BigJim394
12-12-2003, 01:28 PM
This is from the Quincy Mass newspaper (The Patriot Ledger), and while about a chopper project, could apply to a rod built ground up from parts:
DREAM BIKE A NIGHTMARE SITUATION: State rules keep custom-built chopper off the road
By ROBERT SEARS
The Patriot Ledger
WEYMOUTH - In the best tradition of the popular American Chopper TV show mechanic, Bruce Hanson has built his dream bike, but says strict state vehicle title rules have stopped his chrome and candy-apple red labor of love dead in its tracks.
I was ready to tear it apart piece by piece and sell off all the parts back on eBay, a frustrated Hanson said after a trip to the Registry of Motor Vehicles salvage title inspection station in Bridgewater.
The Registry denied him a title because Hanson, while able to provide sales receipts for all of the bike parts to prove they weren't stolen, was unable to get the vendors to provide similar documentation.
The Registry wanted proof of purchase not only from him, but from the companies and people who sold him parts.
Part of the problem is that many of his parts were bought on eBay and on the Internet.
You can't get proper documentation on parts from eBay, State Police Sgt. Matthew Palermo, who is in charge of the salvage-title inspection station at Bridgewater, said.
Hanson, 50, owner of Un-Limited Auto Service, has been riding motorcycles since his teens, and he says his long, low chopper, the first bike he has built, rides like a dream.
I put my repair plate on one day and took it for a blast. It's great. It just is everything I thought it was going to be. It handles nice. It's got more power than I ever wanted. It's not something I'd drive every day, but it's nice to have it there, he said.
State Police say the title rules are in place to discourage the sale and use of stolen parts on home-built vehicles like Hanson's bike, component cars and rebuilt salvage vehicles.
I can understand that, but I think they've really gone overboard, Hanson said.
He knew he would have to show receipts for the parts he used before the state would issue him a title and a vehicle identification number.
I bought everything for that bike piece by piece. I tried to keep everything in order. I even categorized and alphabetized them and numbered each receipt with my own system, he said.
He didn't know he would also have to come up with receipts showing where about a dozen vendors from whom he bought parts obtained the items.
He has sunk more than $15,000 into the bike.
Without the vendor documentation, parts including the chrome wheels and tires, all of the brake components, horn, foot pegs, exhaust pipes, oil tank, handlebars and rear fender were unacceptable, Hanson said.
All of the parts on the chopper are available through Harley-Davidson, but I got everything after market, because they would cost more from Harley, Hanson said.
Anything that was bought from a private party forget about it. You can't use them at all, he said.
I can certainly understand the reasoning behind some of this, but I think it's really extreme in this case, he said.
Hanson had certificates of origin for the motorcycle's three major components, the frame, engine and transmission. The inspector was fine with these, he said.
Ninety percent of the approximately 100 custom-built motorcycles like Hanson's that are inspected at Bridgewater each year get titles, Palermo said.
Professional custom-bike builders generally know from experience what kind of documentation is required. It's your average Joe who needs guidance, he said.
Palermo suggests that people leave their bikes at home and bring all of their part documentation to an inspection station to determine if anything more is needed.
Parts for which receipts must show who supplied the vendors include speedometers, mufflers, mirrors, seats, wheels, tires, fenders and decorative items, head and tail lights, and directional signals.
When most people come back with their bike, if they fail to get a title it's usually not because of any problem with their paperwork, Palermo said.
If people like Hanson have most of their documentation in order, inspectors are willing to bend a little, he said.
Palermo said anyone planning to build a bike should pick up a copy of the documentation requirements at one of the state's six inspection sites. They can also call 617-351-9065.
Transmitted Friday, December 12, 2003
DREAM BIKE A NIGHTMARE SITUATION: State rules keep custom-built chopper off the road
By ROBERT SEARS
The Patriot Ledger
WEYMOUTH - In the best tradition of the popular American Chopper TV show mechanic, Bruce Hanson has built his dream bike, but says strict state vehicle title rules have stopped his chrome and candy-apple red labor of love dead in its tracks.
I was ready to tear it apart piece by piece and sell off all the parts back on eBay, a frustrated Hanson said after a trip to the Registry of Motor Vehicles salvage title inspection station in Bridgewater.
The Registry denied him a title because Hanson, while able to provide sales receipts for all of the bike parts to prove they weren't stolen, was unable to get the vendors to provide similar documentation.
The Registry wanted proof of purchase not only from him, but from the companies and people who sold him parts.
Part of the problem is that many of his parts were bought on eBay and on the Internet.
You can't get proper documentation on parts from eBay, State Police Sgt. Matthew Palermo, who is in charge of the salvage-title inspection station at Bridgewater, said.
Hanson, 50, owner of Un-Limited Auto Service, has been riding motorcycles since his teens, and he says his long, low chopper, the first bike he has built, rides like a dream.
I put my repair plate on one day and took it for a blast. It's great. It just is everything I thought it was going to be. It handles nice. It's got more power than I ever wanted. It's not something I'd drive every day, but it's nice to have it there, he said.
State Police say the title rules are in place to discourage the sale and use of stolen parts on home-built vehicles like Hanson's bike, component cars and rebuilt salvage vehicles.
I can understand that, but I think they've really gone overboard, Hanson said.
He knew he would have to show receipts for the parts he used before the state would issue him a title and a vehicle identification number.
I bought everything for that bike piece by piece. I tried to keep everything in order. I even categorized and alphabetized them and numbered each receipt with my own system, he said.
He didn't know he would also have to come up with receipts showing where about a dozen vendors from whom he bought parts obtained the items.
He has sunk more than $15,000 into the bike.
Without the vendor documentation, parts including the chrome wheels and tires, all of the brake components, horn, foot pegs, exhaust pipes, oil tank, handlebars and rear fender were unacceptable, Hanson said.
All of the parts on the chopper are available through Harley-Davidson, but I got everything after market, because they would cost more from Harley, Hanson said.
Anything that was bought from a private party forget about it. You can't use them at all, he said.
I can certainly understand the reasoning behind some of this, but I think it's really extreme in this case, he said.
Hanson had certificates of origin for the motorcycle's three major components, the frame, engine and transmission. The inspector was fine with these, he said.
Ninety percent of the approximately 100 custom-built motorcycles like Hanson's that are inspected at Bridgewater each year get titles, Palermo said.
Professional custom-bike builders generally know from experience what kind of documentation is required. It's your average Joe who needs guidance, he said.
Palermo suggests that people leave their bikes at home and bring all of their part documentation to an inspection station to determine if anything more is needed.
Parts for which receipts must show who supplied the vendors include speedometers, mufflers, mirrors, seats, wheels, tires, fenders and decorative items, head and tail lights, and directional signals.
When most people come back with their bike, if they fail to get a title it's usually not because of any problem with their paperwork, Palermo said.
If people like Hanson have most of their documentation in order, inspectors are willing to bend a little, he said.
Palermo said anyone planning to build a bike should pick up a copy of the documentation requirements at one of the state's six inspection sites. They can also call 617-351-9065.
Transmitted Friday, December 12, 2003