Hi RoadScholar and Grandpaul,
I just visited the VT DMV website. It appears to me that they require in person VIN verification and a copy of a previous title.
Am I missing something?
I want to title and register two bikes; a '67 G15 and a '71 Commando.
Ed
The inspection is done by a local (to you) police officer or DMV official, I suggest a LEO, if you have a choice. The LEO inspects the bikes VIN and signs off on the VT form, the sign-off box isn't a secret. VT will also ask for a letter from the LEO's department stating that he/she is a member of their force, on their letterhead; if you are a member in good standing in the community in which you reside they should be happy to cooperate; in the two cases where I made this request, in person, I offered to pay the overtime rate for their efforts to emphasize the urgency of the request, but have not been taken up on my offer. I have lived in the same community for just about 40 years and make a point of actively supporting the local police, it helps me with my license to carry and in such matter as we are discussing.
You should have a notarized bill-of-sale, and/or a title from the seller to submit with the rest of the documentation, if not keep reading.
Before I purchase any used vehicle from a private party I call my local PD and have them run the VIN through the national stolen vehicle database both engine and frame, if different (takes about 2 minutes), which is what VT will do as part of their process, you can use the frame number or the engine number for a tile, but do check both, even the Massachusetts DMV doesn't care, which is saying a lot.
If you do not have a document(s) that shows you purchased the vehicle then you pretty much look like a thief in the eyes of the law because you will then have no recourse in the event ownership is contested, the buck will stop with you and the prosecution will start with you. If you are 100% satisfied that the vehicle is not and has not been stolen then consider having a friend generate a notarized bill-of-sale to speed the process; I'm not high on this method because you ask a lot of your friend, but if you go this way be sure to thank your friend in a very tangible way.
One last bit. The VT form talks about having insurance; unless they changed the process you can ignore that part.
"Welcome to the machine"
And: Best wishes