Is your trike titled as a motorcycle or trike?

[insdan]

Hi, I just bought a '05 wing w/ the CSC kit on it. The PO (who inherited it) titled it in his name and the people at the DMV said he had to change the description of the bike to a Special Construction make and the State assigned a new VIN to it complete with a metal VIN plate attached to the frame. The title now reads 3 wheel. The yr still remains a 2005.

This has played hell with the insurance companies as they all(so far) want to rate it as a special construction bike like something the Teutels would build. The rates are at least twice what it would be if I gave them the Honda VIN and insured the trike kit as an accessory.

Anybody else run into this retitle problem with their state?

Dan Moore
St Charles, MO

[Nana]

In Ohio because the Fat Boy VIN had not changed nor had any of the power and drive belt system, my title did not change from motorcycle. As a result my insurance still considers it a motorcycle and the replacement value for the trike kit is valued as one of the add-on accessories for the bike.

[spiritdream]

In Mass, it's a motorcycle - the RMV didn't even want to hear about the trike kit (they wouldn't have known what to do about it anyway! LOL). My old insurance company actually called me to see why I had it insured for so much more since book value (at the time) was about $7500 for the bike. I had to explain about the trike kit for them to insure over $15000!

[tis]

In New York, nothing really changed as far as registration goes. Only thing that did change was my insurance premiums, and they went down because they figured since it is a 3 wheeler it was more stable. Best bet for you would be to check with Trike owners that live in your state & find out how they registered their Trikes. Good Luck.......tis

[Gorilla]

Florida does not change the title, because they define a motorcycle as 2 or 3 wheels.

[sprt220]

In Cal. the DMV knows it as a motorcycle. Never told them anything different and they didn't ask.My insurance has Trike insurance so they know for sure. Ken

[rhino 2]

In NJ All trikes are titled as a Motorcycle, And a motorcycle endorsement is required to drive one.

[leo3wheel]

In NJ All trikes are titled as a Motorcycle, And a motorcycle endorsement is required to drive one.

Sounds good to me..........

[Ozarkryder]

Another Missourian here - our last trike was titled as a 1995 Goldwing GL1500SE. On the registration there are places for Make, year, vehicle ID number, etc. Under "Body Style" it is noted "3WHL" Only difference noted is that a bike would be "2WHL"

Are you sure it doesn't have a salvage title? If not, it may have been assembled from parts of 2 or more 'Wings. Would be interesting to know what the story is.

[insdan]

I investigated the history and talked to Larry's in Jeff City who put it together and they verified that it was a legit 2 wheeler when they put the kit on.

I've studied the DMV's section on this and there is a difference between "Special Construction" and "Salvage" and the titles will show one or the other, not a mix or combination of the two. Mine says Special Construction 3 wheeler.

I think part of the problem was the PO who didn't know about trikes and worse yet, sent his wife to title the trike who knew even less. I can see a clerk at the local DMV wanting to be helpful and set this whole thing in motion and the description on the title app sent the PO to the State Patrol for the inspection and the affixing of the new VIN metal tag. The language in that section of the code is a little ambiguous I might be able to reverse all of this.

Thanks for all your thoughts on this and if anyone else can contribute, I'd appreciate it.

Dan Moore
St Charles, MO

[trikeleader]

insdan,
Welcome to Trike Talk. I sent you a personal message with some facts that might help. Be sure to join Trike Owners International (TOI) on this web site. The membership is free, so you are risking nothing financially.
Tom

[TNTriker]

I think part of the problem was the PO who didn't know about trikes and worse yet, sent his wife to title the trike who knew even less.



Hello! It appears that you think to much!

[jim halstead]

Here in NC,trikes are titled as motorcycles. (m/c endorsement required)
I titled my (homemade) in Oct. '03. My title says '03 Custom m/c. DMV used the
original m/c vin #,because it was still on the frame.

[adaptolife]

Florida calls them all motorcycles, except when it comes to drivers licenses. They recognize my bike as a trike, and my test was different than a motorcycle test. I would need to take the driving test on a 2-wheeler for that endorsement.

[jmhelm]

in Wisconsin my trike is listed as a motorcycle. had to increase the coverage on additions.

[blueystar]

here in australia on my rego papers for the trike they have MTRICY
i guess it stands for motor tricycle

[rmrc51]

Here in Virginia, mine is also titled as a motorcycle.

[Will]

Titled and insured as MC here in Delaware, with additional ins for the trike kit installation.

[Rex Slye]

Titled as a M/C in Indiana also. Nothing changes on the BMV title.

[haawg]

Idaho Department of Motor Vehicles is on another planet. According to Idaho law, the title must reflect the physical features of the vehicle. So, if you have a trike, the title must show in the description of the vehicle; trike. The title has to be re-issued with the new description, along with any kit ID numbers. I have a BMW K1200LT with a Hannigan Kit. Now comes the good part; means BMW never manufactured a trike, the title can not say BMW trike. The title is re-issued as a "Specialty Build" (or SPCN) with a new VIN issued by the state. The title shows the make as: SPCN (or specialty built) and the description shows the trike as a BMW K1200LT Hannigan trike. It took the state's legal minds three weeks trying to figure out how to title my trike. Oh, the great state of Idaho.....