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phantomdragonz · Aug 3, 2007, 02:30 AM

OK, I am buying a motorcycle, the seller has a "satisfaction of lein" form, but DOES NOT have the title, he said he is in the process of getting a new one. This is for the state of colorado.

I have a fair amount of trust in the seller, but how do I cover my back? I do not plan on paying anything near the selling price of the bike till I get the title, MAYBE a few hundred dollers as a down payment, but i would at least need a bill of sale to do even that...

My questions:

What is standard protocol in this situation?
Will a bill of sale allow me to get a title if he gets lazy and never gets one?
What can I do to make sure I get the title?

PLEASE dont tell me to just walk away from this, GIVE ME OPTIONS or opinions!, I know it's sketchy I will not buy it if the seller weirds me out...

any help would be appreciated!

Zach

turtle777 · Aug 3, 2007, 02:33 AM

Wait till he produces the title.

If you buy it and he was never the rightful owner, then you wouldn't acquire sh!t.
I'm not sure if you can somehow track the cycle's past with it's ID or so...

-t

phantomdragonz · Aug 3, 2007, 02:40 AM

Originally Posted by turtle777

I'm not sure if you can somehow track the cycle's past with it's ID or so...

I would imagine if it's registered to him and his name then it would be his, I also plan on doing a VIN check on the bike...

Zach

Buckaroo · Aug 3, 2007, 03:24 AM

Ask if he'll let you take it with a $200 deposit and the balance when he produces the title.

I remember many years ago, when I sold one of my first houses. The new owner wanted to owe me $6,000 for stuff I offered to leave behind, like a Satellite dish, pool and shed. Anyhow, I agreed only if he'd let me be the lien holder on his truck. He agreed, and I agreed to 12% interest along with the condition that he would only pay the interest for several years and pay a lump some of the balance approx. 3 years later. Since I had the title to his truck, I didn't mind. I received interest payments for 2 years and a $3,000 payment towards the principle and then the payments stopped.

A year later, I got a call from some guy asking me to release the lien so he could register it. I told him are you crazy, and who are you? He told me the previous owner sold it to him and he wants to register it. I told him when I got the balance of the money, $3,000 plus interest I'd release it. I eventually received the balance of the money and I was willing to sign the release, but he disappeared. I don't know what happened to the knew owner. I still have that title, I didn't know where to send it.

goMac · Aug 3, 2007, 04:07 AM

This reminds me a bit of my girlfriends car. It got stolen, and she has the title. The kicker is the van had a temporary license. I know that the thieves probably put fake plates on it if they are going to sell it, but you'd think sooner or later somebody is going to want the title, or want to license it, and it's going to be flagged in the system.

The other more obvious situation is the van may have gotten parted. It hasn't turned up though, whatever is left of it...

Rumor · Aug 3, 2007, 05:15 AM

Check with the Department of Motor Vehicles (or your version of it) and see if he is the registered owner.

Sherman Homan · Aug 3, 2007, 06:40 AM

I don't anything about Colorado, but in Massachusetts you can get a replacement title. After all, the title existed at one time. The VIN and the owner's info are already on file. The biggest problem is wading into the DMV.

Aeternus · Aug 3, 2007, 10:07 AM

Replacement titles for bikes are a HUGE GIGANTIC pain in the ass in Wisconsin. Just don't even bother. Tell him to get a title for it, or don't bother. Titling a bike here costs over $200.

OldManMac · Aug 3, 2007, 11:19 AM

Find another motorcycle.

amazing · Aug 3, 2007, 11:24 AM

Either he produces the title, or there's no sale.

There's no way around the fact that he has to have the title. He won't be able to sell it to anyone else, either, so that's just what the seller has to do.

Go look for another bike in the meantime.

phantomdragonz · 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by Aeternus

Replacement titles for bikes are a HUGE GIGANTIC pain in the ass in Wisconsin. Just don't even bother. Tell him to get a title for it, or don't bother. Titling a bike here costs over $200.

EDIT: I am talking about TIRES, not titles here, I mis-read the post...
actually it's not really that bad, they are expensive (about $100-200 a piece) and only cost $30 to mount and balance at my local motorcycle dealer.

to put the title in my name on my last bike it was $30, insurance was $30 A YEAR and registration was $17 A YEAR...

it's really not that bad here in CO... But I have no idea how a lost title would be handled, I assume it's just a show ID and they match it with the system, and re-issue the title...

Zach

Aeternus · Aug 3, 2007, 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by phantomdragonz

actually it's not really that bad, they are expensive (about $100-200 a piece) and only cost $30 to mount and balance at my local motorcycle dealer.

to put the title in my name on my last bike it was $30, insurance was $30 A YEAR and registration was $17 A YEAR...

it's really not that bad here in CO...

Zach

You 'mount and balance' titles? WTF?

Dakarʒ · Aug 3, 2007, 01:58 PM

You don't want the title to get thrown way out of alignment.

phantomdragonz · Aug 3, 2007, 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by Aeternus

You 'mount and balance' titles? WTF?

dangit... I read that as TIRES! DOH!

Zach

Aeternus · Aug 3, 2007, 02:16 PM

ohhhhhh. Okay. I was wondering if you were

turtle777 · Aug 3, 2007, 02:26 PM

So, thr thread tire should read

"HELP: buying a motorcycle, seller has no tires!"

-t

KeriVit · Aug 3, 2007, 02:38 PM

I think the answer is really rather simple. Don't buy the bike til he gets a title. Why would you do otherwise? What's the risk in waiting? Who else would buy it out from under you without a title?

Really, if you end up not getting it, then it was not meant to be.

phantomdragonz · Aug 3, 2007, 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by KeriVit

I think the answer is really rather simple. Don't buy the bike til he gets a title. Why would you do otherwise? What's the risk in waiting? Who else would buy it out from under you without a title?

Really, if you end up not getting it, then it was not meant to be.

This is the conclusion I have come to...

Zach

Rumor · Aug 3, 2007, 02:45 PM

It's simple, go to the DMV with him and sort it out there. If he is the registered owner, the DMV can initate a transfer of title.

Rev-O · Aug 3, 2007, 06:45 PM

What kind of momo are you looking at?

d4nth3m4n · Aug 3, 2007, 10:11 PM

even if you did wait for the title, you'd be stupid to ride the thing with his registration while you have a down payment in his hands.

make sure that no money changes hands until he has a title in hand. no deal on a bike is worth this risk. there's too many of them out there. especially in states with snow.