Topic: Am I unreasonable

[Bankerdanny]

The Facebook ad below hit my feed this weekend. Randakk, who has gotten into SOHC bikes since he retired, had commented about the Vermont title or 'ride dirty' bit of the description and someone replied to him that the Vermont title was not a big deal. Which then lead to the comments in the 2nd photo.

My argument is that it is lazy to build a bike then not get the Vermont rego yourself if it didn't have a title when you got it. The person I am interacting with posts a brat 550 he did and supposedly sold to some sucker in Ohio for $10k without a title or Vermont registration.

Am I unreasonable to expect the seller of a supposedly finished or close to finished bike asking full market (or in the case of that 550 more than market in my opinion) to have jumped through the hoops to provide the buyer with readily transferrable ownership documents?

[ekpent]

 Well you have to be a fool to spend that kind of money on a bike that does not have good paperwork.Plenty around that do have things in order. I personally am not really too interested in bikes with no titles anymore unless the price is irresistible, the model is rare or the sum of the parts is worth more then the asking price.

[Kelly E]

That guy is just too lazy to get the title in order. He says it's no big deal so why didn't he get the title? We've only bought one bike with title issues. It's the 74' CB 550K0 and we managed to get a Washington title in my name. The seller had the title but never transferred it to his name. With a little wrangling we got it sorted out but never again.

[Bankerdanny]

That guy is just too lazy to get the title in order. He says it's no big deal so why didn't he get the title? We've only bought one bike with title issues. It's the 74' CB 550K0 and we managed to get a Washington title in my name. The seller had the title but never transferred it to his name. With a little wrangling we got it sorted out but never again.

This was my point. If you are too lazy to get the supposedly easy Vermont registration then what other corners did you cut during your 'build'

[carnivorous chicken]

Whenever I acquired a bike without a title I always got it registered before trying to sell it. I registered it before I started working on it to make sure it wasn't stolen. In MA I used the VT registration route, in AZ the abandoned vehicle title process. So yeah, I agree, the guy is lazy or cutting corners or hiding something, and in my opinion kind of dumb for working on something with unknown provenance.

[BenelliSEI]

Whenever I acquired a bike without a title I always got it registered before trying to sell it. I registered it before I started working on it to make sure it wasn't stolen. In MA I used the VT registration route, in AZ the abandoned vehicle title process. So yeah, I agree, the guy is lazy or cutting corners or hiding something, and in my opinion kind of dumb for working on something with unknown provenance.

I agree! I never start on a project until it’s clearly and cleanly in my name. Got burned once, +40 years ago. Never again.

[tourmax]

I wouldn't touch it without legal title.

Without that, you have no idea if the bike is stolen, a write off, etc. Be the worst day if you show up to register it in your name and the vin comes back "stolen". Good-bye money, good-bye bike and hello to a possible criminal charge for possession of stolen goods. No thank you.

No title - I walk away. Period.

Guys try that crap around here because if they have too many vehicles pass through their hands in a year, DMV will give you a good hard look to see if you're acting as a dealer without a dealer license. The last thing you want is to pop up on the DMV's radar as "questionable".

No title to me means nothing more than a parts bike purchase price, if I want to deal with it at all.

And what kind of numpty pays 10g for a stripped down "Brat-ized" 550?  That's just ridiculous. Has to fall into the "more money than brains" category.

The other one at 2500? WTH?

Maybe, maybe if the engine is freshly rebuilt and the rest of the bike is distressed but all there. That thing is a 500 dollar machine at best......

[Stev-o]

The Facebook ad below hit my feed this weekend.

Danny - the screenshot you posted states the bike is $2500 obo? 

I've bought bikes with no titles, always priced accordingly, fairly simple in TX to get a title.

[carnivorous chicken]

I've bought bikes with no titles, always priced accordingly, fairly simple in TX to get a title.

I should add that when I've bought bikes without titles, the price reflects that. And the seller's story and demeanor help. I've walked away from sketchy stuff, but never been burned by buying a stolen, non-titled bike. And yep, the ease to get a title varies state to state. An abandoned vehicle title in AZ is super easy and cheap, they just try to track down the previous owner with a registered letter to the last known address. I sent a letter to an address that was an apartment but that had been torn down to make a new development -- got the title a couple weeks later.

What I don't understand are the states that make it super difficult -- some, I believe, don't recognize a VT registration (you get a regitration, not a title, as VT doesn't title old bikes). Or thinking of California, that charge back fees for bikes that have been off the road for ages (although I don't know much about this...).

[Alan F.]

Yes, it's lazy of the seller not to get a VT reg in his name.

300cc and above you need a Law Enforcement Officer to verify the Vin# and write that up on official letterhead to send in with your forms and check.

There's a definable reason he wouldn't get a VT Reg in his name, lazy maybe but it could be other reasons.

[grcamna2]

Yes, it's lazy of the seller not to get a VT reg in his name.

300cc and above you need a Law Enforcement Officer to verify the Vin# and write that up on official letterhead to send in with your forms and check.

There's a definable reason he wouldn't get a VT Reg in his name, lazy maybe but it could be other reasons.

+1

[ekpent]

Michigan used to be a piece of cake getting a title, little more difficult now especially if the bike has a high book value. I think you can get an appraisal also from a licensed broker which helps if you know the right people and don't rely on NADA.