A Colorado motorcycle bill of sale is the document that records a private motorcycle sale and lets the buyer register the bike. The state’s official form is the DR 2173, Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale, and at a minimum it must show the motorcycle’s year, make, and VIN, the date and time of the sale, and signatures from both the buyer and the seller.1Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Buyer’s and Seller’s Responsibilities The county motor vehicle office uses it to calculate sales tax and to transfer the title into the buyer’s name.
What Has to Be on the Form
The DMV’s required fields are the year, make, and VIN, the date and time of sale, and both signatures.1Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Buyer’s and Seller’s Responsibilities In practice, add the full purchase price, the odometer reading, and both parties’ legal names and addresses. Skip any of those and the county office is likely to bounce the buyer back for corrections.
The purchase price is the field people underweight. The county uses the dollar figure written on the bill of sale to calculate sales tax. Leave it blank or write something vague and the county will assess tax based on fair market value instead, which usually costs the buyer more.
Sellers have their own reason to care about the paperwork. Within five days of the sale, the seller should report the transfer of ownership through myDMV or at a county motor vehicle office. That report cuts off the seller’s liability for anything that happens with the motorcycle after it leaves the driveway.1Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Buyer’s and Seller’s Responsibilities
Where to Get Form DR 2173
The DR 2173 is a “secure form” in Colorado, so you can’t download it from the DMV website. You buy it from an authorized vendor. The Colorado Auto Dealers Association, the Colorado Independent Automobile Dealers Association, A-B-C Enterprises, Colorado Automobile/Powersports Support Services, and BML Dealer Supplies and Title Service are among the authorized sources, and your county motor vehicle office may keep copies on hand.2Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Forms in Number Order
A handwritten or typed bill of sale also works for a private sale, provided it contains every required item: year, make, VIN, sale price, date and time, and both signatures. The DR 2173 is smoother because it prompts every field the county needs and matches what the clerks expect to see.
Odometer Disclosure
Federal law requires an odometer disclosure on any transfer of a vehicle whose model year falls within the past 20 years. Since January 1, 2021, that extended window covers model year 2011 and newer vehicles. Model year 2010 and older bikes stay under the earlier 10-year rule and are no longer covered by federal odometer disclosure requirements.3National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Consumer Alert: Changes to Odometer Disclosure Requirements Colorado follows the federal standard, and state law makes it unlawful for a seller to fail to comply with the federal odometer rules or to knowingly misrepresent mileage.4FindLaw. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 42 Section 42-6-202
You can record the mileage on the Certificate of Title itself or on the DR 2173.1Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Buyer’s and Seller’s Responsibilities If the motorcycle is old enough to qualify for the age exemption, note that on the form.
Getting the Motorcycle Home Before You Register It
Colorado allows a narrow window to ride a just-purchased motorcycle home without a plate. If the sale happened within the last 36 hours, and the purchase took place on a weekend, a legal holiday, or between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., the buyer can ride the motorcycle from where the seller kept it to where the buyer plans to keep it. The signed bill of sale and proof of insurance must be in the vehicle during that trip.5Justia. Colorado Code 42-3-115 – Registration Upon Transfer – Rules – Definitions Outside that window, the bike needs a temporary permit from the county motor vehicle office before it can be ridden.
Titling and Registration After the Sale
The buyer takes the paperwork to the county motor vehicle office in the county where the buyer lives, not just any county.1Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Buyer’s and Seller’s Responsibilities Bring the signed-over title, the bill of sale, proof of insurance, and a secure, verifiable ID. The clerk transfers the title and issues a temporary permit or registration.
Colorado gives buyers 60 days from the purchase date to complete registration.6Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Vehicle Taxes and Fees Miss it and the late fee is $25 per month or partial month, capped at $100, plus prorated back taxes and registration fees running from the date registration was due through the date you finally show up.7FindLaw. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 42 Section 42-3-112 The late fee itself is small. The prorated back taxes are what get expensive on a higher-value motorcycle.
What You’ll Pay at Registration
Colorado’s state sales tax rate is 2.9% of the purchase price, but the actual bill runs higher because county and municipal taxes stack on top. Combined rates vary by address and can exceed 8% in some parts of the state. The county office calculates the exact figure from the address you register at.
On top of sales tax, Colorado charges an annual specific ownership tax based on the motorcycle’s value, which decreases as the bike ages. A title fee and standard registration fees are also due at the initial visit. Plan for a few hundred dollars beyond sales tax to cover the full trip.
Insurance You Need Before Riding
Colorado requires liability insurance on every motorcycle operated on public roads, and proof of coverage is part of the registration paperwork. The state minimums are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $15,000 for property damage.8Colorado General Assembly. Mandatory Automobile Insurance in Colorado Those are floors; many riders carry more.
Some insurers extend a grace period of 7 to 30 days to add a newly purchased bike to an active auto or motorcycle policy. That grace period isn’t automatic, and Colorado still expects coverage before you ride. Call the insurer before handing over cash.
Buying a Motorcycle Without a Title
You can still buy a motorcycle when the seller has no title, but the path to registration goes through a bonded title. The bond runs for three years and must equal twice the motorcycle’s appraised value, protecting anyone who later surfaces claiming ownership.
The bonded title process involves several steps:
- VIN inspection through the Colorado State Patrol, which costs $53 and produces a certified VIN inspection form (DR 2704).
- A title record search using a Motor Vehicle Requestor Release Affidavit of Intended Use (DR 2489a). If a prior title holder turns up, you have to attempt contact by mail and document the effort.
- An appraisal from a licensed dealer or a nationally recognized valuation tool.
- A certificate of title bond for twice the appraised value. The premium you actually pay is a small percentage of that bond amount.
- Submitting all of it to your county motor vehicle office.
Between the inspection, the record search, the appraisal, and the bond, the cost and the calendar add up. If a seller can’t produce a title, price the bonded title process into the deal or walk.
As-Is Language
Private motorcycle sales in Colorado are as-is by default. Putting it in writing on the bill of sale still helps. A short statement that the motorcycle is sold in its present condition, with all existing faults, and that the seller makes no warranties about condition is enough to close the door on later disputes.
For buyers, the practical takeaway is to inspect the bike before you buy, not after. Once the bill of sale is signed and money changes hands, any mechanical surprises are yours. Sellers benefit from the written clause because it creates a clean record that no promises were made about mechanical condition or fitness for any particular use, separate from the odometer disclosure, which stays binding either way.