What do you do about the non-matching numbers when you replace your engine with an after market?

Robert

 

You don't do anything. It's just like a when you replace the engine in a car, it doesn't matter at all from a legal stand point.

 

#include <std_disclaimer.h>
I ain't a lawyer.

Post 1970 (I think), titles go by the frame number and not the engine number. As long as you have a title/registration for the frame and the motor number is not from another registered bike, you _should_ be OK. For example, your fatboy has a VIN on the frame and stamped on the motor of 1HDxxx. You pull the motor and replace it with a S&S Monster Motor that has a number stamped on it of something else. You have a title to 1HDxx1. You should be OK. You put a HD motor in it from another bike and it is stamped 1HDxx2. You now have something the thugs can start poking around on, running both numbers and seeing what comes up. While you are probably technically still legal, that doesn't mean that they won't give you trouble. Especially if a title exists on 1HDxx2, or if at some point in its life, 1HDxx2 was ever stolen (even if recovered), in which case you are just asking for trouble.

Also, depending on what state you live in, there may be a mechanism to change the title to reflect the new engine number. This may or may not be required to stay 100% legal.

The thugs with guns in Sturgis are terrible on these types of things. They literally walk up and down the streets looking for things like aftermarket cases in an otherwise stock looking bike. They will run acid washes trying to pull up other numbers, know where the VINs are on all the parts, etc. It is really surprising how many stolen bikes they recover, which is a good thing, but they also catch a lot of legitimate people that just didn't have all their paperwork in 100% order, or even those that did. Two years ago, a German couple at our campground had one of their bikes confiscated. It was a theft recovery vehicle, but they had all the paperwork and it was all in order. After about 3 or 4 days of trouble, they gave them the bike back and told them to never bring it to Sturgis again.

 

All aftermarket motors and trannies come with an MSO (Manufactures Statement of Origin) we make a reduced but readable copy of it and give this and the original that needs to be signed over to the purchaser. We tell them to put the original somewhere safe as it can be reassigned to the next owner and put the reduced one with their registration and insurance card in case they are pulled over. Every year they have a nice bike auction of impounded bikes that people couldn't produce the correct paperwork. There are several teams of police in New York that have gone to numerous schools in order to identify proper numbers etc. If they have any doubt about your ride you will be walking home or riding "Bitch" on your buddies bike, that is if they don't invite you to hang around with them for a while.