non-reg 400cc inquiry

[adrian]

I have been shopping around for a CB400 or equivalent. I've found several bikes on Ruten but it seems like all models before 2000 (and within my price range) are non registered.

From the sellers I've contacted, all say registration has run out so no plates and can't get insurance. Most have also done the max "3 times temporary insurance" stunt already. Are these bikes now totally illegal or just big paper weights? Is there any way to get them re-registered? The sellers simply told me "don't drive it in the city", but I would like this as an everyday driver.

I've scoured the forum for an answer to this, but none seem to target big "heavy" bikes. On a side note - anyone selling a big bike? Yellow plate preferred.

Thanks in advance.

[sulavaca]

You can't get them registered.

[ktk_ace]

they are good for track days but not road legal.

[adrian]

Thanks for the (unfortunate) answers.

After asking more questions to the sellers, it seems that the bikes CAN be transferred to my name (ownership papers), but not registered, and thus not insured. If I were to get it as a track bike, which is fine for the price, is this bit about the title transfer true?

I also found a few bikes that still have 1 or 2 of the "temporary insurance" periods available. Am I able to permanently register the bike within these periods? What's the point of temporary insurance....besides being ah, temporary?

Any reason why all (almost all!) pre-2000 bikes are non-reg? Is it that troublesome to maintain the reg?

[plasmatron]

Because up until the early 2000's big bikes were illegal to use on the roads in TW, banned by the government to protect local scooter manufacturers. Of the bikes that did make it to TW, a great deal of them were stolen from Japan or Hong Kong and imported illegally with absolutely no chance of legal ownership by anyone, let alone registration which is what the majority of the bikes you see online for 'too good to be true' compared to showroom prices are likely to be. Others were legally imported as parts after being knocked down to various degrees and reassembled in Taiwan after import which means you could legally own the parts, but since duties were paid on parts, not a complete bike, still fall foul of the law if the cops decided to check even if only using it as a track bike. Lastly there are a handful of bikes that were legally imported as such, but which are not certified/tested by the government for licensed road use, with the myriad associated costs of the plate application process. All three types will never be legal to ride on the road and the first two could get you in serious legal hot water if you're unlucky, even if you stay off the road. 9 times out of 10, unregistered bikes in TW are a pandora's box of trouble, and that's before you even get into mechanical soundness. My 2c is just pony up and buy a used plated bike and sell it when you're done/bored, the resale value will likely already have bottomed out before you buy it in TW's artificial used big bike market.

[adrian]

Thanks for the info. Makes sense.

however, what's with the temporary insurance? If these bikes are not legal, how can one buy temp insurance for them? I've always had to produce the reg card when buying insurance...and I live in the lawless south!

[rk1951]

Thanks for the info. Makes sense.

however, what's with the temporary insurance? If these bikes are not legal, how can one buy temp insurance for them? I've always had to produce the reg card when buying insurance...and I live in the lawless south!

These bikes are totally illegal. You can't do anything with them, except take them to the racetrack.

[adrian]

Contacted a seller yesterday. He had posted that 2 out of the 3 temp insurance periods were still available.

He explained that the bike was imported and all taxes were paid, but the tests to get it road-legal weren't done. As it was legal property, you are allowed to get temp insurance on it...for the period that you are waiting to get it road-legal...but you can use the temp to ride it on the road. The bike is more expensive bc of this, but it's a 94, which is a little old. And no V-tec.

45K and throw a white plate on or 150K to be a good boy...I know what I should do.