Here in CA I'm sure I could go to the DMV and get a title for it with a little work. I'm positive they just give you a form to write down your statement on what happened to the VIN and the history of the bike. Then they would probably send me to the Highway Patrol who does the official VIN inspections. I have seen them affix new VIN plates to frames and issue a new title to the owner. I would HEAVILY stress to anyone you talk to that the VIN was sanded off accidentally with a power sander along with the rest of the frame. They are VERY shallow when they are stamped and you could probably print out a picture of a comparable VIN stamp from one of our bikes to take in with you. They are easy to mess up when you are sanding. Because they are so shallow and the lettering is old school and hard to read they often make me go to the station to get it verified.
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