Suzuki has celebrated the annual graduation of apprentices from its Apprenticeship Programme, with 26 technicians, customer service advisors, and aftersales parts consultants acknowledged at an award ceremony held at the British Motor Museum.

Of the 26 graduates – across Suzuki’s motorcycle, ATV, marine, and automobile divisions – there was one motorcycle technician, one motorcycle aftersales parts consultant, and one motorcycle customer service advisor.

The newly qualified students travelled to the West Midlands to receive their certificates from Suzuki GB’s managing director, Nobuo Suyama, and director of aftersales, Denis Houston. Also in attendance were three other members from the Suzuki board of management as well the apprentices’ families and their employers within the wider Suzuki family.

Each of the employees from Suzuki’s nationwide dealer networks undertook a combination of practical on-the-job learning and expert tuition at the Bosch-run state-of-the-art Doncaster training centre in South Yorkshire.

Denis Houston, director of aftersales for Suzuki GB, said, “The graduation ceremony is the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication. It is always a proud moment for not only the apprentices themselves, but also for their families and employers who have played a pivotal role in supporting each of the individuals. They should all be commended for the great lengths that they have gone to in order to enable the learning and development of these young trainees. We would like to congratulate the graduates on their achievement, and they are certainly destined for very bright futures as they continue their professional careers within our dealerships.”

The motorcycle graduates are:

Barnaby Ingham, motorcycle technician
Joe Phillips, motorcycle aftersales parts consultant
Oliver Radley, motorcycle customer service advisor

Motorcycle Live in association with Bikesure Insurance welcomed thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts across the weekend as the doors swung open to the UK’s biggest motorcycle show. 

The nine-day show kicked off in style with a star-studded line-up of riders and celebrities including show regulars Steve Parrish and James Whitham, the fastest man around the Isle of Man TT Peter Hickman, round-the-world explorer Nick Sanders and Rory Skinner, fresh from his announced move to Moto 2 for 2023, to name just a few.   

Visitors were treated to a dedicated day to celebrate the Bennetts British Superbike Championship on Sunday 20 November. Leading the charge was 2022 British Superbike Champion, Bradley Ray, as well as winners from all the series championships including: Quattro Group British Supersport Champion Jack Kennedy, Pirelli National Superstock Champion Davey Todd, Honda British Talent Cup Champion Johnny Garness and Molson Group British Sidecar Championship winners Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement - all of who were on the Black Horse Stage for interviews and the all-important ‘Class of 2022’ photo. 

As well the opportunity to bag selfies and autographs, visitors to the show can get up close to see the latest launches for 2023 from over 50 world-leading manufacturers and take advantage of the 10 free opportunities to ride for all ages - all of which are included in the ticket price. 

Katie Benge, a visitor to the show from Stratford-Upon-Avon, comments: “We've had a great day - there was so much to see and do. I was surprised just how family-friendly it was. We enjoyed being able to sit on all the new bikes and the kids loved the Kiddimoto and Youth MX riding experiences. We already can’t wait for next year!” 

Finlay McAllan, Managing Director of Motorcycle Live adds: “It has been fantastic to welcome so many two-wheeled fans to the show - some of whom haven’t been able to attend Motorcycle Live since 2019. It’s not too late to join in the fun - and we’ve got a lot sill planned - so be sure to come along!” 

As well as seeing all the brand-new models, Motorcycle Live is the perfect place to start Christmas shopping - or buy some treats - in the retail area. 

Stephanie Taylor, Marketing and Events Manager at Krazy Horse said: “The opening weekend has been amazing. It’s been fantastic to welcome so many visitors onto our stand and use it as a platform to launch our new custom 2022 Indian Chief - we look forward to seeing even more people as the show progresses.” 

Taking place at the NEC, Birmingham, Motorcycle Live in association with Bikesure Insurance is open daily from 10am-5pm until Sunday 27 November and tickets can be purchased online here or on the door. #SeeYouThere

URBET's goal with the international launch of LORA is to establish itself in the European market, something that GADIRO has already helped with, and which they hope to complete with LORA: "URBET is experiencing a moment of expansion of the brand both nationally and internationally. The Lora model also aims to introduce us more forcefully into the European market, something that is already being achieved in cities such as Paris, Berlin, Brussels and Stockholm," concludes Díaz-Pache.

*Prices may vary depending on the country.

Sobre URBET
Urbet Electric Motors is a Spanish electric mobility brand founded in 2017 in the city of Marbella and already has 20 official distributors in Spain. Its range is made up of four models, including the Urbet Gadiro E125, one of the most popular models on the Spanish market in its niche thanks to a price/range ratio that is currently unrivalled. In the future, the Andalusian company aims to set up production in Málaga.

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When a bike is first purchased, it will be registered with the Department of motor vehicles (DMV). One of the requirements for registration is a vehicle identification number. 

Just like a car, a motorcycle, dirt bike, or ATV also comes with a 17-digit VIN consisting of letters and numbers. A bike with less than 17 digits VIN would have been built before 1981, a time when car and motorcycle manufacturers were allowed to use whatever string of numbers they deemed fit as the VIN of their vehicles.  

The VIN of a bike tells you the story of the motorcycle. By examining a motorcycle's VIN, you can get information on the manufacturer of the bike, the model, year, and history of the motorbike. 

A motorcycle VIN provides all the relevant information about the bike since it was manufactured. This post will show you how to look up the VIN of a motorcycle. 

Benefits of a VIN

A vehicle identification number has been a helpful tool in finding stolen vehicles. If your motorcycle is stolen, the vehicle Identification number on it will make it harder for the thief to sell it. 

As soon as you report the theft, the police will link that theft report to the motorcycle's history through the VIN, thus alerting the police to be on the lookout while warning off innocent potential buyers of the stolen bike.

Furthermore, a VIN informs prospective buyers of previous titles under which the motorcycle has been held. 

If the bike has been involved in an accident or was previously damaged, the VIN will show a record of this as long as the owner reported the incident.

VIN also helps in reducing uncertainty when buying parts for your motorcycle. If you do not know the correct parts to use, you can look up the motorcycle’s details with a free online VIN lookup tool. This VIN will show the details of the bike so that you can buy the right parts for it. 

Some sellers will sell you a piece of worthless scrap with a fault. They will package it off to conceal its flaws until you make payment and take your purchase home to discover that you bought a bad motorcycle. 

In order to prevent the frustration of losing money, it is best to use a free motorcycle VIN check service on the spot before you think of paying for a motorcycle. 

A motorcycle’s VIN will tell you the history of the bike, where it has been, what it has been used for, what it used to look like, who it has been with, and how long it has been used. 

A VIN check tool is the first tool to arm yourself with when you want to buy a used motorcycle. If you fail to run a VIN check first, you may spend the rest of the bike’s lifespan trying to fix it, or worse, you could end up with a criminal charge of facilitating theft if the motorcycle turns out to have been stolen.

Where to find the VIN on a motorcycle   

Motorcycle manufacturers place the VIN on different parts of the bike. Some are kept in plain sight, while some are hidden. 

Check the frame under the shifter if you have trouble finding the VIN on your motorbike. Also, check around the plastic hood and the left side of the frame beside the engine. Look at the frame under the tail section. Check around the neck of the steering, inside the wheels, or by the radiator. These are some spots where you can find a VIN on a motorcycle. 

How to decode a motorcycle VIN 

A vehicle’s VIN may seem like a jumble of numbers and alphabets, but it is no ordinary mix of numbers. It is a unique set of numbers that can only belong to one vehicle at a time.

The VIN of any vehicle is made up of the numbers one to nine and the alphabets A to Z. The only alphabets missing are O, Q, and I, because they can be mistaken for other digits.

A motorcycle’s VIN is divided into three parts. The first segment of the VIN, consisting of three characters, contains information on the manufacturer’s identity. 

The next segment contains information about the motorcycle itself. This section is made up of five characters that describe the motorcycle's components. This part talks about the engine, motorcycle model, engine type, and any other information the manufacturer wants to represent.

The third section contains the motorcycle's security code or serial number. 

If you want to buy a motorcycle, you can look up the VIN using EpicVin. This VIN lookup tool is a free online service that will help you check the VIN on your motorcycle for free. 

Visit the EpicVin website and look up any VIN. On the site, input the VIN in the search query and initiate a search. You will receive a report of the car's history in less than a minute.

Don’t take a bad deal

Whether buying a new bike, or a pre-owned one, you should first check the VIN. A seller can package an already used, damaged, or stolen bike to be sold at a high price. 

Don’t take the salesperson's word for it. Do your research. If you find that the VIN on the body of the motorcycle is different from the VIN on the paperwork, this is a sign that the seller may have something else up their sleeves.

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