Did I just purchase a stolen bike?

[mattcooper]

Hey Everyone

I'm really stressing at the moment and seeking advice from people that may have been in a similar situation.

I just purchased a Yamaha YZ250F 2003 dirt bike. It was a private sale here in QLD.

It was an extremely good price. Almost too good to be true that first sparked some concern. Long story short we found that the rear subframe was slightly twisted. Upon removal of the seat we found what we thought to be some form of rubbing on the bar from a grinder possibly. Which freaked us out because in the Yamaha manual it says there suppose to be some model number there.


[I would ATTACH IMAGE HERE but your forum doesn't let me!!!]


So at this point we were freaking out thinking we have a stolen bike. We went to the Transport department to look up the VIN number and was told to go to a website called vcheck.gov which for some reason said that the VIN number didn't exist. I called the hotline and they were very confused saying this number must be wrong. I triple checked the number which was on the goose neck of the bike and still was told it doesn't exist.

Which brings me to here. Is it normal for a bike not to exist? Im so confused and concerned. Any advice will be great.

 

[High Lord Gomer]

I don't know of any identifying number that would be put on a subframe. The VIN (on US models) is on the steering stem.

 

[dirt bike dave]

Perhaps the bike was originally sold in another country and brought into Oz by a previous owner. Maybe your government database only tracks VIN's from vehicles originally sold in Australia.

That or somebody altered the numbers on the steering head, or they are hard to read. It soundsl ike there were no registration papers to compare numbers with.

 

[colotowyo499]

If you're really concerned then you might call the local police and tell them your situation. They should work with you because it is an ORV and titles are often overlooked on something that isn't even street legal or licensed. They will probably just want to follow up with your help on who you bought it from and make them authenticate the bike. Its not your fault that you got a good deal on it as you were under the impression that the subframe was damaged. I don't think that you as a private buyer are required to do VIN checks.

 

[OriginalRider]

Yea the vin will only come up if its registered threw the state.how much was it?Does it look beat?

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

If it was stolen, that stem tag would be gone? Are you sure you are reading it correctly? 0's and O's, 1's and I's? What about the engine numbers?

 

[julien_d]

There is nothing on the subframe that would identify the bike as far as I've ever seen. That would be foolish, since subframes are often bent and replaced or upgraded. The frame number is the only indicator I know of that can positively identify the bike. That number is stamped into the steering stem. Some sort of work done to the subframe is not sufficient to warrant suspecting the bike having been stolen.

My suggestion is just to enjoy your purchase, unless you have some real reason to suspect the selling party was shady.

 

[dirt bike dave]

unless you have some real reason to suspect the selling party was shady.

Besides that he got a too good to be true price, and the VIN does not exist in his government's database?

Personally, I'd have a hard time enjoying riding it until I was sure that the VIN stamp had not been altered.

But as Fox pointed out, it's easy to mistake O and 0, and 1 and I. I'd try the gov't database again with other permutations on the stamped VIN, and cross my fingers.

 

[mattcooper]

Hey
I got a call from Yamaha Head office today and was told everything is cool. He said its normal for the VIN number not to be in the government database as its a competition race bike and never been registered for road use. He also said that the bike hasnt been flagged as stolen in there database.

So I think everything is all good now. Thanks for everyones comments