Seller never registered their Templar 250. Will have troubles titling it if I buy it?
 

Hi everyone! I’m a long time lurker, first time member! I’m looking to get a Chinese dirt bike, specifically a Templar 250. I found a kid that wants to get rid of his. He’s asking 500 bucks, which sounds almost too good to be true. He said he barely used it and everything works, except he took the carb off to do an upgrade but never actually got around to finishing it. He said everything works though, and honestly even if it doesn’t 500 bucks is kind of a steal (right?). But the thing is, when he received the bike he never got it registered. He still has all the papers that came with it. MCO and everything. Do you think I’d be able to get it registered in my name with the MCO? I’m in Arizona if that helps. Sorry if it’s a dumb question, I’ve never dealt with anything like this. Last time I switched cars it was just a simple title transfer. Thanks everyone! Hoping to become an active member of the community sometime within the next month!

Go explain this to someone at the DMV and get their take on it. Every state has their own policies.

Shouldn't be a problem, but make sure MCO says "motorcycle" for description and not "dirt bike". I would find out who he bought it from, ie Amazon or CSC, etc., and see if he has a receipt or other proof. Did he buy it or did dad buy it for him? Is he original owner or did he buy it unregistered from somebody? Basically, find out the history of the bike.

No matter what State you are in you will need MCO (vehicle type "motorcycle" if you want it plated for road use), and bill of sale.

1. Verify the MCO is NOT marked up or written on, and same with the BOS
2. Make sure the seller is listed as buyer on the BOS
3. You will almost certainly need a second BOS from the seller, dated, with odometer reading indicated, because he is named on the original BOS

Miscellaneous...There will likely be a late registration fee. This is often a monthly increment, with maximum of some value (maybe $100).
You will need same things everyone else needs for your state. This is likely a personal property tax receipt, proof of financial responsibility (insurance).

You might need a State Highway Patrol "ID/OD" inspection. This is needed for cross State purchases in Missouri. This is just a form from your State police with odometer reading and VIN verification.

It is possible that you will need an inspection as well. In Missouri, it is no longer needed if the vehicle has under 149k miles on it. We were lucky when this change happened last year.

Make a call to your head office motor vehicle division and have a pen ready to check off the items you need. You do not want to be one of those bozos that are turned away after standing in line because you didn't find out in advance and get everything you need!

[0QUOTE=GigaXi;400366]Hi everyone! I’m a long time lurker, first time member! I’m looking to get a Chinese dirt bike, specifically a Templar 250. I found a kid that wants to get rid of his. He’s asking 500 bucks, which sounds almost too good to be true. He said he barely used it and everything works, except he took the carb off to do an upgrade but never actually got around to finishing it. He said everything works though, and honestly even if it doesn’t 500 bucks is kind of a steal (right?). But the thing is, when he received the bike he never got it registered. He still has all the papers that came with it. MCO and everything. Do you think I’d be able to get it registered in my name with the MCO? I’m in Arizona if that helps. Sorry if it’s a dumb question, I’ve never dealt with anything like this. Last time I switched cars it was just a simple title transfer. Thanks everyone! Hoping to become an active member of the community sometime within the next month![/QUOTE]

Wow Thumper, thanks for the detailed reply! I will verify that the MCO is unmarked. Still waiting for the kid to get back to me. Honestly I’m not sure how bills of sales work yet, so I’ll have to do some research on that. Do I just print a form and we both fill it out? You think they will make me pay the registration fee even though it wasn’t initially registered? I mean, I don’t believe the MCO was even filled out. The kid just received the bike, assembled it, threw it in the back of his truck and went on a ride in the middle of the desert. But either way, 100 bucks in fees isn’t really an issue, but thank you for pointing that out! I live in rural AZ. We don’t even have a fire department out here. Town is 1600 people. I don’t ever have to do emission tests for my car lol, so I kind of doubt they will make me pass any sort of inspection, but who knows. Good idea calling the DMV! I’ll definitely do that before buying the bike. Thanks again! This is a huge help!



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I googled Arizona motor vehicle bill of sale and this link showed up. Yes, AZ has its own official BOS. Did you call and ask if they need one? The buyers contract or printed sales receipt may be sufficient for the original owner, but you need to find out if the original owner has that sales receipt. And verify that both MCO and BOS have his name on them.

https://azdot.gov/mvd-doc-lib/bill-sale


Good luck Jim...

I talked to the local DMV and they said that as long as the MCO is not filled out, I could just fill it out in my name, pay the taxes on the bike/have a receipt, and that's pretty much it. The kid said that he never filled out the MCO so I'm hoping everything will go smoothly. I'm still waiting for the seller to make themselves available, but it's taking a little longer than I'd like. Oh well... It sucks because the amount of money he's willing to sell it to me for is absolutely criminal, and I can't pass that up. It's just a waiting game at the moment.

Here we are more than a week later and into the weekend. Any progress on the owner finding the paperwork?

Yeah looks like I'll be picking it up tomorrow! The MCO is still nowhere to be found, but I do have the receipt from PowersportsMax though. I have the VIN and I checked it, nothing came up, as it's never been registered, obviously. I'll probably do a bill of sale just in case, but I doubt anything fishy is going on. The kid told me he's positive he has it, and he'll send it to me by mail when he finds it; and if he can't find the MCO I wonder if I can request one from PowersportsMax... But if not, and I can never register the bike, it won't be the end of the world. I live in a town of 1600 people so it's no big deal if it can't be street legal. I live at the end of a dirt road anyway ha!

I would wait until he produced the MCO, or at least got word from PSM that they can furnish you with one if he can't find it. But hey, it's your $500.

The kid was very nice, gave me a bunch of spare parts, a new carb, a bike lift, and lots of other little goodies. I have the bike now! Looks perfect! Was one hell of a trip driving to pick it up. So it’s been sitting for a few months, but the kid drained the gas tank, and removed the battery, so it’s been sitting empty. Any tips on what fluids to replace before attempting to start it? And what engine oil would you recommend getting? Thanks in advance!