BowenCT Posted January 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Yeah, I mean, the reason I inquired about a title is that when I bought my 400EX new back in 2000, I don't recall ever receiving a title from the dealer. Maybe I did and it's stuffed away in a file cabinet somewhere....no idea?? That bike is long gone now and I know when I sold it I didn't give the new owner a title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRed350x Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 I'll try to make this real simple for everyone. In the eyes of the law....if you have an ATV and don't have a title...then you don't OWN an ATV, you just HAVE and atv. Now, I know some people are going to dissagree with this next statement and they are going to say "I'd just this" or "I'd just that". But if I loaded your quad into my truck while you watched me do it...and you called the cops and said "Hey that guy stole my quad"...here's what might happen. #1- You and all your friends tell the cops about what just happend. The cops arrest me for theft and confiscate your bike as evidence. I'm charged with theft due to you witnesing me taking it. Now your asked by the cops to prove OWNERSHIP....no title = your not able to prove ownership, so they keep your machine and sell it at public auction. (That happend to a guy over on another site. He even had pictures of his bike being built and with custom airbrushed graphics with his NAME on them! That's why I can say "No Title = No Ownership) #2 Cops stop me and ask me if that's my quad. I say yes. They say one was reported stolen and the guys say I took it. I say "Does he have any poof that this machine is the same machine he claims is his"? Your left describing scratches in paint and plastic as if being able to describe an ATV is the same as having rights to it. The cops are unable to do any thing more because "Possession is nine tens the law". I got it, so it's up to YOU to prove it's yours. Now the cops might tell me I need to turn the quad over to them for the investigation.....and if I'm dumb enough to do that...then we're back to option #1. Either way you loose your quad. Don't buy the story, that your state doesn't issue titles. If you can go to your loacl Yamaha dealer and finance a bike...then it has a title. That's what the bank holds till you pay it off. Most don't have a title because you pay the sales tax on the purchase when you register your machine to get your copy of the title, so many people skip that step and then they are left doing "bills of sale" which in the eys of the law don't really prove OWNERSHIP....just PAYMENT. So in the case of a theft, your "Bill of Sale " from the guy you bought it from only proves that you paid for this (Possibly stolen) atv from somone else, so at the very least your not guilty of theft....just selling stolen goods. Bill of sale = proof you paid for it. NOT THAT YOU OWN IT. Possession is nine tens the law. BUT... many states require you to have a title. Not having a title can be as bad a charge as theft. Hope that clears up a little misinformation and answers the question of why have a title. Not sure about other states, but in Wyoming if you have a notarized bill of sale, run down to your local sheriff dept and have them run the VIN. If it comes up clean they sign a paper stating such. Take those two documents down to the county clerk's office, and they will issue you a new title for the ATV in your name. Just did this for a banshee I got earlier this summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbones Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 I just sold a ruff 96, no title, and a blown top end for $1000. where I live good luck getting a nice quad under 2000. im sure there r deals out there just not overly common.. I have owned over 30 dirt bikes and quads over the 24 years I have been riding and have never even seen what a title or certificate of origin looks like for one of these machines. I just live by the way of protect what u know is yours. many will disagree. and I respect that. I live in mass and only street bikes have titles and off road bike & atvs have certificate of origin . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RZBansheeMan Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Not sure about other states, but in Wyoming if you have a notarized bill of sale, run down to your local sheriff dept and have them run the VIN. If it comes up clean they sign a paper stating such. Take those two documents down to the county clerk's office, and they will issue you a new title for the ATV in your name. Just did this for a banshee I got earlier this summer. I have done that for a few vehicles in the past too here in Michigan, but I'm certain the law may have changed a bit, because I don't ever remember having a bill of sale...soo I think it would almost have been possible to legally steal something if the vin wasn't ever reported stolen to begin with.. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
06specialedition Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Not sure about other states, but in Wyoming if you have a notarized bill of sale, run down to your local sheriff dept and have them run the VIN. If it comes up clean they sign a paper stating such. Take those two documents down to the county clerk's office, and they will issue you a new title for the ATV in your name. Just did this for a banshee I got earlier this summer. X2. Utah is the same way on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggzy Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Not sure about other states, but in Wyoming if you have a notarized bill of sale, run down to your local sheriff dept and have them run the VIN. If it comes up clean they sign a paper stating such. Take those two documents down to the county clerk's office, and they will issue you a new title for the ATV in your name. Just did this for a banshee I got earlier this summer. I wish NY was that easy. There's several forms to fill out showing history of ownership that must be signed by the previous TWO owners or previous owner with one year minimum possession an then it's still up to the office manager at the Motor vehicle site where you're trying to register whether or not they'll grant you a temporary registration (title) while the "hold period" runs it's course to see if anyone reports it stolen of in case a lean search comes back positive. I'm going through it right now with another quad I just restored and it's absurd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRed350x Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 I wish NY was that easy. There's several forms to fill out showing history of ownership that must be signed by the previous TWO owners or previous owner with one year minimum possession an then it's still up to the office manager at the Motor vehicle site where you're trying to register whether or not they'll grant you a temporary registration (title) while the "hold period" runs it's course to see if anyone reports it stolen of in case a lean search comes back positive. I'm going through it right now with another quad I just restored and it's absurd. That sucks. Ship it out to me with a bill of sale, I'll get you a title and "sell" it back to you for $1 with a bill of sale and a good title. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WINDYCITYJOHN400 Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 Thought I'd throw this link in here to help people figure this mess out. http://4wheeldrive.about.com/od/allthingsatv/a/atvstatelaws.htm Be carefull as you go state to state. In Michigan it's illegal to HAVE an atv without a title. (Trust me, even if your from out of state you don't want to risk loosing your machine at public police auction.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggzy Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 That sucks. Ship it out to me with a bill of sale, I'll get you a title and "sell" it back to you for $1 with a bill of sale and a good title. LOL That sounds really tempting. Too bad WY is such a long drive, or I'd take you up on it. You know what it's like trying to track down previous owners? In my case, the guy before me was really helpful and tracked down the guy before him for me even though he'd long since moved out of his parents home. If he hadn't... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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