Bob Sieger;"Take A Chance". Do what feels right...Follow your instincts. Good Luck.

GT

 

NCIC is National. If the vehicle has been reported stolen ANYWHERE in the US, it will show when you run the VIN.

If you can determine where the vehicle was registered last, you can also have him run a registration check by VIN thru that state. If the bike was registered within the last year or so, it should provide the last owner info. With any luck, you can get on www.anywho.com and get a phone number, and contact him/her, to insure that the vehicle was lawfully sold or traded also.

 

Lots of good advice has been given. One last thing that is just as important, check the title and make sure there is no lienholder listed. If there is, and the seller does not have the lien release or Certificate of Loan Satisfactioni, whatever they call it in your area, pass on the sale. A flakey title can be a nightmare and if you buy the bike and there is still a loan on it, guess who just bought the balance of the loan or worse, could have the bike repo'd? You guessed it, YOU. If the guy is a legitimate seller, he will have a clear title or the original letter/release form from the loan company. He should have no problem giving you the opportunity to call the company and confirm the loan's been cleared.

If there is no loan and the release form can't be produced, you're likely to get a title in your name with the old lienholder still showing. More problems you don't need.

 

Salvage title was breifly mentioned but not defined. Check the title and the bike. If the title says salvage or the bike has been "branded", you may want to reconsider. As far as I know it is virtually impossible to remove the designation. Most insurance won't touch it, and those that will, will only cover for liability. Lenders also will find difficulty in lending on a slavage bike. The salvage title does affect re-sale value not only now but in the future.

Good luck!

 

Just a side note, last I heard there were only 26 states that supply info to CarFax. So even if you're car shopping, it's not 100%.

 

Contact your local DMV about Salvage titles. In California you can reregister a salvaged vehicle, but the above advice is correct. You won't get much for it if you try to sell it. In my work, usually salvaged vehicles are sold by tow yards and charities and usually have registration issues.