Calling all New Yorkers

[serpent]

Hey guys,

I own and ride a much loved V7 here in Sydney. But I'm heading over to New York for the summer and am looking at getting a bike whilst I'm there.

Renting looks ridiculously expensive, but I've found a cheapest v7 that has some minor damage.

Just wondering what's involved with registration in New York. In Australia sometimes bikes can be " written off " if they've been in an accident. Can I even purchase a bike being a non us citizen? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[stripperguy]

Most damaged bikes that have been written off by the insurance companies and have been given an MV-907A salvage certificate. There is a lengthy process to get these vehicles inspected by NYS and retitled, so that they may be registered as any other vehicle.
If the bike is being sold through a clearing house, like IAAI, ADESA, Carpart or similar, it is likely that it can only be purchased by a registered motor vehicle dealer.
My Son-In-Law is such a registered dealer, and I have purchased (through him), repaired, had inspected and retitled many cars and motorcycles in the past few years. Currently, my son has a 2015 V7 Stone that he submitted the paperwork to NYS DMV nearly a month ago. Still he waits to hear when an inspection appointment will be scheduled.
If the bike has a clear title, then registering it in NYS is no big deal, mostly you need to prove your identity, have proof of insurance, proof of ownership (bill of sale and title), and either pay the sales tax or prove that you have already paid it.
If the bike has no title but a salvage certificate, I fear it might take too long for you to take advantage of the good deal that you've found.

Probably, your best solution might be to find a used MG on Craigslist...
I hope I haven't burst your bubble, but I have been through this retitling many, many times and speak from experience.

Here is my son's "total write off" 2015 V7 Stone, 203 miles on it.
Behind is my 2010 Bonnie, another total loss.

 

[rob-mg]

Hey guys,
Can I even purchase a bike being a non us citizen? Any help would be appreciated.

As a non-resident (with few exceptions, such as being on a student visa), you won't be able to register a vehicle, including a bike.

See the following point scale info:

https://dmv.ny.gov/forms/id82.pdf
https://dmv.ny.gov/vehicle-registra...s-vehicle-registrations-or-title-certificates

This is why, as a Canadian who spends a great deal of time in New York, but is not a resident, I purchased my new V7 II in Toronto last week instead of New York, and trailered it here where it will spend most of its time.

 

[serpent]

Thanks guys.. looks like my girlfriend might be purchasing a guzzi haha

 

[rob-mg]

Thanks guys.. looks like my girlfriend might be purchasing a guzzi haha

If you need service or parts, there are two dealers here:

Vespa Brooklyn: http://www.vespabk.com
Piaggio Manhattan: http://www.motoplexpiaggio.com/newyork-manhattan/

Piaggio opened the latter last fall as a company-owned "superstore", although it is in fact quite small, certainly smaller than the Brooklyn dealer. You may also see references to Gold Coast Motorsports on Long Island, but it is no longer a Moto Guzzi dealer.

 

[stripperguy]

I've never looked at whether a non-US citizen or resident could register a motor vehicle in NYS.
But looking here:
https://dmv.ny.gov/registration/register-and-title-vehicle-or-trailer
it sure looks like it doesn't matter whether or not you're a US citizen.
If the current owner checks that box on the title (per his ad listing), you will end up needing to do all of the stuff that I usually must with a salvaged vehicle.
Unfortunately, this usually equates to a lengthy wait...

 

[rob-mg]

But looking here:
https://dmv.ny.gov/registration/register-and-title-vehicle-or-trailer
it sure looks like it doesn't matter whether or not you're a US citizen.

Look at footnote 4. The link in that footnote sets out what one needs to prove "identity". To prove "identity", one needs documents adding up to at least six points. It is not possible for a visitor to have six points.

In other words, the concept of "identity" is being used in an unusually narrow sense to limit the categories of people who can register a vehicle. For example, the original poster's Australian passport has zero value as proof of his identity when it comes to registering a vehicle.

In my own case, I am a Canadian who is in New York on a visa designed for people in the process of making substantial business investments. However, I will not have a visa to actually operate the business until the fall. Until then, I won't meet the six point requirement and can't register a vehicle here, which is why I just purchased a V7 II in Toronto, registered it in Canada, and trailered it to New York, where I am riding it with a Canadian plate.

When I brought the bike across the border earlier this week, a young US customs officer looked at my current visa and told me that I should be importing the bike. He was quickly corrected by a more senior officer, who told him that I could not register the bike, or any bike, in the U.S., even if I wanted to. The substance of the New York law, although the means vary, is in effect in all 50 states.

The U.S. is by no means the only country that restricts the ability of non-residents to purchase and register vehicles. I know for a fact that it is an issue in Italy, where I own a bike that is in the name of a local resident precisely because I am not a resident of Italy and therefore can't register a bike there. It is also an issue in the U.K., where I considered buying a bike and concluded that I would have to purchase and register it in Guernsey or Jersey, which are not part of the U.K. and have more relaxed registration requirements.

It sounds like the original poster's girlfriend is a U.S. resident (see post #4), which is frankly the only avenue open to him.

 

[serpent]

Thanks guys this is a big help.

Can my girlfriend still own the bike if she doesn't have a motorcycle license? Also, is there compulsory third party insurance in NY? In Australia there is.

 

[rob-mg]

Thanks guys this is a big help.

Can my girlfriend still own the bike if she doesn't have a motorcycle license? Also, is there compulsory third party insurance in NY? In Australia there is.

New York, like the rest of the U.S., does not have graduated motorcycle licenses. This means that one does not have to have a motorcycle license, or even a learner's permit, to buy a bike, regardless of how powerful the bike is. A 16 year old, who has never held any kind of driver's license, can buy a 1000cc sportbike.

That said, your girlfriend may well find it difficult to find an insurer if she does not have a learner's permit. The learner's permit requires passing a dead simple written test, and does not require demonstration of any competence whatever on a bike, not even a balance test.

She will also have to name you as a co-insured driver. This will increase the cost, depending on your age and taking into account the fact that you have no insurance history in the U.S. You may well be treated, for insurance purposes, as a new driver. I say this from experience. If it's good, it might be helpful to have your record with your Australian insurer handy when your girlfriend applies to have you named as a co-insured.

As should be clear from the foregoing, in New York state third party liability insurance is required to operate a vehicle, including a motorcycle.

See this: https://dmv.ny.gov/driver-license/get-motorcycle-license

If your girlfriend has a current insurer, she may well be best off using it. That said, my understanding is that certain U.S. insurers are markedly better than others when it comes to insuring bikes in New York. For this information, you need to communicate with people who have more local insurance knowledge than I do. This info might be readily available from an internet search, and you could also ask in the NY City Commuter thread (a long-standing thread in the Northeast U.S. Regional Forum) at ADVRider.com.

 

[serpent]

Legend.. thanks a million

 

[abbienormal]

I find this amazing. You want to give them money but they have no temporary way for a visitor to do it. I sold my 2007 Norge in 2011 to a gent from New Zealand. He came to Ohio to pick it up. I had him send a certified check that I had cleared before he arrived. He was only staying a month in the states so I took him to our local county license bureau and we signed over the title. He used his NZ drivers license, I think NZ insurance, a resident address of a relative in Missouri and we walked out with a temporary licence plate good for 30 days. He then rode it to NY to visit his daughter. When the month was up he put it in a shipping container and sent it to NZ where he is still riding it.