Hi folks,

i just bought a 2006 ninja 500R from a private seller, well almost, i will behanding over the money and filling out all the paperwork this weekend. the seller told me he paid off his loan a few months ago and he has a clear title in hand, but when i ran the VIN trace on the DMV website it showed that there is a "lien" on the bike. is it possible that the information on the website is not up-to-date? should i require that he bring a lien release to the meeting regardless even though he says the title is clear? i haven't seen the title yet so i'm not sure what to expect when i meet up with him but i want to be fully prepared. i've never seen a title before either so i want to make sure i know what red flags to look for so that everything's legit. i plan to go to the DMV with the signed forms, title and registration, bill of sale, etc. early next week and i don't want to run into any problems registering the bike and getting my title certificate or possibly having this lien show up on my title but in my name.

any advice, tips, suggestions would be much appreciated... thanks!

linda

 

If they do not have the title in hand, dont buy it.

 

ok, if he doesn't have the title i def won't buy it. but if he does have the title in hand, anything i should look for... any red flags? anyway to know ifthe title has been forged so that it appears to be clear when it's really not?

i guess you can say i'm somewhat paranoid about getting scammed cuz i'm a newbie [&:]

 

I dont think he can get the title from the dmv if there is a lien on it. No title in hand then no deal. You can also check with your local police department to see if they can run the VIN number to see if it was reported stolen or not.

 

There are different kinds of leins, if the bank holds a lein on the ride, the bank will hold the title, if the guy has title in hand then the bank no longer holds the lein. There are also mechanic's leins, which means they had work done to the bike and it still has to be paid for in which case the mechanic would hold the bike. If the man has both the Title and the Bike you can assume it is good to go, but it never hurts to ask why it shows a lein. If you dont trusthis response, dont buy the bike.

Things to look for, make sure the seller is the man who's name is on the title, and make sure the VIN# matches the Title. As for a bill of sale, you only need one if the bike is sold without the title. The Title has a section for transfer of ownership which must be filled out when you buy the bike, filling that out constitutes a bill of sale.

Tip: When getting your title transferred the DMV will charge you sales tax based on the amount you paid for the bike. If the sell price is less than a certain amount (It varies from state to state) then you dont have to pay tax. The sell price of the bike is in the Transfer of Ownership section, I usually pay cash for the ride and write down a number lower than the tax requirement (You can even put $1) or just ask the seller to leave it blank if they are filling it out.

Sorry I get wordy when I'm tired.

 

Here in maine you still need a bill of sale but it doesnt matter the price you write down they will tax you on what they say its worth so if daddy sells you his 08 whatever for a buckthey look up the value and tax you on that. but if he has the original title from the bank signed by bank it should be paid off banks wont release them if you owe them money and if he doesnt you goto bank with him give him the money he pays the remaining balance off and keeps the rest bank gives titlethen andthere good luck have fun be safe