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Since 1981, federal law states that all motor vehicles
are to be titled and must have a 17 digit VIN. This applies to all vehicles
built for the 1981 model year and up. With that law, it is also
specifies that all motorcycles shall be titled by the frame and not the
engine. These rules apply to all vehicles with frame numbers from the
factory, regardless of year.
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When buying a frame for any bike that has a frame number
on it, you need to get the title (or registration if it came from a state
that did not have titles in place at the time. For example, NY didn't have
any titles of any kind until 1973). A copy of the title or a bill
of sale is not sufficient proof of ownership according to federal law. The
exception to this is any vehicle that did not have frame/chassis numbers,
such as 1969 and older Harley Davidson.
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When buying an engine for a bike that had frame numbers,
a notarized bill of sale and a copy of the title or registration should be
obtained from the seller. Again, the exception to this is any vehicle with
no frame numbers, such as 1969 and older Harley Davidson. For those, you
need the title or registration, depending on what was considered proof of
ownership at the time it was last titled or registered.
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There are some states that do not adhere to federal law,
so check with your local DMV office before buying anything with numbers on
it to make sure you get the proper paperwork for registration purposes.
Every state also has a website for their Department of Motor Vehicles, and
most have a Frequently Asked Questions page which may or may not have the
information you need.
You may end up with a "Special Construction"
title which is named differently in just about every state, but once the
state gives you a number on your bike, you should never be hassled by any
cop over it (notice I said "should", cops are people too and there
are some real stupid ones out there).
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Keep one thing in mind. Having the wrong paperwork or
mismatched numbers on your bike is the fastest way to lose it. The last
thing you want is to see something you put your heart and soul into on the
back of a wrecker. They do not take into consideration that this is your
baby, they only see it as evidence and treat it as such (which is not very
good care for it, I might add).
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Here is a website that lists all (or most) 50 states' DMV websites:
CLICK
HERE
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Want to check on your Harley's VIN to see what your bike
is supposed to be?
CLICK HERE
