was it, but wound up needing to get a notarized bill of sale, because of the older title form.

[afkrejci90]

My experience with the DMV in Illinois, less than pleasurable.  You might get someone that is willing to help you, instead I got pages of paperwork to fill out.

[liPPy]

So I needn't have worried.

I took the title to the DMV office yesterday and 15 minutes and $159 later I was holding new license plates and a registration sticker in my hand.

Easy as that.

Thanks to all that replied.

[bjatwood]

My title was exactly like that also, but from out of State (WI)
The PO I bought the bike from here in NE never signed it. So I went to the DMV
had to do a Sheriffs inspection on the VIN number and title. (was missing a 0 on the title too!) The Sheriff made a written notation on the inspection certificate about the missing (0) Thought I was going to have trouble at the clerks office about it. She looked at it, I told her the Sheriff thought it was a typo. She said OK and a new title was in my name! Whew talk about nervous.....

[ChuckG750f1]

So I needn't have worried.

I took the title to the DMV office yesterday and 15 minutes and $159 later I was holding new license plates and a registration sticker in my hand.

Easy as that.

Thanks to all that replied.

It's such a relief to walk away from DMV with a bike securely in your name and all the vagaries of a bureaucracy behind you.  Congratulations!

[Rigid]

No one has called it what it is commonly known as, "open title"  illegal to possess in most states but not enforced in any I have dealt with.  By the time the Indiana BMV sees it, it is filled out.