No V5!! What's the deal?

[Simeski]

Hi there,

I've been having a browse around this morning as I'm looking at getting a cheap bike that I can use to fix up and whatnot as I have never tried anything mechanically complex.

A load of the bikes I have seen have had no V5's present for whatever reason (previous seller never sent it/dog ate it blah blah blah).

Question is, is a bike without a V5 really to be left alone? are they all destined to be write off's or scrapped bikes?

Has anyone had any experience of buying a bike without a V5 (good or bad), and what happened?

Cheers

Si
____________________
Suzuki RG125 Honda CBR400 Kawasaki ZX7R Bandit 600 Yamaha XJR 1200Kawasaki ZX7R - Again!

[angryjonny]

Wouldn't touch one myself. If it turns out to be hot, best case is you'll have it taken off you, worst case is you're done for "receiving". Plenty of reasons a bike may have no V5 but few are legit.

[iooi]

[extreme3d]

I would walk away. Plenty of other bikes out there to choose from.

[njd27]

We bought an old shed of a Volvo without a V5 once. I filled in the DVLA forms and it arrived in due course. But I'm talking about a risk of a couple of hundred quid which is manageable.

You have to be prepared for the seller not owning the vehicle - in such a case the police will repossess it and you will have difficulty getting back your money. It's liable to be a huge pain in the arse if the seller is only known via ebay and on the other side of the country...

Of course, the purchase price should reflect the inconvenience - you should be getting a big discount.

[map]

If it's a must have then run a HPI check (or similar) and make sure the VIN and Engine Number match the returned search for the registration.

If the seller is genuine get them to pay for the search, even if you walk away it may help them sell the bike.

However, as said, you don't need the worry and/or hassle so without the seller putting themselves out if it was me I'd walk away.
____________________
...and the whirlwind is in the thorn trees, it's hard for thee to kick against the pricks...
Gibbs, what did Duckie look like when he was younger?

[KevTM]

Either do an HPI check and even then, I would personally only do it if I knew / really trusted the guy (for wahtever reason). You could get him to call up the DVLA and get them to send a replacement and he'll get it in the post a few days later (if you pay by card), costs £25 but you could pay that, even though he should really, if you really wanted the bike.

That's what I would do though, get him to phone up for a new V5, wait a few days and job's done. If he's not into that or says it's still registered with hte last owner just walk away.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Depends.

If it's a road bike then walk away.

If it's a track bike then it's a little different, especially if it's always been a race bike, or an import road bike which was then converted.
____________________
My Flickr

[virus]

[duhawkz]

i Bought a cg years ago from an auto jumble that had no V5, I just applied to the dvla and it came through in my name about 2weeks later.

common sense is the key, if its a classic in a couple of boxes or shitter in a barn or something and the bloke selling it say he lost it then i'd probable buy it.

If its some scally in trackies and baseball cap trying to flog it from the back of a pub then i'd stay clear

[pikestar]

£25 to get a duplicate V5. Had to it for a bike a year ago but knew the seller and the bike history. Easy enough to lose one as long as it's HPI Clear probably ok but best to be cautious.

[Simeski]

Cheers for the replies chaps.

I think the best course of action is to base each one that I go for on it's merits, but use a lot of caution. Asking if the seller would do an HPI check could be helpful even if it's just to gage their reaction.

Also, does anyone else think that the cost of an HPI check is ridiculously high? £20 a pop seems like quite an amount. Is there a large amount of work in compiling one? The price doesn't really encourage people like me to use it. Or am I just being a tight arse
____________________
Suzuki RG125 Honda CBR400 Kawasaki ZX7R Bandit 600 Yamaha XJR 1200Kawasaki ZX7R - Again!

[map]

[KevTM]

I'm sure there's text-based services which cost about £4 for a check, goes on your phone bill/off your credit.

[bazza]

D'yer lake dags?
____________________
"That's it. You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college."
'98 Ducati 750SS, '08 Suzuki GSX650F ©2004-2014, Bazza's Harmless Banter

[Simeski]