Government regulation, gone occult. Some states are still reasonable, and some are like Colorado. When i run into these problems, I use a title company to do the search and paperwork. I have a company, that is totally legit, and for less than 300 dollars, will do the title, registration and a tag. You have to have, either a title of some sort, or a bill of sale, and any other paperwork you can produce. THen they do the work, and will evaluate over the phone, so you never waste funds to find out. THey are 99 percent with mine. Plus, it avoids the out of state inspections we have here, and you can get a original HD title, even for the older bikes with no vin on the frame.