Motorcycle VIN check

Checking a motorcycle's VIN protects you from buying a stolen, crashed or misrepresented bike. It takes minutes and needs only access to the machine and its papers.

Where to find the VIN

On most motorcycles the VIN is stamped on the steering head (the frame tube behind the front forks) and printed on a sticker on the frame. There is usually a separate engine number on the crankcase. All should match the title/registration.

What to check

The 17 characters are crisp and unaltered — no grinding, restamping or mismatched fonts.
Frame VIN matches the title and the engine number recorded on the papers.
Decode it to confirm the year and model match the advert.

For a free technical decode of any VIN (make, model, year, plant, specs), use the official NHTSA VIN decoder.

Imported bikes (e.g. Japanese-market machines) often carry a frame/chassis number rather than a Western-style 17-char VIN — verify it against the import and registration documents.