I would like to begin by thanking all the users on the forum for sharing their ideas and encouragement as I attempted to register my Hawk 250 in Georgia. I will sum up the events of today thusly:
"Guess who's got two thumbs and a Georgia tag... THIS GUY!" I went to the sheriff's office this morning and got the VIN tag verified, by a stroke of luck and perhaps a foretelling of things to come, the receptionist at the sheriff's office is also a notary. I asked very politely if she would mind notarizing the documents I had brought, and she took care of it for me. I quick ride over to the DMV, and they looked over all the paperwork, and were very accommodating there, as well. There was a small screw-up when the lady was entering the info from the MCO, but that was easily remedied, and I walked out with a tag, registration, and a $134 lighter wallet. I'm calling this one at 80% successful so far, with the final 20% being the title arriving in the mail. They had to send everything off to the state to be reviewed, and they will issue a title following that. The possibility remains that when they review the documents, the game is up and they revoke my tag, but it's out of my hands for now. So to recap the process up to now; 1st, purchase a Hawk from the online supplier of your choice (in light of my ordeal, I would recommend that you try to find one that will have the correct MCO phrases to avoid this in the first place). 2nd, if necessary order a VIN tag from Chuck at
www.motorcycle-manufacturer-license.org/VIN-number-labels.htm (this step might be problematic for those people out there who hold the 'right/legal/lawful/proper/etc.' way to do this in higher regard than I do. Also, be prepared to do some finishing work on the tags. As anyone who has made it this far in my posts has seen. 3rd, get the required forms from the DMV and take them and the bike up to your local sheriff's office or police department. 4th, off you go to the tag office to get the paperwork processed and a new tag. That's about all there is to report on the process, hopefully some other enthusiasts out there find this helpful.
On to Jerry's point from earlier today: Guilty as charged... Yes, I got the tag, and couldn't help myself. I've been out riding for the better part of the day, and even went so far as to put the exhaust on. That's the last piece I had to do for "The Great Hawk Outfitting." The bike runs amazingly well, and I've got a touch under 200 miles on the clock now. To the potential fallout if things had gone the other way: I was ready to fight like I was the third monkey on the ramp to Noah's Ark, and Brother, it's starting to rain! I would have absolutely been a household name if things had gone Tango-Uniform! I'll sit back and enjoy some beer and pizza as I wait for everyone's responses to roll in. After that, I think there's no better way to celebrate than a night ride...
