Buying a motorcycle from Poland, what should I look for?

Dear community,

I recently found a motorcycle that I like and I need your help and advice, I heard that buying a car from Poland could be tricky.

I know that a lot of countries including Poland bring bikes from the US and sell them registered in the EU
The bike I found is a 2008 Yamaha warrior with 7767 miles on it where the price that I negotiated is average compared to the Polish prices but definitely ~1000eur cheaper than the prices I found in Germany.

The owner answered all my question in details. He said he owned the bike for 3 years and he says it's in perfect mechanical condition. I asked if it was involved in a crash, he said the bike came from the US with a damage in the GAS tank but he fixed it. On pictures so far the bike fits my needs and looks in quite decent condition.

Anyway I need your advice on?
* What should I be aware of before buying the bike?
* Do professional experts in Poland(Krakow) exist, I mean experts that would come with me to make sure I close the deal without any legal traps?

* Is there a possibility to take the bike to Police or an authority to make sure the bike is not stolen or similar?
* What could possibly go wrong? it's a Motorcycle not a car.

Best thing I could do as a foreigner is visit Krakow, inspect the bike @ Yamaha and if everything is as expected I could take it. ofcourse I would check if the bike is registered in his name or a bank.

What else do you advise me to do?

Many thanks in advance

It'd be smart to follow these steps:

1. Ask for the VIN (or related vehicle identification number) from the seller.

2. Call police in Poland (have someone who speaks Polish call) and ask them if it's possible to run this motorcycle number against a database of stolen motorcycles in Poland. There are also some commercial databases of stolen motorcycles in Poland, eg. skradzionymotocykl.pl/baza/ where you can paste the VIN number.

3. If there are no flags, go with a technician to Katowice, let him inspect the bike and if it looks good you are clear to buy it ; ).

I guess the step #2 may take the longest, but there should be some kind of public database to make sure the item is safe to buy.

Great, many thanks,

I tried to contact my friends in Poland and they offered contacting their relatives that work in Police to run the seller and bike which is a plus for me.

I am still waiting for the seller to give me more information about the bike.

Meanwhile I also found one bike in Germany but the price till does not fit to the Polish one which looked on pictures almost new.

I will see which is better to buy..

btw: why Katowice? is Katowice better than Krakow for inspecting?

Merged: Buying motorcycle in Poland and driving it to Latvia - DMV procedure, license plate.

Good day,
I am thinking of buying a good condition motorcycle and taking it for a couple day trim to Latvia (and then registering it in my name).

Could anyone say what is the procedure at the Polish DMV? I am Latvian, so the bike still would stay in the EU.
The sticking point is concerning about what happens to the current license plate once I have bought the bike.
Since I wish to hop on it and drive it to Latvia, can I still use the old license plate for a few days (we have the law that you can ride the bike for a week after a sale of taking it off exploitation).

Could someone say what is the procedure in Poland? Thank you.

Here is a useful website full of FAQ:

europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehicles/cars/buying-a-car-abroad/poland/index_en.htm