Buying a motorcycle. Missing TItle!?

-I want to Buy a motorcycle from a private seller, However, the title is missing. The bike is registered out of state and I live in California. Is there a way to transfer ownership without the title, like getting a Duplicate Title form and Notarizing it with me as the new owner and sending it to the California DMV? Has anyone done something like this? He can get the title but it will take about 3 weeks because of the DMV turn-around time The seller is moving soon to the east coast.



http://dmv.ca.gov/forms/reg/reg227.pdfYou are not buying a motorcycle. "Buying" means paying money to a person who has the title and getting the title. When you give money to a person who does not have a title, you are simply giving the person money; you are not buying the motorcycle.



it is unlikely that he can transfer ownership, because it is unlikely that he has any ownership to transfer. In most cases, a person who tries to sell a car or motorcycle without the title is not the owner, and cannot transfer ownership. The person who does have ownership remains the owner, even if you pay another person and that other person notarizes something.



In many cases, the reason that the person does not have a title is that the person stole it. If you get caught with the motorcycle, you might be arrested for having something that is stolen, even if you are not the person who stole it.
Forget it unless he can produce a title. More motorcycles are stolen than cars. You could end up going through inspections and losing the bike and your money.
Don't buy any motor vehicle unless the seller can provide a clear title at the time of sale.