Rebuilt Salvage Title

[CRXSi90]

Hey, I was wondering if anyone knows anything about "rebuilt salvage titles." I was in touch with a guy about a bike, but it has a rebuilt salvage title. I feel like a traitor saying this, but it's a CBR900. The title says:

TITLED IN WI AS: REBUILT SALVAGE
PREVIOUSLY TITLED IN: MO

From what I understand, the requirements in Wisconsin for getting a rebuilt title include:

342.07  Title for repaired salvage vehicle.
(1) Application for registration of and a new certificate of title for a repaired salvage vehicle must be accompanied by all of the following:
(a) The required fees.
(b) A properly assigned salvage certificate of title or a properly assigned certificate of title by a dealer under s. 342.16 (1) (a) for the vehicle.
(c) Any other transfer document required by law.
(d) The certificate of inspection under sub. (4).
(2) A repaired salvage vehicle may not be registered or be issued a new certificate of title until an inspector authorized by the department examines it for the following, as specified in rules promulgated by the department:
(a) To determine whether the vehicle is the same vehicle for which the title submitted under sub. (1) was issued;
(b) To verify the source and ownership of the major parts and components used to recondition the vehicle; and
(c) To determine whether the vehicle is in compliance with safety equipment requirements.
(3) 
(a) The applicant shall pay a fee of $80 to the department for the examination in sub. (2).
(b) If the examination is conducted by an inspector employed by a city, village, town or county, 75% of the fee paid under par. (a) shall be credited to the appropriation under s. 20.395 (5) (ch) and the city, village, town or county employing the inspector shall be reimbursed this amount from that appropriation.
(4) If the vehicle passes the examination in sub. (2), the inspector shall provide the applicant with an inspection certificate showing that the vehicle satisfies the inspection standards.

Based on the inspection requirements, there isn't a thorough mechanical inspection involved. The frame or forks could be bent, but as long as it has turn signal and a working horn, it gets a title. I wouldn't consider myself particularly skilled at inspecting motorcycles for that type of damage, especially when it involves ripping off a bunch of body panels.

Any thoughts on the rebuilt salvage? Does it affect the ability to get insurance? I can't see why it would affect liability, but maybe collision and comprehensive. Is there any reason that I would have difficulty selling it when that time comes around due to the title status? Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

[DiverRay]

JUST WALK AWAY!!!! Don't even think about it if you don't know what you are looking at. Way too many things CAN be wrong, and your stuck with it. Also, some insurance companies WILL NOT insure the bike, the rest may charge double what they should, and not give you anything if it gets wrecked again. JMHO

[crazy steve]

I think that's more of a big deal with cars; it shouldn't affect getting insurance, but can affect resale. As to why it has a salvage title, there can be any number of reasons, most likely it was 'totaled' by an insurance company due to theft, weather damage, or accident. It would pay to look it over very carefully, but if it looks good and the price is right, I wouldn't walk away just because of that...

Might be worth spending the money for a 'CarFax' if they do those for bikes.

[DGXSER]

I think what you have posted is what it takes for you to get a salvage title for a vehicle that has been totaled. When my daughter totaled my F150 a couple years a go the insurance told me I could keep the truck, but they would keep the title and issue me a certificate of some kind, and then I would need to make repairs, and have it inspected, then take the inspection certificate with this other certificate to the state and they would issue me a salvage title.

As for buying a vehicle with a salvage title, you should check with your BMV for any issues with transferring it into your state, and ask your insurance what restrictions THEY apply. Anything else is a guess.

As to buying it in the first place, I strongly suggest you have someone look it over that knows what they are looking at. Lot of things could be wrong that would make it not ride correctly.

[old_skool]

Not sure about Wi, but in Ohio, once it has a rebuilt title, you just go to the Dmv like any other title, if it's only salvage, then it needs the full state trooper safety inspection here, I'm assuming since it's "rebuilt" the title and possibly the bike is good to go as far as a DOT standpoint, they're sticklers before they give it new life. A lot of reasons for the salvage rebuilt also, doesn't have to have been totaled although with a bike, more than likely, but I just bought a 4x4 ranger with a rebuilt salvage title, the only reason it had that was it had a mechanics lean for some repairs, and the PO never picked it up, and by law in Ohio, that's the only way you can re-title a mechanics lean, regardless of the condition. It will affect the resale vale to those who are unfamiliar, but with my truck, it didn't affect my insurance one bit, I just had to let my insurance agent inspect it and take pictures. And remember, due to it's age, the particular insurance company that totaled it, may not have had much value appraised to it being an older bike, so it could have suffered minor damage and been fully totaled out for it, happens all the time with older vehicles of all types and a lot of time, the original owners buy them back for pennies on the dollar from the insurance company and rebuild them. Would not stop me from buying it.

[CRXSi90]

Hi, thanks for all the thoughts on this. The back story is that I'm looking to trade my 1998 Chevy S10. I have other vehicles, so the S10 is more of a headache/liability. I'm looking to sell or trade it. On the face of it, this looks like a good deal - it seems like bikes hold their value somewhat better than automobiles. That said, the last thing I would want to do is trade one headache for another. And the CBR probably wouldn't be my bike of choice in the 2001 era, but it might be able to provide a bit of entertainment until I decide to move on from it.

The one thing that this discussion has helped me realize is that I'm not prepared to do a full/thorough inspection of the bike. I can certainly do basic stuff like look for scuffs on the engine, frame, and body, and maybe measure the wheelbase with a tape measure as a means of looking for bent forks/frame. But that's about the extent of what I could do. And I believe the CBR uses fancy materials like aluminum and magnesium in various places which are more tempermental materials than the steel tubes of '80's bikes.

I'll have to give this some hard thought today. The seller and I talked about meeting up this weekend, and we were going to arrange a time this evening. As much as I would love to have my vehicle headache eliminated, I have a bit of a feeling that I would end up with buyer's (trader's) remorse from this after I had my initial rush from riding the CBR. I might meet up to see the bike anyway, but I'll definitely have to weigh the risk if I decide to go for the trade.

Many thanks for all the thoughts/comments on this. I'll let you know what happens.

Kevin

[BA80]

I had a car with a salvage title. It worked just like a regular title it was just a different color and said "Salvage" on it.

It's just as legal as a regular title as far as registration,insurance,and ownership. As long as it's all clear I wouldn't be afraid of it at all. But, you might want to check the bike over REAL good and make sure the frame isn't bent or repaired.

[crazy steve]

Rules on 'special' titles vary from state to state, so you need to find out what your state rules are. It's possible that the bike had been stolen, the PO was paid off by the insurance company, then the bike was recovered still intact but the title had been 'turned in' by the insurance company.

As an example, I bought a Jag convertible (non-running) and the state wanted to charge sales tax based on the blue book value. The tax amount would have been more than what I paid for the car. By having the car appraised, I got the tax reduced to reflect what I paid, but I was issued a salvage title.

[old_skool]

You might be surprised at the cb900 once you start riding it, I rode one and it's as fun as any 1100, a lot of torque, 10 speed trans, a good bike overall.

[CRXSi90]

Thanks for the help. I was hoping to meet up with the guy today, but our plans fell through. I don't think we'll be able to do it tomorrow, but hopefully soon. It's probably okay that we struck out though, since I did some thinking and something clicked.

I've seen ads on Craigslist where a local shop is selling bikes with "branded" titles. They're familiar with the process of bringing them back, so I could have them inspect the bike. Even if it costs $100 or so to have them give it a look, I think it's worth it to me vs. the risk of not knowing what I'm getting.

I'm still a bit torn about how I feel about getting a sport bike. I've never spent much (any?) time on one. My top concern is probably being comfortable. I'm 26, so it's not like I'm a bag of arthritic bones or anything, but I want to be reasonably comfortable while still having fun. I did some reading about the CBR900's, and it looks like some people have converted from the factory clip-on handle bars to dirt bike bars. I guess it involves getting a set of clamps/bar risers and drilling into the top triple tree. It sounds like some people have done it without requiring new cables and brake lines, which is a plus. I wouldn't have to go for that right off the bat, but it's good to know it's an option. And I won't know until I get a bit of time on it.

Thanks again for the help. I'll let y'all know if the deal goes through.

[old_skool]

my mistake, I mis-read cbr900 for cb900

[CRXSi90]

No problem, definitely different bikes though. I probably should have written CBR900RR. I've read that bikes ending in "R" were designed with track use in mind, and not really sensible for the street. That said, they seem to work fine for most testosterone-laced guys in their 20's.

Not sure which emoticon to use, since I am a guy in my 20's, but I don't consider myself testosterone-laced. After all, I'm currently sporting 175cc of 2-stroke glory between my legs.