Buying a bike without title?

Yeah, no titles here in NC.

ORV tabs are hard to get without paperwork

Make sure there isn't a lien on it from a bank.

Not a chance I'm buying any motorized vehicle without a title.    Don't know how certain states allow no-titles. 

You should always get the Cert of origin. He may also still have a loan on the bike(some finance company hold the CO until the bike is paid off). May not be a big deal but if the bike ever gets stolen and then recovered, the bike may be released to the bank. It will also be harder to sell down the line. 

There are way too many bikes for sale to buy one without proper paperwork. 

every new bike purchase should come with the cert of origin. 

If he/she bought it new, there is paperwork somewhere. 

Oregon doesn't care about titles, at least as it pertains to OHV registration. My brother has bough/sold a bunch of bikes up there without titles. It would be a huge red flag in California. No way I would buy a bike here without a title, especially since you can't get green or red stickers here without valid registration, which requires a title. 

A newer bike without a title is highly suspect. Older bikes that have passed through a few owners maybe not so much. I'd avoid it.

Should still have the CO regardless of title situation.

Ny takes the cert of origin and gives you  a reg in its place.  Having no paperwork is a red flag to me something is out of the norm.

I have a 2014 YZ250F I bought used about 4 years back, I’m third owner.  It came with a title but second owner didn’t get transferred to his name.  My guess he didn’t want to pay Texas sales tax.  Second owner bought it from a guys his dad worked with on the police force.  Pretty common here in Texas for dirt bikes and ATV’s to come with a title but in someone else’s name.  New or near new I want a title, old and used not that big a deal here in Texas.  At least not to me.  

To add why I wouldn't buy anything without paperwork/title:  Does the term "Possession of stolen goods" mean anything to you.

most states are going away from titling Off Highway vehicles … I know AZ and NV are no longer issuing them 

Why should off-road only dirt bikes be titled but not mountain bikes that cost just as much, if not more?

We have had 1 title in the last 4 bikes. Bought them all used. Only way to get a title in vermont is to register and pay 6% tax. No need to have a title on a motocross bike in my mind. Bill of sale works for me. I guess with that said, I certainly have had a comfort level with all sales and wasn’t sketched out.

Only bikes I've had that were titled were street bikes.

Not true in AZ.  Still titling every dirt bike.  Now, they are going away from hardcopy paper titles to E-titles.. but that's all vehicles, not just dirt bikes.  You have to pay a few bucks extra if you want a paper title.

No titles in WI (but they want you to register dirt bikes even though there are no real trail systems…) but a bike that new should have the MSO or certificate of origin. You might want to ask yourself if the price is too good to be true…

 No titles in Colorado, just hand written bill of sale. I have sold more dirt bikes here than I can count doing just that without any problems. The possible lein issue should be looked over with any fairly new bike purchase for sure.

I have bought and sold bike from just about every state, just about every state titles bikes (VT and WI might be the only exceptions).  All bikes come with MSOs in the US from their manufactures, thats usually whats turned in to the tax office in order for your state to issue a title.

A 2 year old bike with out any paperwork is either stolen, not yet paid off, not being sold by the actual owner.  either way huge RED FLAG.  you can also check the VIN with a dealer to see who the owner is.   

When I bought my last bike new with cash, there was going to be an extra 5-600 dollars to be paid in order to get a title.  I was satisfied with only getting the MSO and keeping that with the bike as a title.  Not the same thing, but its still a proof of purchase with my name on it.  I do understand when the next person gets it they won't have an MSO with their name on it, but it was worth the saved money to me.

For your piece of mind if you decide to buy, get a bill of sale that states there isn't a lien holder(most DMV's have a form you can use online) and all the other particular's like the selling parties address, phone number, email, and a photocopy of their license.  Take all that info to your local DMV and apply for a title in your state.  You will have to pay taxes on it at this time. This is all about CYA.

You can add Delaware to the list of non-titling. They do however issue you an OHV registration so you should still have some paperwork, along with MSO.

You can have the police run the VIN number to verify it's not stolen.

Good deal+no title=Sketchy

The police laughed at me when I called and asked them if they could run a VIN check in the past. They told me that everyone would be calling them nonstop if they did so. Maybe you have had better luck?

When I my bought an 03 KTM 450EXC it didn’t have a title. Check the lien. Mine was clear. The state of Iowa was a bit of a B to re-title it & register it. But outside of the hassle, It’s worth it if your situation is helped my having a title in your state. IMO