Selling salvage motorcycle

[ThumperX]

As pointed out, once the bike is "salvaged" the prior reg is nullified, so they wouldn't send a reg renewal for it.

You'd be surprised. I've had several buybacks and just kept renewing their registration. I recently sold one of them and explained the situation to the new owner. He took a gamble and went to the DMV first, sure enough it went through without hassel. Insurance salvage departments and the DMV don't seem to have stellar communication.

 

[tfkrocks]

When I bought back my bike from insurance as salvage, my prior registration was still good once I got it road ready again.

 

[ThumperX]

When I bought back my bike from insurance as salvage, my prior registration was still good once I got it road ready again.

Did you just keep paying it or did you go through the CHP, brake and light, turn in your old plate process?

 

[ctwo]

I recently went through this process, 2 weeks is HUGELY optimistic. The appointment with CHP had me waiting 6 weeks alone, luckily I scheduled a DMV appointment not long after.

The whole process took ~2 months, and I got VERY lucky with some appointments. And that was without failing any inspections, and catching some paperwork errors before I left so they were corrected without a return trip.

I wonder if any barf leos would help with the inspection, like over a scone or something. :gsxrgrl

 

[tfkrocks]

Did you just keep paying it or did you go through the CHP, brake and light, turn in your old plate process?

I went through the whole process. Registration date didn't change. Granted, I finished getting the new title and plate before the original registration was up.

 

[HadesOmega]

ugh salvage is such a joke, you can have a really good salvage vehicle or a really crappy one. The insurance companies will pretty much totally the bike right away because the parts are expensive or hard to find. But you can always restore it to good as new most of the time I guess.

Like look at my DR650 that is beat to hell but it's still a clean title.

 

[HadesOmega]

I wonder if any barf leos would help with the inspection, like over a scone or something. :gsxrgrl

I don't think the CHP does the brake and lamp inspection you have to take it a shop that is certified. That's what I did when I salvaged my Zephyr. They gave me this piece of paper that pretty much just means all good and you take it to the DMV. Oh yeah I failed because the rear pads were low so I replaced them and came back =P But this was a while ago like 5+ years ago, RIP old Zephyr.

Oh yeah I think I've experience buying a Salvage that was just restored. It was my sisters Honda Civic. We bought it from the owner of a body shop and he was the one that fixed it and he gave us all the salvage paperwork to transfer it. I'm not sure if he was registered as the owner of it but we just took all the paperwork to the DMV and it was good.

 

[295566]

I wonder if any barf leos would help with the inspection, like over a scone or something. :gsxrgrl

It has to be a CHP who's been certified. Can't just be any LEO.

 

[ctwo]

It has to be a CHP who's been certified. Can't just be any LEO.

I don't know what branches or certifications the barf leos work for or have, and just tossing it out there for, fun...

 

[FXCLM5]

i don't believe this is accurate, wasn't the one time i revived a salvage vehicle (that was already mine) about 10 years ago.

once it's reported salvage by insurance, the DMV kills the registration as the assumption is that it's going to a junk yard. even if you have time left on the registration at the time of salvage declaration, that registration is void once reported, so reviving the title doesn't accrue penalty fees like failing to pay yearly registration does.




all of the "insurance is going to do blah blah blah" posts are highly dependent on the particular insurance company. yours was the first post that mentioned anything so i quoted, not picking on or anything.

in the afore mentioned vehicle i revived, the company that insured it pre-total insured it without issue or question as to the title status AFTER resurrection as well. i was at fault, and didn'tkeep it long enough after to be hit by anyone else to see if the "the other company doesn't have to pay" claim is accurate. seems suspicious to me but the state has been given away to corporations so maybe it is.

not for me, i sold my 09 r1 kinda off barf with a clean pink title in hand, but already knew my insurance (progressive) salvaged it, the new owner was pretty adamant that the title was clean even though I told him I just bought it back from insurance and the title was going to be salvage, he said he contacted dmv and chp and there was no indication that the title was going to be changed to salvage, took me like 6 weeks to sell the bike and i never got my salvage title nor did dmv inform me the reg was suspended.

 

[ABC]

for shits and giggles I brought in my reg renewal (its due the 28th) to AAA and they told me that it was salvage and that I needed to go to dmv to take care of it. I wonder if i can just send the slip in with the non op box checked?

Then I called chp office, they told me i had to have a referral from the dmv to be able to set an appointment for the vin check.

So i guess im going to the dmv... This whole process is so ass.

 

[ThumperX]

for shits and giggles I brought in my reg renewal (its due the 28th) to AAA and they told me that it was salvage and that I needed to go to dmv to take care of it. I wonder if i can just send the slip in with the non op box checked?

Then I called chp office, they told me i had to have a referral from the dmv to be able to set an appointment for the vin check.

So i guess im going to the dmv... This whole process is so ass.

Yes it is and much more difficult for motorcycles. My owner retains we’re all tge result of DReg other party at fault. I wonder if that’s why the DMV never showed them as salvage. Oneoffgem was from 2006.

 

[bpw]

ugh salvage is such a joke, you can have a really good salvage vehicle or a really crappy one. The insurance companies will pretty much totally the bike right away because the parts are expensive or hard to find. But you can always restore it to good as new most of the time I guess.

Like look at my DR650 that is beat to hell but it's still a clean title.

What confuses people is that "salvage" has nothing to do with the condition or quality of the vehicle, it only means that an insurance company decided that it was cheaper to pay out the replacement value of a bike than to repair it.

 

[tfkrocks]

You might be able to get away without the CHP visit and have just a DMV VIN inspection if you're lucky. Might have something to do with you being the original owner before it was salvaged based on what the clerk said. I was told I could have had the inspection at the DMV if I didn't also have an engine # change to go with it. In that instance, you may want to have the bike on hand too.

 

[295566]

not for me, i sold my 09 r1 kinda off barf with a clean pink title in hand, but already knew my insurance (progressive) salvaged it, the new owner was pretty adamant that the title was clean even though I told him I just bought it back from insurance and the title was going to be salvage, he said he contacted dmv and chp and there was no indication that the title was going to be changed to salvage, took me like 6 weeks to sell the bike and i never got my salvage title nor did dmv inform me the reg was suspended.

DMV isn't going to send you a new title in the mail automatically... When you buy it back from insurance, the onus is on you to go into DMV with appropriate paperwork (salve letter from insurance, brake/light inspection, and VIN verification performed by CHP). At that point you give them your old title and they'll give you a new temporary one, and a salvage title will be mailed to you.

Unless you go through the above, you can hold your "clear" title, but won't be able to renew registration because, assuming insurance mailed the salvage notification to DMV, it's no longer in the system.