In some states the lien holder holds the title but in Michigan I had one of my bikes financed at Harley and I had my title

 

Sounds like a fishy story to me. Both times;-)

 

As states HD does not hold or issue the title. The new bike is on an MSO. The financier holds the title. These days an electronic title is held off the MSO to 1st title and when paid or sold, a paper title is issued..

 

Harley doesn't keep or supply titles. As a new bike, it comes with a Manufacturer Certificate of Origin. The MSO (or MCO) is given to the DMV in your state when it is registered.
Definition here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufac...cate_of_Origin

 

No title. No cash.

 

i would say that your friends have a problem keeping up with paperwork. either way, it's up to him to pony up the $60 to pay for the duplicate title. in the meantime, keep the bike in your garage, and the money in your bank account. then when the title comes in, you give him the money, he gives you the keys and everybodies happy

 

If there's a problem with paperwork/title that's an immediate red flag.

Why would he offer to sale it knowing he doesn't have the title?

Or if he needs your cash to pay off the lien to get a title you need to be in touch with the lien holder to be sure its legit.

 

Do a vin check on anything you buy used.....

 

Both the bikes were used, and bought thru different dealers. They were financed thru the dealer, which I believed is Harley's own finance company. When you finance a bike, at least in New Jersey the title is put into your name, but the finance company holds the title until the loan is paid off. That usually takes a few years. Apparently Harley's finance company forgets where they put the titles. And you get stuck paying more then you should have to pay to actually get a duplicate title, that you can hold in your hand. I can't believe this has never happened to anyone else.,,

 

i have financed several bikes through eaglemark (aka hdfs). every time that i have paid one off, i have received title in the mail in 2 weeks or less.

if they lost the title, there is absolutely no reason why the customer should have to pay extra.

not to mention, that if they are in the habit of losing titles, they won't be in business long. every bank/lending institution goes through an annual audit by an outside agency (fdic, etc.) if they have such sloppy record keeping that they lose a lot of titles, they will get fined by that agency. and those fines aren't cheap.