[ieatflux]

so i have an old 71 honda cb350 and i got it to running order and everything. now the hard part: dealing with the california DMV (some choose to believe this is where you are sent in death when you live a hedonistic life of drugs and carelessness)

this bike is completely out of the system and the government does not know it exists.

what are the steps and how much will it cost me to register it again?

its got signals, the mirrors, all the standard equipment. its a four stroke and the frame has been modified into a hardtail. its a wee lil bobber but its real fun. the frame was welded professionally at a bike shop and powder coated. everything else is pretty much standard.

can anyone help me? police officers? dmv workers (i want to get to know you more: what sent you there?) ? government people?

i live in california btw. hell for vehicles.

 

[Sprunch]

Pretty sure you have to have the locals or the chippies run the vin# and make sure it isn't a stolen bike, have them give you paper work proving it and then you get to do the DMV dance...it's possible you'll need a rubbing of the vin#...

 

[psschmied]

If you have a copy of the original title, registration shouldn't be a problem, if not, you'll need to get a new title using the chassis number.

 

[NV_05_AWD]

Can't you register it as a home built vehicle?

 

[MikeQBF]

The California DMV has a pretty straightforward process for this - VIN verification. I had to do this four years ago when I bought a used car from a fleet and the company signed-off on the wrong title - VIN was off by two. You have to take the vehicle to the office, obviously. If the VIN is clear - no "bads", and truly not in the system anywhere, you should be OK.

You'll have to wait in a queue three times - on entry, then for the VIN officer, then the registration clerk - but it can be done. I think I killed an entire morning on this.

 

[psschmied]

Can't you register it as a home built vehicle?

For anyone thinking of taking this approach - it's much easier to get a new title using a VIN search.

A home-built vehicle would have to comply with the all current requirements for safety and emissions - even if it purports to be a reproduction of a classic vehicle. California is the worst state in which to try to do this.