california bikes

[Shockman54]

hey, i was wondering what it takes to own and ride a bike in california? here in minnesota you need the title and insurance and tabs for the bike (plus endorsement on the license of course.) any different out there? does the bike need a title? i was thinking of just buying a cheap bike while i'm out there for a month and try to re sell it before i go...

[soccer4m]

california

Hi Midwest, here in the land of Cantafordya, the legal way to ride is to get the title switched over, get it registered, have insurance and a motorcycle stamp on your drivers license,,,,,,but, if you are only riding for a month just get the title from the seller, call your insurance agent to be safe in case you get pulled over, go to the dmv and get the title switched, pay the fees, around 80.00 and go ride. To resell the bike you would need a title in your name anyway, so make sure the seller has one or its a real hassle with the CHP and DMV. OR if you are really hard up, just borrow a buddies for a month and not go through the hassle. Or if you are well to do, there are lots of places to rent them. Personally,,,the best way is the legal way with all the liablility and lawsuits goiing on....................Mike in San DIego

[jwhughes3]

Bring your plate and insurance card with you when you buy the bike put your minn plate on it and forget giving cantafordya any $$.

John

[andylawcc]

ya, i had been driving with a Missouri plate for almost a year when i moved back to Cali. I know two friends that had been driving with an out of state license plate for almost a year too. (legally, you need to get cali plates in 60 days or so when you established residency here).
My bi-annual DMV fee in MO was like 65 bucks. My annual DMV fees in CA was 100.

[Cuda 69]

holy crap my DMV fee's for my bike in N.Y. is about $35, yr.

[andylawcc]

oops, sorry I didn't specify, it was for a 1997 Toyota Celica.

[JeffH]

does the bike need a title? i was thinking of just buying a cheap bike while i'm out there for a month and try to re sell it before i go...

To me you would be kind of 'hanging out there' with the liability. Kind of depends on Who you would purchase a vehicle from, how you would explain the date & mileage gap for the time you used the vehicle, and Who you would sell the vehicle to. All that plus you don't have a Calif residency. Lot's of things to go wrong. Rent-A-Wreck Bike or Bike Rental potentially could save you a big hassle. Here is what Calif DMV says:

Requirements after selling a vehicle. When selling a California registered vehicle, the registered owner of record must:

Protect Your Liability. Complete a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability. The seller is responsible for reporting the change of ownership to DMV within 5 days from the date of sale. After DMV updates the information from the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability, you will be cleared from future liability on the vehicle. The purchaser is responsible for reporting the change of ownership to DMV within 10 days from the date of purchase.

I agree with Soccer4M, "Go the Legal Way". I lived in Calif for a long time and IMHO would not mess with something this tricky or loaded with potential liability & legal problems.

For what its worth, Jeff

[Shockman54]

thanks guys, that cleared a lot up for me. i think i am going to try to get my friend to lend me his bike while i'm out there. one of my dreams has been to ride the pch all the way up to the redwood groves.

[Shockman54]

title questions in california

so during my trip out to san francisco, i will be helping my friend pick out a motorcycle to buy, and one of the ones he is interested in has no title. now here in Minnesota, as long as the bike hasn't been registered for a while and it doesn't come up stolen, the state will issue a new title to you (both no title bikes i purchased here hadn't been tabbed since 95...) so my question is, how hard is it to get a title out there?

[natemoen]

so during my trip out to san francisco, i will be helping my friend pick out a motorcycle to buy, and one of the ones he is interested in has no title. now here in Minnesota, as long as the bike hasn't been registered for a while and it doesn't come up stolen, the state will issue a new title to you (both no title bikes i purchased here hadn't been tabbed since 95...) so my question is, how hard is it to get a title out there?

Check your facts in MN, there is more too it there.

[Shockman54]

yes there is more to it, but thats what i was able to do with both bikes...

[crazy steve]

I wish I could remember what thread it was, but a deceased member in California was talking about how difficult it was to title a vehicle there if you don't have one. The big issue is California 'purges' vehicles completely out of their database if they haven't been licensed in X number of years (and I don't recall how many). So if it's out, you must have some sort of 'official' proof of ownership to retitle it. He discovered this when trying to retitle a bike he bought new; he lost all the paperwork and the state refused to issue a title...

And only the 'lawful' owner can do this, so buying a no-title bike is a waste of time.

[DiverRay]

In California, if you do not have a title, you CANNOT get a title. Just RUN AWAY from the bike!! With the DMV here, the rules and needs can change from one person to the next, and usually for the worse!
ONCE AGAIN, NO TITLE< NO BIKE!!
Sorry, but that is just how bad it is here.

[Shockman54]

thanks a lot guys. really appreciate it. should help immensely when shopping out there.