Irritating interaction with the NH DMV.

[stoinkythepig]

Need to rant a bit...Took my motorcycle to the Manchester DMV today to get it inspected because of its new salvage title. It failed for two reasons, one was nit-pickey and debatable (and a $12 fix, part is on the way, no big deal), the other was total BS. The BS reason the inspector failed me because I did not have a receipt for the replacement gas tank. He said that without a receipt, "it might be stolen". I did not argue with him as I can provide a receipt, but how ridiculous is that? For reference, the NH DMV website says:

At the salvage inspection location, the vehicle's owner must present the following:

The vehicle needing a salvage inspection.
Check or money order for the $50.00 inspection fee (Make check out to "State of NH-DMV").
Proof of ownership (salvage title properly transferred), or a letter from the DMV.
Insurance adjuster's report/appraisal report itemizing damages.
Proof of repair of salvage items.
Any other documentation which shows that the vehicle had been declared a total loss and that the vehicle has been rebuilt and is safe for highway operation.

Nowhere on there does it say I need to prove the repair parts weren't stolen.

[jasnmar]

Silly, yes.

Unfortunate unclear wording of the law allows for this.

Section 261:22 Destruction of Vehicles; Total Loss, Salvage, and Rebuilt Vehicles.

The inspection of the vehicle shall include verification of the vehicle identification number and bills of sale or titles for major component parts used to rebuild the vehicle.

Evidently the inspector has decided that a gas tank is a "major component" and CHAPTER 259 WORDS AND PHRASES DEFINED doesn't define major component. I don't think that the intent of this requirement was to prevent theft, but it appears that is what he's using it for.

[JohnnyV]

MA failed my brother's bike for the same reason years ago. Was a total PITA getting a receipt since we had purchased the tank on eBay and they wanted the VIN from the bike it came off of.

[stoinkythepig]

Silly, yes.

Unfortunate unclear wording of the law allows for this.

Section 261:22 Destruction of Vehicles; Total Loss, Salvage, and Rebuilt Vehicles.


Evidently the inspector has decided that a gas tank is a "major component" and CHAPTER 259 WORDS AND PHRASES DEFINED doesn't define major component. I don't think that the intent of this requirement was to prevent theft, but it appears that is what he's using it for.

Thanks for that. Makes me feel a lot better about it. One could argue that the guy was just doing his job thoroughly. I wish the website was more accurate.

[stoinkythepig]

MA failed my brother's bike for the same reason years ago. Was a total PITA getting a receipt since we had purchased the tank on eBay and they wanted the VIN from the bike it came off of.

He told me that I could bring in the ebay summary print out and that it would be adequate.

[jasnmar]

He told me that I could bring in the ebay summary print out and that it would be adequate.

And this is the really amazing part. I could photoshop a fake ebay summary page in a few minutes by swapping out images from another one. It's not like he's going to actually check ebay.

[SRTie4k]

And this is the really amazing part. I could photoshop a fake ebay summary page in a few minutes by swapping out images from another one. It's not like he's going to actually check ebay.

I wonder if it would be worth it to mention this fact to the guy...after it got inspected.

[SVRACER01]

i went through this.
i bought a bike (SV6) at an auction with a salvage title. someone really screwed the insurance company because other than a scuff on the fairing and tail section and a broken blinker, there was nothing wrong with it. AZ (where i bought and lived) had the same set of rules as NH. they wanted a list of all the damaged parts from the insurance company. it wasnt my insurance company, or my bike at the time of the incident nor can the auction house give me the insurance company info let alone the insurance company hand over the paperwork regarding the claim so i was fucked. at first none of this mattered because i was gonna make it track only, then i realized all the work i had already put into my other SV6 and decided to track that one instead. the damage was all cosmetic, and blinkers arent required in AZ so i just removed the other one, took the plate off my other SV and put it on that one. good enough.

when i moved here i tried this again since i wanted to make it streetable. they gave me the same crap. i explained that there was no way for me to get that info and they were understanding of that, but wanted receipts for the repairs that i did. i told them i used the other SV for parts. they said that they needed to see the title for the donor bike, which i did not have since it was being financed. they said "how would the bank feel if they knew you were taking parts off of it to fix another bike?" to which i responded, "how would they feel if they knew i was racing it?"
i waited another couple years until i got the title for the race bike and then got the other one cleared.

i think its stupid. they want to make sure you fixed everything that was wrong with it. who cares if the bodywork is scratched, cracked broken or missing? if its not detrimental to the operation or safety of the bike then who cares. i could see if he had to go through a more extensive safety inspection than your typical yearly one.

[RandyO]

this all adds value to my clean title frame

[carsick]

I'm really surprised NH is so uptight about this, I thought they were cool with registering/inspecting all sorts of neat stuff.

[01xj]

This is totally not bike related but I'll indulge you. Last time I was at the DMV was because they sent me a letter stating they forgot an an endorsement the last time I had my license printed. I go down and wait 4 fucking hours. My ticket number is 76 and they're calling number 32 when I sit down. Thankfully I expected to wait and brought headphones. So 3.5 hours later I get up to the window. The guy is sitting there on his cell phone playing Trivia crack and streaming music playing out the speaker of his phone that I have to talk over. I had him everything and he looks at it confused saying he's never seen this before. Half hour passes before the woman next to him can assist. She gets everything straightened out. Then he tells me it's a 30$ charge. I hand him the paperwork that states explicitly that it was their mistake and there would be no charge. He still continues to try and charge me 30$. I go back over to the other lady who helped him out and she confirms exactly what I told him, and exactly what my paperwork from the DMV said that the charge would be waved. He finally lets me go.

I could not believe after waiting 3 hours I have to contend with some fucking asshole playing on his cellphone.

[PhilB]

I'm really surprised NH is so uptight about this, I thought they were cool with registering/inspecting all sorts of neat stuff.

Vermont seems to be good about this kind of stuff. NH not so much. I guess that needs to be one of the "to do" items for the FSP.

PhilB

[nhbubba]

My town clerk told me that they've been "cracking down" a lot lately. I got static on the title to my KTM. This is the first time I've ever gotten pressed on anything.. and I've registered a few odd things before. What's extra weird is despite having to jump through hoops, the title they issued does not mention the odometer discrepancy that raised the red flag in the first place.

I'm going to try to register my race bike this year if for no other reason than to get a paper trail started on it. I will need to do a vin verification. Can't wait to see how that goes.

[stoinkythepig]

This is totally not bike related but I'll indulge you. Last time I was at the DMV was because they sent me a letter stating they forgot an an endorsement the last time I had my license printed. I go down and wait 4 fucking hours. My ticket number is 76 and they're calling number 32 when I sit down. Thankfully I expected to wait and brought headphones. So 3.5 hours later I get up to the window. The guy is sitting there on his cell phone playing Trivia crack and streaming music playing out the speaker of his phone that I have to talk over. I had him everything and he looks at it confused saying he's never seen this before. Half hour passes before the woman next to him can assist. She gets everything straightened out. Then he tells me it's a 30$ charge. I hand him the paperwork that states explicitly that it was their mistake and there would be no charge. He still continues to try and charge me 30$. I go back over to the other lady who helped him out and she confirms exactly what I told him, and exactly what my paperwork from the DMV said that the charge would be waved. He finally lets me go.

I could not believe after waiting 3 hours I have to contend with some fucking asshole playing on his cellphone.

Was this in NH?

[Garandman]

I'm really surprised NH is so uptight about this, I thought they were cool with registering/inspecting all sorts of neat stuff.

That's all well and good until the cops show up and take your bike because it was actually stolen. There are several threads on Advrider where bikes were stolen, taken to a lenient state, titled there, and sold.

CN: guy bought a titled KTM that was stolen.

[stoinkythepig]

That's all well and good until the cops show up and take your bike because it was actually stolen. There are several threads on Advrider where bikes were stolen, taken to a lenient state, titled there, and sold.

CN: guy bought a titled KTM that was stolen.

This is why I am not as irritated since I found out the real reason for the hassle.

[01xj]

Was this in NH?

Wethersfield ct

[SVRACER01]

My town clerk told me that they've been "cracking down" a lot lately. I got static on the title to my KTM. This is the first time I've ever gotten pressed on anything.. and I've registered a few odd things before. What's extra weird is despite having to jump through hoops, the title they issued does not mention the odometer discrepancy that raised the red flag in the first place.

I'm going to try to register my race bike this year if for no other reason than to get a paper trail started on it. I will need to do a vin verification. Can't wait to see how that goes.

the lady on the other end of the phone at the DMV help desk was great with my 300. town had no idea what to do with a dirt bike with no title. lady emailed me the form i needed. ran across the street to my buddies job and printed it. filled it out and handed it to the town clerk with a vin verification form and some other form. walked out with a plate.
FYI you dont need to go to the DMV for a vin verification. you can go to any motorcycle inspection station.

[nhbubba]

That's good info. I thought LEO's handled it.

[SVRACER01]

nope, get a form at town hall and bring it to a shop.

[nhbubba]

Looks like I can print it ahead of time. Sweet.

[jasnmar]

LEO's or any inspection station works for a VIN verification.

I'm currently making all kinds of LEO enemies, so inspection stations are probably my best be if I ever need this in the future.

[tls25rs]

I'm currently making all kinds of LEO enemies, so inspection stations are probably my best be if I ever need this in the future.

Ok, I'll bite, how is a nice guy like you making all kinds of LEO enemies?

[jasnmar]

I'm doing some research into the behavior of some of our local "enforcement actions" in NH.

In NH we have some laws know as "right to know" codified as RSA 91-A. They are similar to the national Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Some "agencies" do not appreciate citizens actually utilizing these laws. Some agencies do not appreciate citizens understanding the deadlines and making an attempt to enforce them. I have "requests' in with multiple agencies and generally the Chief's of Police have to deal with these. While my local CoP has been pleasant to deal with, some of them are... Well... less than helpful. My list of enemies continues to grow.

I'm currently exchanging letters with the attorney for the NH State Police, and we are trading "ultimatums" on when she can deliver the information that I expect.

It is surprising how easily one can follow the law and get on the wrong side of it.

[nhbubba]

Now this should make for an interesting topic to pass time between races in a few weeks.