I closed the DMV in Hemet CA tonight with the 2004 #2

SupraSabre

48 Years of SoCal Lane Splitting/Commuting-Retired
Site Supporter
Joined
Nov 20, 2005
Messages
9,497
Location
Cedar City, Utah
Bike
12/04 ST 1300s
2024 Miles
000145
STOC #
5901
But boy, did they ever make me PAY for it! :mad:

Because the bike had not been registered as Non Op since 2009, they hit me with $922 in fees! Even though the silly Salvage Certificate states: "WARNING: The vehicle described herein has been declared a total loss salvage vehicle per CVC 11515 and may not be registered without a vehicle identification number (VIN) inspection per CVC 5505 and a brake and light inspection"... MAY NOT BE REGISTERED! Plain and simple, but, as the gal said, "...it is to be 'Registered' as Non Op!" What a racket!

Oh well, at least I got it through and I now have a license plate for it, but I have to call my insurance co and get insurance on it now.

I will start the transformation from the 2004 #1 to it in a couple of weeks.

Progress!
 
Joined
Mar 13, 2012
Messages
5,045
Location
soCal
Bike
'97 ST1100
STOC #
687
Even though the silly Salvage Certificate states: "WARNING: The vehicle described herein has been declared a total loss salvage vehicle per CVC 11515 and may not be registered without a vehicle identification number (VIN) inspection per CVC 5505 and a brake and light inspection"...

MAY NOT BE REGISTERED! Plain and simple, but, as the gal said, "...it is to be 'Registered' as Non Op!" What a racket!
It had the potential to be registered, provided you met the conditions highlighted in red, so I guess that's why they expect you to file for the non-OP each year where the conditions haven't been met. But, when you say "I now have a license plate for it" did they issue a completely new plate number? If so, then it wouldn't seem fair to back charge you to bring the plate that was on it before up to current. Or did you mean the plate that was on it originally is now legal and up to date??
 

ST Gui

240Robert
Site Supporter
Joined
Sep 12, 2011
Messages
9,260
Location
SF-Oakland CA
Bike
ST1300, 2010
It sounds like he bought a salvage vehicle with no plate and rebuilt it to make it street legal so it needed to be registered and issued a new plate.

I don't think the plate is relevant other than needed one to get back on the street. Old plate new plate it was still unregistered for several years and not Non-Op'ed. I've Non-Op'ed vehicles a few times over many years.

What I don't understand is why wasn't DMV notified that this vehicle was 'junked' back in 2009. In my experience this means that back registration isn't required and the clock start from when it comes to DMV resurrected.

I've known people who've crashed a vehicle and it sits in their garage for years until they get around to fixing it. But because they didn't NO it they get hit with back reg fees.

But it seems totally wrong that this vehicle sits in a junk yard for years as salvage but back fees are owed once you try to get it back on the road. Unless that's not the case.

Good that it's all street legal now but I'd consider taking this higher up the DMV food chain to see if you could at least get a favorable adjustment.
 
OP
OP
SupraSabre

SupraSabre

48 Years of SoCal Lane Splitting/Commuting-Retired
Site Supporter
Joined
Nov 20, 2005
Messages
9,497
Location
Cedar City, Utah
Bike
12/04 ST 1300s
2024 Miles
000145
STOC #
5901
...but I'd consider taking this higher up the DMV food chain to see if you could at least get a favorable adjustment.
According to the folks at DMV, Because of the back fee costs, Sacramento has to review it and they might refund me some of them...yeah, like they'll give you back $$$$!

The bike was sold to the guy that I bought it from at auction in 2008 with a Salvage Certificate. He was suppose to register it NO, but didn't. So, DMV always wanting the fees, I got to pay for it all! :(

Live and learn as they say! At least, I can now "legally" ride it on the street!
 
Joined
Feb 27, 2011
Messages
3,357
Age
52
Location
Rindge, NH
Bike
2006 ST1300
Man, some states really want their money! In NH non registered just means you can't operate it on the street. If I let my plate expire then register it again in my name, they now charge (thanks to changing the law) registration back to my birth month (well, June for all bikes here; birth month is for cages). So lets say I let the reg expire in June 2012 and decide to register it in September 2014. I then have to pay registration back to June 2014, but not any of 2013.

It is all a racket. I see no reason why we should have to pay registration for a vehicle that hasn't been used. These are essentially road use fees, so if it hasn't been used on the road, why are we paying for it? Then again, along those lines, I also believe we should only have to pay registration on ONE vehicle, regardless how many we have. Why does it matter whether I have one or five vehicles, I'll still put the same amount of miles on the roads in my state. We should just have to pay for the cost of an additional set of plates for the new vehicle. Of course the states want our money any way they can think of to get it.
 
Joined
Mar 13, 2012
Messages
5,045
Location
soCal
Bike
'97 ST1100
STOC #
687
The bike was sold to the guy that I bought it from at auction in 2008 with a Salvage Certificate. He was suppose to register it NO, but didn't.
That's the hazard of the CA "registration follows the vehicle, not the owner" system. When you buy something used you inherit the registration sins of the previous owner, which can get expensive as you have shown.
 
Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Messages
8,114
Location
Cleveland
Bike
2010 ST1300
I really don't understand the rational for what is going on here - probably because it is so foreign to what I'm used to. Here in Ohio, if I park my bike and don't ride it for a year, the plates expire on my birthday and a new registration/sticker for the plates is required before I take the bike out on the street. I did not ride one of my Guzzi's for maybe 10 years, went to BMV and bought a new sticker/registration for the old plates. Since said sticker is good for one year (now you can buy them for 1, 2 or 5 years) - birthday to birthday - you pay for the full year unless there are only a few months left (I'm not sure when the cut off is) but you ONLY pay for that year. Oh, and there are late fees, etc. but nothing like paying back to the last registration.

Come to think of it, if the plates are older than a certain age, they might require new plates, too. Not sure about this.
 
Joined
Mar 13, 2012
Messages
5,045
Location
soCal
Bike
'97 ST1100
STOC #
687
To the non-Californians out there who don't understand our system, I'm not saying I agree with it, but here's how it works: When the vehicle is first purchased, or brought into the state, it receives a license plate. That license plate stays with the vehicle more or less forever, but I think there are a few exceptions (like personalized plates, or out of use for a very long time). The yearly payment associated with that plate contain taxes, fees, etc. some of which is based on the value of the vehicle. Some of the fees don't have anything to do with driving on our roads, and the tax part is usually a deduction at tax time if you itemize. For $20/yr you can non-op it and keep the registration current (and avoid the taxes and the non-road fees in the process, go figure). If you don't pay on time, the DMV likes to assess penalties, up to about 60% depending on how late you are.

When the vehicle is sold, the new owner is responsible for any back registration fees owed on the vehicle, including the late payment penalties. That is why if you're ever in the position of purchasing a vehicle with out of date registration your first step should be a visit to the DMV with the owner to determine how much is owed on the registration and adjust the purchase price accordingly. Since the yearly fees are value-based, they vary a lot by vehicle, but even my old '97 ST is around $100/yr to register, so a few hundred per year isn't abnormal even for a motorcycle.

And, if you're selling a vehicle, make sure you notify the DMW with 10 days so they remove your name from the registration. If the new owner doesn't transfer the registration into their name after taking possession, and you don't notify the DMV of the sale, you are still the legal registered owner. If the new owner were to get into an accident with the vehicle, you could be responsible to some extent, but I'm not sure exactly how this works. Many years ago I forgot to do this on a $500 car I sold to a guy, and about a month later he got it towed away. The towing company called me and said I could have the car back if I paid the impound fees because according to the DMV I was still the owner.
 
Last edited:

ST Gui

240Robert
Site Supporter
Joined
Sep 12, 2011
Messages
9,260
Location
SF-Oakland CA
Bike
ST1300, 2010
My guess is that CA assumes you're guilty until proven innocent when it comes to registering your vehicle. Once it's registered and you subsequently let it expire without NO'ing it they assume you're using it without paying the fees.

If you NO it you would then be eligible for a ticket and fine if caught operating it. But that wouldn't be any different than if you just rode/drove around with expired tags practically speaking.

If you sell your vehicle you can either go to DMV (often a pain) or maybe AAA (?) or you can mail in the NRL (Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability) which is the most convenient and what I've done. But get some proof of mailing! I've always done that and it paid off for a friend when she got notices of parking fines owed. They were a gift from the new owner who never registered the vehicle. You might even be able to do it online these days.
 

veefore

See you at my intervention!
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
658
Location
N.W. CT
Bike
15' BMW R1200RT
STOC #
3244
:censored:inpc1:Ouch! In CT we get new plates each time we register or we can keep our plates and transfer to the new vehicle. The plates do not stay with the vehicle when ownership changes. That's not to say DMV doesn't make our life hell.........I purchased a repossessed work van a couple of years ago and it took 6 trips to get it registered..........along with some god awful fees. You're right.......I'm sure they are all over getting you a refund, lol
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
SupraSabre

SupraSabre

48 Years of SoCal Lane Splitting/Commuting-Retired
Site Supporter
Joined
Nov 20, 2005
Messages
9,497
Location
Cedar City, Utah
Bike
12/04 ST 1300s
2024 Miles
000145
STOC #
5901
Even though I had to pay these fees/fines (which I'm not happy with), the big thing for me is that it took only the one trip to DMV, and I made that trip on a whim!

After getting the brake and lights certificates, I decided to give the DMV a try. I first went to the DMV in Temecula, but I couldn't find anywhere to park! :mad: So I decided to drive the 25 miles (approx) to the DMV in Hemet. I was able to barely squeeze into a large parking spot since I had the bike in the trailer. Which was a good thing I had brought it along, because they had to do a VIN verification on it, which was something I thought I would have to take to CHP.

So, instead of first trip to DMV ony to be told I had to schedule an appointment with the CHP and then go back again to DMV to finalize and pay the fees (three trips).

I did it in ONE TRIP!:run1::run1::run1:
 
Joined
Jun 23, 2013
Messages
111
Location
Galt. Ca.
Bike
2007 ST1300A
Congratulation's on getting a plate. Getting a vehicle registered in this state is quite a feat sometimes. I had to make 3 trips to DMV to get my ST registered in my name. The second person said I needed another piece of documentation only to be told on the third visit that I didn't need it! :confused:
 
Joined
Mar 13, 2012
Messages
5,045
Location
soCal
Bike
'97 ST1100
STOC #
687
The second person said I needed another piece of documentation only to be told on the third visit that I didn't need it! :confused:
The DMV has always operated like this, and I've never understood why, apparently they provide zero training for their employees and they all just wing it.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2007
Messages
892
Location
Huntington Beach, Calif
Bike
2004 st1300
STOC #
7468
"And, if you're selling a vehicle, make sure you notify the DMW with 10 days so they remove your name from the registration. If the new owner doesn't transfer the registration into their name after taking possession, and you don't notify the DMV of the sale, you are still the legal registered owner. If the new owner were to get into an accident with the vehicle, you could be responsible to some extent, but I'm not sure exactly how this works. Many years ago I forgot to do this on a $500 car I sold to a guy, and about a month later he got it towed away. The towing company called me and said I could have the car back if I paid the impound fees because according to the DMV I was still the owner. "...dwalby

This is very true!! My mother sold her car via Autotrader and forgot to notify the dmv. A year later the police where at her door to arrest her for a hit and run!! Seems the new owner never re-registered her car. Luckily she had taken the new owners information when she sold the car and had it in her files. Without that she would have been carted off to jail and held liable.
 
Top Bottom