Motorcycling in Texas
When it comes to driving in Texas, registering an out-of-state scooter has been the hardest thing I’ve done. The process was long and tedious – although partly due to the fact I was rebuilding the scooter simultaneously. However, I certainly could of saved a few trips to the DMV. Here are some tips that may benefit someone who would happen to stumble upon this post while looking for the same information I had:
Getting the Title
- Make sure the title has been filled out correctly. If a dealer is selling it on behalf of the owner, may sure that the owner has dictated this on the title by completing the reassignment.
- Get an accurate reading on the odometer.
- I had my own troubles with the title (see the first item), but not having one would have been worse. I’ve been told however that there are ways to obtaining one.
Transfering the Title
- Save yourself some time and have the seller fill out form 130-U Application for Certificate of Title (instructions) at the time of sale. This form will also serve as a Bill of Sale, but I’d also ask for one of those anyway.
- Make sure that the seller’s name on this form matches the name on the title – including dealer vs. owner. In my case, the dealer did not reassign himself as the seller on the title but did on the application. The DMV caught this. Rather than sending the title back to the dealer to do a reassignment and complete a statement of fact, I tracked down the original owner and had him mail me a completed 130-U. Now the dealer was out of the picture.
- If your bike is less than 10 years old, make sure the odometer readings on 130-U and on the title are an exact match. I had a discrepancy of a single mile and the clerk went into a panic. She was about to send me away to who knows where until she noticed that my bike was built in 1974.
Title without Registration
If your bike is not ready for registration (i.e. hasn’t passed inspection) but you want to avoid the penalty for going over 20 days, you can complete VTR-131 Request to Issue Negotiable Certificate of Title Without Registration (Title Only). However, you will have to pay the application fee ($33 in Williamson county) again when you go back to register. I was already 30-days past the date of sale so I just decided to wait until I was ready for registration before transferring the title.
Registration
- Form 130-U will also serve as your registration. You’ll also need proof of insurance and an inspection.
- If the bike does not have a license plate, you’ll need a temporary one to get it to the inspection station, unless you can haul it. They are available for either $5 for a 1-way plate or $25 for a 30-day plate. I don’t understand the point of the 1-way deal or how it would even be enforced. I just got the 30-day plate since I didn’t know when I could take it in. Be prepared to pay cash only for one of these babies.
Inspection
- Any location that performs motor vehicle inspections can inspect your bike… or so I’m told. I recommend Sticker Stop if there’s one in your neighborhood.
- Here the official checklist of what’s covered. For the brake check they’ll ask you to stop within 20 ft going 20mph.
- Motorcycles/Scooters do not have to undergo an emissions test.
- If your bike was purchased out of state, be sure to tell the inspectors. There’s a different form they need to give you instead of the standard inspection report. I don’t recall the form name or number but it’s along the lines of Safety Inspection Report for Vehicles Purchases Outside the State of Texas. I had to return to Sticker Stop to get this thing. They just saw my temporary plate and assumed it was bought in Texas.
