I bought my bike from a dealer, and the process was a little different (Massachusetts here) than above. Once I had bought the bike, they gave me some paperwork and the certificate of origin (or title for a used bike). I then purchased my insurance policy (I needed the VIN to do this). I had to get someone at the insurance company to put a stamp on my paperwork to prove that I actually had insurance. I then went to the RMV (r=registry) and got the title, registration, and plates (and emptied out my pockets…that part is the same everywhere). I brought the registration and license plate back to the dealership, put the plate on the bike, showed them that I had registered it (and therefore had insurance on it), and then it was mine (I actually had it delivered a couple days later, but that’s just because I wanted to).