Underblog Rides Again

Bitty Gets a Pink Slip

Bitty came with a Bill of Sale. Unfortunately, our nation's capital does not allow vehicles to be registered on only the good word of an upstanding citizen. Perhaps this makes sense. Anyway, I have offered to register Bitty here in Minnesota, only to obtain a pink slip (why do they persist in calling them that -- they are all green now) which I will then sign and deliver to Bitty's New Mommy. As Mrs. Blog put it last night, "I guess BNM just bought you a new motorcycle."

And so I feel less guilty about taking her out for surreptitious spins around the block. Especially now that she has been registered in my name.

I have registered many bikes without titles, but all of them in California. Experience with one state does little to prepare you to deal with another. (Imagine my chagrin when Maryland demanded that I submit the venerable Morini to an inspection! But I digress.) Fortunately, Minnesota will allow you to register a vehicle without a title , provided you provide:

• A Bill of Sale, signed by the seller, providing a complete description of the vehicle (year, make, model, and vehicle identification number), the name of the purchaser and the date of sale. All owners must sign. Purchaser must complete an Application to Title/Register a Motor Vehicle (PS2000).
  
• A statement of facts, written and signed by the seller of the vehicle. This statement must give as much information as possible regarding the history of the vehicle and indicate why there is no documentary proof of ownership. It must also contain a complete vehicle description (year, make, model, and vehicle identification number).
  
• A signed statement from purchaser that s/he agrees to defend and protect the State of Minnesota against any and all future claims of ownership.
  
• Photographs showing all sides of the vehicle (photographs are not required on utility trailers with a gross weight of less than 6000 pounds).

  Ha! No problem. I fixed the typo on the Bill of Sale's engine# that the seller gave me, took a few pics in the alley, and I was good to go. Can you imagine if DC allowed this kind of titling?

  So off I went to Sears to wait. Did I mention that the St. Paul DMV is on the second floor of Sears, between the draperies and the hair styling tools? When I arrived at 10:30am, the number being called was B70. The number I took was C10. It would be a while. I decided to pick up a few sundries and a couple of tools (a dial caliper and a set of metric T-handle allen wrenches). Then I went upstairs and checked my number. They were on B84. I called Mrs. Blog, and dropped my new purchases in the Tortoise. Then I went inside again. The lines kept growing. Actually, there aren't any lines there (except at the express window) because everyone had taken a number. People sat on the Samsonite luggage and leaned on the wire bins full of bedspreads. Gradually, it came to appear as though the whole town had turned out to change the addresses on their license on the same day. But really, it is always like this.

  Occasionally, someone would wait around for a while and then realize that they could renew their tabs by walking up to the express window. Others simply got frustrated and left. Sometimes, they would give the number they had invested an hour's time on to a grateful fellow waiter. I saw one white-haired lady receive a low number as a gift, and then regift it to an older man in a polyester leisure jacket [redundant phrase?] when she got frustrated. I felt sorry for the people who brought their kids, who were actually really well behaved. I tried to read. I added our tentative date with Cupcakes, Mr. Cupcakes, et famille into my handheld. I listened in on a conversation about identity theft and how thieves paid for $600 worth of gum and windshield wiper fluid at a gas station and paid for everything with a stolen check which they signed on the memo line. Eventually, C10 was called.

  As I lay out my case to the Hmong clerk, I notice that the sign says "No Out of State Checks" right below where it says "Cash or Check Only". My personal checks are from Maryland, though the bank is in Texas. I never bothered to order new checks to match the new address. I mean, checks are for entities which trust you, right? And if they don't trust you then they call up TeleCheck or something and make sure, right? I quickly flipped through my checkbook to confirm that I had in fact used the same checks to register the Morini. I passed the check on as if there was nothing suspicious about it: I did not fancy returning there later for another hour and a half wait.

  I walked out with a set of stamped photocopies and a shiny new plate. Minnesota never asks for its old plates back. California does.

  Posted by webs0080 at June 10, 2004 6:37 AM