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  #1  
Old 21 Sep 2009
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hi guys 2nd post!

I'm thinking of buying a bike in CA with a salvage title, but the seller says it can't be registered in CA for street use. I've been searching around trying to find out why with no luck. Is there any way to fix this so it can be registered?
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  #2  
Old 21 Sep 2009
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For California...
Does the person buying and registering the bike HAVE to appear in front of the DMV, or can an agent do this for the person buying and registering the bike?
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  #3  
Old 22 Sep 2009
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If you can't register the bike with a salvage title, it's probably a bike meant for dirt. CA makes it hard to register those for roads. They used to let you put lights on and work around it, but they changed that a couple-three years ago. They went back to a certain date that the bike had to be older than.

I have friends with cars registered with salvage vehicles. You bang up a 1960s car a little and insurance companies want to total them. It's cheaper than finding and rechroming a bumper sometimes.

I think, but am not sure, that you can get an agent in CA, but good luck with that. Trips to the DMV can be a pain in the ass. If you use AAA you can do it through there which is easier. Plus CA has been raising registration rates so you can wait at AAA, which is not the CA DMV, and watch someone lose it when their vehicle registration goes up $100. It's not AAA's fault but messengers are meant to be punished.
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  #4  
Old 22 Sep 2009
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I do think that buying in California will be the easiest route due to the larger number of bikes and the ease flying into the major cities there. Going into other states simply to save on taxes is probably not worth it, unless you have someone over here who can get you around.

I think that buying new or used from a dealer could be worth it, as a dealer in California could take care of the registration for you. I know that in some states, it is difficult, if not impossible, to purchase vehicles if you are not a resident of that state. California is full of "foreigners" so the process is smoother for non-residents/non-US citizens to purchase legally there.

There are many HUBBers from Calif., too, so I am quite sure once your plans are more solidified, someone in that part of Cali would and could help you out. I live just across the Calif./Arizona border and where these states meet Mexico, and would be willing to help you out, but I don't think that buying in Arizona is as easy as California if you are not a resident here. I do know that a person gets an Arizona title on the spot here, but again, not sure if it would be worth coming this way.

I would just narrow down the time and place, and see who is around in that part of the state you intend to land in to help you out.
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Old 9 Oct 2009
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Hi There

I have been scouring all sorts of official sites for this info, should have know to go straight to a forum type thingee. So, just to confirm:
If we buy a new bike in California, then ride across to New York area, ship the bike to UK, we only have to pay one sales tax in California when we register it? I understand about having to pay the difference if we do other permutations, but I don't think we will be able to be bothered with that.

How much is sales tax/registration in general in the US for a new bike? It would be a 2010 Goldwing hopefully.
Can you buy sales tax for various number of months, like 3mths, 6mths or 12?

My other question is that we want to pull a trailer too. So, do we need sales tax, registration etc., for that too?
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Old 9 Oct 2009
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You can't buy sales tax for limited times. There's a way of getting the tax back since you don't live here, but I'm not sure how that works. The tax is pretty expensive in California (somewhere around 9% of purchase price). For buying a new bike, I'd say get one in Oregon where there's no sales tax. If you buy a new trailer, there's sales tax for that too.

Registration is bought in 1 year blocks in all of the US (I think). It is in California. It's also gone up in California since we went belly up.

There's other states where it's cheaper (lower sales tax, lower registration). Hopefully someone will answer. I'd say for buying a brand new bike that's easy to find, don't buy it in California.
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Old 22 Sep 2009
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Originally Posted by rightfttc View Post
I'm thinking of buying a bike in CA with a salvage title...
You sure you want to buy a salvage bike sight unseen? Kinda risky IMO.
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