little help.

Looking for my first trackbike, and have seen some info on this subject, but still confused. Can I transfer the title to a bike without registering it or paying sales tax?

This would be most helpful if it pertained to Michigan.

 

Nope. If you buy a bike from out of state, or for the sole purpose of non-street riding (i.e. no plate, no tags) you still are supposed to register it. Furthermore, you still have to pay taxes on the cost of the bike total, regardless of where you buy it or what you're using it for. Been there done that about 20 times, and I live in Michigan. Still need to title the bike to prove ownership. You just don't need to pay for the plate and tags every year.

 

Man....michigan sucks!

 

Somebody call the IRS. I've owned several race-only bikes in Michigan that I've never registered or paid sales tax on.

 

Me too, but he asked what the law was, not what to do

 

and the south swallows

 

were you still able to transfer the title?

 

Just have the owner sign the title over to you. Don't bother registering it or paying taxes on it (don't even get me started with the double/triple/quadruple taxing that goes on with this shit). If you don't need plates don't waste your time/money with the other bullshit. Unless your planning on racing in Canada (which seems possible given your location), then you may want to.

GStar

 

Remember, if you do get a new title be absolutely certain that you put the correct sale price down. That's what you will pay the MI 6% "use tax" on. You wouldn't want to accidentally write it up wrong and end up shortchanging the state out of your hard-earned money.

Note that if you do accidentally put down the wrong sale price, you should not make it too ludicrously small, because Michigan can charge you the 6% use tax on the blue book value. So don't tell them you bought a new 999S for $1.

The "have previous owner sign the title and stick it in your filing cabinet" technique works just fine too. MI titles can be signed over about 4 or 5 times before you have to file the transaction and get a new title (basically, when you run out of room on the back of the title).

Since you won't ride it on the street, you won't need to register it (get plates) either way (note that you can't get plates without getting a new title).

 

AS long as you have a title signed over to you by the prior owner you should be able to prove ownership.

I have not yet registered/titled my 636 so I haven't paid NY sales tax yet. . .

 

This I know to be true, last time I did this on a streetbike, They asked ME what the book value was.