If you have a motorcycle or a scooter that you want to sell to someone else, you will need to write a motorcycle bill of sale to document the exchange of ownership. You will need to be sure that you include all the right information in your motorcycle bill of sale form so that the new owner can legally take possession of the vehicle and can register and insure it. The bill of sale for this kind of item is legally binding, so it needs to be written properly to be useful to you and the new owner of the bike.

Make certain that you are familiar with the rules and regulations in your state that are related to the sale of vehicles before you write your bill of sale. There might be limitations and requirements that need to be met when selling motorcycles or scooters, and you want to be sure that these items are done before you sell your bike. A motorcycle bill of sale template will only give you the basic information that you need to have in your document, so some research might be required.

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Motorcycle Bill of Sale Templates

What is a motorcycle bill of sale?

A motorcycle or any other kind of vehicle should never be sold without a printable bill of sale in hand. The bill of sale document shows that you sold your motorcycle or scooter to someone else, and this allows them the proof they need to register the vehicle and insure it in their name. When you have a valid sales contract in hand, you can prove that you no longer own the bike as well. This can come in handy if some kind of charge is assessed against the bike or if the new owner gets a ticket while riding the bike.

Making sure that all the right information is in the bill of sale that you have created for your motorcycle can be a big help for many reasons. The clearer the details of the sales process are, the less likely it will be that there will be disputes between buyer and seller down the road. These are the benefits of creating a bill of sale for your motorcycle when you sell it:

  • The bike was clearly sold and was not stolen
  • The buyer and seller are protected in the case of a dispute
  • The sales contract protects the buyer and seller
  • The contract is proof that a sale was completed with the knowledge of both parties involved

As with any other sales process, when there is documentation protecting the sale, this is better for everyone involved, and this eliminates the chance for a lot of conflict over the sales process down the road.

Printable Bill of Sale for Motorcycle

How to get a title for a motorcycle with a bill of sale

The title of the bike should be in hand when someone sells the vehicle to another party. However, if there is a loan for the bike that has not been satisfied, the sale might have to be proven to the lender, and money might need to be paid on the loan to release the title. Be sure that you trust the seller of a bike that is currently associated with a loan, as this kind of transfer of ownership can be really complicated.

When the title is not offered by the seller, you should always consider backing out of the purchase. You can reach out to the lender who has the vehicle loan in hand, but they will only be able to confirm if there is an active loan for the bike in question. They cannot release the title to you, and you cannot directly pay off the loan yourself to finalize the sale. Make sure that you are not getting into a situation that is not going to lead to a valid sale by working with a seller who does not own the bike in question outright.

Reasons that buyers need to collect a bill of sale

There are various reasons that a buyer of a motorcycle will want to collect a bill of sale:

  • To allow them to register and insure the bike
  • To prove that they are the legal owner of the bike and did not steal it
  • To prove that the seller had full knowledge of the sale process and signed the document

Without a bill of sale in hand, it can be tough to get the necessary registration and other processes done to transfer the bike into the new owner’s name. This can be a common area of confusion, particularly when buying a very inexpensive item like a scooter. Many people are not aware of just how important a sales document can be when they buy something like a motorcycle or a scooter. This is a step in the process that should never be skipped, no matter how small the cost of the bike in question.

Motorcycle Bill of Sale Forms

How to write a bill of sale for a motorcycle

You can look at blank motorcycle bills of sale for ideas, but these are the parts of the bill of sale that you will have to be sure are included in your document. The more thorough and complete your bill of sale is, the better off both you and the buyer will be down the road.

You might also want to be sure that you ask to see the buyer’s driver’s license if they are planning to ride the bike away from the meeting to buy it. You could also ask to see insurance information. You will have an extension on your own coverage for a set period of time after the bike has been sold, but you might not want to be involved in any claims process that could be initiated due to the events that take place on the day of the sale.

In many states, there are specific rules about the licensing that is required for street bikes as compared to dirt bikes or recreational use motorcycles. Be sure that you are familiar with these rules and regulations so that you do not wind up involved in legal trouble that impacts you as the previous owner of the bike before the ownership has been transferred to the buyer. If you are not sure about the rules and regulations related to licensing and ownership of motorcycles, you will need to reach out to your insurance agent or a lawyer for some advice.

  1. Buyer and Seller Information. The buyer and the seller who are involved in the motorcycle sale will need to be indicated by full legal name, and their addresses and phone numbers will need to be indicated on the document as well. If you do not have the full legal name of the parties that are involved in the sale, this can lead to the document being invalid. You will want to be careful to get the right information on the bill of sale so that it can be used if there is a conflict or other questions regarding the sale later on. Nicknames and other kinds of shorthand are not allowed in this part of the document either. If a trust or a company is selling the motorcycle or buying it, the full legal name of the business or group will need to be indicated in this section as well.
  2. Motorcycle Information. The VIN number, the make and model, the color, and any modification information about the bike that is being sold must be clearly stated on the contract. You will need to make sure that it is possible to clearly identify the motorcycle or scooter in question with ease when looking at the contract. For items that do not have VINs, you will need to include an appraisal with this part of the document that indicates all the information about the bike for authenticity as well as verification of the identity of the bike.
  3. Price and Payment Information. The price of the bike needs to be clearly stated in this section of the document, and you will also want to indicate how you will accept payment. If you are taking cash, a wire transfer, a money order, or some other form of payment, this information needs to be included in this section. For agreements that include payments, you will need to be clear about the payment deadline as well as the way that payments should be made during the sales process. This is not advised when selling something that will be surrendered to the new owner at the time of the sales contract being completed, but you are within your rights to sell something based on a down payment alone if you wish.
  4. Motorcycle Valuation. It is common for any kind of motorcycle that has been modified in some way or been ordered with special features to have the value validated by an appraiser. This is also common for classic bikes that are not able to be valued using Kelley Blue Book values. You will want to include the information related to the valuation in your bill of sale so that the buyer has access to this information as well. Keep a copy of the report from the appraiser for yourself as well, just in case there is some form of dispute with the buyer over the condition or the value of the bike when it was purchased.
  5. Date and Sign. You and the buyer, or buyers, will need to sign the document and date your signature lines. Unsigned sales contracts are useless legally, so you should never skip this important step. Make sure that you also have collected all of the buyer’s signatures. Missing even a single signature can make the contract invalid.
  6. Notary. If you live in a state where a notary witness to the signing process is required to make your sale contract legal, you will need to meet the buyer somewhere along with a notary. This is not required in all states, but where the notary process is required, it is essential to your sales contract’s validity. This is a simple process as well, and there are private notary options for hire as well as county options that can be used to notarize these kinds of documents. The following states require notary of vehicle bills of sale:
    • Louisiana
    • New Hampshire
    • West Virginia
    • Montana
    • Nebraska
    • Maryland

The buyer and seller cannot sign documents without the notary present, so be sure that you have this person on hand to be present for the signing process. If you have signed the document before the notary is present, you will need to create a new document and sign again with the notary as a witness.

Blank Bill of Sale for Motorcycle

Motorcycle bills of sale are essential to the sales process

If you are going to be selling your motorcycle, you will want to be sure that you have taken the time to write a complete and thorough bill of sale to finalize and document the sales exchange. This document allows the new owner to register, title, and insure the new bike they have bought, and it releases you from legal responsibility for actions that are taken involving the motorcycle after the sale. This is a key way to protect both your interests and the interests of the buyer of the motorcycle after and during the sales process.

It can be tempting to think that you will not have to create a sales document for a bike that sells for a small sum of money, but that is not the case. Even a sale that is just the act of giving away the bike for free will need to be documented with a contract. This is the only way that you have to prove that the bike was willingly and freely given to the new owner and to protect you as the seller from legal action that could be taken against you in the future.

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Tagged:Bill of saleLegalMotorcycleSalesSales ContractsScooter
TemplateLab February 2nd, 2023
Ryan Duffy
Ryan Duffy