How to change bike ownership name

A few weeks ago I got myself a brand new bike. I bought it second hand from a guy through Mudah and after short negotiation and test drive, I agreed to buy the bike from him. Now the process of changing the ownership of the bike. First the owner himself must go to a JPJ (road transport department) and fill up a few forms, namely JPJK3 and TM1 together with the vehicle registration document and existing road tax. In the JPJK3 form, he will fill up his details and also the new buyer’s details (me). After that he need to register his biometric details in the scanner (a thumbprint) and then that’s it he’s done.

He then hands over the documents (JPJK3, TM1, grant & road tax) to me along with another TM1 form for me to fill up my details. Then it’s my turn to go to any JPJ branch to register my biometric details and complete the ownership transfer. I’ve got exactly 7 days after the old owner registers his details before he needs to do it again should I fail to do my part. Typical me, I waited until the last day to visit a JPJ branch. I went to one in UTC Pudu Sentral which is conveniently situated in the middle of KL. I got there around 5 o'clock in the pouring rain right after work. To my surprise the officer at the desk said vehicle registration business ends at 5:00 PM so he can’t entertain me. I’m like WTF, seriously dude on the inside but another officer next to him (his senior I presume) ordered him to give me a break and get on with the registration. With a sigh of relief I submitted my documents but then after a few tries the stupid thumbprint machine can’t read my finger. He then suggested that I go the the JPN (national registration department) next door to get a confirmation letter of my records or something which I did but the JPN guy said there’s nothing wrong with my thumbprint and told me to try again at JPJ cause the letter he’ll be issuing will cost me 50 ringgit. With a meek face, I walked again to the JPJ counter and tried my luck with a different thumbprint machine which guess what? Fucking works this time around. So it’s just a case of the thumbprint machine giving me a middle finger only.

After remarking how lucky I am to be able to finish this transaction at so last minute, the JPJ officer said I need to buy a new insurance policy because the old one is not valid anymore since it bore a different owner’s name. I was under the impression that I could just continue with the new insurance and not buy a new one but I thought wrong. Well that’s what the old owner thought as well but nope, they will want to squeeze every penny of our hard-earned money. So like it or not I need to get myself a new insurance for my bike. Found a MyEg agent conveniently located next door and the quotation for 1st party all rider insurance was a cool 350 ringgit. In contrast, my old bike’s insurance was only RM130 for 3rd party coverage. I’m sure I could have gotten a cheaper quotation elsewhere but since time is running out and I need to complete the registration there and then I paid the hugely inflated insurance price and got myself a brand new road tax which thankfully only cost 2 ringgit.

So now I’m a proud owner of a Yamaha FZ 150 bike and that’s how your change ownership of a bike. The process would be similar for a car but I hear you had to pay more for the registration process. Moral of the story here is get your insurance ready from somewhere else and complete the registration as soon as possible. The documents that you need to bring are the completed JPJ3 form and the new TM1 form filled by the old owner and you. Plus the vehicle registration document and old road tax.

On a related note, since my identity card’s microchip never works and the JPN counter is just next door I decided to get a new IC on the same day. It’s amazing how I only need to wait for 2 hours to get my new IC instead of 2 months like last time. Just remember you need to have your pictures taken again so come in your best suit or dress cause the photo will be there on your ID forever.