Buying a bike with no pink slip

Laws are different from state to state.

Where do you live?

First, find out through the dmv if that bike has ever been titled in California. If not,then there is a form at the dmv, an affidavit, that you can fill out stating that the owner did not have a title to give to you. You should also have a law enforcment official run a VIN check and give you some kind of form stating it is not a stolen vehicle (even though your friend has had it for years, it's an older bike so a complete history would be best). With those forms and your bill of sale, you should be able to apply for title. Post again as to how your progress is going. If it ends up being titled in another state 20 years ago and the CA dmv doesn't seem to explain what needs to be done, I'll keep an eye out for this thread and see what the next step will be.

goodluck!

In theory, not having a title for an off-road dirt bike shouldn't keep you from selling it later. But when it's an older bike that's changed hands several times, some buyers will get nervous. I didn't title a new KTM I bought new several years ago and didn't have any problem selling it, but I have a suspicion that my pool of buyers was a little smaller without the title.

Getting a title for a bike that's never been titled...not sure how that works.

KaTooMer said:

In theory, not having a title for an off-road dirt bike shouldn't keep you from selling it later. But when it's an older bike that's changed hands several times, some buyers will get nervous. I didn't title a new KTM I bought new several years ago and didn't have any problem selling it, but I have a suspicion that my pool of buyers was a little smaller without the title.

Getting a title for a bike that's never been titled...not sure how that works.

Click to expand...

Sounds like when you purchased your KTM you were given an MCO (manufacters certificate of origin). With that form, you can title in any state w/ no issues. Some states don't require titleing at all. In those states, usually the MCO changes hands many times until the bike does require titleing.