Registration

When I bought the GS1000, it had not been registered since 1981. It had a CA plate, but the owner didn't have the original title. Back in the 80s this wasn't that uncommon. If you had a bike in the 80s (and into the early '90s) that you weren't riding, you didn't have to pay the registration. When you went to re-register it, you just had to do a form called a 'non-op' and state that it hadn't been on the road in X number of years. With that out of the way, all that was due was current registration charges.

Sometime in the 90s that changed. Now, you have to apply for a non-op BEFORE the registration lapses. If you don get one, late fees and additional penalties add up very quickly, with each year's registration charges added to the previous year's. An old bike can run up more than its market value in back fees and penalties after just a couple of years.

Anyway, after 7 years all that is moot, since the DMV purges records after that long. Basically you just tell the DMV that it hasn't been registered or driven and the clock starts from zero. Technically the current owner is liable for back fees, but since they have no record of who the 'real' owner is, there's a lot of room to avoid them.

With a lot of luck and "shopping" DMV and AAA offices for the most inattentive/lax counter workers, I was able to get the bike registered with a minimum of cost and complication. I did have to visit four offices, but hey, it only cost me $56.00 in the end, and I didn't have to visit the CHP for a vehicle verification.

I felt like I won the lottery when the nice lady at the DMV handed over my new plate. Unfortunately during this "resetting" process the DMV makes you surrender your old plates - the GS1000 lost its original blue and yellow one. There's probably a way around that, but I don't know it.