Free Connecticut Motorcycle Bill of Sale
Connecticut hands motorcycle sellers its own paperwork — Form H-31, the DMV's published bill of sale — and sets no fixed day count for the buyer, though the seller's registration ends at the sale and the bike cannot be ridden on a highway until it is registered to the new owner. The tax is the standard 6.35% on the purchase price or the NADA average trade-in value, whichever is higher (the 7.75% luxury tier only kicks in above $50,000, which almost no motorcycle reaches), and bikes skip Connecticut's emissions program entirely — that biennial test is for cars and light trucks. The routine details still bite when skipped: the odometer disclosure on newer bikes, and the motorcycle endorsement the buyer needs before the first legal ride.
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Connecticut Motorcycle Bill of Sale — What You Need to Know
Sales Tax Details
Same 6.35% sales tax applies to motorcycles (7.75% if $50k+, rare for motorcycles).
Inspection Requirements
Motorcycles are exempt from Connecticut emissions testing.
Connecticut Motorcycle Sale — Step-by-Step Checklist
- Verify the frame VIN against the Connecticut title before paying.
- Complete Form H-31 (Connecticut's own bill of sale) with VIN, year, make, model, odometer, sale price, date, and both signatures.
- Seller signs the title assignment with the odometer disclosure on newer bikes.
- Buyer submits the title, H-31, and payment to CT DMV and registers the bike before riding it.
- Buyer pays the 6.35% sales tax — the 7.75% luxury rate only applies above $50,000.
- No emissions appointment — Connecticut's testing program covers cars and light trucks, not motorcycles.
- Buyer: hold Connecticut's motorcycle endorsement before riding the purchase.
Common Pitfalls
- Improvising a bill of sale that leaves out details the DMV lists — Form H-31 lays out every field.
- Riding home on the seller's registration — it ends when ownership transfers, and the bike cannot be operated on a highway until it is registered to you.
- Skipping the odometer disclosure on a late-model bike — the DMV checks it against the title.
- Budgeting the luxury tax — at 7.75% it applies only above $50,000, which excludes virtually every motorcycle on the used market.
Pro Tip
Connecticut motorcycles: the state's own H-31 plus the assigned title, registration before the first ride, 6.35% flat — and the emissions line is for cars.