Motorcycle, ATV and UTV Title Bonds

Street motorcycles

Every bonded-title state bonds motorcycles under its vehicle statute. Alabama puts them on a fixed schedule: $25,000 under 5 model years, $10,000 at 5 to 9, $5,000 at 10 and over, which makes an older bike the cheapest bond in the country at $185.00. Florida includes motorcycles in its eligible classes. Illinois accepts licensed motorcycle dealers as appraisers. Elsewhere the multiplier applies to the bike's value from a price guide or appraisal, so a $4,000 bike in a 1.5× state needs a $6,000 bond and costs $205.00.

Dirt bikes, ATVs, UTVs and snowmobiles

Off-road vehicles are titled in some states and only registered in others, and a vehicle the state does not title cannot be bonded. Among the bonded-title states: Michigan's TR-121 lists ORVs, mopeds and snowmobiles expressly; Idaho's indemnifying affidavit covers ATVs, UTVs and snowmobiles that have never been titled; Utah lists ATVs among the classes its bond covers; Vermont covers snowmobiles and ATVs (Form VD-038); Arkansas has a separate bonded ATV regulation; Washington excludes snowmobiles from its bond; Alaska does not title ATVs or snowmachines at all; Montana exempts OHVs and snowmobiles from the bond and uses an affidavit instead; Kansas titles ATVs on a TR-90 affidavit with no bond. Check the state page before assuming.

Stolen-bike screening

Motorcycles are stolen at a higher rate than cars, so every state's pre-bond inspection is also a theft check: an NCIC query by law enforcement, a VIN plate inspection for grinding or re-stamping, and in Arizona a higher-level inspection if the VIN is altered or missing. A bike with a frame number that does not match its engine number will be stopped at inspection; resolve that before buying a bond, because the premium is earned once the bond issues.

Custom and assembled bikes

A chopper built from parts has no manufacturer's certificate of origin. Texas requires an ASE inspection for assembled vehicles before a bonded title; Arizona lists "homebuilt without receipts" as a bond reason; most states assign a VIN after inspection and then either bond or title on an affidavit. Keep every receipt for the frame and engine; they are the ownership evidence the surety and the DMV both want.

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Written and reviewed by C. Constantin Poindexter, MA, JD, CPCU, AFSB, ASLI, ARe, AINS, AIS, CPLP, founder of Surety One, Inc. and CEO of Janus Assurance Re, with more than thirty years of surety and reinsurance underwriting experience. Author of The Contractor's Guide to Surety Bonds. Reflects state law and DMV practice as of November 5, 2026. More about the author →