Colorado DMV troubles
 

So I've been jumping through hoops left and right with the DMV. Finally hit a pretty big road block getting my bike plated. They won't accept the 16 digit GasGas VIN. They want me to take pictures, fill out 6 or 7 forms and send all this to Denver. One of these is a title history search. From there, Denver will contact the State Patrol and then I will be contacted by the State Patrol to do (another) VIN inspection and issued a new VIN. This means I will be given a placard to be welded or stuck to my frame somehow.

A few things to note: The bike is not yet titled and never was. It is insured and registered with the DOW with its current VIN.

Just looking for opinions on how full of it these guys are. Weren't tons of imported bikes in the 90's and earlier 16 digits or shorter?

Since the bike isn't titled, I'm wondering if I could go get a letter stamp, add a letter to the end of the vin, and start over with insurance and DOW registration since the VIN on these documents has to match? At this point they're essentially treating it like a home-made vehicle and the bike has never ever been titled. Or maybe I should just drive somewhere and see a different DMV.

Try a rural DMV it worked for me(after too many questions at my local dmv)

I would not add a letter. I think they would have some heartburn about altering it.

It seems like every time I talk to the DMV I get a different answer depending on who I talk to. I think you should just try a different office.

Haha must be a universal dmv trait!!

Some guys are sending off for a Vermont tag. They'll sell you a plate if your bike is under 300 CC. Vermont does not title vehicles under 300cc, so in effect, the tag registration becomes your certificate of ownership. They don't care if the bike is at an out of state location.

A neighbor of mine in NC tagged a '03 KTM this way. I downloaded the form off the Vermont DMV site and filled it out for my '01 XC 200 & have it sitting here ready to go but haven't gotten around to mailing it off yet.

Maybe I'll send it off this morning, now that it's on my mind again.

RB

I guess then the trick is just not being pulled over! I'm really looking forward to putting around on my sumo tires before I throw the dirt tires back on - might be worth looking into.

It'll be entirely legal. I'm told that after a while with the Vermont tag & registration, then you can go to your local tag office and apply for a (Colorado in your case) title & tag using your Vermont registration in place of a title.

Of course, making your bike street legal equipment wise is another issue.

RB

Equipment is sound. But anyway, found the issue.. Turns out the State Patrol transcribed the VIN incorrectly. It is 17 digits. Back to step 1, update insurance, then to DMV all over.

State trooper rolled by the house and printed out new paperwork in his car! The previous inspector mistakenly checked "Colorado assigned VIN required" on the paperwork, which was a huge part of why the DMV wanted me to jump through all these hoops.

Tomorrow I expect to walk out of the DMV with a plate in hand.

Good luck!

Woohoo! All done.

For those in CO looking to do this one day, it's not that big of a headache. It helps when everything is right the first time.

20 dollar State Patrol VIN inspection
Declaration that mileage is exempt (DR 2444, I think)
Insurance
Receipt for current DOW stickers
DMV - Titled and plated.

Good job!

RB

Plating my 300 in CO was super simple.

I used to live in NY (nearly impossible to plate a 2-stroke) and it was so easy plating my bike in CO made me feel like I was breaking the law.

I only use it to transfer from one trail to another and I feel a whole lot more comfortable knowing that I am "legal" (horn, light, turn signals...plate)

Don't do it in Denver. If you can do it in the mountains or somewhere other than the city, you will be better off.

Oddly Colorado used to not title dirt bikes so people in Missouri who had no title or a skipped over title would get a bill of sale from a Colorado resident and register the bike in Missouri without having to pay tax penalties. I think that ended 4-5 years ago and now Colorado is similar to other states.

I just sent in my paper work to get an OHV permit to ride here in Colorado. They sent me a letter back saying it's a digit short and they want it inspected by parks and wildlife.