NJ VIN verification with only bill of sale

Looking to get a title for my 74 cb550 by registering in vermont. I printed out all of the paperwork and have been following the steps using this article:
http://www.chinonthetank.com/2014/04/get-a-title-with-a-vermont-registration/

However, acquiring a vin verification has been trickier than I thought. Thus far I have contacted two DMV sites, and are telling me that I need to first call the state I acquired the bike from to check to see if there is a title registered to the bike there(and get some sort of proof of that?), and then get an approval form for a vin verification from Trenton and forward that to a local DMV to then run the vin verification. Maybe I'm bellyaching over nothing, but is there an easier way?

When I've done a registration request in VT in the past they wanted to see the most recent registration, which has the VIN. Do you have or can you get it? I'm guessing maybe not and that's the problem...

Only piece of documentation is a bill of sale, the bike was off the road for at least a decade and passed through multiple hands

Some states, you just call your local PD and they can send an officer out to do a VIN verification. I know a few people here have had to do this.

Do you get some paperwork to prove that? If so that sounds like the best option

Yes, call or take the bike to your local Sheriff. If you call, just ask for a VIN check and the deputy schedules a time and brings the form. In Georgia, you can also print any form from the internet, including a BOS. You can also take the bike to the Sheriff yourself. That's what I usually do, since it's much quicker. I can take it to the office, get the check and be back home in under 2 hours. When I've called for a deputy to do a check, it can be several days before they show up.

I live in NJ and have done VT registration multiple times. Bring all your VT paperwork and a picture of the VIN on the bike. IIRC, they want multiple pictures but definitely the VIN. It was pretty painless.