Bike registration questions..

I know its a long shot, and that people are from different states, things vary, etc...But I wanted to know if anyone has had any experience with out of state registration before. Basically the situation is that I got a 98 vfr800 from a guy who brought it over to Hawaii from another state. I read the rules and requirements on the Hawaii DMV site and it states that vehicles need to be registered within 30 days of the bill of landing or shipping/received date. The bike bill of landing is dated in november and this guy told me he just never wanted to register it. Hawaii is like a winter hideout for him and he spends the rest of the year in washington or alaska. Ive been searching up and down to see what the late fees are for this situation and cant find anything. Im a pretty good internet browser too lol.

Its all a hassle right not and I just want to get it legal. The good thing is that if it doesnt work out the guy said i can bring the bike back anytime, which is convenient and makes it a little less stressful. Theres only 2 places that do safety inspections and the preferred one is closed on sunday and monday, so today I went to the harley shop to get a temporary safety check on the way to pick up the bill of landing. There was a worker outside smoking and asked what I needed, and pretty much shut me down in ten seconds after telling me I needed a temporary safety check. He seemed irritated for some reason and took one look at the bike and said he wouldnt even start doing it cause he wouldnt pass the tires. So I went to pick up the bill of landing from the guy I bought the bike from and he said the harley guys have bad attitudes and that the tires arent that old. He said to take it to the other spot in the morning and his house guest is going to go up there with me too. These 2 guys are retired airplane mehcanics and been working on bikes and cars as a hobby for probably longer than I been alive so I definitely trust their judgement. But if the other place denies me a safety check im going to pretty much return the bike cause I dont want to put more money than I already paid into new tires and mounting. If I do get the safety check, my next step is to deal with the out of state late registration and thats why I was hoping to see if anyone had any experience with this. Like how much other states typically charge as a late penalty, new plates, registration, etc..

I got a good deal on a great bike but i dont want to find out that theyre going to charge me hundreds or something as a late fee. I guess since I can return the bike, no questions asked, its not a total loss...But damn I really love the bike!! LOL

 

I haven't registered my bike yet, but transfering the the title and registration from California to New York was a breeze, the vehicle had been sitting here in NY since we got here in July and I just got it done. All I paid was title transfer (sales tax) new plates, and registration fee.... no penalty fee for "late " registration. then too it and had the NY state inspection done (backwards IMO) you register first THEN do the inspection. I guess this "forces" you to get what ever is wrong fixed or you plates get suspended...
The bike I expect(hope) will go the same way, the only difference is the bike is already in my name, but it will have had expired plates on it since August 2011..

Good luck,

 

Don't be too hasty about getting rid of it. I live in a state that does not re-issue titles right now but I have and I have also lived in states where they only need a bill of sale and an inspection to get a new title made. There are also companies out there that can reconstruct titles especially because of issues like this. Sometimes they can cost a couple hundred bucks, but if you saved that much buying this bike, I would look into it. Lastly, I have had friends transport between countries before, but that's not really the case here. Can't you make the case that it is just a state to state title transfer and then proceed like you would if you just moved from California or something?

 

Well I called the registration office this morning to get a final checklist for what I need. All I need is the title, bill of landing (copy ok), and safety inspection. I tried to be as thorough with this woman as possible. I told her the bike is from washington, shipped in november, only have a copy of shipping receipt, no copy or original of last registration, no plates. And she reassured me that the checklist was fine. So im going over to get the safety done at the other spot, as opposed to harley, and if they want me to add new tires im going to return the bike. If not, ill take it to get registered, and if that doesnt work out im returning the bike! lol. It should all turn out fine either way. Oh yea and just an FYI, about the late registration fee I was concerned about - the lady told me there is no fee since Im not the one who shipped it here and I bought it from that person.

 

Sooo...Done deal! All legal, new tabs, fresh plate! So come to find out the harley shop guys are dicks...When I went to the other spot called Kiser honda they passed the safety inspection on my bike in ten minutes! Thanks dudes!

 

I think the Harley Dude was jealous of your ride! For some reason, it seems like these guys have an issue with any bike that doesn't have a Harley badge on it. Congrats on getting it registered BTW. Personally even if I had to get new tires, I would have kept it and somehow found a way to have it both ways. Then it would give me an excuse to go and test the new rubber!

Waikoloa is on the Big Island, yes? Beautiful place HI, been to at least 4 islands so far, Maui, Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island. Our bucket list is to hit the remaining islands.

Cheers

 

Harely doods can be real pains in the ass, when they are into the whole "culture" of being a Harley Mechanic Dood. My cousin got his training at MMI and he is decidedly NOT a HARLEY DOOD!!!!!!!!!

Soooooo ........ sorry the Harley guys are dicks, but YAY for getting your bike back on the road!

Jose

 

Thanks..Yes it feels good to be riding around without being afraid of seeing a blue light in my mirrors. And yep, Waikoloa Big Island! Beautiful everyday! lol

 

Just read your post today.

Glad you got everything worked out. Have been dealing with Kiser Honda for 10+ years.
Good people and helpful. On the Hilo side there are a few places that also do safety checks.

It does feel good to be all legal, got nuff things to be concerned about when riding a bike.

ENJOY!!!

 

Yeah, even if you could out run them, where you gonna go...you're on an Island! They'd end up catching you at some point. Well Enjoy your the ride and it should go without saying, have fun in Paradise!