Bill of sale · motorcycle

Motorcycle Bill of Sale Form

Cash, keys, and a signature — bike deals move fast. Slow down for two minutes: photos of the bike, the VIN off the steering neck, the mileage, and the price, all in one fillable PDF.

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Download a blank bill of sale, or build a custom one.

A motorcycle bill of sale documents a private bike sale in writing: VIN, mileage, price, sale date, and the signatures of buyer and seller. It backs up the title transfer at the DMV and records the AS-IS terms both parties agreed to.

How do you want to build it?

Download a clean, fillable motorcycle bill of sale. Type the details in any PDF viewer, or print it and write them by hand.

US Letter · fillable PDF, editable Word (.docx), or Google Docs · print at 100%

Not legal advice. This template is a general-purpose starting point only. Specific DMV and state requirements vary — I understand it is my responsibility to verify local requirements before finalizing a transfer.

Sample

A clean, fillable form — every line is a text field you can type into, or print blank.

Optional add-on

Need it notarized?

Louisiana and West Virginia require it, and a few situations reward it — same form, plus an acknowledgment certificate page.

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Selling in a specific state?

Bill of sale requirements by state

See which states have an official DMV form, which require a notary, and where this free builder is a suitable alternative — all 50 states + DC.

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Selling a used bike

Document the bike as it rolls away.

A motorcycle’s condition is easy to dispute after the fact — fairing scratches, tire wear, aftermarket parts. Two photos taken the day of the sale, embedded right in the bill of sale, settle what the bike looked like when it changed hands. Copy the VIN from the steering neck or frame (not the title, which can carry a transcription error), record the odometer reading, and have both parties sign both copies.

If helmets, luggage, or spare parts ride along with the sale, list them in the additional-terms box so there is no confusion about what was included.

Rider to rider

Two wheels, one signature.

Private bike deals are famously quick — cash counted in a parking lot, keys handed over, gone. The two minutes this document takes are for what happens after: the buyer who never registers it, the toll camera that still mails you, the lien nobody mentioned. A signed, dated record with the VIN settles all three. In most states the plate stays with you, the seller — pull it before the bike rolls away.

Make the VIN plate on the steering neck one of your two photos and the identity question is closed for good. Not legal advice — title and plate rules are your state’s to set; check the local requirements.

Fifty-one sets of rules

Titling a motorcycle? Start with your state.

This form works in all fifty states. What changes is what your DMV wants alongside it — notarization, an odometer statement, a filing deadline. Pick your state for the specifics.

AlabamaMotorcycle rules AlaskaMotorcycle rules ArizonaMotorcycle rules ArkansasMotorcycle rules CaliforniaMotorcycle rules ColoradoMotorcycle rules ConnecticutMotorcycle rules DelawareMotorcycle rules FloridaMotorcycle rules GeorgiaMotorcycle rules HawaiiMotorcycle rules IdahoMotorcycle rules IllinoisMotorcycle rules IndianaMotorcycle rules IowaMotorcycle rules KansasMotorcycle rules KentuckyMotorcycle rules LouisianaMotorcycle rules MaineMotorcycle rules MarylandMotorcycle rules MassachusettsMotorcycle rules MichiganMotorcycle rules MinnesotaMotorcycle rules MississippiMotorcycle rules MissouriMotorcycle rules MontanaMotorcycle rules NebraskaMotorcycle rules NevadaMotorcycle rules New HampshireMotorcycle rules New JerseyMotorcycle rules New MexicoMotorcycle rules New YorkMotorcycle rules North CarolinaMotorcycle rules North DakotaMotorcycle rules OhioMotorcycle rules OklahomaMotorcycle rules OregonMotorcycle rules PennsylvaniaMotorcycle rules Rhode IslandMotorcycle rules South CarolinaMotorcycle rules South DakotaMotorcycle rules TennesseeMotorcycle rules TexasMotorcycle rules UtahMotorcycle rules VermontMotorcycle rules VirginiaMotorcycle rules WashingtonMotorcycle rules Washington, D.C.Motorcycle rules West VirginiaMotorcycle rules WisconsinMotorcycle rules WyomingMotorcycle rules

The usual questions

What people want to know about motorcycle sales.

How do I get a title for a motorcycle with only a bill of sale?

Start with the seller — a signed-over title is faster and cheaper than every alternative. If the seller cannot be found, most states route you to a bonded title: you post a surety bond for roughly one and a half to two times the bike's value, the state issues a title branded as bonded, and the brand expires after a few years. Your bill of sale is the evidence that starts that application, which is why the VIN on it needs to match the VIN on the steering neck exactly.

Where is the VIN on a motorcycle?

Stamped into the steering neck, under the handlebars, and usually repeated on a sticker on the frame. Read it off the bike rather than off the title — motorcycle VINs are hand-transcribed more often than car VINs and a single wrong character will stop a title transfer. Photographing the stamped VIN is one of the better uses of the two photo slots on this form.

Do I need a bill of sale to register a motorcycle?

It depends on your state, and on whether the title alone satisfies them. Plenty of states will register on a signed title without ever asking for a bill of sale. Others want it to establish the purchase price for tax. Either way it costs nothing to have one, and the seller wants it regardless — it is the seller's proof of when the bike stopped being their problem.

Who keeps the plate when a motorcycle sells?

In most states the plate stays with the seller, not the bike, and should be removed before the buyer rides away. Leaving it on is how sellers end up with the new owner's toll charges and parking tickets. Check your state's page for the local rule before the handoff.

Not legal advice. Titling and registration rules are set by your state — check yours in the list above before finalizing a transfer.