When buying a second hand motorbike it does not matter whether it is a Ducati, BMW or a little Vespa you should be careful. In some cases people have bought motorbike insurance in the UK only for it to be invalid and have their bike taken away.

When you are looking over the bike try to look for serial numbers, if you can see some have been scratched off this is sign the bike could be stolen. If the bike does have a VIN or serial number on it you can check with your local police station to see if it has been reported. The best way to ensure a bike is not stolen is to check all paper work is in order. This includes service history, past MOT documents and V5 log book from the DVLA.

Criminals have many ways of concealing the true identity of a bike. One of which is called “Ringing”. This is where a stolen bike actually has the identity of another. If a criminal buys a Ducati all they have to do is buy a frame for an identical make from a breaker with a log book, they then buy a new number plate and transfer the VIN number from the legal frame on to the stolen bike.

The best way to spot if the bike is a Ringer is to check the VIN number on the bike, if it looks like it has been tampered with it is probably stolen. This is often overlooked as the owner apparently has a valid V5 document. In this is instance if you bought Ducati bike insurance for this vehicle and it was later found to be owned by someone else the police could take it away from you. As a result you would probably lose the money you paid for the bike and insurance cover. 

If you want to check if a bike is stolen you can compare the registration number with the tax disc if they are different the bike is probably stolen. If the engine number, VIN or MOT documents are missing this is another telling sign.

Nowadays you can conduct online data checks to see if a bike is stolen. If you are thinking about buying a second hand bike be vigilant and ensure you don’t buy it or bike insurance until you are absolutely satisfied the bike is not stolen.

Guest Article by Carlan LI