How To Get A Title For A Motorcycle Without Title In PA?

Do you know how to get a title for a motorcycle without a title in pa?  this is one of the questions our readers ask a lot. Well, we´ve got you covered.

In an ideal world, you would never purchase a motorcycle without a title. You are going to be making your life a whole lot harder if the motorcycle doesn’t have a title.

You also run the risk of the vehicle being seized if you do not have any proof that you fully own the vehicle. We will talk more about that in a short while.

So, how to get a title for a motorcycle without a title in PA? To get a replacement title for a motorcycle without title in Pennsylvania, you will need to do the following:

. Complete an application for a duplicate title

. Pay the fees ($11 for a replacement, plus additional mailing fees)

. Locate your nearest Pennsylvania Division of Motor Vehicles

. Mail-in your application or bring it to the Pennsylvania DMV

The vast majority of this process will take place at the DMV. Although, you may need to gather a few extra documents when you purchase the motorcycle.

Purchasing the motorcycle

As we said, in an ideal world, you will get a title when you purchased a motorcycle.

If the person doesn’t have the title on them, then ask them to get a copy of it. A photocopy will do. Basically, get them to put in the work to obtain the title. Your life will become a whole lot easier.

Of course, if the motorcycle was registered in a state where there are no titles for motorcycles, then this isn’t going to be possible.

Instead, you are going to want to ensure that absolutely everything about the purchase has been recorded properly.

This means that you are going to need to have a bill of sale that actually lists the details of the purchase.

On the bill of sale (i.e. your receipt), you will want to ensure that the seller lists the following:

• Their personal details
• The VIN from the motorcycle

If you found the motorcycle for sale online, then you may even want to grab the sales listing and save a copy.

The more information that you have to prove that you purchased that motorcycle, the easier everything is going to become. 

Finally, the seller is going to need to provide a copy of the bill of sale they received when they purchased the motorcycle.

If this is not something that they are going to be able to provide you with, then you need to steer clear. At this point, you are going to find it incredibly difficult to get the title issued in your name in PA.

You are also running the risk of the vehicle being stolen. Obviously, if it is stolen and you purchase the vehicle, then you are going to be out of pocket for the costs.

You won’t have a motorcycle. You will have just spent cash on nothing.

Read also: How Long Does It Take To Get a Duplicate Title In PA? (FACTS!)

Obtain insurance for the motorcycle 

The DMV will need to see that you have insurance for your motorcycle. Remember, you will not be legally allowed to drive the motorcycle to the DMV without insurance!

As long as your motorcycle has a VIN, then you will be able to obtain an insurance policy for it. You do not need to have the title to the vehicle.

Obtain a safety inspection for your motorcycle 

PA requires that motorcycles undergo a yearly safety inspection.

If you can, try to get details of the last safety inspection from the seller. However, you will probably want to have your own safety inspection carried out too.

Again, you are not going to need to have the title to the motorcycle to have the safety inspection carried out.

The DMV won’t be able to carry out the safety inspection for you. However, they will likely maintain a list of agents in the area that can do it.

Heading to the DMV

Armed with all of the information, you will need to head to the DMV.

Even though you won’t have the title to your motorcycle, you will still be able to drive it on the road at this point. This is assuming that you do not have a custom-built motorcycle that has never been registered.

In that case, the process is a lot more convoluted. We won’t go into that on this page. You will need to talk to the DMV about getting a custom-built motorcycle registered.

This will involve a lot of testing. It will also involve a lot of costs and forms being filled in.

It is important to note that you will need to bring along the motorcycle for inspection when you attempt to register a title.

At the DMV, you will need to say that you want to register the title of the vehicle in your name.

They will ask you to fill in a short form, and you will need to provide them with all of the documents that you have gathered. The most important document will be the bill of sale.

Of course, they won’t be able to sign over the title to your vehicle just like that. During the process, they will ask if they can inspect your motorcycle. One of the DMV staff will then head out to the parking lot.

The job of the inspector will be to ensure that the VIN on the chassis matches up with the VIN on the bill of sale. If it doesn’t, then they will not be able to issue you with a title.

The inspection process can actually take a while. This is because they will need to run the VIN through a police database. The purpose of this is to ensure that you are not attempting to register the title of a stolen vehicle.

If you are, then the vehicle will be immediately seized. You will also be placed under investigation. Although, as long as you have the bill of sale and copies of the listing where you found the motorcycle, then you should be fine.

The motorcycle won’t be returned to you, though.

Read also: How To Get A Vin Number For A Custom Motorcycle

Alternatives

There are alternatives to obtaining a title in PA.

Technically, you don’t actually need a title to be issued in PA. There are states where you do not need to obtain a title.

You just need to register the motorcycle with them. Although, since the process is very similar. It really isn’t worth heading out of state to get the vehicle registered.

It doesn’t really save that much time, and the fees are pretty much the same.

That being said, if you really do want to go down that route, then you can send in a registration to Vermont. They do not require you to live there, and you don’t even need to enter Vermont in order to gain the vehicle’s registration.

Just bear in mind that if you do not own the title to the motorcycle in PA, then you will struggle to gain certain benefits.

Conclusion

Obtaining a title for a motorcycle where you don’t have one is designed to be difficult. This is to ensure that people are not gaining ownership of stolen vehicles.

This is why it is so important that you try and avoid purchasing any vehicle that does not have a title.

If you do purchase one, then do make sure that the seller provides you with as much detail about themselves and the vehicle.

If you do not gather the required information, then the DMV will refuse to grant title to your vehicle. In fact, they may even seize it if they believe it to be stolen.

References

https://www.motorcyclezombies.com/register-title-motorcycle/