Risk Man
Well-Known Member
It has been an interesting 5 months since I bought the first NOS Blue WC1, and then it’s mate a month later with a “bill of sale “
The story is that I got them from a motorbike collector locally but I always dealt with one of his employees of his property management company. In fact, it was the employee who delivered them and actually signed the bill of sale. A bit sketchy but at least I had some paperwork. So about two weeks before my trip (3600 mile round trip from Florida to Cleveland) I went to the DMV here in Florida to get "moped" plates and registration as I did with the Gator. Stretching the rules a bit as they are under 2HP, but over 50cc. none-the-less i thought I was making some headway at the window as they really don't understand these bikes and a supervisor always gets involved. 10 minutes of her in the back room she comes out with my bills of sale and starts writing on the top of both of them. She hands them back to me and with a stern look says "both of these vehicles have ACTIVE titles in the state of Ohio"! I said you are certain you ran the VINS correctly and she confirmed. Of course she did not tell me who the owner was and I asked what can I do. she said I needed to deal with the seller and then blew me off. Bad news is, they are motorcycles in Ohio so the titles are now only transferable in Florida as a MC....if I ever get a title. Figured I could not sell them either without as any VIN verification will show an owner that is not me.
So I thought, s**t, these could be stolen? I doubted that as I had some knowledge of the property manager's business and did not think he would be that foolish. So I called the employee whom I still had contact with and he was clueless and said he would talk to the "boss" and get back to me. In the meantime, I went to Ohio BMV online and surprisingly they let you look up the VIN and identify the title details including owner name and county of registration. Turns out to be a dealer about 30 miles east of Cleveland Ohio. After getting no where with the seller I started to do my own research and found this mom and pop dealer in Warren Ohio who on their face book page back in 2021 a day after the date of the title there is a picture of one of the blue bikes in their "new inventory" of that weeks listings! Further I found the property manager in Florida had some properties in the vicinity of where this dealer was located so I had to assume he knew them, but why he did not have the titles? (I still don't know the answer to that)
So while I was up in Cleveland I had a small window of time and I thought screw this property manager, I am going to try and call this dealer up there and track them down. So I called their listed number and the woman owner answers the phone and I explain.... she says "oh you got them from Paul"? Well, I did not even know Paul's name only Keith the employee. So on a Lark, I asked if I could get the titles and meet her at their DMV in this tiny little steel ghost town. ( The name of the dealer was "Steel Valley Deals on wheels"!) The steel mills and auto assembly plants left this area 20 years ago. She said I just had to pay the sales tax and two hours later I was at the window of the Trumbull County DMV with one of their two clerks, me and the owner of Steel Valley Deals on Wheels. I walked out $120 dollars later with both Ohio titles in my name!
Then here I am back in FLA and i once again to to DMV. This time she tells me I have to have a "receipt" for the purchase even though I now have Ohio Titles in my name. So I call the dealer again and they text me a "receipt from what resembles one of those 3 carbon paper pads and I now have a receipt from the dealer dated the day I transferred the title in Ohio on July 5th.
Next I have to verify the VIN on my application for title transfer from either a law enforcement officer or a Notary. I get that done and today I go to DMV for he third time.... and of no surprise once again , they know nothing about a bike that has a motorcycle title but looks like a motorbike... first response was I could not title it as a motorcycle. Yippie!! cheap moped plate and I am gone.... but after 3 more visits to me at the window by the supervisor and several more silly questions (does it start with a key? Do you have to pedal it to start it? How fast does it go??? I kept trying to explain that I knew all of the laws and being honest I explained it did not qualify as a moped as it is over 50cc and it can only then be a motorcycle by definition. Nearing an hour she came back, told me she watched a 15 minute video, read the DMV guide book (I have a copy of it and know it by heart now) and exclaimed "You are right, it is a motorcycle by rule and we will issue a title and plate $200 later!
So great, I can ride it legally (I have a motorcycle endorsement) and sell it with a title. But it ain"t no motorbike anymore and it costs much more to the next owner to register it!
The story is that I got them from a motorbike collector locally but I always dealt with one of his employees of his property management company. In fact, it was the employee who delivered them and actually signed the bill of sale. A bit sketchy but at least I had some paperwork. So about two weeks before my trip (3600 mile round trip from Florida to Cleveland) I went to the DMV here in Florida to get "moped" plates and registration as I did with the Gator. Stretching the rules a bit as they are under 2HP, but over 50cc. none-the-less i thought I was making some headway at the window as they really don't understand these bikes and a supervisor always gets involved. 10 minutes of her in the back room she comes out with my bills of sale and starts writing on the top of both of them. She hands them back to me and with a stern look says "both of these vehicles have ACTIVE titles in the state of Ohio"! I said you are certain you ran the VINS correctly and she confirmed. Of course she did not tell me who the owner was and I asked what can I do. she said I needed to deal with the seller and then blew me off. Bad news is, they are motorcycles in Ohio so the titles are now only transferable in Florida as a MC....if I ever get a title. Figured I could not sell them either without as any VIN verification will show an owner that is not me.
So I thought, s**t, these could be stolen? I doubted that as I had some knowledge of the property manager's business and did not think he would be that foolish. So I called the employee whom I still had contact with and he was clueless and said he would talk to the "boss" and get back to me. In the meantime, I went to Ohio BMV online and surprisingly they let you look up the VIN and identify the title details including owner name and county of registration. Turns out to be a dealer about 30 miles east of Cleveland Ohio. After getting no where with the seller I started to do my own research and found this mom and pop dealer in Warren Ohio who on their face book page back in 2021 a day after the date of the title there is a picture of one of the blue bikes in their "new inventory" of that weeks listings! Further I found the property manager in Florida had some properties in the vicinity of where this dealer was located so I had to assume he knew them, but why he did not have the titles? (I still don't know the answer to that)
So while I was up in Cleveland I had a small window of time and I thought screw this property manager, I am going to try and call this dealer up there and track them down. So I called their listed number and the woman owner answers the phone and I explain.... she says "oh you got them from Paul"? Well, I did not even know Paul's name only Keith the employee. So on a Lark, I asked if I could get the titles and meet her at their DMV in this tiny little steel ghost town. ( The name of the dealer was "Steel Valley Deals on wheels"!) The steel mills and auto assembly plants left this area 20 years ago. She said I just had to pay the sales tax and two hours later I was at the window of the Trumbull County DMV with one of their two clerks, me and the owner of Steel Valley Deals on Wheels. I walked out $120 dollars later with both Ohio titles in my name!
Then here I am back in FLA and i once again to to DMV. This time she tells me I have to have a "receipt" for the purchase even though I now have Ohio Titles in my name. So I call the dealer again and they text me a "receipt from what resembles one of those 3 carbon paper pads and I now have a receipt from the dealer dated the day I transferred the title in Ohio on July 5th.
Next I have to verify the VIN on my application for title transfer from either a law enforcement officer or a Notary. I get that done and today I go to DMV for he third time.... and of no surprise once again , they know nothing about a bike that has a motorcycle title but looks like a motorbike... first response was I could not title it as a motorcycle. Yippie!! cheap moped plate and I am gone.... but after 3 more visits to me at the window by the supervisor and several more silly questions (does it start with a key? Do you have to pedal it to start it? How fast does it go??? I kept trying to explain that I knew all of the laws and being honest I explained it did not qualify as a moped as it is over 50cc and it can only then be a motorcycle by definition. Nearing an hour she came back, told me she watched a 15 minute video, read the DMV guide book (I have a copy of it and know it by heart now) and exclaimed "You are right, it is a motorcycle by rule and we will issue a title and plate $200 later!
So great, I can ride it legally (I have a motorcycle endorsement) and sell it with a title. But it ain"t no motorbike anymore and it costs much more to the next owner to register it!
