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Title Problem/Advice Needed

3K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  SuperSnake 
#1 ·
Hey all, this is my first real post and it is a short story I have to tell and need some advice on as to how I could best obtain my goal. The goal is obtaining a 3 grand bike for around 500$. How could i possibly do that, well i'd have to know somebody or just be very lucky to find an idiot willing to sell it this cheaply, alas the title problem arrives.....

My friend works construction and while on a job was informed of a motorcycle crashing off into a canyon very near the job site(in that same canyon). The police were called to the scene and after staring over the edge of the cliff laughing at the bike below, decided not to pursue the vehicle (just left it there). I assume they were expecting the owner to file a report and pay to retrieve it themselves....ALAS no such thing happened. The bike sat for 3 months (at the bottom of the canyon) before my friend contacted the police again, they informed him they would do nothing about it because no claim on the vehicle had been made(the owner crashed it and walked away) and they simply did not have the resources to reclaim the vehicle. Another month passes, and my friend finally snaps. If no one wants a brand new bike (90 miles on it) and no one will come get it, hell I'll get it myself. Using his own resources he retrieved the bike and has stored it for the past 3 years. Here is where I come in, I want to buy the bike from my friend. He wants it gone, there is no key, there is no title. How do we go about this without loosing the bike and avoid public auction while somehow getting a new title?
 
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#2 ·
Um, depending on your state there is usually some law about abandoned property becoming the property of whoever claims it or whoever's property it sits on. Check out the laws where you live on this.

Otherwise, theres the less legal route, which is buying a used frame and swapping parts over. Since it went off a canyon it wouldn't surprise me if the frame was bent on the bike your friend retrieved anyway.
 
#5 ·
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These no way for us to tell you how much the frame would be without knowing what bike and what year.... but you can go to a locksmith and have them make a key for your bike or you can buy a full lockset off ebay.. again price would depend on what bike and year you have.
 
#7 ·
You'll need to find a used frame on the forums, ebay, or elsewhere, for obvious reasons you'll want an undamaged one. And you can get these for between 400-1000 depending on the year, condition, etc. Like it was also said, you can get a locksmith to come out and make keys for you, or buy a new lock set and install it. Honestly, even if the locksmith costs a little more, I'd just do that, because changing the ignition, gas cap, and rear seat lock is just a bitch.

Honestly though dude, depending on what all else is wrong with it, it's not really worth it if it's only a 3k bike. Your best best would be to buy it, get it running, screw the frame, and sell it as a trackonly bike to get some money for another one.
 
#8 ·
Honestly though dude, depending on what all else is wrong with it, it's not really worth it if it's only a 3k bike. Your best best would be to buy it, get it running, screw the frame, and sell it as a trackonly bike to get some money for another one.

Or part it out .....
 
#10 ·
I'd like to know what condition the bike was in. Dropping it into a canyon (in my mind) would make it nearly a total write off.
+1 that sounds crazy damage. also... if there is no key.. now do you know the mileage? is it older? any idea what kind of bike it even is?
 
#11 ·
its a 250r, 08+. its in pretty mint condition except a large scratch from the slide off the road, very low miles. the bike landed in some foliage and did not sustain major damage. the rider walked away from it and never came back for it. the cops did not want to take the time to pull the bike out, it was a bitch to do. it sat in the foliage for some time before being removed. problem is he does not not have a title to pass on ownership to me, its clearly his bike he has recovered it and stored it for years.
 
#12 ·
how did the key come out? I'm assuming it was in there when it fell...
-Cody
 
#13 ·
I recently purchased a mx race bike and the owner had no title. All I needed for the replacement title application was to have the bike inspected at the local police department to get the vin#. I then needed to fill out another forum that included a copy of the check (bill of sale). On this form was the previous owners contact information. This is all turned into the state and I am expecting to to see the title in the mail in eight weeks.

I need to get the title to get a sticker to ride in the national forest. Not sure if this will work for your situation but so far it appears tobe working for me. Good luck.

Jeff
 
#15 ·
as for the key, when I bought my house, the garage had a lock but no key. any good locksmith can fashion a key for you. $50. that way you don't have to get a new key cylinder or worry about going keyless.

If you want to ride it on the street, yeah, go the local PD and get it taken care of, but it's a track only bike, I wouldn't worry about it.
 
#16 ·
I would do a vin search through the DMV. May be a lien holder. Would not spend a dime on it till then. Contact them, how ever the cal law reads. In Texas we send it certified mail. Keep all documentation. Send them a big bill stating that your services for retrieving it from the canyon, they will either pay the bill, or send you a title. Or make you apply for an abandon title. You have to show that you made an effort to contact lien holder. Do not offer any phone numbers when you mail them by certified mail. In Texas I believe it's a 90 day process.
Don't forget the storage charges per day.
Good luck!!!
 
#17 ·
That all sounds like a pain in the ass. I'd try to either sell it as a track bike sans title or part it out and take the money and buy a legit bike.
 
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