Ducati.ms - The Ultimate Ducati Forum banner

Title Registration

1K views 18 replies 9 participants last post by  ammoduc 
#1 ·
Back in 2015 I purchased a beat up ugly semi crashed 97 748 with the original bad a$$ decals. It had suffered a slight crash on the left side and because of that it was a write off. I have a title that has a large stamp on it that says "FOR EXPORT ONLY" the owner told me that the Motorcycle COULD NOT be Registered in The US!! I have not done much about registering it but I did fix all its issues and now it is comfortably resting. Have any of you ever have this issue/problem? Any suggestions?

Here she is, She's a hottie, Some parts are missing when the pic was taken but she's complete now.
 

Attachments

See less See more
2
#3 ·
Is the title also marked "Repo"?

Actually this kinda sounds like someone was avoiding taxes on an auction vehicle but your local DMV will let you know if a Federal agency like Customs was/is interested in it. If they are not, go through the normal process of getting a good title and registration in your name according to whatever laws are in your area. So "Export" in this sense is that the vehicle is not going to be registered in the local jurisdiction of where it was sold because no one paid sales tax on it - nothing more than that. So you might have to cough up some tax money. If you are out of state from where you bought it, the paperwork actually will be probably easier (anywhere but California), because the DMV is not going to collect an out of state tax bill.
 
#4 ·
Thank you RockAz your argument makes sense. There is no REPO on the title however I do believe it had to do with not paying taxes. So the bike Originated in Colorado then I purchased it in Texas and now I'm living in F@KN california!! hey for me. I will keep in mind what you have told me so maybe in the future when 1997 748's go up in value..yea I know 2039 I will do something about it. Thanks again Partner.
 
#6 · (Edited)
In California you might have some emissions problems, how stock does it look? Those cans look stock to me, and its the first thing they look for. If you think it can pass a comparison to some photos of an ordinary 1997 748 to a non-Ducati inspector (who is looking for VIN and motor serial numbers) I would say get the ball rolling now on the title/registration. California won't collect for Colorado, you have "exported" the bike from Colorado meeting the terms of that stamp.

Once I moved with my Honda from a state that only recorded VIN numbers to a place where they wanted the engine number - I had no clue where that was stamped at the time, so I opened up the side panel and showed him the air filter part number which the inspector dutifully recorded. Good to go.

Most DMV people are pretty bored and if you are polite and take a picture of the bike with you to show off to the clerk who may find that bit of yellow sexy Italian Ducati brightens up their day, they will expedite things quickly - they really don't care about Colorado tax problems,...
 
#7 ·
Ahh I see, Yes it's 100% stock no mods Ive ridden it before and she's humble just like my stock 748L no mods no differences. I have a small project prior to getting to the 97 but once its done I will look into it...now that I know what you've shared with us!!
 
#13 · (Edited)
I don't think this is right - States really vary on the circumstances of "salvage title", which is what you are describing, so it might be true in your area. Certainly Google would bring back results like that. But this is not necessarily the case in Colorado. Export only, if not involving the original manufacturer directly, is someone avoiding taxes by claiming the vehicle will not be registered to operate in the area where it is sold. I have bought two vehicles in CO that were "farm vehicles" that got the Export stamp also. The original owners stopped driving them on state roads not long after they bought them so they did not have to keep the registration current when they sold them to their friends who also used them that way. Most of the time they never went off the ranch property anyway. Arizona is like this too, yahoo, wild wild west,...

Sure - enough of those sales are for repo's, stolen or crash totaled and in some states they get this Export stamp instead of Salvage, but in this case an old classic Ducati cosmetic damage (Bike value $5,000, new bodywork/paint $7,000) can total the bike as far as insurance people are concerned which also qualifies it for this stamp instead of Salvage if sold at auction in Colorado with no sales tax paid. In other words, DMV is satisfied there is a valid title, not lost, so it is not salvage but designate it is restricted from road use in the state without proper tax paid. This tax not paid could be as simple as a lapse in registration if you transfer the title but not get plates/registration and the previous owner had let it expire.

You can find vehicles in a junkyard with Export titles, but the operators usually don't save the paperwork for a salvage one beyond a bill of sale. Export doesn't mean to another country! Just exported out of their tax jurisdiction!

As jsheerin said above, in CA you may end up with the Hwy patrol doing a 50 state search on the VIN number for a very small fee for them to testify your bike is not stolen, they use two different systems I know of to look this up. If nothing hits, they send you back to DMV for a full and clear title like any other vehicle. You don't have to have the DMV make you go get this sign off, you can go to the Hwy Patrol facility and get their sign off yourself before you start your journey with the DMV on an "Export Only" title which helps the DMV clerk process your paperwork smoothly.
 
#11 ·
Having Just gone through the process of registering a Out Of State vehicle
with the CA DMV I can say that they want 4 things the VIN the Engine
Number the noise compliance sticker and the Emissions sticker. They
could care less if it has the evap canister etc they just want to see
the stickers. I was registering a Sport 1000 that had the stock exhaust
Evap Canister etc. They would not pass it for compliance until I
removed the gas tank so they could see the emissions sticker thank you
Ducati for putting it under the tank.
 
#12 ·
When I registered my 748 in California a few years ago, it didn't have the emissions sticker - the tail had been swapped out. So the DMV sent me to the highway patrol (which I knew would happen). I told them my story, they looked up the VIN and engine number, commented that the DMV generally didn't have a clue and sent me on my way. There was no real inspection other than that. They didn't look at my exhaust, emissions system, etc. Then back to the DMV to register it.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Yep, it got thrown down, but if the frame is still straight I see why you kept working on it. I mean, how bad could the crash have been leaving the exhaust cans looking that good?

My father owned a Chevy dealership for many years, I came to know a lot about the DMV. And I have always had a thing for odd old foreign vehicles and vintage American trucks so I have stood in that line many times with faded moldy paperwork.

Show paperwork it is not stolen, and pay taxes - that is all the DMV really cares about at the counter window. Oh - and in California the stickers!!! (which any sticker print shop can make).
 
#18 ·
Depends on the state you live in as to what you can do with it.

Here in Maine I can pretty much take anything (salvage, totaled, export only, etc) and get a Rebuilt title for it and put it back on the road. I do this with cars and motorcycles.

I do know RI is different because I know someone who titles cars for their relative down there by getting it rebuilt up here.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top