MSO, MCO issues.
 

Alot of individuals visit our website before buying a Chinese Bike, Atv or Scooter.

Because of the state of the current Chinese bike market alot of visitors to chinariders.net, not close enough to Brick and Mortar dealers like:RPM, ejcycles or Mule, purchase these bikes, atv's and scooters online. I learned the hard way on my first China bike purchase. That, just because the seller says "Street legal" does not make registering the bike in various jurisdictions a bygone conclusion.

Every state, province and country has different laws regarding the legal operation of recreational vehicles. Noticing that we have members all over Canada, US and the world, providing a (Read this before you buy!), MSO, MCO buyers beware Forum, may help some of our members , avoid the 1st time buyer nightmares that occur when online sellers are vague or avoid the questions with regards to mso's. In addition members in various jurisdictions can provide their experiences with regards to "legalizing" their dual sports, atv's, street bikes and scooters.

There have been alot of posts with regards to these issues and while some online sellers are quite forward with regards to mso's, others are quite vague or have no mention of MSO's. Once these online sellers have your payment, communication often goes from constant to non existent.. I know a few members that can testify to that. Vfrflyer is the latest victim.

Anyhow..... I think maybe a "Buyers beware" or "MSO, MCO" info forum would be helpful to our current and future members.

Brian... New England Trails

I'll start--don't buy a Chinese bike to street register it for California. Some have, including a few members here, but it is difficult, if not impossible. (DOT/EPA means 49 states, Californians need not apply!!)

That being said: there are several companies with green and some with red sticker approval, for California. (Off-road only)

I wonder if someone bought one in NV and registered it there - then sold it to someone in CA... would it be streetable then? Maybe that's a way around it. Hmmm - possibly a dealer would have to register it personally and then make a personal sale. Dunno, just throwing out an idea.

John. Good Question. This is the dialogue I think our members need to hear.... and only experience.. can answer. Culcune.. also had an excellent observation.

In the case of my state.. CT.. they are mainly concerned with the mso or title reading..."Motorcycle" under body type... If Nevada issued a title with "motorcycle" under body type... I imagine registration would go smoothly in CT. There are 50 states..... out there..... each one has different hot buttons.. California is more anal than most states.. apparently, Thank God I dont live there.. lol,, But ... your question is a valid one and members of our site could benefit... with this kind of brainstorming and procedure tips in an MSO.... or Buyers Beware.. type of forum..

Thanks for your response.

New England Trails..

Living on the California/Arizona/Mexican border, I would be willing to let someone from California use my address to try this out, if they wanted a bike that bad!

Since there is no “Before you buy” or “First time buyers” section, I will put this here.

1. Call the company you are thinking of buying from before clicking “buy it now” If they aren’t answering the phone before they have your money don’t expect them to after. Ask them how they deal with the MCO (Manufacture’s Certificate of Origin). Ask if they will be shipping from their location or having it drop shipped from a warehouse somewhere. If it is coming from them they should be able to fill out the VIN and all the information before shipping the bike. Then have them mail it to you separately.
2. Pay with a credit card. If you pay with Visa or MasterCard (not a Check card even if it has the logo). You will then have up to 90 days to file a dispute with Visa. Don’t wait 90 days. If your paperwork isn’t strait in 30-40 file the dispute, you can always retract it. Visa is not in the business of helping you rip off dealers they will investigate your claim. You will need to send the bike back in the same condition it arrived in. So no test rides around the neighborhood. The dealer can legitimately charge a “restocking fee” I’m not sure of this but I think Visa limits it to 20%. You will likely not be reimbursed for any shipping fees. But two or three returns will drive the fly by night guys out of business.
3. Know the law. Do your research before hand. Find out if your state/providence will allow the vehicle to be registered and what is needed before hand. Do you need insurance? Will your insurance company insure it? Also find out where the dealer is and find out what laws protect you in their location. Some states do a better job than others.

I’m sure others can add more advice but hopefully this will help someone.

XXX-motosports has the best customer service, IMO.

NC you can register the DS bike, no problems.

Geico gave me no issues with liability insurance.

Hello Everyone
On this issue of MCO/MSO.....One thing people need to realize here is the {average Joe or Jane} doesn't want to be responsible for anything today. They just buy on-line and blame everyone but themselves for every outcome that happens. They didn't assemble it correctly, I can't get it registered/titled, I can't get parts, the warranty etc. etc. NewEnglandTrails is exactly correct, people need to become responsible before any of this gets better. We do need a thread for this purpose. I have seen complaints about xxx.motorsports also, and I'm not downing anyone here, but why/what is the complaint? Is the complaint legitimate or not? so on and so forth. The person looking to purchase Should be Responsible for their actions all of them. They need to find out everything about the registration of any Vehicle they want to purchase in Their State!

{Example: Ohio Law says that every street legal vehicle Must be Titled. Ohio Law says that Since July 1, 1999, Every New Sale of any Off-Road Vehicle ATV or Dirtbike, Must be Titled in the purchasers name, except for complete utility vehicles.} Over 80% of the people that come in my shop do not know the laws in Ohio and they live here.

On the other issue of the Seller...Is this guy being Honest? and how is someone to know? Anyone can build a website today and sell anything they want just about! PolygonFla has a Great Point, Call the company {During their business hours!} if they answer the phone make sure they answer every and all of your questions correctly! Make sure they know the difference between What a Titled/Registered vehicle is and the MCO/MSO, a lot of these companies don't know and don't care. They just leave it up to the End User {the customer} after the purchase is made and too bad for them one the purchase is final. The credit card is a Great idea....that's how I received some of my money back. I was a SunL Dealer couldn't get parts at all and filed against them through my credit card company.
I hope that this helps.

Bruce

I've added a 'Registration Issues' forum specifically for street registration and MSO related discussion. I had been avoiding a dedicated forum for this topic since it's primarily a US issue (Each state seems like its own small country - go figure). However, since ~75% of the visitors originate in the US it only makes sense.

I've also moved relevant discussion threads from the DS forum to 'Registration Issues'.

Thanks Frostbite,

I take it there arent too many registration issues in Canada?

NET

I didn't have any, but then again there are only a handful of Canadian users on this site.

Thats lucky for you all up north! i havent seen any memebers from maryland yet, but i hope that i get the registration squared away fast and easy... i will post the requirements when i find out exactly what is needed to get this done.