getting a PA licence plate

i have a bit of a problem here. when i bought my bike i didnt have insurance so i didnt get a plate. that was 4 days ago. now that i do have insurance the auto tag place tells me i cant get a tag untill i get the title in the mail. which will take 4-6 weeks. this seems ridiculous to me. i have the pink slip that says i bought the bike off the guy and all the info about the bike is on it. if i didnt already pay for insurance and get the bike inspected i wouldnt be as mad, but thats a whole month of insurance wasted. isnt there some way to get at least a temporary tag until i get the title? plus in 4-6 weeks im gonna be going back to college

p.s. sorry for the extremly large images. thats the bike i just got. pretty nice for an '86

 

Did you have the title from the seller when you went to the DMV? In TN they give out a tag when you give them the title signed from the seller. They then send it off and a new one will come in the mail in a few days. Don't have to wait for a tag or title. Can ride that day.

 

Same in Washington. I've never been asked for proof of insurance for a car or a bike. But then I guess the laws differ from state to state ... having a bike and no being able to ride it would be the PITS .....

 

yes, we had everything when we went to the title place. in PA you can ride it that day too, but you HAVE to have insurance. its a load of bull. why would someone buy insurance ahead of time if something happens and they dont get the bike? this is pissing me off even more the more i think about it. hopefully someone from PA knows a way around this.

edit:
i did some searching on google and im not able to find anything about requirements to get a plate in PA. i went to 3 different auto tag places today and they all said the same thing though. if worst comes to worst, i might just have to find someone with an old plate and use it untill i get mine. i wonder what the fine for that would be though?

 

You don't want to know. Cops get anal when they find a wrong tag on a bike. They immediately assume it's stolen. Did the DMV keep the title you had? If so why? If they couldn't register it w/o insurance they should have given it back to you until you had insurance, and processed it then.

 

yes they took the title. they said they can change the title to my name without insurance but i would have to have insurance to get a plate. i assumed this meant i could get a plate as soon as i got the insurance? this just doesnt add up. how could i get a tag at the time i said i wanted to transfer the title but i cant now?

 

I'm in MD, not PA, but maybe sharing the mason-dixon line makes this relevant...

I just need proof of insurance... I call my insurance company and tell them I need coverage & the machine's VIN. Insurance gives me a policy number over the phone. I give DMV the insurance number & the agent's name. They're fine and give me the plates. Insurance bills me.

If you already have insurance and an agent, then this might have worked.

Since you already went to the DMV, and they did not give you a temporary title, your best bet is to call your insurance agent/company and uninsure the bike - or lower the coverage since it's not on the road and tagged, but you want insurance incase the barn burns down. Instead of giving you a rebate, they may just hold your $ until next month

Nice paint.

You the trials rider too?

 

yup, i have a 2004 sherco 290. thats my dads fantic. i think i found a risky way to get around it. apparently if you loose your plate you just put a piece of cardboard that says "Lost Plate" so im just gonna drive around with that until i get my title. i have everything a cop needs if i get pulled over, but i dont know what the fine would be for not having a plate, if there would be any. but ill take my chances

btw, i just got a new rear tire, chain and inspection today. it corners so much nicer with a tire thats not bald plus its a 2 compound tire, hard in the center and soft on the edges.

 

Problem with that idea is that you do not have a registration to back it up. I know in KY, the registration has the plate number on it. I am surprised that they won't issue a plate as long as you show proof of insurance and the receipt you got when you titled the bike or if you did not get a reciept, you copy of the sale paperwork. Tho, they should show in their records that a title has been applied for.

 

yeah, which is why im gonna just go ahead and ride. like i said, i have everything from the shop i did the transfer from. recipt from them, pink slip....all that good stuff. its the damn shitty state government setup thats holding me back.

 

The "lost tag cardboard" is going to be a red flag for a cop to pull you over, only to find that you don't have a registration paper to go along with it. If you know somebody who is a dealer, they could issue you a paper temp tag for only a few bucks. Then you'd be safe until your title comes back.

 

hmmm i cant say i know any dealers. someone i know might though. i put on about 150 miles between today and yesterday without and problems, but it was mostly back roads so i can get used to cornering. ill ask around.

update:
i put on over 200 miles between today and yesterday. i saw 2 cops and neither one pulled me over, so i think im doing pretty good. now that i got that initial urge to ride out of my system i think im only gonna drive to work and back untill i get my plate. i was quite amazed when i filled up with gas. i got 45.5mpg (155 miles on 3.4 gallons of gas) and it was $9 to fill the tank. i get about 19mpg average in my car and its about $30 to fill. im curious, are the tanks on the '86 700 3.5 or 4 gallon? cuz if theyre 3.5 i was cuttin it pretty close.