How not to buy a ringer or clone: best guide yet

One of Britain’s leading racing clubs has compiled the best guide yet on how to avoid buying a stolen bike or engine.

The British Motorcycle Racing Club (Bemsee) has produced a short booklet clearly showing what chassis and engine numbers should look like, along with their forged equivalents. There are also clear descriptions of how ringing and cloning works.

The booklet, which was produced in conjunction with the Met Stolen Vehicle Squad and MCN, should allow racers (and of course road riders) to avoid buying a stolen bike that has had its identity changed.

The initiative was provoked by a police raid on Brands Hatch in March during a race meeting organised by Bemsee. Dozens of bikes were seized by police for investigation, and it became clear that many racers had unwittingly bought stolen machines.

The CEO of Bemsee, Mike Dommett, said: “The raid in March was a real wake up call for many of us in the club racing world. It was clear that most riders and many of us on the official side needed some real practical guidance on what to look for. Both the Met’s Stolen Vehicle Unit and MCN have been of great assistance in both briefing our technical officials and providing the material on which this guide is based. It will go onto the ACU website and be available for upload for all road race clubs. The more our racing customers can be made aware of these practical steps when looking at second hand race bikes the harder it will make things for the thieves that blight our sport.”

Download the booklet here: Buying Secondhand – A Racer’s Guide