I am new to the Forum, and i have a question that hopefully somebody can help me out with. I have a 1950 Pan that I am trying to register in California that of course, i would like to get a HD title on and not a Special Construction. This has proven to be rather difficult. heres some history, where Im at on it, and some things Ive learned so far. Bike was bought not running out of Texas. The cases are in great condition with 50FL Vins stamped on them. The Frame had no VIN. Bike had no title. I have a Bill of Sale. I have a defective title Bond for the engine that represents the 50FL Vin. On First DMV attempt, of course they sent me to the CHP to for Verification. Prior to 1970 Harley did not put VINS on the Frame, and the Engine number therefor represented the Vin. After a month long argument with the CHP, that the VIN on the Engine should represent the VIN for the bike (bc of the year). The CHP decided to release it with A CA Blue Sticker and decided to SPCNS the bike. According to the DMV Code a SPCNS vehicle is "A homemade, Specially Constructed Vehicle...made From new or Used Parts.....That when reconstructed doe not resemble the original make of the vehicle that was dismantled" and gives the example "A VW beetle with MOdified fenders, engine compartment lid, front end, but still recognizable as a VW is NOT considered a SPCNS". The DMV is insisting that it is a SPCNS, and even went so far as to say that the Bond and paperwork are incorrect bc the 50FL# is not the VIN number and that the CA Blue Sticker # is the Vin number, with the manager telling me "we don't register engines, we register vehicles"....Any advice before get stuck with a "0000 SPCNS" on my title instead of 1950 HD????

 

If the CHP has already blu-tagged it, DMV will only use the blue tag for registration purposes.

Bill of sale? from whom? Track down the previous owner (yeah texas is a long way off but so is SPCN panhead as far as value goes) and find out if it can be registered first there and do a title transfer.

Not sure what a defective title bond means?

Course you might be running behind the curve because CHP has already decided that it is SPCN. need to go back to them and get that changed or you are stuck with a 2013 SPCN bike.

 

Wellp, you were right. Titled as a "0000" spcns. But i learned alot for the future. First, according to the ca dmv, and chp, the frame is what makes the vehicle. So in the future, make sure that if you have a pre-1970 harley, without a stamped frame, do as many have suggested and take it to a trophy shop and rivet a matching # vin plate to it. Then take it to the chp for verification, so they dont have a fit (since they dont have a clue) and have it verified. Dmv will only go off of what the chp tells them (and i argued to the very end with them, no changing there minds there, even though they cant provide you with a reason why, other than "thats the way it is". If that bike would have a had a matching number frame/engine, it would be a 1950 hd, instead of 0000 spcns. So hopefully this will help out other people in the future so they dont have the same problem. If anybody else is having similar problems, let me know and ill let you know some of the road blocks/answers/ and cluelessness that i ran into. And do your homework before you start the process. Have all your ducks in a row before you walk into a dmv or chp office the very first time.

 

I had a similar experience back in the 70's but with a different result. I got a basket case panhead from my brother that had 57 numbers on a 60's motor. When I got the bike put together and took it to the CHP they kept it for days because they thought the motor was hot. When I explained that the motor was crashed and the cases replaced with paperwork they attached an assigned identification number blue plate to the neck of the frame. Even though the VIN # is the assigned number, the title shows the year 1957 the year stamped on the case.
That was a long time ago so things must have changed.
Just another reason to get out of CA.