buying a new bike out of state

[siabeid]

I live in WA state and am in discussion with OC motorcycles in CA about getting a new v7 850. (blue special, of course) They are offering me a decent trade in price for my v11 Lemans and seem, on the phone,  pretty decent to deal with. (I sure do miss Dave and Moto International, though!) Anyway, I know that I am not the first person to buy a new bike out of state. My plan would be to haul the v11 down in my truck, stay with my step son in Newport Beach, and then haul the new one home. Does anyone know how the whole tax, license, paperwork thing works for this situation?

Siabeid
Kettle Falls, WA

[Perazzimx14]

Pay tax when you register the bike in your home state.

[Sykestone8886]

I bought my stornello in md , I’m from pa, no big deal register it and pay sales tax when you get home

[ITSec]

Unfortunately, each combination of states (state where sold, state where purchaser lives and will title/register) is unique. Most (but not all) states will issue a temporary tag that allows the vehicle to be moved from the state where it is sold. For a new bike, the dealer will usually (!) send the Manufacturers's Statement of Origin (MSO, sometimes also called a MCO) directly to the state DMV where the bike will be titled. In a few cases, they will send it to their own state's DMV instead, but that's rare.

You may be required to pay sales tax at the point of sale (most states, but not all). You will be credited this amount against your own state/county sales tax when you register the bike at home (most states). If the difference means you paid less than at home, you'll be asked to pay the difference. If you paid more than at home, you may or may not receive a credit for the difference, usually as a reduction in your registration/title fees due.

It gets particularly complicated if sales tax is calculated on the difference between your new bike's cost and the trade-in value of your old bike. Some states charge sales tax on the difference, some on the total cost of the new machine alone. If your home state and the state of purchase have different approaches on this, make sure you track closely what you have paid, what credit you are given, and what may be due in the end.

WA and CA have enough traffic between them that there should be someone at the DMV who knows the routine. OC has sold bikes to out of state customers before, so your sale rep should be able to find someone on their team who can give you a step-by-step.

Enjoy your new bike!

[AJ Huff]

Do you need to have a plate to trailer a bike? Someone told that recently and I find the concept completely bizarre.

-AJ

[ITSec]

Do you need to have a plate to trailer a bike? Someone told that recently and I find the concept completely bizarre.

-AJ

Many states require a dealer to issue either a temporary plate, or a transport permit, for every bike. Even those headed straight out of state on a trailer or truck-bed. Nevada is that way, CA is too (I believe).

[Cam3512]

Get a bill of sale for the new bike LESS your trade-in price.

It will help with the sales tax in your home state.

[Moparnut72]

What Cam said. Calif will charge tax based on what was paid for the bike. No consideration for the trade. I have a situation where figures were juggled so that I paid tax based on the MSRP, not the actual price I paid. Your state will probably be much different so get a bill of sale with the real figures. I bought my two Guzzis from the company based in Las Vegas, never again. It has been a year since my last one and it continues. My V7 was purchased a year ago, I didn't get the registration renewal paperwork. The paperwork wasn't completed correctly, like with my Audace. Make sure all the T's are crossed. I  haven't heard anything but good about OC Cycles. If I buy another MG it will be from down south or Ohio/Conn and have it shipped. Go for it and enjoy your new bike. My 2 cents.
kk

[LowRyter]

Pay tax when you register the bike in your home state.

Call your state tax or tag office.  Go over all the details.

[Perazzimx14]

Many states require a dealer to issue either a temporary plate, or a transport permit, for every bike. Even those headed straight out of state on a trailer or truck-bed. Nevada is that way, CA is too (I believe).

I've bought bikes in NC, VA, NY, PA, OH, WV, MD, NJ and its cash and carry. If the state is a Notary state the sellers signature must be signed and Notarized on the title which is usually a $5 fee. Other than that pay taxes when you title and/or register the bike.

[usedtobefast]

In CA, if a motorcycle is on a trailer or back of a truck, it is supposed to have license plate (or 30 day temp tag, or dealer temp tag, etc).  Well, it is supposed to be the same if the moto is inside a cargo van or enclosed trailer, but no one can see it then.

I've never heard of anyone getting pulled over for this, but guys with track bikes are always worried about this.

Are you financing the bike?  Sometimes that gets weird because then they really care about the title.  I live in CA, when looking at a new bike in NV, if I was financing, the dealer said they would need to do the title work, and would charge me their local taxes/fees, and I would show that to CA DMV and I would only pay CA the difference (ex: NV tax $500, CA tax $950, I pay NV dealer $500 in tax, show CA DMV that receipt, CA DMV would charge me the extra $450.)  I never financed, so never got into that, so the deal was zero NV state tax when purchased.

Another key thing, make sure the dealer has the "Manufacture's Statement of Origin" (MSO), the actual sheet of paper.  Heck, ask for a picture or scan of it before you complete the deal remotely.  Some guys have bought a bike, the MSO wasn't physically available for some reason, and it took several weeks to get that.  I believe that was the Guzzi dealer in Las Vegas that took ~2 months to send out an MSO.  And without the MSO, you can't register the bike.

[Kev m]

In CA, if a motorcycle is on a trailer or back of a truck, it is supposed to have license plate (or 30 day temp tag, or dealer temp tag, etc).  Well, it is supposed to be the same if the moto is inside a cargo van or enclosed trailer, but no one can see it then.

That's beyond idiotic and reason #4375 not to ever move there.

What friggin' over-reach. If an item is being transported I cannot conceive of a valid reason for the state to give two craps about its vehicle registration status.

It's not like those car carriers and 18-wheel cargo trucks shipping new vehicles are carrying cars and bikes with plates on them.

IF IT WERE ME, I'd take a plate off another bike I own if I were concerned, or just play dumb. Even if CA tried giving you a ticket, I cannot imagine it's a moving violation or that they'd have any way to enforce it on a resident of another state.

Still sheer stupidity.

[Moparnut72]

The Las Vegas dealership handles the paperwork for the other two stores. They are far from efficient about it. It took almost 4 months to get the registration for my Audace and 2 months for my V7. I carried the sales paperwork with me in case I was stopped. I will be damned if I am going to park a bike for months waiting for paperwork. I made sure all the taxes and license fees were paid.
kk

[LowRyter]

 

[Perazzimx14]

That's beyond idiotic and reason #4375 not to ever move there.

What friggin' over-reach. If an item is being transported I cannot conceive of a valid reason for the state to give two craps about it's vehicle registration status.

It's not like those car carriers and 18-wheel cargo trucks are carrying cars and bikes with plates on them.

IF IT WERE ME, I'd take a plate off another bike I own if I were concerned, or just play dumb. Even if CA tried giving you a ticket, I cannot imagine it's a moving violation or that they'd have any way to enforce it on a resident of another state.

Still sheer stupidity.

I'd just claim its a race bike :)

[siabeid]

Thanks for all of the input. It will help knowing what questions to ask.