Buyer Beware: Know The Difference Between A Junked And A Salvage Motorcycle

There seems to be a lot of confusion about the term “salvage motorcycle” . Some people insist that a salvage motorcycle can’t be titled. Others say it’s not a problem. Obviously some clarification is needed.

There is a difference between a junked motorcycle and a salvage motorcycle.

A junked motorcycle is described on the existing title or ownership document as destroyed, dismantled, hulk, junk, non-repairable, non-rebuildable, parts only, scrap, wreck, etc. It may have been dismantled because it was wrecked, abandoned, or it may be a low valued vehicle that was impounded and acquired from an enforcement agency and is no longer operable.

Junked vehicles are vehicles that have been determined by another state to be non-repairable.
If you wish to re-title the vehicle, you must work with the state that issued the junk certificate, junk title or similar ownership document.

The reason you need to deal with the issuing state is that it helps prevent the illegal activity of “title washing,” moving vehicles from state to state in an effort to change or delete information on the title that indicates the extent to which a vehicle has been damaged or totaled.

Title washing is the process of titling a vehicle without recording title brands. A title brand is a notation on a vehicle title that records a special circumstance or condition involving that vehicle. Removing title brands from a vehicle title can increase a vehicle’s value and hide a vehicle’s past. Title brands commonly found on titles can indicate that a vehicle has been destroyed and rebuilt, was a former rental vehicle or taxi, or was formerly owned by a government agency.

A junked motorcycle is not a salvage motorcycle. The salvage motorcycle will be explained next.