When the badge is not enough
Buying used, ordering parts, or making a warranty claim all require knowing precisely which machine you have — not just the family, but the model year and variant. Badges get swapped, adverts get written carelessly, and sellers are sometimes vague about restriction status.
Here is how to establish it properly.
1. The registration document
This is the authoritative source and the first place to look. It states the manufacturer's designation, the actual engine capacity, the power output, and the first registration date. If the advert and the document disagree, the document is right and the advert needs explaining.
2. The VIN
The vehicle identification number is stamped on the frame — typically on the headstock area — and also appears on the registration document and usually on a plate or label on the frame.
Cross-check the stamped number against the document. They must match. If they do not, stop and do not buy the bike.
Your dealer can run the VIN and tell you the exact model, build date, specification, and whether any recalls or service bulletins apply. This is the single most useful thing you can do before buying used, and it costs nothing.
Do not post your full VIN publicly — not here, not anywhere. It can be misused. If you need help interpreting one, post only the first few characters or send it privately.
3. The engine number
Stamped on the crankcase and recorded on the registration document in many countries. Worth checking on a used purchase for the same reason as the VIN.
4. Restriction status
For A2 purposes, the power figure on the registration document is what counts — not what the seller says, and not what the model name implies. A restricted bike and an unrestricted one of the same model are different vehicles as far as your licence is concerned.
5. Model year versus registration year
These are frequently different. A bike built as a 2025 model may first have been registered in 2026. When ordering parts, the build date matters more than the registration date — mid-cycle changes are common and parts catalogues are indexed by production period.
Checklist before a used purchase
- Frame VIN matches the registration document
- Engine number matches, where recorded
- Power figure on the document matches your licence category
- Model designation on the document matches what you are being sold
- Dealer has run the VIN for recalls and outstanding bulletins
- Service history corresponds to the same vehicle
Struggling to identify something? Post photographs of the bike and the relevant document lines — with personal details and the VIN covered — and describe where you found the numbers. Between us we will work it out.