How to get proof of ownership for a bike w/no title

It took me right at 4 weeks to get my plate.

Patience Grasshopper...

It took about a month, and that was pre-COVID.

...aaaaaand the tag and sticker arrived yesterday.

So as of late July I can confirm that the Vermont strategy does work. Got my VT plates, sticker and other docs.
I created an account to see if anyone had any input on my specific scenario.
The bike in question is a '78 CX500 I bought in Texas. Some things were wrong with the original title so I had to go the VT way (which worked just fine).
Come this past summer and I go to my local tax office in Texas to register my VT bike and they mentioned that there was a 50% chance my application might be rejected and I would need to go the bonded title way because my bike has a Texas title still out there (which I physically posses).
After three ish weeks of waiting I finally received my Texas title for this bike in my name and whatnot (yay for me!).
One thing I do need to mention is that the bike had not been registered, bought/sold etc. since the original buyer back in '78 (making me technically the second owner).
Now, my question is if I got my Texas title because it was registered legally in VT or because the last time it was registered was back in '78 making the title super old to the point where the state believes the original title was lost sometime in the 40+ years of the bikes life.
I ask because there's a '78 CB750 near me I would love to get my hands on but also no title.

Thanks in advance

The 1977 gs550 still sits rebuilt in my garage rwady to ride sans plate. Canmot persuade any LEO or county clerk here in KY to sign off on vin verification although they ran it and its clean. Stinks

My VT registration expires the end of October. Still haven't received a renewal notice in the mail. Anybody know how early they send these? Starting to worry...

I received my renewal letter yesterday. Apparently VT likes to cut it a little close!

Road trip?

Once you get a valid Vermont title/tag, you should be fine.

New reg and sticker received on Saturday. All is well for another 2 years.

I did this for a 76 CB550 located in MD - one thing to note is that the VIN verification requirement has been waved due to the pandemic. However, when I got an envelope about a month later, it had a temporary tag, good until 12/8 to get an inspection?! That was a huge surprise, as I've never read about this happening to anyone.

You can contact the VT DMV only by email these days, with a few days response wait time listed as normal. They confirmed that I needed a vehicle inspection, not a VIN check. I wrote back saying pretty much what I wrote above, that I live out of state and I am not sure if this applies to the bike and if so, how was I expected to get a VT inspection?

Any thoughts? Sorry of any of this has been covered before, I was only able to go though about 50% of this thread so far.

Doesn’t sound right. For an older bike, I think they only require a VIN check to make sure it’s not stolen. That’s all I did.

I'd guess that their COVID policy is confusing the issue. Looking at the VT DMV site, I ran across this: https://dmv.vermont.gov/faq/how-can-i-get-a-vin-verification-during-covid

What I would try is have the VT VIN verification done locally on the VT-010-VIN form, and send that in to them, like the COVID waiver didn't exist. VT may have intended to only protect VT employees from having to do VIN verifications in state, and to hell with everyone else.

Yeah, its just putting me in a weird spot, they seem to be insisting that they know the difference:

"Safety inspection has not been waived. All Vermont registered vehicles need to be inspected every year. The VIN Verification was waived because of the pandemic.
E17"

I re-questioned them regarding this, stating my place of residence and the fact that the bike is a 76. Maybe the fact that its a bigger bike (CB550) is causing them to say this? If it needs a VT inspection, then I'm definitely out of the running and the fees spent will have been a waste. It really doesn't make any sense, I guess all I can do is wait to hear their response.

The only thing I can think of is that I left the VT License # blank, rather than putting in my MD license info - I had seen someone do this online and thought there would be no problem. Also, they clearly know I live in MD, as that's where they mailed the temp tag.

Mine was a 2003 DR650. No inspection was required except VIN.

I agree with the recommendation to just fill out the VT vin verification form with your local cops (or equivalent).

Is it possible you checked a car box instead of a motorcycle box?

Double checked and definitely marked "Motorcycle. " Everything seems to be filled out correctly. I suppose I could get a VIN verification and send it in, but they were pretty specific about that requirement being waived.

I'll wait to hear back from them and share what they tell me.

OK, I am thoroughly confused. I asked again about the procedure, let them know the bike is in Maryland and is a 1976 CB550 showpiece bike. Truth be told, it probably doesn't even run right now. They responded a few days later with:

"You will need to get the vehicle/bike to VT for an inspection. If the antique vehicle is going to be on the road, it will need an inspection."

I then wrote this:

"Hello, sorry to keep bothering you with the same question but in all of my research, I haven’t encountered anyone who has gone through the VT inspection as part of the registration process for an out of state antique motorcycle. The bike will be staying in MD and there would be no way for me to get it to VT. It’s pretty much a show piece and there are no plans to have it out of state. I am just trying to use the VT registration to title the bike in MD, where an inspection will not be required.

I’ve talked to many people who have gone through this process and they are stumped as well. I was told that the paperwork and fees I paid were exactly what I needed to do (minus the waived VIN inspection) to get a plate and registration.

If there is a rule to have this bike inspected in VT, I must not be understanding how other out of state folks have not had to go through this part of the process."


They responded a week later with:

"There are no exception in Vermont any vehicle registered in Vermont and riding on Vermont roads needs to be inspected. The Vermont DMV does not police inspections though. Your MTC will be fully registered whether or not you choose to inspect it in MD."

My head is swimming a bit at this point - I don't even really understand what they mean by their last email above. I'll be fully registered with or without the inspection? I have until the first week of December to get the bike inspected, which honestly isn't going to happen. Its a cafe build and would fail everything. The idea was not even for me to ride it, but to assume ownership. It doesn't help time-wise that the VT DMV isn't accepting phone calls and there are several days delay between responses.

Can anybody make any sense of this? Am I overthinking it and are they planning to send me a registration and plate after the temp tag expires, with or without inspection?

I’m wondering if this is different because they consider it an “antique” bike. The simplest explanation is that everyone is confusing “inspection” with “VIN verification”. You do need a VIN check. I’m close enough to VT that I just trailered it up there. Others have done this from their home state.