California DMV Frustration

[Kyle T.]

I've about had it with the California DMV. I've been trying to get my vision licensed and the title in my name since September, and it seems like and endless road of paper pushing. I took the bike under my wing after it was abandoned on my property for twenty years under the weather (unlicensed since 1989), get it running like a champ, and the DMV has made me go through three different operations to file a registration and title. Now they're making me do a lien sale even though there is no database of the previous owner (DMV dumps title/reg. information after a certain number of years without renewal.) Has anyone had as much trouble as I have trying to deal with all this stuff?

                                            ~Kyle Theriot

[ironb12s]

Let us know how it turns out...  _{*reference to Ramone in 'Mater and the Ghostlight'}   ;)

Seriously, tho, the exercise that you need to go thru sometimes is ridiculous.  I will be faced with that very issue if I get one of my XS850's back on the road...it was abandoned in VA Beach for at least 10 years...  No title, no hope to finding the owner (NAVY type, no doubt).   :(

Tellya what, however, I have a friend doing this same thing for a car that he bought, let me talk to him.  Of course, we (he and I) are in MD, and the car is from OH...  Not sure what CA needs.   ???

I recall what I had to do with MY Vision, tho.  The VIN was missing on number, a cable had worn it off, so I had to take it to the DMV to get the VIN altered on the title before I could register it...again, this was in MD.   :-\

[h2olawyer]

Every state is different.  Sometimes vastly so.  About all you can do is put yourself at the mercy of the bureaucrats.   ::)

Just think - you can look forward to similar service with socialized (single payer) medicine!

H₂O

[ColinthePilot]

I had the same problem in FL. I found that I could pay someone a hundred bucks or so to get me a salvage title. I also found that in FL, they didn't require a title for a bike that old, just proof of prior registration. Mine was rescued from a junkyard, so no prior reg. So here's the trick.
Register it in Maine. For vehicles over a certain age or made before a certain year, Maine will issue a registration (not title) for anything for a small fee. Contact Maine Motor Transport Association ( http://www.mmta.com/ ).  they'll send you a packet with all the paperwork and instructions you'll need for the process. It's pretty easy and I think it cost me under $100, and I had plates within a few weeks of mailing the packet back.
I don't know if this will be helpful for you in CA, but it might be worth looking into. Good Luck!

[kwells]

H2-anyone without insurance doesnt have the plight of fighting with beaurocracy...They just wait til they need the Emerg room. and cost tax payers thousands for whatever ailment they have neglected....

hmmm...wasnt this the dmv thread? I digress back to that

[supervision]

 They are well paid, by us, to make it as hard as possible.  It is the thing that delights them the most.  By the time they get done with you, it will probably cost 300. Then they will be happy, at last.

[Rick G]

This kind of crap is why I moved out of CA. in 1995 . I wish it would hurry up and fall in the ocean , befor it infects other states!

[Tanno]

This kind of crap is why I moved out of CA. in 1995 . I wish it would hurry up and fall in the ocean , befor it infects other states!

I second that!! CROVers.....GET OUT NOW, while you still can! ;D ;D

[Brian Moffet]

This kind of crap is why I moved out of CA. in 1995 . I wish it would hurry up and fall in the ocean , befor it infects other states!

Oh bah.  I like California, been here all of my life.  (okay, except for a brief stint in Japan...)

Brian

[Brian Moffet]

Just think - you can look forward to similar service with socialized (single payer) medicine!

That's never going to happen.  Besides, even if you look at other places (Britain, France, Canada) that have socialized medicine, the majority of the people have no problems.  A higher proportion of people have problems in the US than in those countries...

Going back to the DMV problem, there are always ways through the bureaucracy.  Since I now determine what I need to do before hand, things go pretty quickly.

Brian

[visionless]

If you don't like it in CA, please spread the word and maybe people from the rest of the country will quit moving here.
        Chris
       

[Aelwulf]

Oh I tend to spread the word plenty for the most part. ;) I'm not particularly here by choice m'self.

Florida wasn't too bad.  A little bit of a hassle getting it done right from out of state but I also had the title.  It was a Colorado salvage title and I got a Florida regular one in return on top of it. :) The Fountain cop who verified the VIN didn't even mind two of the numbers on the salvage title weren't visible on the sticker/stamp.

My roommate's from Pennsylvania but had Colorado tags and and license.  He had to re-register in California since Pennsylvania wouldn't do it without a PA license even though he's a resident there.  THE CA DMV gave him a bit of headache too.  If I get a new bike I'll be getting it out of state because of that as well, CA has a jacked up method for registering a new bike out of state at the dealership.  Plus there's the emissions restrictions on new vehicles in CA, although not 100% sure it applies to motorcycles.

[h2olawyer]

If you don't like it in CA, please spread the word and maybe people from the rest of the country will quit moving here.
        Chris

I thought all the Californians were moving to Colorado!

H₂O

[Brian Moffet]

I thought all the Californians were moving to Colorado!

Sorry H₂O,

while I might doctor a photo of you with photoshop, I won't move to your state  :) (nor any other state for that matter...)

Brian

[ironb12s]

Back to the matter at hand, folks.  Our man in CA has an adandoned Vision, and he's looking to get a title so he can get it registered.  I talked to my buddy today, he's got a 1964 Comet without a title, and he's in the same boat.  He will be sending information and a payment to someone in AL., who duplicates lost titles.  I'll get back with more information, once I have it.

I think that this may solve the problem, and if the CA DMV doesn't like it, well, you can sue them.  Counsel, comments?

[visionless]

I thought all the Californians were moving to Colorado!

H2O

I'm doing my part in shippping them there.  I make sure to show everyone the pictures of my trip this summer along with a real estate brochure.  Do you mind if I give them your number?
               Chris

[h2olawyer]

If they called me, I'd convince them to stay in CA!!!

No fair showing photos - that's what's attracting people in the first place.  When you show Vision photos, that just adds an undeniable urge to come see the pretty places & have as much fun as we did!   ;D

H₂O

[Rick G]

When we moved to CA  in 1958  it was a neat place, probably even better in 1948!  The bureucracy was mind numbing in 1995, let alone now .  I grew tired of air you can see and taste.  your welcome to it!

[Coil Coyle]

Every state is different.  Sometimes vastly so.  About all you can do is put yourself at the mercy of the bureaucrats.   ::)

Just think - you can look forward to similar service with socialized (single payer) medicine!

H₂O

H2O,
     I'd Love to have medical insurance that worked as well as the DMV. Our suckstem of buying executive jets and big buildings for the management and creating profits for the shareholders isn't worth a shit.

     Then change jobs and even thats gone.

     The DMV model looks real fu%^&*g good to me.

$0.02
;)
Coil

[Ron_McCoy]

The more people who move to Colorado, the better.  You have to cull the herd when you can.  Bad mouth California all you want.  I'll come back and read the posts in December and January when I'm still riding and your bikes are in winter storage.  We have the best mountain roads and less traffic on them too and they're open all year long. Come on out and we'll prove it. 8) 8) 8)

Kyle, do the lein sale. Its no big deal.  I've done two and its easy.  The only problem I've had with the Ca.
DMV is too much waiting in line.  I have four motorcycles, three cars and two pickups registered so I've been there a lot.  I too wish profit driven medical insurance was as easy to deal with as the DMV.  That would be a great improvement.