Buying a private bike, do I need to have it safetied to register? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Buying a private bike, do I need to have it safetied to register?

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Alderson

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I'm looking at a few bikes and I asked someone if the bike came safetied, because if I'm not mistaken, you need to safety the vehicle to register it as a new owner?

The person said it doesn't come safetied because it doesn't need to be for another couple of years, but it will pass safety anyways.


So my question is, when buying a bike, do I need to have it safetied (preferably before I buy it to make sure I'm not buying a broken bike), or does the bike only need to be safetied after X amount of years, and not when transferring ownership
 
Yes it needs to be safetied in order to transfer its registration (you also need proof of insurance). You also need the UVIP package which the seller is supposed to provide. Whether the seller safeties the bike prior to sale is up to the buyer and seller to determine.
 
Alright, thanks guys.

How much would it cost to safety a bike? That's if everything is in working order and nothing needs to be repaired.
 
Service Ontario states that it's the sellers responsibility to safety a used vehicle (motorcycles included), but interestingly you'll find lots of sellers who won't get the safety done, selling "as-is". As a buyer you should be very cautious of "as-is" bikes -- once you buy it any mechanical deficiencies become your responsibility. I would personally never buy a used bike without it first passing safety by licensed mechanic.
 
red flag here: the seller is saying it doesn't need to be safetied for a couple years? - he appears to be trying to mislead you into thinking it is safetied.... and why do you think the seller is saying this...

you will need the safety and insurance (and uvip) to get a plate.

you can change the ownership to your name w/o a safety, but the ownership will have UNFIT on the ownership and you will NOT be able to get plates. You can safety it later (like in the spring) and insure/plate it then. A safety is only valid for 36 days from date of issue. check the date if the seller has one. Your insurer may want a photo copy of the safety.
 
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Thanks for the help as always. I know nothing about motorcycles mechanically, only cars and trucks. So, I'll definitely have to buy one with safety
 
The seller might just be misinformed themselves, not necessarily trying to pull one over on the OP. But in any case, the bike needs a safety and insurance # to get plated. It can be transferred into your name without the safety, but as already stated it will be marked as UNFIT until it passes a safety. The UVIP is supposed to be provided by the seller, but the MTO doesn't care who does get it. You can even buy it when you go to change the ownership, but it's in your best interest to get it before paying for the bike to lessen the chance it doesn't have a lien on it. Since it's been implemented. I've never bought a bike without it first...funny enough, I've never sold a bike with one, the buyers have all gotten one first or after the fact. I've also never bought a bike with a safety, as I get it myself. I know what to check for the safety and mechanical soundness....2 different things. The price to have a safety done varies from $40-$100.

None of my insurers ever wanted a safety, that's for the MTO.
 
I asked the person if they wouldn't mind safetying the bike if I chose to buy it from them. This was their response -

"The bike is uninsured currently and it is a huge risk to safety a bike for someoe who can walk out on it as they only last for 28 days. I'd have to spend the money on the safety and the insurance just to get it done, so no, I'm not going to safety it. It's too much of a risk. If you're interested in the bike, let me know. But I'm not interested in getting the safety done because I don't even need it doe. It's only the new owner that does."

...So I definitely won't be buying that bike.
 
D-J said:
Service Ontario states that it's the sellers responsibility to safety a used vehicle (motorcycles included), but interestingly you'll find lots of sellers who won't get the safety done, selling "as-is". As a buyer you should be very cautious of "as-is" bikes -- once you buy it any mechanical deficiencies become your responsibility. I would personally never buy a used bike without it first passing safety by licensed mechanic.
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I think you're getting the UVIP and a safety inspection confused with each other.

It is most certainly NOT the seller who needs to provide a safety. They DO have to provide the UVIP by law.

The seller can choose to (or not) to safety it for the new buyer. Having it done is a feather in the cap for a sale as it means the bike won't need any expensive repairs - non drivetrain at least, that's not part of the safety, so one still needs to take caution, but that's another story.

Buying any vehicle "as is" means that you need to get the safety inspection performed yourself, and only then will you find out if it may need repairs - new tires, fork seals, brakes and such are the common issues.

As for this specific sale, I wouldn't necessarilly run away from it, but I *would* have someone knowledgable about motorcycles come and look at the bike on your behalf before handing over the cash. It may very well need nothing, or it may need a lot.
 
espro said:
Yes it needs to be safetied in order to transfer its registration (you also need proof of insurance). You also need the UVIP package which the seller is supposed to provide. Whether the seller safeties the bike prior to sale is up to the buyer and seller to determine.
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don't like being an internet argument guy, but this is not entirely correct

with a bill of sale and signed ownership, that's all a buyer needs to have ownership transfered to their name
without a safety certificate it will deemed unfit and cannot be plated until proven fit by a safety

many people buying project bikes do this and after the work is complete get a safety done

or if buying a bike late in the season this is an option when buyer wants title transferred
but not planning to ride until spring
 
PrivatePilot said:
I think you're getting the UVIP and a safety inspection confused with each other.

It is most certainly NOT the seller who needs to provide a safety. They DO have to provide the UVIP by law.

The seller can choose to (or not) to safety it for the new buyer. Having it done is a feather in the cap for a sale as it means the bike won't need any expensive repairs - non drivetrain at least, that's not part of the safety, so one still needs to take caution, but that's another story.

Buying any vehicle "as is" means that you need to get the safety inspection performed yourself, and only then will you find out if it may need repairs - new tires, fork seals, brakes and such are the common issues.

As for this specific sale, I wouldn't necessarilly run away from it, but I *would* have someone knowledgable about motorcycles come and look at the bike on your behalf before handing over the cash. It may very well need nothing, or it may need a lot.
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No confusion here. The safety inspection (certificate) and UVIP are two separate documents. Both are revealing about the potential integrity of a used bike.

Yes you're right, a seller can choose to (or not) to safety the bike; they can also choose not to produce the UVIP. In both cases it's buyer beware.

A bike that's been properly maintained should have absolutely no problem passing a safety inspection. So if a seller isn't willing to have it done the buyer should question what might be wrong with the bike mechanically. 'Project bikes' are another ball of wax.

Really what this boils down to is trust. Would you "trust" someone selling a bike who is not forthcoming with all the documentation? There are plenty of high quality bikes out there. Shop around.
 
D-J said:
No confusion here. The safety inspection (certificate) and UVIP are two separate documents. Both are revealing about the potential integrity of a used bike.

Yes you're right, a seller can choose to (or not) to safety the bike; they can also choose not to produce the UVIP. In both cases it's buyer beware.

A bike that's been properly maintained should have absolutely no problem passing a safety inspection. So if a seller isn't willing to have it done the buyer should question what might be wrong with the bike mechanically. 'Project bikes' are another ball of wax.

Really what this boils down to is trust. Would you "trust" someone selling a bike who is not forthcoming with all the documentation? There are plenty of high quality bikes out there. Shop around.
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It's my first bike, so I'm kind of limited to what I'm comfortable with getting. The Ninja 300 is my top pick, and the only other bike I know of which might be a good starter is the GS500
 
D-J said:
Service Ontario states that it's the sellers responsibility to safety a used vehicle (motorcycles included),
Click to expand...

PrivatePilot said:
I think you're getting the UVIP and a safety inspection confused with each other.
Click to expand...

D-J said:
No confusion here. The safety inspection (certificate) and UVIP are two separate documents. Both are revealing about the potential integrity of a used bike.
Click to expand...

I think you should go back and re-read the quoted part of your initial response. You are either mistaken, or you meant buyer, not seller.
 
FWIW I've bought every single motorcycle I've ever owned "as is" and safetied them myself, but I also bought them only after having carefully done due diligence, knowing what to look at. Fork seals, tire tread depth, brake pads/rotors, lights, head bearings, etc. It's not complicated to check out things ahead of time if you know what to look at.

In the one situation where the seller *did* offer to safety the bike before sale they wanted $500 more for the final price, which isn't uncommon as sellers often want to do CYA against any of their own expenses that might pop up to make it pass. Since I knew the safety only cost $100 and the bike needed nothing I felt no need to pay this and bought it "As is" instead - total repair cost was $0, as expected.

Again, it depends on knowing what you're looking at before handing over the cash. It's important to remember that a safety doesn't mean that the engine or transmission is perfect, either - a bike that has no compression on 1 cylinder, is missfiring on others, has gears missing or a bent shift fork (just to name a few things) can still pass a safety, which is again why it pays to have someone along for the initial look who knows motorcycles. He/she, if properly knowledgeable, can also tell you likely to within 90% certainty if the bike will pass safety at the same time.

So again, "As is" isn't really a reason to discount a bike unless you don't have the knowledge to check it out ahead of time, or cannot find someone who IS knowledgable to help you out.
 
Went through this, this spring. Gf bought a bike unsaftied, then got it safetied at the local dealer. I can't blame a seller who may not sell the bike to get it safetied. I would just look it over well before buying.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
This thread should have only been 2-3 posts long. Wow.

A safety is not required to transfer the vehicle into your name. You can transfer it UNFIT.
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