Ownership in previous owner's name? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Ownership in previous owner's name?

mimico_polak

Well-known member
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Hey all,
So that bike itch hasn't gone away and I'm still 'ooing and ahhhing' for different sets of bikes. I've basically set my budget and am checking out bikes that I like (Rebel 300 / Shadow RS / Yamaha R3 / CBR500R and the like).

I've run into a couple of times where the current owner states that they never registered the bike and left the documentation in the previous owner's name....

Red flag or is it something to buy if the price is fair? Not sure how to confirm it's not stolen / issues with it (i.e. liens if the guy doesn't have a UVIP).
 
I wouldn't be cool with it personally as they are going to have to sell it to you more or less fraudulently now since they will have to forge a bill of sale in the other persons name, with a fraudulent signature as well.

But you can buy a UVIP yourself for any vehicle you have the VIN for, so if you're questioning anything but really want the bike..get the VIN from the seller, spend the $20, see what it has to say, and you can also run the VIN through the stolen vehicle registry website as well to see if anything weird pops up.

Personally I'd ask why they never registered it. Most will probably say they didn't want to pay the taxes as they didn't end up riding it, whatnot. You could insist on them changing it into their name before completing the deal to buy it, or you could accept the risks and just skip that step.
 
Personally I'd ask why they never registered it. Most will probably say they didn't want to pay the taxes as they didn't end up riding it, whatnot.

Funny...that's exactly what the guy said a couple of days ago...
 
Funny...that's exactly what the guy said a couple of days ago...

In the classic "I didn't want to pay the taxes" scenario...suggest to him that he contact the old owner and ask for a new bill of sale for $100 or something like that and then have him pay the $13 tax and the $20 or whatever it is for the new ownership...and you're golden to then complete the sale legitimately.

This assumes the previous (still technical) owner doesn't flip out when the guy who actually has the bike tells him/her they never bothered to actually transfer it. Also assumes the previous owner is still willing to help him fix that and doesn't tell him to take a flying leap.

Or better yet, just move on and buy a bike from someone else without these potential issues.
 
It's called "curb-siding." Guy / girl (usually guys) buys a bike or bikes from Kijiji from desperate -for-cash sellers ie divorce sale or moving sale and flips them for ~ $500 profit. He doesn't want to put them in his name as he'll have to pay the tax. The downside of buying from a curb-sider is that you don't really get a feel for the owner who actually rode the bike or the history of the bike as the curb-sider doesn't know it, or is not forthcoming with the truth. The other downside is that curb-siders generally won't negotiate the price down.

The other scenario when you see this is the person took a trade. They couldn't sell their boat, so they took a motorcycle as a trade. You might see a lot of this this season as motorcycle sales are way down and slow.

Curb-sider or a Trade.
Hey all,
So that bike itch hasn't gone away and I'm still 'ooing and ahhhing' for different sets of bikes. I've basically set my budget and am checking out bikes that I like (Rebel 300 / Shadow RS / Yamaha R3 / CBR500R and the like).

I've run into a couple of times where the current owner states that they never registered the bike and left the documentation in the previous owner's name....

Red flag or is it something to buy if the price is fair? Not sure how to confirm it's not stolen / issues with it (i.e. liens if the guy doesn't have a UVIP).

Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk
 
... I've run into a couple of times where the current owner states that they never registered the bike and left the documentation in the previous owner's name.....
So they never rode it :rolleyes: or did they say they rode it but only illegal
 
There are lots of 'curbsiders' dealing in small bikes. Some pick up cheap crashed at insurance auctions then tidy them up for sale, others buy damaged bikes. Get the VIN, athen spend $20 on a UVIP. Call the last owner to see whether the seller is legit, or whether the bike was a writeoff that went to auction..
 
There are lots of 'curbsiders' dealing in small bikes. Some pick up cheap crashed at insurance auctions then tidy them up for sale, others buy damaged bikes. Get the VIN, athen spend $20 on a UVIP. Call the last owner to see whether the seller is legit, or whether the bike was a writeoff that went to auction..

Who is the legal owner of the bike?

A: The guy with it in his possession or

B: the guy with his name on the ownership?

Buy the bike from A and B shows up after you've got it fixed up saying he never sold it to A, just loaned it to him. Give me my bike back.

A is defrauding the government, possibly in more ways than one.

I can understand someone not immediately transferring the ownership. It needs work and why pay the taxes if it's going to cost too much to fix. Enter new buyer.

What would it cost to buy the right bike, ready to ride, clean title, with safety?

Price bike parts and service. Does buying a pig in a poke make sense?
 
There is a six day period where the ownership is supposed to be taken out of the sellers name and transfered to the buyer. All curb-siders break this rule which is not good for a seller as if the bike (or any vehicle) is stolen and wrecked and someone is injured or killed at the scene of the accident, the seller is still responsible for it. The onus is on the seller to provide a receipt of sale to the police and prove that the vehicle was sold.


Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk
 
Cool thanks guys. Guy said he will have the ownership switched over to his name this weekend so i'm waiting for that.

Thanks for all the input.
 
I'd never buy it unless it's in the name of the seller. Too many bikes out there to bother with potentially shady stuff. It might be a legit reason, but not worth MY time....or money.
 
Dealers do the same thing,I don't think they want to pay tax on a trade in.

Dealers don’t pay tax on vehicles that pass through their business, as part of registering them in their business name anyways.

They pay tax on any *profits*, which is where shady “dealers” may be playing games.
 
There is a six day period where the ownership is supposed to be taken out of the sellers name and transfered to the buyer. All curb-siders break this rule which is not good for a seller as if the bike (or any vehicle) is stolen and wrecked and someone is injured or killed at the scene of the accident, the seller is still responsible for it. The onus is on the seller to provide a receipt of sale to the police and prove that the vehicle was sold.


Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk

Keep in mind that the risk of a crash is higher with a motorcycle than a car. Someone gets his license on a 250 and then buys a liter bike or tank (Goldwing). The growing pains include crashes.

Signed receipts are better than nothing if the police come knocking on your door but a completed transfer means they don't even come knocking.
 

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