New To Track Day Riding

[Garrison]

You don't have to title a bike if it isn't for road use.

[rk97]

Originally Posted by Garrison

You don't have to title a bike if it isn't for road use.

not true.

You can't (legally) sell something that isn't (legally) yours.

road use is the only way anyone would ever CHECK that you owned the bike, but that doesn't mean it's not technically required. Uncle Sam wants his tax $ every time the bike changes ownership.

[Garrison]

Right, and I've been scammed out of about $2500 on something like that, so I know.

I'm just saying, you don't have to title a bike if you aren't planning on using it for road use; Uncle Sam can draw succulently upon my scrotum if he thinks I'm paying a dime to him for my race bike.

If you're selling it though, best go ahead and title it about 2 weeks prior to putting it up so you can get a title back in your name.

[NoBull]

Originally Posted by Garrison

If you're selling it though, best go ahead and title it about 2 weeks prior to putting it up so you can get a title back in your name.

With that logic, since we're all selling the bike at some point, why not title it as soon as you buy it?

If you don't title it in your name you can't really sell it as a free and clear title. At that point it basically has no title and is Bill of Sale only. You can hand over the paper that says title with somebody elses name on it, but it's going to be a big PITA for the new owner to ever retitle it in his name since the Bill of Sale with his name on it doesn't have the name of the title owner on it.

[Garrison]

Originally Posted by NoBull

With that logic, since we're all selling the bike at some point, why not title it as soon as you buy it?

If you don't title it in your name you can't really sell it as a free and clear title. At that point it basically has no title and is Bill of Sale only. You can hand over the paper that says title with somebody elses name on it, but it's going to be a big PITA for the new owner to ever retitle it in his name since the Bill of Sale with his name on it doesn't have the name of the title owner on it.

Hence why I said to title it before you sell it. So it does have a clean title...

And speaking of logic, yes, I don't want to pay taxes on a vehicle that I own and do not use on public (taxpayer) roads. I don't owe the government shit if I'm not utilizing their services, and they'll get their sales tax when I go to title it prior to sale. Everybody wins.

[gxerfan]

you do not need to go and register the bike that will just get you a new title. there are multiple spots on the title to sign owner-seller if you sign both youve given up ownership of the bike so his title will have old owner signed owner-seller portions and he would sign under the owner portion he can now sell that bike sign the seller portion right across from owner and new owner would sign the spot under his as owner--that is all ownership proof you need and no you do NOT have to register it if it is only used for track purposes

[ridemc64]

[Bucket List Rider]

Whew!!!! Thanks for the hearty debate. I now have a new saying..." Uncle Sam can draw succulently upon my scrotum if he thinks I'm paying a dime to him for my race bike." Classic...

Bike still available. Willing to meet buyer within a 3 hour drive.

[ZLTFUL]

Originally Posted by gxerfan

you do not need to go and register the bike that will just get you a new title. there are multiple spots on the title to sign owner-seller if you sign both youve given up ownership of the bike so his title will have old owner signed owner-seller portions and he would sign under the owner portion he can now sell that bike sign the seller portion right across from owner and new owner would sign the spot under his as owner--that is all ownership proof you need and no you do NOT have to register it if it is only used for track purposes

From first hand experience I can tell you that this is not true in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Had a pair of bikes I bought from a guy in Illinois (FZR400 and FZR600 if it matters). He had bought both bikes from a dealership in Wisconsin and never titled or registered them as he used them for track use only. I bought them with the intentions of doing the same.
Original owner had bought them both and recieved signed titles from the dealership. When I bought the bikes, the guy I bought them from signed the title in both the buyer spot in the top section and then the seller spot in the "First Reassignment" section.

I immediately signed the title in the buyer spot in the "First Reassignment" section.

Skip ahead to 2 years later. I have a couple of other bikes and these were just gathering dust so I post both of them up and a nice guy from Minnesota comes down to Iowa to look them over. He likes what he sees and decides to buy them. His intention is to put both bikes back in street trim and ride them...

So I signed the seller spot in the "Second Reassignment" section and he signs the buyer spot in the same. And he is off to enjoy his bikes.

4 or 5 days later I get a call from my bank letting me know that the $4800 cashier's check I deposited has a hold on it. Later that same day i recieve a call from the now unhappy new owner explaining to me that he can't title the bikes without a bill of sale and a new title signed only by the original owner (in this case the dealer in Wisconsin).

So I contact them...they tell me I need to contact the first owner and have him contact the dealership and sign a release. Then I have to pay for a duplicate title to be issued and then the dealership will sign it and send it to me. Once I have it, I can just not sign it and hand it over to the new owner and he will release the check sitting in a holding pattern in my bank at that time.

So 2 or 3 weeks later, I FINALLY get a call from the dealer saying that they have recieved the title and they will be signing it and sending it to me.

I get the title, and meet the guy halfway to pass it over to him. He releases the hold on the check and after almost a month everyone is happy.

The point I am trying to make here is that the spots on the back of the title to "sign owner-seller" and buyer are not for private party transactions. They are dealer reassignments. Only licensed auto or moto dealers can "reassign" a title without transferring it. Otherwise, it is each buyer's responsibility to transfer the title into their name.

Now this is a completely moot point if the bike is going to spend its entire life on track but if you EVER have even a slight feeling that you MAY put it back on the street at some time, you better have a title and you better transfer it into your name when you do.

Registration is another matter all together. The registration is an annual renewal of your "allowance" to use the vehicle on the street. You are not required to register the vehicle but the title dictates "official" ownership. Not a bill of sale and certainly not the 15 signatures on the back of the title from the 7 previous owners who never transferred it into their names.

All of this has been verified after the fact by my dad who has been a used car dealer in the state of Iowa for 37 years, his friend who is the assistant director of the Iowa DOT, and my own personal experiences trying to get the issue resolved.

Laws vary from state to state but there is a general consensus in matters such as titling vehicles where the commonalities are far greater than the differences.


NOW, all of that being said, FREE BUMP!!!!!

[rk97]

^ add Ohio to that list of states where this is the case. I'm in the exact situation as ZLTFUL's buyer. I have the WI title from the dealership, the signatures of the two previous owners of my bike, and all that gets me is proof that my bike isn't stolen. I will still have to sell it as "no title."