Previous Motorcycle owner wants it back after I sold it.

[SamBram]

So let me start by saying i have a hairy situation...
I am in the great state of Minnesota.

Late in the fall, just before the snow fell (4-5 months ago) I went out to purchase Motorcycle. After test riding and inspecting the motorcycle I decided to buy it and we agreed on a price. A few things had me worried right off the bat. The seller said that he had only just recently purchased it and was waiting on the title. The tabs were current and must br renewed annually in this state so I figured it would be okay. We wrote up a bill of sale which included a written promise to sign title over to me when it arrived, and that i would keep a few hundred of the agreed price until that time. I paid him and took the bike home. I rode it for only a few days before garaging it for the winter.

After about 2 months of occasionally texting/emailing him and getting no replies i begam to worry. I tried calling him, he answered, and asked who was calling. When I told him I was the guy who had bought his bike and was wondering if he had received the title yet, he hung up without another word.

I work closely with a few police officers (late night hospitality industry) and asked one if she could see if the bike was stolen for me.

The bike was not reported stolen, furthermore the title had last been transferred in the fall, which lined up with what the seller had told me.

Another month and a half went by with no luck getting a response from the seller. When telling a friend about the situation he offered to purchase it for the same amount I paid to cut my losses. He was looking for a motorcycle to use for closed course stunt riding off of public roads and figured that since he didn't need it registered he would help me by just purchasing mine. I gratefully accepted.

He paid me, picked the bike up and immediately dumped large amounts of money into modifying the brakes, suspension, subframe, gearing, and I don't know what else, to make the bike suitable for his purposes in the spring.

Now just weeks later the seller emailed me and asked if he coukd buy the bike back. When I told him no, he told me he really wants to buy it back, when I apologized and told him no again he tokd me he needs it back.

I am still willing/able to fulfill our original bill of sale and pay him the rest of the money if he gets me the title, he however only shows an interest in requiring the motorcycle.

Since my friend has already dumped Thousands of dollars in parts and labor into the motorcycle I have no interest in selling it back.

So I guess my question is what are my options and how do I proceed with them? I tried to be detailed in the original post, let me know if there is anything else I can tell you guys.

Thanks for the help, -Sam

 

[LdiJ]

So let me start by saying i have a hairy situation...
I am in the great state of Minnesota.

Late in the fall, just before the snow fell (4-5 months ago) I went out to purchase Motorcycle. After test riding and inspecting the motorcycle I decided to buy it and we agreed on a price. A few things had me worried right off the bat. The seller said that he had only just recently purchased it and was waiting on the title. The tabs were current and must br renewed annually in this state so I figured it would be okay. We wrote up a bill of sale which included a written promise to sign title over to me when it arrived, and that i would keep a few hundred of the agreed price until that time. I paid him and took the bike home. I rode it for only a few days before garaging it for the winter.

After about 2 months of occasionally texting/emailing him and getting no replies i begam to worry. I tried calling him, he answered, and asked who was calling. When I told him I was the guy who had bought his bike and was wondering if he had received the title yet, he hung up without another word.

I work closely with a few police officers (late night hospitality industry) and asked one if she could see if the bike was stolen for me.

The bike was not reported stolen, furthermore the title had last been transferred in the fall, which lined up with what the seller had told me.

Another month and a half went by with no luck getting a response from the seller. When telling a friend about the situation he offered to purchase it for the same amount I paid to cut my losses. He was looking for a motorcycle to use for closed course stunt riding off of public roads and figured that since he didn't need it registered he would help me by just purchasing mine. I gratefully accepted.

He paid me, picked the bike up and immediately dumped large amounts of money into modifying the brakes, suspension, subframe, gearing, and I don't know what else, to make the bike suitable for his purposes in the spring.

Now just weeks later the seller emailed me and asked if he coukd buy the bike back. When I told him no, he told me he really wants to buy it back, when I apologized and told him no again he tokd me he needs it back.

I am still willing/able to fulfill our original bill of sale and pay him the rest of the money if he gets me the title, he however only shows an interest in requiring the motorcycle.

Since my friend has already dumped Thousands of dollars in parts and labor into the motorcycle I have no interest in selling it back.

So I guess my question is what are my options and how do I proceed with them? I tried to be detailed in the original post, let me know if there is anything else I can tell you guys.

Thanks for the help, -Sam

If the guy you bought the bike from didn't have the right to sell it (perhaps it belonged to someone else) and it gets reported as stolen, then your friend is going to lose the bike.

 

[xylene]

You need a lawyer and at the very least you need to be prepared to pay your friend for the money he is out on modifying the bike AND paying the money it will take to put the bike back the way it was, assuming the best case that returning it all works out...

I also think you may have committed a crime in selling the bike even if there was no intent to register, but I don't feel like researching the exact law as it was plainly a completely illegitimate thing to do.

 

[adjusterjack]

Another one of thousands of "I didn't get the title" sob stories. Sigh.

 

[SamBram]

You need a lawyer and at the very least you need to be prepared to pay your friend for the money he is out on modifying the bike AND paying the money it will take to put the bike back the way it was, assuming the best case that returning it all works out...

I also think you may have committed a crime in selling the bike even if there was no intent to register, but I don't feel like researching the exact law as it was plainly a completely illegitimate thing to do.

Yeah, this is kinda what I was figuring. Luckily the buddy is pretty cool and i don't think he'll mind of I make some payments to him. Kind if a lose-lose for everyone except the ass who sold it to me. Thanks a bunch for the reply.

 

[LdiJ]

Yeah, this is kinda what I was figuring. Luckily the buddy is pretty cool and i don't think he'll mind of I make some payments to him. Kind if a lose-lose for everyone except the ass who sold it to me. Thanks a bunch for the reply.

Hold on a sec...that particular advice was pretty much your worst case scenario. You should be prepared for it but its not guaranteed to happen. You might want to start putting some money aside, just in case, but I wouldn't go paying an attorney just yet.

 

[Insane Jane]

If the last person that titled that bike reports it stolen....
You should chase the person you purchased the bike from and demand the title asap.

 

[quincy]

... he had only just recently purchased it and was waiting on the title. The tabs were current sign title over to me when it arrived, and that i would keep a few hundred of the agreed price until that time. I paid him and took the bike home. I rode it for only a few days before garaging it for the winter.

After about 2 months of occasionally texting/emailing him and getting no replies i begam to worry. I tried calling him, he answered, and asked who was calling. When I told him I was the guy who had bought his bike and was wondering if he had received the title yet, he hung up without another word.

I work closely with a few police officers (late night hospitality industry) and asked one if she could see if the bike was stolen for me.

The bike was not reported stolen, furthermore the title had last been transferred in the fall, which lined up with what the seller had told me.

Another month and a half went by with no luck getting a response from the seller. When telling a friend about the situation he offered to purchase it for the same amount I paid to cut my losses. He was looking for a motorcycle to use for closed course stunt riding off of public roads and figured that since he didn't need it registered he would help me by just purchasing mine. I gratefully accepted.

He paid me, picked the bike up and immediately dumped large amounts of money into modifying the brakes, suspension, subframe, gearing, and I don't know what else, to make the bike suitable for his purposes in the spring.

Now just weeks later the seller emailed me and asked if he coukd buy the bike back. When I told him no, he told me he really wants to buy it back, when I apologized and told him no again he tokd me he needs it back.

I am still willing/able to fulfill our original bill of sale and pay him the rest of the money if he gets me the title, he however only shows an interest in requiring the motorcycle.

Since my friend has already dumped Thousands of dollars in parts and labor into the motorcycle I have no interest in selling it back.

So I guess my question is what are my options and how do I proceed with them? I tried to be detailed in the original post, let me know if there is anything else I can tell you guys.

Thanks for the help, -Sam

Did you ever think to go to Minnesota's DMV, armed with your bill of sale and the letter from the seller promising title, to see about getting a replacement title?

 

[Junction]

Minnesota will only send a dupiicate title to whomever the bike is currently titled to. They won't do a double transfer (they used to) nor will they transfer a title with a bill of sale. They issue bonded titles if there isn't one, but only for bikes that haven't been licensed for more than 6 years, which, of course, does not fit this situation.

The buyer must have the signed title from the actual owner to transfer it.

Beyond that, the buyer says he still owes the owner money on the bike, which was to be paid when the title was provided. Whether that plays a legal part I don't know as it's beyond the scope of my knowledge.

 

[quincy]

Minnesota will only send a dupiicate title to whomever the bike is currently titled to. They won't do a double transfer (they used to) nor will they transfer a title with a bill of sale. They issue bonded titles if there isn't one, but only for bikes that haven't been licensed for more than 6 years, which, of course, does not fit this situation.

The buyer must have the signed title from the actual owner to transfer it.

Beyond that, the buyer says he still owes the owner money on the bike, which was to be paid when the title was provided. Whether that plays a legal part I don't know as it's beyond the scope of my knowledge.

Thanks. That seemed too simple.

 

[LdiJ]

Minnesota will only send a dupiicate title to whomever the bike is currently titled to. They won't do a double transfer (they used to) nor will they transfer a title with a bill of sale. They issue bonded titles if there isn't one, but only for bikes that haven't been licensed for more than 6 years, which, of course, does not fit this situation.

The buyer must have the signed title from the actual owner to transfer it.

Beyond that, the buyer says he still owes the owner money on the bike, which was to be paid when the title was provided. Whether that plays a legal part I don't know as it's beyond the scope of my knowledge.

OK, then he did not steal the bike. His problem is that he still owes money on it. You also still owe him money on it. Both of you sold it before you had fully paid for it and obtained the title.

Perhaps you should find out how much he still owes on it?

 

[HighwayMan]

...a lose-lose for everyone except the ass who sold it to me.

You have some nerve calling other people names when YOU are the one who shelled out money for a motor vehicle and did not get the title at the time of sale.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

 

[Zigner]

You have some nerve calling other people names when YOU are the one who shelled out money for a motor vehicle and did not get the title at the time of sale.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

...and then tried to do the same thing to the next guy.