lost title
Thread Starter
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Stage II
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
From: oahu, hawaii
lost title
is thier any way to get a title for a motorcyle that has no plates and no paper work for it? i got a 94 sporty that i got given to me for helping out a navy guy who just retired he cant find the papers and i would hate to see a harley taken off the road just because someone lost the papers. oh it was last registered in japan and the guy i got it from never registered it in the us. any help would be apreciated, and im in hawaii.
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,775
Likes: 6
From: Simpson County Kentucky
Welcome to the forum... I can only speak of my own similar experiences and not in Hawaii. I have a 1969 Honda CL175 Scrambler that I got in a similar fashion as you did the Harley but I lived in California at the time. The bike had a plate on it but no paperwork and the original owner was unknown. I went to DMV with the bike on a trailer and the folks there pulled the numbers for a title search. I took about a month and I got a letter from the DMV clearing the title and I went down to pay the fees to get a new title. It wasn't bad at all and more time consuming than anything else. In your case if you know the original owner it will probably be much easier but I would start at DMV as those folks will tell you what they need to get things moving along.
Club Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,474
Likes: 6
From: Port Charlotte, Florida
if the navy guys is the original owner and had a title then all you should have to do is give him a ride down to the title dept they should be able to pull the information look at his id and then issue him a duplicate title at that point he would just sign it over to you. This is only a problem when you cant get the owner to do this or don't know who the owner is. I bought a boat once this being in ohio and same thing he couldn't find the title we both went down they checked his id and issued a new title then he signed it over.
But i also saw the end of your post and that doesn't sound good. But he may still be able to get something going if he can find anything that showed he owned the bike and had it reg in japan.
But i also saw the end of your post and that doesn't sound good. But he may still be able to get something going if he can find anything that showed he owned the bike and had it reg in japan.
Thread Starter
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Stage II
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
From: oahu, hawaii
thanks for the replies, the guy i got it from isnt the original owner. it was originally bought in california he got it in japan but he cant remember the person he bought it from. he never registered it cuz it wasnt running. i got it running but im not gonna stick any more money in it if i cant get it on the road. shame that a bike like that gonna have to be scrapped all because i dont have any documentation, not even the shipping documents.
Big Kahuna HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 29,598
Likes: 19
From: Oregon
In Oregon, if someone abandons a vehicle, after 90 days you can get the title transferred to you. I used that loophole once...
I believe that's how towing companies get titles if no one claims a vehicle they had to tow in off the road.
Might be worth checking out your state. It's been abandoned in your yard for 90 days, hasn't it?
I believe that's how towing companies get titles if no one claims a vehicle they had to tow in off the road.
Might be worth checking out your state. It's been abandoned in your yard for 90 days, hasn't it?
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 10,675
Likes: 95
From: Billings,Mt.
I would first take the VIN to DMV and see what they say.They may ask you to bring the bike down to verfiy the VIN.
Have fun!
Have fun!
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,900
Likes: 4
From: way down upon the Suwannee River
Hey that sounds like my bike! I'll tell you where to send it to. Seriously though the first step is to talk to your DMV. all states have different routes you have to follow. I did it on an old junker truck here in Fla. and it was time consuming but it can be done.
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Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 8,642
Likes: 6
From: Forest Lake, Mn
Almost identical to what happened to me in Hawaii. Navy at Pearl. Bought an old Kawi K-2, no title. BUT I was fortunate enough to find the guy. This was in '75 tho.
Up here, you 'bond' the title for 5 yrs (I believe), and they give you a stamped copy of it. After 5 yrs, if no one has come forward and put a claim against it, it's yours and they will issue you a 'clean' title. The 'bond' is based on the value of the vehicle. And no, you don't get the bond back. And you cannot transfer it til the title is cleared, meaning you can't sell it.
Up here, you 'bond' the title for 5 yrs (I believe), and they give you a stamped copy of it. After 5 yrs, if no one has come forward and put a claim against it, it's yours and they will issue you a 'clean' title. The 'bond' is based on the value of the vehicle. And no, you don't get the bond back. And you cannot transfer it til the title is cleared, meaning you can't sell it.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 17,625
Likes: 1,665
From: Blairsville GA
There are do it yourself methods that can be time consuming but will get you a title. There are also professional title companies that for a fee will get you a title. A few of them advertise in publications like Walnecks. One I have dealt with in Alabama is operated by a retired judge. Working with him I sold him a machine on a notarized bill of sale. This was a machine with an MSO that said "COMPETITION ONLY-NOT FOR STREET USE." He completed the same forms an individual does (that sit on a desk for weeks or months) and walked out of the tax office with a title. He then "sold" the bike back to me and signed the title over at the same time. This was pre-9/11, but I think the same process is available. I seem to recall his fee being in the $100 dollar range.