Have/would you buy a used bike from an out of state dealer, sight unseen, and have it shipped to CA?

[Doc_V]

...Assuming you've only seen the online photos. If you have, what was your experience like? Where there any surprises or gotchas?
Is there any kind of buyer's protection available anywhere, so you don't get stuck with a POS, or is it a crap shoot?

Did you just pay CA sales tax only and register it like a any bike with the CA DMV or where there other fees or extra steps involved? How much were you charged for shipping and any recommendations on shipping companies?

Lastly: Would you do it again, and if not, why?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Make sure they send you a photo of the silver sticker stating that it meets California emission requirements or that the odometer is past 7500 miles. Otherwise you'll have a bike that not only can't be registered in California, but also gets on their black list for three years.

But no, I wouldn't do that.

 

[two wheel tramp]

I bought my FZ1 from an out of state seller, sight unseen, and have no regrets.

It was used and had ovwr 7500 miles so i didn't have any trouble with it.

 

[JMardy]

Totally depends on the condition of the bike, maintenance history, etc.
As Scott mentioned, if it's not a 50 state bike it must has >7500 miles on it or DMV nightmare.

Would ask for a LOT of pictures.

 

[afm199]

I bought a used R6 once, flew from Oakland to Dallas, paid the man, rode it back, put enough mileage on it to hit 7500, and registered it. Zero problems.

 

[novaks47]

When you bring a moto in from out of state, it will have to be inspected at a DMV office. They'll look at and verify the VIN on the frame and engine if it has it. More importantly, they will be looking for the EPA sticker, and it must be marked with CARB, ie CARB approved. If it does not say CARB on it, you cannot register it, and it will be blacklisted forever(or maybe 3 years? I've heard both) in this state. Newer bikes are all CARB compliant, but older ones were not, so if it's more than about 5 years old, make damn sure it's CARB approved and marked accordingly. Sometimes it will be a separate sticker on the bike, and not part of the VIN plate.

My 2014 Ninja 1000 was registered out state when I bought it, and the DMV spaz inspecting it nearly marked it as unregister-able until I pointed right at the sticker showing it was CARB compliant. And yes, '14 N1K's could be had that were EPA approved only, and those can never be registered here. The only differences were the CARB stamp on the sticker, and a charcoal canister.

 

[Doc_V]

Thanks guys, definitely good to know about the CARB sticker. The bikes I'm considering are older and definitely more than 7500 miles, so you're saying it's not an either or, CARB sticker is a MUST, regardless of how many miles? And thanks for the AAA tip, I've registered cars with them, and yes, it's a breeze, I hadn't thought about using them for an out of state bike. Good call. Please keep the tips coming.

 

[ScottRNelson]

When you bring a moto in from out of state, it will have to be inspected at a DMV office. They'll look at and verify the VIN on the frame and engine if it has it. More importantly, they will be looking for the EPA sticker, and it must be marked with CARB, ie CARB approved. If it does not say CARB on it, you cannot register it, and it will be blacklisted forever(or maybe 3 years? I've heard both) in this state. Newer bikes are all CARB compliant, but older ones were not, so if it's more than about 5 years old, make damn sure it's CARB approved and marked accordingly. Sometimes it will be a separate sticker on the bike, and not part of the VIN plate.

My 2014 Ninja 1000 was registered out state when I bought it, and the DMV spaz inspecting it nearly marked it as unregister-able until I pointed right at the sticker showing it was CARB compliant. And yes, '14 N1K's could be had that were EPA approved only, and those can never be registered here. The only differences were the CARB stamp on the sticker, and a charcoal canister.

Your post is slightly misleading. A vehicle with at least 7500 miles is considered "used" by the state of California and may be registered even if it is a 49-state vehicle.

 

[Climber]

Just watch out if they try to use PayPal, plenty of Kenya scammers use that method, then when you try to get your money back after weeks of waiting for your bike, it's long gone.

One thing I noticed with the scammers, almost all of their cars and motorcycles are white. :laughing

 

[scootergmc]

Thanks guys, definitely good to know about the CARB sticker. The bikes I'm considering are older and definitely more than 7500 miles, so you're saying it's not an either or, CARB sticker is a MUST, regardless of how many miles? And thanks for the AAA tip, I've registered cars with them, and yes, it's a breeze, I hadn't thought about using them for an out of state bike. Good call. Please keep the tips coming.

CARB/California/50 state emissions (they basically all mean the same thing) certification is required for bringing in a vehicle (and trying to register) with less than 7500 miles.

If it's over 7500 miles, you'll be good to go.

 

[Kameron808]

"i didn't have any trouble with it."


You mean besides the fact that it's an FZ1?

I kid

 

[dravnx]

Some man'f release CARB and no CARB bikes so you have to check. I went through this when I was shopping for my FJR1300. There were some really great deals on new bikes but it turns out they were out of state and 49 state bikes.

 

[Whammy]

Scott is correct. the only requirement is 7500 miles.
NO Carb or 50 state compliant decals needed.
Whammy knows this from his own experience.
Now that doesn't say you can go to the DMV where they don't always know the laws & wont ding you on something that they think is truth.
The DMV doesn't hire the brightest people.
Its happened to others on this forum to their misfortune.
Just because they work at the DMV doesn't mean they know the law as it is written.
Sometimes they interpret the laws differently, and they don't work in your favor.

Whammy took his 49 state bike to a DMV registration office in San Jose.
They are basically private dmv facilitators who can get this done for you.
You will pay a small additional fee, they will go inspect the bike for the VIN and Engine number, you are done. Nothing else needed.
You'll get your reg in a few days, and the title in about 2 weeks.
Easy peasy others on teh barfs have had difficult times but it doesnt mean your experience will be the same. Id take it to one of the many bay area private dmv offices its easier.

 

[usedtobefast]

I've done stuff like this several times.

Good news is you are talking about a dealer vs. an individual. I'm sure there are shady dealerships but seems like a better chance of success with a dealer than a person.

2 bikes I bought from out of state dealers were less than 2 years old with less than 1500 miles on them. And by pictures I could see no crash damage, tire wear matched up to mileage, and both were 50 state bikes (meaning every bike sold in the US has the CARB cert). So, very easy, and low risk the bikes could have had issues.

I've bought 3 off eBay that were well used from individuals. eBay offers some protection but if the bike shows up with leaking fork seals, bent foot pegs, etc, you really just need to start replacing parts and fixing stuff vs. trying to get some sort of restitution out of it.

Buying an older, well used bike, based off pictures I would be shocked if it shows up and absolutely nothing is wrong with the bike.

There is insurance with shipping, but even that might get tricky. Say the bike shows up with bent handlebars. Did it go on the truck with bent handlebars? You don't know. Maybe the seller says it was fine when he handed it over to the shippers. And the shippers say we didn't damage it. At that point ... just buy some new handlebars and put them on there.

So you are going to have something to fix, there will be some surprise, and you just gotta deal with it.

People buy this way for a few reasons ... like a special bike to you (like a guy in the middle of no where can't sell a pristine DT-400 for $2500, but you'd love to have it) ... or a certain year or combo of options.

As for price, like buying for a deal, I don't think I would do that.

Shipping will probably be $600-$800 depending on where the bike is ... then add in a few things you'll need to fix (the surprises) ... so a run of the mill CBR600 that is $1000 cheaper in Kansas ain't worth it.

There are shipping companies that will handle an escrow account for you (assuming the seller agrees) ... but the fees on those I think are around $125-$175. So say you find the bike you want for $7500 ... you put the $7500 into an escrow account ... the seller can see that ... shipping picks up the bike, brings it to you ... when you get it off the truck you inspect it. But at this point it isn't like you are at some guys house checking out a bike ... you can't say "oh the tires are worn more than I thought, hum looks like it needs new grips, I don't want it!" ... nope, more like pictures show a shinny pretty moto and what showed up is a rusty heap that sat out in the rain for months, then you say I don't want it. But, assuming things are ok, then the shipper releases the escrow and the seller gets their money, and you pay $125-$175 for that "service". I've never done that. I think the real value is if you don't trust the seller ... like you send them $7500 and hope they are around to load the bike when the shipper shows up.

Oh, I did buy one used bike from a dealer and it was like 20 years old ... the dealer had checked it over and it passed their "multi point inspection" ... when I got it, first ride the rear tire was chunking tread ... tires were 15 years old. The tires looked good, but they just came apart. So I just spent the ~$350 to get new tires front and rear.

I'm sure some guys would have called up the dealer, gave them crap, demanded a new set of tires blah blah blah ... but really, the dealer got an old bike on trade, looked it over, I doubt they looked at the date code on the tires, just tread depth so how were they to know they would start chunking, and if they put new tires on it at their shop they probably would had added that to the selling price anyway.

Oh, as for shippers ... I've used a number, but I usually just got a few quotes and picked one ... never had a real bad one.

uship.com seems a bit cheaper (like $700 vs $800) but it is also a bit more odd (kind of a market place to connect shippers with customers) ... so you have everything from a guy with a truck and a flatbed trailer up to a professional motorcycle moving company. Never used them.

Good luck!

 

[Holeshot]

OP: what're the details on the bike and what state is it in? Who's shipping it? I may have a solution...

Whammy took his 49 state bike to a DMV registration office in San Jose.
They are basically private dmv facilitators who can get this done for you.
You will pay a small additional fee, they will go inspect the bike for the VIN and Engine number, you are done. Nothing else needed.
You'll get your reg in a few days, and the title in about 2 weeks.
Easy peasy others on teh barfs have had difficult times but it doesnt mean your experience will be the same. Id take it to one of the many bay area private dmv offices its easier.

I believe only CHP can do VIN verifications on out of state powersports now.

 

[novaks47]

Your post is slightly misleading. A vehicle with at least 7500 miles is considered "used" by the state of California and may be registered even if it is a 49-state vehicle.

Whoops, my bad, forgot to include that! :facepalm My Ninja was under 7500 miles, so the 7500 miles rule slipped my mind.

As for AAA, they do not handle out of state motorcycle transfers. I know, because I tried, they sent me to the DMV. Motos already here they'll handle though. Inspections have to be done by DMV employees, or CHP.

 

[Doc_V]

Thanks again guys, and thanks Whammy and Usedtobefast for the great detailed info; that definitely helps.

Holeshot, I haven't picked out a specific bike yet, I'm just doing my homework at this point. I'm mainly looking out of state because there seems to be limited choices locally for the types bikes I have in mind.

 

[Whammy]

OP: what're the details on the bike and what state is it in? Who's shipping it? I may have a solution...



I believe only CHP can do VIN verifications on out of state powersports now.

Not as of last year,
Covid be damned I'd still take my bike to one of the private dmv services.
Call first and ask to be 100%

 

[ThinkFast]

Thanks again guys, and thanks Whammy and Usedtobefast for the great detailed info; that definitely helps.

Holeshot, I haven't picked out a specific bike yet, I'm just doing my homework at this point. I'm mainly looking out of state because there seems to be limited choices locally for the types bikes I have in mind.

I’ve bought a couple of bikes and a couple of cars this way and it’s worked out fine. One bike I bought was in AZ, from a private seller. Had to fly one way there, got a shuttle to a motel near his house, and he picked me up the next morning to check out the bike. Then we drove to a nearby branch of my bank, got a cashier’s check for him, and sealed the deal. And then I had to ride *all* the way home. Boo hoo...:ride

I’ve bought a couple of cars from dealers from out of state, too, only those were shipped to me after I overnighted a cashier’s check to them. Again, worked out fine.

Less worried about scamming when going through dealers. I did buy a race bike from a guy in Atlanta once. I forget how we did it - he shipped the bike to me. I think that must’ve been a handshake deal.

 

[ScottRNelson]

uship.com seems a bit cheaper (like $700 vs $800) but it is also a bit more odd (kind of a market place to connect shippers with customers) ... so you have everything from a guy with a truck and a flatbed trailer up to a professional motorcycle moving company. Never used them.

Thanks for the big description of your experiences. It was especially helpful about how you decide if a bike is worth the bother of buying remotely. :thumbup

I shipped one bike to Canada using UShip and it was a very professional moving company that came and got it. The guy examining the bike found chips and dings that I didn't even know were there. The condition of the bike was carefully noted before they stuck it on a palette and I signed off on the written description. It would have been clear if the mover had damaged it in any way.