How hard?

[exquized1]

I just got a 83 Xs 650 heritage special given to me as a hand me down. The problem is the title there isn't one. The last tiltle owner lives down in southern Il somewhere and the 2 people between him and me have no clue how to reach him or even his whole name. I need to get a clear tiltle somehow. Any one have any thoughts as to how this can be done in IL.

[ClarkGriswald]

I dont know about ill but in mich you have to apply for lost title. the the state police come by and look at the vehicle and run the vin numbers.. and if it doesnt come up stolen they issue you a new title.. I had to do it once for a car I bought, and the orig owner was in prison and couldnt be contacted.. Might wanna call the state police and ask.

[MrOzz]

In MA here same idea. Have to apply for a lost title. Have the police run the vin. Its better if you have the previous registration from the PO.


Good luck and congrats on the new bike.

Ozz

[exquized1]

I'll give that a try! Any other ways?

[tarzan]

In Washington State you cant file for a lost title unless you are the legal owner.You have toget the former owner to sign a release.I hope you dont have to go through that there.It is a pain.You might be able to find the name of the owner from your DMV.I actually tracked a guy down for a Virago I bought by paying for an on line search.I knew the guys name though.There are also title search companys too.I dont know what they charge though.

[barberad]

In utah, I believe you can also get a junked/wrecked title. Don't know about your state but it may save you some red tape. May even find a PO that can help. Providing it was never stolen. Just my .02
Good luck

[D. P. Larmee]

There are two ways that I know of and I have done them both over the years. The first is to apply through the illinois secretary of state for a title by bond. The form is

here

This was a big pain in the you know what and took forever, but did work. Basically you get an appraisal for the bike by a dealer or shop and send the state a check for 1.5 times this amount. The state then holds this money for three years and if nobady claims the bike as stolen in that time, they send you your money back.

The other way is to use one of the title services that are set up in states that do not require a title for vehicles older than a certain age. You basically sell the bike to the title company with a bill of sale. They register it in their state with the bill of sale and receive a title. Then they sell you the bike back to you with the new title that you can use to register the bike in Illinois. This is all just on paper; you do not ever physically lose possession of the bike. While this sounds a little shady, it works great and is around $100 bucks for the service. The last time a friend went this route they even were able to register the bike in his name in the other state and he not only got the title in his name but also had a set of maine plates to use for a year or two.

[D. P. Larmee]

If memory serves, I beleive this was the company used:

International Title Service

I will see if I can find any of the paperwork to confirm.

[prometheus578]

Tarzan...
Wa. state:
Here's the deal in WA.


(From a post I wrote a year ago)

Go back to the DMV. Have them do a registration search based on the serial number. This will give you the name and last address of the owner. DMV has a form they will give you.
They will highlight all the areas that the owner has to sign.
This form you send to the owner via certified mail(along with a note from you stating how you got the bike and that you'd like to make it legal or whatever. He must sign for the letter from the post office, then sign the form, have it notorized and mail it back.( I include a statement that I'll send him a check for $20 for his troubles) If he does this, you're good.

Now then... suppose he doesn't live there any longer.
After the post office tries to deliver the certified letter three times, they send it back to you. DO NOT OPEN THIS LETTER, but hold on to it for the DMV.
Oh, but then there's the hassle of getting the bike inspected by the state police. They will do everything in their power to harrass you into confessing that you stole the bike. Once they're done intimidating you and are satified that the records don't show that it's been stolen, they nicely fill out a form that you take back to the DMV, along with the unopen certified letter.
The legal owner can't be found, and as the bike has not been reported stolen, they issue you the registration and a temporary title. If the legal owner doesn't step forward within three years, you get the full title. (You can ride the bike during this time, and even sell it if you wish.... the provisional title will follow it till the three years is up)
Hassle... yes. Luckily, I live near a military base, and legal owners move away quite frequently.
I've done this twice for XS's.
Have another where the registered owner has moved and the legal owner was a car dealership that is no longer in business, so I'll deal with that one when I have time.
Have another XS something or other where the owner moved away, but still owes the finance company $900, but they'd release the bike to me fer $100.
It's a game, that's all it is.