Anyone know the process for getting a bike transferred into my name.
Where do I go? Who has to go (buyer and seller?)? What do I have to bring?
I’m buying off a foreigner. The papers are not in her name, but she reckons she can transfer them over.
Brian
AFAIK you need current named owner, or at least his/her ARC. If not available then very difficult to transfer ownership.
Bike needs to pass easy mechanical inspection; assume you wouldn’t buy anything that would fail anyway.
You need to go, or at least lend your chop to the person who does go. You go to your local DMV (same place you take the licence test). Don’t know where you are, so can’t tell you which one.
I think you need to renew the insurance at that time as well- pretty easy as there should be at least one insurance shop on or by the DMV site.
Although the Taipei county DMV website says you need to bring your motorcycle licence as well as insurance certificate, Taichung DMV dosn’t seem to enforce this. I’m licensed anyway but I know people who aren’t and who’ve transferred ownership without problems.
What bike is it, out of interest? My Yamaha SR150’s still going well although a little noisier than before since I’ve been driving it too hard and for extended periods (going up Hohuanshan, for example).
Bring your ARC and the ARC or ID Card of the other party to a scooter shop. You should also have chops. If you don’t have one yourself, the shop will make one for you. Explain what you want to do and they will do it all for you, for about a 300 dollar fee. That’s what I do anyway.
It’s worth mentioning that if Sir Donald or anyone else doesn’t have or want a chop you don’t need one if you go to the DMV in person. But it sounds a lot easier to get the bike shop to do it for you, so I’ll probably get a chop made next time.
You’re buying a bike at a chop shop?? Talk about culture shock. 
Thanks guys. If I go to a scooter shop, do they do it on the spot, or do they go to the DMV and I come back the next day?
Also do I need to take the bike? If there’s an inspection I guess I would.
Anything like if the bike’s reg’d in Taipei County I have to do it there?
Brian
They can normally do it same day, hopefully in under an hour. The DMV will need to see the bike, whether you or someone else takes it there.