Bought a new ST1300 Hauler, CA DMV was a PAIN!

SupraSabre

48 Years of SoCal Lane Splitting/Commuting-Retired
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As many of you know, I'm not always able to :mcrider: my bike(s) to the different gatherings, anytime my wife goes with me. And after my brother got sick on our ride to Oregon in June, and having to bow out from WeSTOC, I figured that Chris (my much better half) would also bow out too. Well, it didn't work out that way and she decided she wanted to go, but threw a wrench in the works by saying she wanted to go through Cedar City and look at some of the houses out there. :eek:4:

So that means we are leaving Friday morning, the 25th for Cedar City, then cutting over to Reno for WeSTOC. Only problem I could see was my trailer wasn't going to make it. It's been a very trust worthy little trailer, but being an HF brand and 14 years old, I just didn't want to take the chance of getting stranded out in the middle of nowhere Nevada, on our way to WeSTOC!

So I bought an axle and replaced that, but it wasn't made for the HF trailer and just didn't "fit" right. So I pulled that back off and Chris told me I should look for a new trailer. I was just about to buy a Tractor Supply 4'x7' trailer (I would have had to extend the back out a foot) when I came across this add.

TrailerAdd.jpg

I couldn't tell all the details and the guy really didn't give me all that I wanted to know, but I decided to go and take a look at it, and if was as heavy duty as I thought, it would be well worth the $795 he was asking!

So I took Friday off and drove up to the Chino Airport (Known for the "Planes of Fame" Air Museum). When I got there, this guy had three of them stacked on top of each other, and had to get a forklift to remove the top two and gave me the one on the bottom. It turns out it was the better of the four trailers. It has the fender lights (you can see the trailer at night in your mirrors) and much better 15" tires!

His company buys these 5x8 trailers and mounts three really large fans on each side, they place a 300 gallon water tank in the center, along with a generator. These fans and water causes almost a fog. He says the military is one of their bigger customers.

misting-fan-trailer

So about two months ago one particular customer orders four of these units, (and after he had bought the 4 5x8 trailers) told him he needed 6x10 trailers, so this guy now has 4 trailers that he didn't expect to have to hold on to and since his "season" was pretty much over, all he could do was to store them. Well, after about a month, the airport tells him he couldn't store them where he had them stored, next to an old plane he had sitting near his hanger (the hanger was filled with another airplane, motorhome and two old Harleys, and his fork lift, and a ton of other stuff...) so he decided to sell them.

I got up to the airport a little after 8am and meet up with him, I looked at the trailer and decided it was worth it! :D

He got the other two down and we hooked up the one, I gave him the money and he gave me a bill of sale...THAT I SHOULD HAVE LOOKED AT HARDER! :eek:4:

I get to DMV and after waiting 3 hours, I'm informed that the "Bill Of Sale" was not made out properly...he put his company as the seller and him as the buyer! :doh1: Then the gal at DMV informs me I'll have to have him sign this paper, after it gets filled out. Great, I call him, he's out in Laguna Beach and we arrange to meet in San Clemente the next morning. So there went that morning for getting my 2012 back together!

I get the paper signed then I leave work this morning to go to the Poway DMV. 4 hours later...I get a temporary plate, so I can use it for the next 60 days, until I get the trailer's certificate from the builder.

Saturday afternoon and Sunday, I spent adding the wheel chock and the eye bolts and figuring out how to mount the ramp. I got that all figured out, so the trailer is ready to go. I guess I'll be hauling the '04#2 up to WeSTOC on the trailer since the 2012 is still spread out all over my workshop!
 
Joined
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8,114
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Cleveland
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2010 ST1300
I was just about to buy a Tractor Supply 4'x7' trailer
i bought one of their garden utility trailers and there were a few missteps. Like you, i examined all of their trailers in stock - a couple were twisted (frame) another had the ramp/gate misaligned, so I picked the best example that was not yet assembled. Went inside and gave them the VIN of the one I wanted and went back to the trailer to wait. A guy and a woman came out and started assembling another trailer. When they were half way through, I got an inkling of what was happening and I asked them if they were assembling the trailer for me. They said yes, and I pointed to the one I wanted. Got ready to go and hitched to my SUV, and I drove around front to wait for the paperwork. One of them came out with my receipt and paperwork except the VIN was wrong on the title - wrong papers.

Those hassles aside, the trailer has been great - but I should have gotten the one w/ the wood floor.....
 

Nashcat

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ST Gui

240Robert
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Congratulations on getting a deal that pleases you!

But you probably know as well as anyone could that this dealing with the CA DMV could have been MUCH worse. Knowing people who've been all but ground up by the slow turning gears and wheels of the CA DMV I'd say you got off fairly easy.

All that said CA DMV does have their work cut out for them and as a very light user of their services I've never had a complaint. Yet.
 
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SupraSabre

SupraSabre

48 Years of SoCal Lane Splitting/Commuting-Retired
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Joined
Nov 20, 2005
Messages
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Location
Cedar City, Utah
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12/04 ST 1300s
2024 Miles
000145
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5901
Congratulations on getting a deal that pleases you!

But you probably know as well as anyone could that this dealing with the CA DMV could have been MUCH worse. Knowing people who've been all but ground up by the slow turning gears and wheels of the CA DMV I'd say you got off fairly easy.

All that said CA DMV does have their work cut out for them and as a very light user of their services I've never had a complaint. Yet.
The biggest issue I saw at both DMV offices I visited (Hemet & Poway), was lack of personnel. there were always five or six windows that weren't manned, that should have been. I think their budget is going for the wrong things! :mad:
 

ST Gui

240Robert
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SupraSabre said:
The biggest issue I saw at both DMV offices I visited (Hemet & Poway), was lack of personnel. there were always five or six windows that weren't manned, that should have been. I think their budget is going for the wrong things!
No argument here. Staffing is always the first thing hit in budget cuts in just about any business or organizations.
 

ST_Jim

In the Hotel California...
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Dec 8, 2004
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585
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Simi Valley, CA
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2004 ST1300ABS
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4829
Biggest problem I ever had was taking 6 months to get the title for my brand new, paid for with cash ST1300! Seems either Honda or the DMV screwed up and mis-configured the DMV computer such that they thought my VIN was a dirt bike. It took them 6 months to get around to reprogramming it, when they finally corrected their computer.
 
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SupraSabre

SupraSabre

48 Years of SoCal Lane Splitting/Commuting-Retired
Site Supporter
Joined
Nov 20, 2005
Messages
9,500
Location
Cedar City, Utah
Bike
12/04 ST 1300s
2024 Miles
000145
STOC #
5901
It only took just over 90 days, but I got the license plate last week! :hat3:

I'm now looking to raise the sides up 12" and put a tailgate on it. All I have to do is cut up some metal I have and then have my son weld it all up, paint it and then figure out what to use for side panels! :D

Thought I would add a picture of the Highlander pulling the trailer with the bike on it.

ST1300Trailered-s.jpg
 
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