Why so many "No Title" bikes listed for sale?

[Buffalo Bill]

We look through adds everyday and see decent condition bikes listed at a reasonable price, but the description ends with "no title".
I bought one of these and hit the brick wall trying to get it licensed.
I was lucky to find a stripped frame with a title and transferred every component onto the titled frame.
What is the back story of why so many bikes have no title?

 

[LAB3]

You see that A LOT in states where the people are too ignorant to be able to babysit a piece of paper and getting a replacement can be a pain. Up in Michigan it's pretty simple to get a replacement title and doesn't take much time at all.

Theft makes the most sense but to tell you the truth anyone that's too lazy or stupid to take care of something so simple isn't getting my money anyhow, fixing previous "repairs" being my main concern. I prefer to do business with fully functional adults.

 

[gustovh]

I have two untitled bikes, one with a replacement frame in the wings. The other was given to me so free was good price for it. Now I write an explanation of how I came in possession of said bike and request a title. Then it’s a waiting game…just takes time, and am about to do that for my 650 Savage, 2000 vintage.

V

 

[chuck hahn]

Here in OK you get papers from county clerk, take picture of VIN and fill out a description of how you got it, and have a notorised bill of sale. Buddies wife is a notary and she will notorise toilet paper for me. Take it all in and 2 weeks later get judge signed order and pay 175 bucks. Take judges papers to tag office and the bike for visual VIN verification and they issue the title in your name. Its just the time factor. You have to pick a day to leave work an hour early to make it to the courthouse in time.

 

[Nessism]

Most of the "lost title" bikes I've seen are old. Parked in a garage and forgotten about, for decades, sometimes. Maybe the owner died? Bike abandoned at a rental by the previous owner. Lots of reasons...

 

[rphillips]

I'm with ED... I knew where the title was back when I parked it out in the shed 13 yrs ago, Uhhhh let me see if I can find it

 

[gustovh]

Well the lady that gave me the savage, bought it new, put around 250 miles on it and for some reason parked it in the back of the garage for the next 23 years. The tank rotted during that time and got tossed. I picked it up in the back of my Explorer and took it home…..free. 20 minutes after unloading I had it running.

Now that the weather is getting better, getting up to getting it tagged. My other bikes are getting too tall as I shrink with age. Yeeehaaaa

V

 

[rphillips]

Not sure of your details Gustov, but you probably know the lady for her to give you a bike. Should be easy for her to apply for lost (duplicate) title and get a replacement. Then just transfer it over to you. Few yrs. back I bought a KZ1300 turbo that hadn't been titled (registered) by the past 2 owners, luckily I knew the 3rd owner back who was the last guy that had registered it. I got him to apply for and get a lost title, then just signed it over to me. I do realize different states have different ways of doing this kind of stuff... Hope all works out for you.

 

[Buffalo Bill]

Is this story plausible?
Young man buys a new bike but can't keep up with payments. So he sells or trades it to a friend, then claims it was stolen.
Bike is traded a few more times. Listed again with no title, looking for a trade.

 

[rphillips]

Sounds rather out of line... My first real bike, a "77" GS750, a friend bought it, but couldn't keep up the payments. I paid him nothing, just took over the payments, transferred registration (title) to me... It'd been hard for him to report it stolen as it was registered to me.

 

[oldGSfan]

Here in OK you get papers from county clerk, take picture of VIN and fill out a description of how you got it, and have a notorised bill of sale. Buddies wife is a notary and she will notorise toilet paper for me. Take it all in and 2 weeks later get judge signed order and pay 175 bucks. Take judges papers to tag office and the bike for visual VIN verification and they issue the title in your name. Its just the time factor. You have to pick a day to leave work an hour early to make it to the courthouse in time.

I got my $150 Norton N15CS with no paperwork, The CA DMV got a hit on the VIN (119799) from OK. CA DMV said clear that with OK and take to the CHP to do a theft check. So I looked online and OK has a service where you request a record check. It cost $1. I sent them the form with a $1 check and about a week and a half later I got a letter saying it matched some farm equipment. Smooth sailing with the CHP and DMV after that!

 

[gustovh]

Not sure of your details Gustov, but you probably know the lady for her to give you a bike. Should be easy for her to apply for lost (duplicate) title and get a replacement. Then just transfer it over to you. Few yrs. back I bought a KZ1300 turbo that hadn't been titled (registered) by the past 2 owners, luckily I knew the 3rd owner back who was the last guy that had registered it. I got him to apply for and get a lost title, then just signed it over to me. I do realize different states have different ways of doing this kind of stuff... Hope all works out for you.

I never met the lady before I got the phone call out of the blue. My nephew gave her my number, he was doing an energy audit for her when she tried to give it to him. When I got the call, if I didn’t take it it was going to the curb with a free sign. Pretty hard to say no to that.

V

 

[rphillips]

Aw, just me assuming again, of course I had no clue about you got it. Glad you're getting it sorted, hopefully the paperwork will be something reasonable...Good luck.

 

[tlg1100]

I remember back in mid to late 80's , guy around the whole motorcycle scene bought a bike that looked like a 1150 from a distance, but up close, the frame was 1100 frame, everything else was off of a 1150.

Motor, forks, swing arm ,all body parts. All off a 1150, title said 81 gs 1100 e

He bought it for 1500, he drove it around for a year, quite a big following of bikes like the kz,'s the gpz, the gs's back then, but everyone was questioning what was up with his bike.

Police showed up at his work one day, his story checked out, but the bike did not.

The frame title was legit, last owner , I was told licensed the title and frame last in southern Indiana.

Unfortunately the motor, and or some other identifying parts came back to 85 or 86 1150 ? That was stolen from a motorcycle race parking lot in Peoria Illinois

The guy that was visited by police at his work was about 21 at the time and didn't get in any trouble , but the police took the bike.

I always wonder if anyone did get in trouble over it.

Did the police track down previous owners of the frame?

The 1150 had to have been fairly new at the time it was stolen.

 

[rphillips]

I'd have never of thought it... Easy to tell those parts didn't come with that "81" GS1100E, but don't see a way to know who's, or which GS1150 the parts came from. Eng. is only thing with a #, the # would tell from a GS1150 but I never remember hearing of anybody, even Suzuki, keeping up with which eng. # went on which Serial # bike... But we all know there's a lot I don't know!!!

 

[Rob S.]

In the early 1980s a group of neighborhood kids were riding a custom BSA up and down the block. They boasted that it was stolen. When the ringleader, my next door neighbor, started to store it overnight in the backyard, I told him to get it out of there.
A few days later I heard it was being kept in a lot down the block and verified this for myself. When the police came, they were very wary of following me a quarter mile through heavy underbrush after dark. When we found the bike and started pushing it out, they asked me if I could start it and ride it out. I would have been delighted to, but I figured I'd need a key.

I was quite proud of myself as we waited for the owner to arrive. I figured he'd reward me with a hearty handshake and maybe offer to let me take it around the block a few times.
He was none too glad to see his bike, a beautiful BSA with custom paint and chrome 2-into-1 exhaust.
"I'd already decided what I was going to buy with the insurance payout," he said. (That Honda twin that was configured like a Moto Guzzi.) Dork!

No good deed goes unpunished. And FYI: a toggle switch on a side cover turned the ignition on.

 

[trevor]

No problem here in BC.....

 

[tlg1100]

I'd have never of thought it... Easy to tell those parts didn't come with that "81" GS1100E, but don't see a way to know who's, or which GS1150 the parts came from. Eng. is only thing with a #, the # would tell from a GS1150 but I never remember hearing of anybody, even Suzuki, keeping up with which eng. # went on which Serial # bike... But we all know there's a lot I don't know!!!

The bike I'm Talking about, from a distance looked like a 1150.
Every thing was 1150, except the frame.

All I know is what the guy who was in possession of the bike when cops took it.

He worked at a jiffy lube, I was at a friend's house when he got a call from another guy that the cops were at the jiffy lube.

So we had to drive by and watch, it was several month before he told us they had found out about the 1150's history.

 

[rphillips]

Wasn't doubting that happened, I's just scratching my head as to how they would know that tank, meters, fenders, seat, side covers, wheels, came from that particular stolen bike? Unless the owner of the stolen bike had marked each individual part of his 1150, possible but I've not heard of anybody doing that.

 

[Vmass]

Not a title issue or a stolen bike issue but several years ago I bought a CB1100F from California and had it shipped to me in Boston. It arrived during a blizzard and I just put it aside. Several months later I looked it over and discovered it had a 900F engine.......