FIRST PERSON/OPINION: Via e-mail: Scams hit the Mini scene By Michael Lenz It has been a common thing to see scams on any number of forums and community sites such as CraigsList.org. Generally the person buying wants to send you a fake cashier’s check and cuts it for a larger amount. In turn you wire the balance, they have access to your account and you get stung. When a scammer is selling they have a great bike, usually a $3K 2006 R6 (or equally crazy deal). They usually are a ‘military’ person overseas or recently moved and the bike is with a holding company or their friend. The days of mini bikes being ignored by scammers are over. Several readers have reported seeing these same scams being applied to mini bikes. The best part? The deals aren’t that crazy this time around. How about a $1,900 NSR, or a completely race prepped 2005 XR100 for $1800. Scammers won’t bother posting a $900 bike, it isn’t worth the effort, the price point of effort for scammers apparently is close to the real market value of the bikes in question. If the deal doesn’t feel right, skip it. Most mini bikes you would want have been run in a mini race club. Ask for references, which club it ran in, who would know the bike etc. Most clubs have a forum which can be found here: ~http://minigpx.com/resources/organizations/~ Please protect yourself.