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Odd license request in used bike transaction....

webguydave

New member
Hi All!

Bought a nice 2004 R1150RT-P from a fellow in West Virginia last week; title looks good, is signed by the seller and the license tags are good for about a year. So, living in Virginia, normally I’d run right down and retitle/register it pronto. But with the virus, an appointment is required, which in my case is July 25th!

So far so good…except the seller pm’s me to ask me to mail the plate back to him; failing that, he’ll report it as lost/stolen. He claims it’s to protect him from liability…
This sounds kinda bogus, like maybe the plate belongs to another bike of his, esp since I didn’t get a paper registration with the bike.

So…if I mail the plate back, I have no plate on the bike and therefor can’t ride it. If I don’t, he claims the plate is lost/stolen and I’m liable to get stopped for riding a stolen bike!

I’ve never kept plates on any vehicle I’ve sold, nor had this kind of request….

Comments? Is this indeed a West Virginia thing?
 
Hi All!

Bought a nice 2004 R1150RT-P from a fellow in West Virginia last week; title looks good, is signed by the seller and the license tags are good for about a year. So, living in Virginia, normally I’d run right down and retitle/register it pronto. But with the virus, an appointment is required, which in my case is July 25th!

So far so good…except the seller pm’s me to ask me to mail the plate back to him; failing that, he’ll report it as lost/stolen. He claims it’s to protect him from liability…
This sounds kinda bogus, like maybe the plate belongs to another bike of his, esp since I didn’t get a paper registration with the bike.

So…if I mail the plate back, I have no plate on the bike and therefor can’t ride it. If I don’t, he claims the plate is lost/stolen and I’m liable to get stopped for riding a stolen bike!

I’ve never kept plates on any vehicle I’ve sold, nor had this kind of request….

Comments? Is this indeed a West Virginia thing?
If you are riding on his plate, you are a liability factor tied him. If anything happens, you rob a 7-11, the bike gets stolen, the bike gets in an accident- it’s on him as it’s his tag.
It sounds like he was gracious enough to let you get the bike home on his tag........ riding more, I would say no.
It’s too risky for him.
OM
 
It seems to me that he is threatening to commit a crime by making a report he knows is false. He knowingly gave you the plates. (not stolen) and he knows where they are (not lost). I would respond to him in writing with a copy furnished to the WV DMV indicating that although he willingly provided you the plates you will be happy to return them once the bike is registered in VA.
 
On the few bikes I have sold, I always remove the plate. My thoughts is it will incentivize the purchaser to follow through on title transfer. Have done that with other plated items such as trailers and vehicles. Nothing nefarious in my reasoning, just peace of mind.

Just went to pick up a bike in NC, the seller said he had to turn in another states plate at sale of another bike. He took the NC tag, reinstalled a plate he used while stationed in Japan. I had signed title, sales receipt and insurance for return to TX. Never stopped with huge yellow plate in six states and will ride it to our recently opened tax office Friday to register it.

I would take the route suggested, he let you ride away with it...you'll return it as soon as practical due to different situations these days.
 
In Oregon, the plate goes with the vehicle. Your bill of sale is proof you no longer own the vehicle for liability purposes. There is also a tab on the title that you remove to report the sale to the state, then it's up to the buyer to re-title it in their name.
 
If you are riding on his plate, you are a liability factor tied him. If anything happens, you rob a 7-11, the bike gets stolen, the bike gets in an accident- it’s on him as it’s his tag.
It sounds like he was gracious enough to let you get the bike home on his tag........ riding more, I would say no.
It’s too risky for him.
OM

Being a recent retiree out of California, I've become aware of just how differently the various states treat transfers - part of the title ( the pink slip) in California is a tear off that is a release or transfer of liability - the seller mails it in, informing the state he no longer owns it ...the plate stays with the bike...

...and if the seller takes the plate at the time of sale, how does one legally ride it home, with no plates?

Interesting....

Dave
 
In Oregon, the plate goes with the vehicle. Your bill of sale is proof you no longer own the vehicle for liability purposes. There is also a tab on the title that you remove to report the sale to the state, then it's up to the buyer to re-title it in their name.

Yup, that's the route I'm used to... but .....

Dave
 
Laws vary by state. I have ridden home on a seller's plate. I have ridden or driven home with no plate. Once I was stopped out of state for no plate. The signed title was sufficient but the officer insisted to see proof of insurance. I have sold a bike and as a courtesy let the buyer ride home with it. Texas has a requirement that a purchased vehicle must be registered with xx days. I forget whether that is 21 days or 30 days. Texas also has a DMV form to send to them when a vehicle is sold providing the name and address of the buyer. That is the form that will relieve a seller of liability if the buyer fails to register the vehicle.
 
Being a recent retiree out of California, I've become aware of just how differently the various states treat transfers - part of the title ( the pink slip) in California is a tear off that is a release or transfer of liability - the seller mails it in, informing the state he no longer owns it ...the plate stays with the bike...

...and if the seller takes the plate at the time of sale, how does one legally ride it home, with no plates?

Interesting....

Dave

Everything is ok until it isn’t. While you were mainly concerned with the plate, I was more concerned with the insurance factor. If the seller has insurance, it’s connected to the plate so essentially you are riding on the sellers insurance. I’m not real interested in letting a stranger ride while I wonder if they are going to use my coverage.
As you can see by the stories, when buying a used bike, there are a lot of ways to get it home. Sorta depends on your risk level.
You could always call your insurance company and say “is there a problem when I sell my bike, letting the buyer use my plate/insurance until they can get it properly tagged and insured”?
OM
 
In Arkansas you do NOT send the tag with a sold vehicle. New owner would get a hefty fine for unregistered tags etc. The buyer has 20-30 days to register, pay sales tax if applicable, and tags. Dated bill of sale carried with bike is sufficient. The bigger factor is you better have proof of insurance or your vehicle will be impounded posthaste.
 
In Utah the plates stay with the original registrant, who is required to remove them before turning the vehicle over to a buyer. From the DMV website:

What to Do if You Sell Your Car
When you sell your vehicle:
Remove your license plates from the vehicle. If you do not, you may be liable for any parking or traffic violations occurring while your plates remain on the car.
Give the new owner the signed title, current registration certificate, and current safety and emission certificates. The new owner may obtain a temporary permit from any Motor Vehicle office by presenting the signed title, proof of insurance, and picture identification and paying all applicable fees
Report the vehicle as sold to the Division of Motor Vehicles. This can be done by choosing one of these options:
Online. Use Utah’s Motor Vehicle Portal—MVP.
By mail or fax. The written notification must include the vehicle year, make, plate or vehicle identification number, and the owner’s signature. This notification can be sent to:
Division of Motor Vehicles
MVCC
P.O. Box 30412
Salt Lake City, UT 84130
Fax: (801) 297-3570
By phone. Contact the DMV at 1-800-DMV-UTAH

And since the plates are required to be removed, one can register a replacement vehicle to those same plates and their already-memorized alphanumeric. No more fumbling at the motel counter trying to remember or peek at the plate number of the vehicle you rode in on. ��

Best,
DeVern
 
In Arkansas you do NOT send the tag with a sold vehicle...

Nor in VA.

Webguydave: I’m a longtime resident of VA. I have bought and sold a fair number of used vehicles over the years, including motorcycles and mopeds. In no case did I give or receive a license plate with the sale or purchase. In VA, the plate is removed from the vehicle when sold, it doesn’t go with it.
The new owner brings his/her own plates when picking it up, or trailers it home.

Generally it’s not lawful to operate a vehicle on a prior owner’s plates. You must license/register in your name before operating it.

If the seller in WV generously took the risk of letting you ride home on his plates, as soon as you pulled in your driveway they should have been removed and mailed back to him so he could dispense with them per his state’s requirements.

I would get the plates back to him asap. Yes, that leaves you in a bind due to the corona virus delays at dmv, but that is not the sellers fault. It’s just one of the many inconveniences we face in the current environment.
 
Laws vary by state. I have ridden home on a seller's plate. I have ridden or driven home with no plate. Once I was stopped out of state for no plate. The signed title was sufficient but the officer insisted to see proof of insurance. I have sold a bike and as a courtesy let the buyer ride home with it. Texas has a requirement that a purchased vehicle must be registered with xx days. I forget whether that is 21 days or 30 days. Texas also has a DMV form to send to them when a vehicle is sold providing the name and address of the buyer. That is the form that will relieve a seller of liability if the buyer fails to register the vehicle.

Well, that's kinda reassuring - you've actually had experience being stopped with no plate! I do have insurance and the title...so perhaps I'll ship the plate back , ride with no plate and see what happens.

With all the DMV's being impacted, I imagine there's all kind of transactions that are complete but not 'recorded', if you will.

And I'm not planning on a trip anytime soon; I've got my hands full with a house renovation ( and garage and ...SHOP!!!) but the riding around here is perfect for adjusting to this bike - 2 lane, low speed ( 45) swooping up and down hills on decent roads.... I'm coming back to riding after a number of years; gotta say that this is head and shoulders above ALL my previous rides///

Dave
 
I will add to my earlier comment that in Texas it is possible to get a Temporary Tag to allow ferrying the vehicle home. That said I bought a camper van in Florida and was driving it home without plates. I was stopped by a very friendly officer in Biloxi, Mississippi. When I showed him the signed title he was happy. But he needed to see proof of insurance. By text we got that from our agent in a couple of minutes. He was happy and so was I.
 
Nor in VA.

Webguydave: I’m a longtime resident of VA. I have bought and sold a fair number of used vehicles over the years, including motorcycles and mopeds. In no case did I give or receive a license plate with the sale or purchase. In VA, the plate is removed from the vehicle when sold, it doesn’t go with it.
The new owner brings his/her own plates when picking it up, or trailers it home.

Generally it’s not lawful to operate a vehicle on a prior owner’s plates. You must license/register in your name before operating it.

If the seller in WV generously took the risk of letting you ride home on his plates, as soon as you pulled in your driveway they should have been removed and mailed back to him so he could dispense with them per his state’s requirements.

I would get the plates back to him asap. Yes, that leaves you in a bind due to the corona virus delays at dmv, but that is not the sellers fault. It’s just one of the many inconveniences we face in the current environment.

And there ya have it....:)<))

Yep, he was nice enough to provide the plate for the trip home...and given what I've seen in response, I'll ship the plate back to him and take my chances for the short trips out in the 'sticks' here....btw, I did get insurance the moment I got it back here. My car/truck insurance covers these this but only for the shortest of time...

Thanks!

Dave
 
On the few bikes I have sold, I always remove the plate. My thoughts is it will incentivize the purchaser to follow through on title transfer. Have done that with other plated items such as trailers and vehicles. Nothing nefarious in my reasoning, just peace of mind.

Just went to pick up a bike in NC, the seller said he had to turn in another states plate at sale of another bike. He took the NC tag, reinstalled a plate he used while stationed in Japan. I had signed title, sales receipt and insurance for return to TX. Never stopped with huge yellow plate in six states and will ride it to our recently opened tax office Friday to register it.

I would take the route suggested, he let you ride away with it...you'll return it as soon as practical due to different situations these days.
I live in NC and until you turn the plate into the DMV you pay a personal property tax on the vehicle. A bill of sale & the title plus proof of insurance is all you need to get home when you purchase a vehicle.
 
The problem is that if the bike is involved in an accident, and it has the seller's plate on it, the lawyer for any injured party could include the seller in the lawsuit, as the registered owner, and then the seller has the expense and hassle of getting himself removed from the suit. Litigation lawyers have a saying that it's easier to remove a party from an action, than to add one, so they usually sue everyone in sight, out of an abundance of caution. They don't want to miss a limitation period.

I once sold a bike to an out of province buyer who showed up with no insurance, so he couldn't get a transit permit to ride it home. We spent most of an afternoon getting proof of insurance faxed to my home, so he could get the permit. There was no way that bike was leaving here with my plate on it.
 
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North Dakota the plate belongs to the seller with firm instructions to remove it when the vehicle is sold. Drive with the title and bill of sale.

I sold a vehicle and had the cash in hand then went to get a screwdriver to pull the plates. The buyer just a out had a fit. I told him state law and he said he wasn't going to buy it then so I
handed his money back. It was funny as he just stood there and didn't take the money, mumbling something about needed the vehicle. I took the plates, he drove it away.
 
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