Apr 2, 2025

Originally published in the April/May 2025 issue of The Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Magazine, Volume 46 / Number 2. Reprinted with permission from the VJMC.

by Mark Bayer, Missouri Field Representative - VJMC, nkcma@yahoo.com

In many cases, a well-meaning motor­cycle restorer or collector goes about the practice of following his passion in buying and/or restoring his favorite machines. To him, the important part of his activities is that of doing a perfect restoration job, owning a motorcycle for which he has had a passion, or build­ing a dynamic motorcycle collection. We know the rituals: finding an ob­scure motorcycle or part, determining what was original to a specific model of bike, or getting an accurate color for the model or year.

These issues are certainly important, however, there are other consequential issues to consider as well. At some point, when the time comes to sell, having a clear title and having an idea of the best way to market a motorcycle becomes of paramount importance. This is even more important if a motorcycle is left to a wife or family member after a death. Not making the effort to get import­ant documentation in order can easily become a huge struggle for those left with the machines. Not having essen­tial documents, like an updated title or other pertinent information, may lead to unnecessary time or expense in order to procure them later. If property ends up going to Probate Court, additional problems, expenses, and even owner­ship issues can come up to further complicate the process. Furthermore, for a non-motorcycle enthusiast, getting the value of a machine or having some idea as how to market a collectable motorcy­cle can be very challenging.

The Antique Motorcycle Foun­dation (AMF), will be sponsoring a public ser­vice seminar at the Wauseon National Meet in Wauseon, Ohio, in July of 2025, which will address these important is­sues. All the information is on the flier in this article. Please consider attending this information-filled seminar!

As an active member of the motor­cycle community in my part of the country, I have occasionally received calls from a wife, family member, or family friend who has been left with a vehicle or vehicles after the death of their husband, father, or significant other. The conversation typically goes like this: "My husband died several months ago, and he had two motorcy­cles and a pickup truck he had put a lot of money into. He always said that they were special in some way, but I have no idea what to do with them." I always begin by asking about the titles to the vehicles, which in nearly all cases the person on the line had no idea where they might be. This issue itself may de­lay the sale of an item or may end up costing far more money than would ever be necessary to begin the process of selling a vehicle.

Having the correct documents would always make the decision on how to liquidate vehicles much easier. The loca­tion of documents is simply an essential part of owning vehicles. Sad but true, many important issues are typically left undone until they become a necessary part of moving ahead in a time of need. There are other issues as well. Having ownership documents are just the beginning. Consider the following:

• Having access to properly signed titles or bills of sale. Having the resources to determine the value of a vehicle. This includes properly grading the condition of a specific motorcycle.
• When is an appraisal service necessary?
• Understanding the various ways a vehicle can be sold, including Internet sources, dealers of vintage vehicles, or when is an auction a serious consideration?
• Understanding the cost of selling a vehicle through these various means.
• Understanding storage costs or the cost of vehicle transportation services.
• Are there capital gains tax responsibilities?
• Is there mechanical work necessary to collect a maximum price for a motorcycle?
• What should be done when a vehicle is in the process of being restored?
• When a motorcycle is in pieces, the process of selling it is made much more difficult.
• What are the benefits of donating a motorcycle to a nonprofit like the AMF?

Most people have taken the easy road when it comes to collecting and filing records or documents, and many have simply not assembled them or stored them at all. Furthermore, many re­storers have been so dedicated to the work of rebuilding a motorcycle that these matters have been put far back in the stack of things to do. The result is that the reassembling of the necessary materials or documents has become a serious problem. Also, many wives or family members just let Dad or Grand­dad do his thing without realizing that if they would do a few simple tasks, it could alleviate a great deal of difficul­ty in the future. This could be the case whether there was a death or not.

This article has two goals. First, I want to encourage anyone involved at any level in the practice of restoring and or collecting valuable motorcycles to get their materials in order. Second, I want to promote our 2025 seminar at the Wauseon meet. The seminar is free and open to anyone and will be held on July 18, 2025, starting at 12 noon. Refresh­ments will be served.
We will have a group of people at Wauseon who will attempt to cover these issues. Although every state han­dles some processes differently, pre­paring a plan long before these issues become critical is wise. Please join us and become better informed. Doing this will alleviate some stress not only for the motorcycle restorer but their families as well.
There will be several members of the VJMC community present, including myself. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.