Topic: Easiest way I've found to title in CA

[camelman]

Title lien sale agencies can take care of all the paperwork for $50 or less per motorcycle. They can even perform the VIN inspection so you do not have to go to the highway patrol office. Try a google search to find someone in your area or PM me if are looking for someone in the Bay Area.

Camelman

[Tews19]

Title lien sale agencies can take care of all the paperwork for $50 or less per motorcycle. They can even perform the VIN inspection so you do not have to go to the highway patrol office. Try a google search to find someone in your area or PM me if are looking for someone in the Bay Area.

Camelman

What is a title lien sale agency?

[ksteve]

They can even perform the VIN inspection so you do not have to go to the highway patrol office.

Camelman

It's a myth that you have to go to the highway patrol office for VIN check in Calif. And it's dead-simple to get a non-titled bike titled at DMV yourself. I did it a few months ago.

Call you local police non-emergency line and ask to drop by with your bike for a vin check. If it isn't running, ask to have the duty patrol officer drop by, check your bike's vin, and fill out the form.

In my case, the cop came by and filled out the form for free. My bike had no battery, no tank, no seat, no brakes, no back wheel (all that stuff was on workbench). No problem. Then I took the completed form to the DMV along with the title form and had a new title in less than an hour.

Just make sure you do the VIN check form BEFORE you go to DMV and make sure the cop fills out EVERY SINGLE BOX (including the one that asks for "number of axles."). Then you fill out the separate title form and go to DMV and get your title on the spot. (If you go to the DMV first and can't bring the bike, then they will check the box requiring you to go to the CHP.)

[camelman]

ksteve, thanks for writing that up.  I've actually gone that route in the past, but no longer have a car/truck to transport my bikes, so the lien sale is my easiest option.

A lien sale can be completed by anyone.  Posession is the majority of ownership in this state, so you can claim storage fees, unpaid service fees, etc. and use those costs to file for a lien sale, which is contingent upon non-payment of those items.  I believe there is a minimum time that you must allow the prior owner to pay the lien, but after that you can apply for a title on the vehicle.

Put more simpley, if someone abandons a vehicle on your property, and you charge a dailiy storage rate, then when the accrual of those storage fees exceed the value of the vehicle, you can apply for a lien sale.  This method can also be used for bikes you purchase that do not have titles. 

Camelman

[ksteve]

Put more simpley, if someone abandons a vehicle on your property, and you charge a dailiy storage rate, then when the accrual of those storage fees exceed the value of the vehicle, you can apply for a lien sale.  This method can also be used for bikes you purchase that do not have titles. 

Camelman

Ah, ok, that's a different approach, and very interesting!