Hey All,
If ya'll have been reading any of my posts, ya'll know that I am a def a new owner... which now is a good time to add, that I appreciate everyones help and the education I have been recieving in these forums about these bikes.
Recently I have purchased from a 1981 Yamaha XJ650 Maxim.. I love the bike.. but i have a problem... I purchased it knowing it was a "lost title".
Which may be the reason I got the bike for such a "good deal" on Ebay. $117.50
With only 10,310 miles, not bad considering its been in dry storage for the past 15 years and hasent run in 12. Last week i took the carbs off, cleaned them, put fresh gas in the tank, changed the worthless battery, new spark plugs and sure enough it fired right up and ran until i stopped it. I have only a few more things to do before being completely road worthy.. One of those is title and registration.
Doh! <_<
Ok, first question... Does anyone know where i can do a little research on Yamaha Motorcycle VINs? Like Carfax... but for bikes? Id love to know a little history about my bike if it exists.
Ok.. lil more history,... I purchased this on ebay as mentioned above... I live in NC.. I baught it from NY... 830 miles... the seller said it came from his Dad's friend that wanted to get it out of his back garage to make a lil room. Title, long gone.. i said fine, what the heck, and won the auction and baught a cheep bike hoping its not "hot".
Second question... Has anyone ever filed for a lost title? How do you do so.. Which state do i need to file it for? Since it originally came from PA do i need to get a copy of the old title from the PA DMV or can i simply fill out a lost title form with the NC DMV? Confusing stuff..
I assume i have to fill out the PA DMV lost title paperwork... wait two weeks to get it, and then i can go to the NC DMV to complete registration.. sound about right?
When it comes to a carb... i can rebuild it with my eyes closed, when it comes to paperwork.... im the type of guy that asks... wheres a match?
Thanks friends in advance for any ideas, suggestions, advice, or answers..
ok here's my opinion on the sitution. 1--see if you can get a law enforcement officer to run the vin thru a national database if it's hot, boom it should hit then. @if sold on e-bay wont they go after the seller also? 2 in my state [unknown where the bike was] with a truck i bought it was a little messy. i had to have the other party sign a notorized power of attorney for the vehicle,then file for a lost title. then pay the taxes for the truck in his name [ i didnt care i wanted the truck bad] the pay to get two titles [one in his that he lost then mine].
$6.00 notary republic [two titles notorized ,1 power of attnory]
$20.00 two titles
vehicle taxes--depends on price of vehicle--for 2
so if the bikes nice you should have an under $500 bike +transport hope this makes sense and gives you an idea, mine was in my state so i only wasted $20 in gas and 1 day out of my life.
The best way to have it check for stolen or not was mentioned earlier. Take the vin to your local cop shop and have them do a trace on it. While there, I would check on the local abandonment laws. You can try to get the owner info while there as well but this may prove ineffective. If none of this works, you might want to check in Georgia. A title is not required there, just a bill of sale to obtain the title but this might be a little slow to use. It took me about 4 months to go that route but I got my title.
Mike
Here in Texas I just needed the bill of sale. I was able to apply for and received a new title in about 30 minutes from my local Department of Motor Vehicles. I think the process really varies from state to state so check with your DMV in your state. They should be able to guide you in the right direction.