Hello all once more. Tomorrow I am going to check out a CBR and it seems like a really nice bike! owner seems cool and honest, however he told me that the title was in his parents house. He said he will write me a bill of sale and will sign the papers and just mail it to me and I will recieve it in a couple of days. Is this a good idea or no? I live in CA BTW

 

I would wait to buy it until he provides the title. The bike may not be in his name, or may have a lien against it. You will not be able to get proper registration if you don't have a title for the bike so better be safe on this one.

I just bought my bike and found several good options for reasonable prices so no reason to rush your purchase. Good luck.

 

there's lots of bikes out there, thats not the only good deal. so why take such a risk on it? tell him you'll wait on him to go get the title and keep looking for better deals in the mean time.

 

If the bike is close to you then you can go look at it and then if you're interested in buying it then tell the guy that you are interested in buying it but you have to see the title first. This way if he really has the title it will motivate him to get it soon and if he doesn't have the title you didn't get screwed over.

 

Tell him to get the title first. A bill of sale won't help when the cops arrest you, take the reported stolen bike, and the guy has your thousands of dollars.

 

Tell him to get the title in hand first, otherwise dont risk it.

 

I agree totally.. Why would someone sell a bike and be too lazy to go get title so that it's in hand before posting it for sale? Is the seller really lazy or is something fishy going on?
If I wanted the bike and considered him reasonably honest I would put a deposit down but have a bill of sale wrote up contingent on title being produced. With it written that deposit is returned if no title shows.

Documentation is piece of mind and protection.
If you get the bike and no title your gonna have headaches man !!
Good luck.......

 

Do not buy it without him signing and handing the title over to you in person. If he's attempting to do what you say, whats stopping him from taking your money never sending you the title and watch you getting in trouble for GTA.

 

It's not hard for him to get a duplicate title. You can also get a title request with a sale on a particular DMV form in cali. I know this all because I got my F2 given to me by the original owner (long story, it didn't run and was much unloved and unwanted) but nobody knew who owned it last. I basically begged the DMV lady to tell me which of the 4 guys who had it last owned it, got a duplicate title/change of ownership form filed with his signature and got the bike in my name. There is something to the lien thing, but he CANNOT legally sell the bike without the lienholder's permission in cali, and they need a representative to sign the title transfer. If you try to buy it and he doesn't tell you, it won't go thru!

 

Do NOT go through with this!

If he insists, tell him you'll give him a $500 dollar deposit in the form of a check, but do not give him all the cash until you have the title in your hand.