After taking a look, I'm leaning more towards the 1200. Nothing wrong with a little more get up and go! Once I'm ready to buy an engine I'll take a look at my local junk yard or swap meet.. Or good ol' ebay, hahaha!

 

Did that free frame come with a clear title? If not, don't spend money on it and get a titled frame of whatever type to work with instead, or better yet a complete project bike.

Untitled frames aren't worth much and many, many motorcycle projects end in tears when the owner doesn't know how to title them or there's no practical way to do it.

Example: I bought a 2001 1200S yesterday from a gent who rode it in South Korea but never got either the MSO or title. He shipped it back to CONUS and couldn't title it so he couldn't come close to recovering the cash he put into it for billet wheels, fat tire kit and mid-glide conversion. I got a titled 1997 frame with a pile of other parts off Craigslist for 600 bucks to solve the problem.

Building a Sportster from parts isn't difficult but unless you are or become a skilled scrounger rarely saves money. It's educational and fun though and you get to have it your way.

If you have a titled frame you could go the convenient route and buy a running engine off Ebay where many dismantlers advertise. If your frame isn't titled and you cannot get a title from the previous owner, I'd set it aside and look for a titled complete Sportster to work with if you want a Sporty.

Remember whatever you do to get a clear title with no liens. I don't do salvage titles either.

The first things to buy or download when building a Harley are the factory service manual and parts catalog. If mixing and matching years, add more books. They are dirt cheap for what they provide. Used is fine.

 

Thanks for the heads up about the title. A little background about this frame:

My Father bought this frame several years ago from a junkyard out of state through Ebay. The frame did not have a title but it came with a bill of sale. My Father never did anything with it except buy a triple tree, he never had the time to work on it due to other projects he was occupied with.

After reading your post, I would like to run the VIN numbers just to make sure that this wasn't stolen and parted out. My Father gave me all the receipts for this frame and still has the bill of sale.

 

Your DMV, police or sheriff (depends on state law) can run a VIN check but a clean VIN check doesn't get you a title. I suggest visiting your local DMV in person and sweetly asking (customer skills matter!) how it's done and what forms and rules you need to deal with.

I also suggest posting a thread asking people from your state how they do it. Chopper forums have builders who get special construction titles and would be worth visiting too.

Then you can decide if it's worth the time/hassle/inspections/etc versus getting a titled frame and make an informed, wise choice.

Ebay frame descriptions are, um, "interesting". Because of some retarded Ebay rule about mentioning "title" the descriptions of frames must be read with great care. You can always message the seller.

For example "clean paper" or "clean TL" and a photograph of the actual title are common when a private party dismantles motorcycles for sale. It's often worth it to part them out vs. fixing them so that's what's done. Commercial salvage businesses are often restricted from selling titled frames but can sell them with a bill of sale. Only a title is a title. Nothing not a title is a title. Titles to be clean and clear must have no liens and be in the name of the seller. Seller will typically sign in the "signature of seller" block after they get paid then send the title either with the frame or separately. A salvage title isn't "clean and clear". Salvage title rules vary by state and by what reason for salvage is "branded" on the title such as flood, fire, etc.

Titles are a matter of specifics. No "he said, she said", only compliance with law matters. Because of that Ebay rule a fair number of innocents buy frames without title expecting to get title. If you have proof of purchase of sufficient parts new and used to get a special construction title and pass any required state inspection you are good to go, but know what those are IN ADVANCE. Assumption is the mother of all foul ups. Become your own subject matter expert. You'll be glad you did.

ALWAYS get printed copies of all your titles and store them securely. Some states purge old title records or lose them, but if you show up with a valid title they can re-enter that data into the system (and print you a new copy). Never wait for titles in the mail. Pay the nice people to get the paper in your hand.

 

Wow, this is a lot to take in, I appreciate the advice. I'll have to talk to my Father about it since the bill of sale is in his name, I'll relay what you said to him so that he understands.

I was looking through Washington State Patrol about VIN's and was directed to our local DMV. So you're right, I'll start there and see what I need to do, thanks!

 

Apparently Vermont is super easy to get stuff titled. I've read about out of staters somehow getting their untitled bike registered and titled in VT. Once that's done I think you can then register in your home state.

Hopefully I'm not starting a rumor...

 

Vermont titling isn't a rumor and there are many threads about it. Chop Cult (my nick there is farmall) has some good ones.

It's not zero hassle or free however. I don't consider it worth doing for common frames since the process takes a while and also eventually includes transfer of title and reg to my home state. I'd have to take a frame to my DMV to have the VIN read and signed off on Vermont forms, then go through the Vermont process, then get title and reg in my home state.

The Ebay route got a titled frame straight to my house. The Craigslist route got me a titled frame with a pile of extra parts.

BTW next step for both frames was a trip to my local monument company for sand blasting. Monument companies have large engine driven compressors and blast pots to carve names and dates into tombstones and most blast on the side for cash, beer or barter. If you have a bare frame you'll want to get it naked for paint or powder coating and blasting is the way.

 

Damn dude...people just love jumping to the worst case scenario.

If you build it and don't have a title or paperwork, buddy up with a local shop and have them give you receipts for the frame and motor. Then tell the DMV you bought the parts from the shop and assembled the bike. It's why you don't have a title and why the engine and frame numbers don't match.

If your frame isn't an HD one and it's a Paughco, Kraft Tech, whatever company that is still around, you can call them up and ask for an MSO then just have your local shop write you up that you bought a motor from there and there is your paper trail.

Worst case scenario, just swap plates over from one of your other bikes to ride it until it gets sorted out or just punch your own numbers into the neck and be done with it. DMV is weird, it depends on the person you get, just keep trying until you get your way. I wouldn't go tossing a frame aside just because you don't have a title.

For the motor, I would toss a 1200 in there. If you look around, you should be able to score a 1200 motor for under 1K.

 

OP has a paper trail. That's why I informed him of his options and noted why I don't bother with builders titles for common frames.

If he Ebays the frame for a few hundred bucks (undercut everyone else selling the same part to get it gone) then buys a titled frame he'd be out even less money than a Vermont title and less hassle (depending on state) than a builders title.

Motorcycle parts are nothing but money-shaped objects. Count the dollars and convenience for your personal situation and there's your personal answer! OP has paper trail for the frame.

Magistrate auction basics:

If you are buddies with a local shop or vehicle dealer who knows how to get magistrate titles (in some states you can't do that yourself without a business license) that is a superb way to title complete (not hot) vehicles.

A magistrate title is awarded at a magistrate auction without which the US would fill up with abandoned vehicles, boats, etc. Millions and millions of vehicles and every other type of real property are transferred legally this way.

Example:
Goober's Mosickle Shop (hereafter abbreviated GMS) in Bumphuque, MS has a frame the customer left with them to straighten. Customer filled out a work order (needed for proof of transaction) then disappeared never to be seen again. GMS sends a registered or otherwise trackable letter (per local requirements) to the listed address on the work order. No response. GMS waits the allotted time and sends another letter. No response. GMS contacts the Bumphuque, MS magistrate (county court house or nearby is common location) and they inform him of requirements for auction which typically include the court posting a notice on their (physical, because the laws are so old!) bulletin board.

Normally the only people who attend magistrate auctions are businesses who take care not to pee on each other's boots. However, they are public auctions.

The theory is anyone can bid. Reality is people rarely outbid labor plus storage (and towing if relevant. Auctions are how towing companies recover costs for towing abandoned vehicles).

GMS charged say 700 bucks to straighten the frame, then 15 dollars/day storage up to legally allotted limit (any business knows the local maximum). GMS is entitled to recover their billable costs per work order and local storage charge rules or GMS posted storage rates, with local law obviously being definitive maximum rate.
Magistrate "Boss" Hogg auctions the frame and of course GMS is in attendance to bid. This creates two possible outcomes:

Normal is no one in their right mind wants to pay 700 for a frame plus however many hundred in storage. Painting is billable too and that's mostly labor so say 500 for paint. (Couple rattle cans plus labor is still "paint".) GMS bids the billable costs, no one outbids them, and they are awarded magistrate title which supersedes others. GMS can sell the frame to anyone they wish for however much or little they wish.

Abnormal and rare for reasons which will be obvious is Mr. Random Idjit falls in love with that frame and bids two thousand bucks for it. GMS is entitled to what they are owed, which they receive from the court.. The rest hypothetically goes to the party on the work order if they can be found. If not, that's a county problem and it likely sits as unclaimed funds. GMS doesn't care because they get paid. Any (cough, cough) deals they do with the cash afterward are their business.

A magistrate title is clean and clear. Local motorcycle shops use that process often.

OP in this thread has only a frame, has not committed to a build by buying other parts, and (correct me if I'm mistaken) appears to be wanting to build a bike based on saving the cost of a frame. Unlike a car body which is the "main" part of a car while the drivetrain isn't, it's functionally the reverse on a motorcycle. The engine is where the money goes and the frame is basically a way to hold components. Building a specific motorcycle only because you have a specific frame is questionable but that's his call.

Building a bike should have a goal. For example if I wanted a bone stock or mostly stock common Sportster the cost effective way to get that is typically to buy the best complete, titled machine my wallet permits at the time. That beats getting nickled and dimed to death on the minor parts.

Would OP really want a rubbermount Sporty if he didn't have a frame? Worth considering.

Modifications matter. If you want a particular modification then buying a bike someone else spent too much money on (like my above-mentioned wide tire Sporty) can work well. All I have to do is widen my titled frame to match the old frame for the wide tire kit and that's easy work costing maybe ten bucks in consumbles including flap wheels, filler and gas. It would be expensive if I paid someone else. The gent I bought it from has some of the paper trail from Korea but I have no reason to fight that battle to use a salvage untitled frame with those parts for a price delta of maybe 200 bucks.

The best way to get decent data is make yourself a list or spread sheet listing all anticipated costs for a project and comparing different ways of reaching YOUR goal. It's your bike and your wallet. How many thousand bucks do you have to spend and how much does stretching that money matter?

Say I had rubbermount Sporty lust and a free frame I REALLY liked because it had special My Little Pony stickers all over it I wanted to preserve for sentimental reasons. Besides a title I'd need an engine, forks, swingarm and hardware if not included, rear shock absorbers, front and rear brake systems complete, carb or EFI, fuel tank, fenders, exhaust system, charging system, wiring harness, lights and so forth. If I'm building a performance motor I'd still need some stock engine parts, typically most of the engine, so getting a complete (preferably good) engine makes sense. That's a lot of pieces unless your personal stash has 'em already.

Or I could hunt for a complete motorcycle in different ways, buy it, then Ebay my leftovers. Besides trader papers and Craigslist, auctions are an option.

Auto auctions are how millions of vehicles change hands every year. Dealers use them to buy and sell, salvage yards buy much of their stock there, and private parties can buy from some via a dealer (buddy or one who offers such services). Copart is a huge player. Check their sites to get educated.

Of course if you buy a salvage-titled motorcycle it will be subject to whatever branding is required on the title, and returning it to service will be subject to state laws. That does get you a complete machine. Its title as issued to purchaser will be recorded in the DMV system.

In my area nice Sportsters are advertised for three grand all the time. "Ask ain't get" so ~2500 would get me a Sporty I could ride home then ride it while I saved for any new parts I wanted. At those prices if I destroyed an engine I'd be better off buying another Sporty, swapping engines into my hypothetical "sentimental favorite", then selling the rest on Ebay in parts including the titled frame.