A couple of things my buddy (who buys lots of bike) turned me on to
GET THE VIN #
* You can decode the VIN here to make sure the bike is truly the year, make and model advertised:
http://www.decodethis.com/ (this is also a great link to verify the VIN is correct prior to entering in NICB)
* Check to see if it is STOLEN or SALVAGE here:
https://www.nicb.org/theft_and_fraud_awareness/vincheck
(there are a lot of road worthy salvage bikes out there. It is always good to check if the "clean title" is actually a clean title. Also note, if you enter a WRONG VIN, NICB will not tell you the VIN incorrect, it will come back with two "green" statements telling you no theft or salvage history was found. To minimize error, enter the vin in the decoder above and then COPY from the decoder page and paste into NICB.)
* CALL THE DMV! Call the DMV in whatever state the bike is registered in and ask if there are any brands on the title, any lien holders and also VERIFY the registered owner is the individual you are purchasing the bike from. If there is a lien holder listed, make sure the lien holder has SIGNED THE TITLE releasing the lien or the seller has a lien release paper from the bank.
A couple days ago I was looking at purchasing a bike. The seller bought the bike brand new, claimed was a clean and clear title, never been wrecked etc. I ran the VIN on NICB and it came back salvage. I asked the seller, why is it salvage? He maintained never wrecked, clean title, not sure why it would say that and provided a picture of a CLEAN AND CLEAR TITLE. I then called the DMV, they confirmed the title was to be branded as soon as it was transferred. (NOTE: A bike can be SALVAGED, insurance pays the bike off, sends the brand note to the DMV but the title will not show the brand until the owner brings the original title in or it is transferred). I did a little more research and found where the seller had posted his WRECK WRITE UP on a forum and also showed pictures of the wreck on his Facebook page!!!
Again, BUYER BEWARE!! There are a lot of great deals out there, just make sure you do your homework so there aren't any surprises AFTER you spend your hard earned money.