Praise - London Biker community

Help & Advice Praise or Shame
1

where do I start? well firstly I’m pissed right now after celebrating getting my bike back with few beers down the pub with chips. A sports bike stolen, and actually returned to a relieved owner without damage or abuse :w00t: I still can’t believe it tbh.

Started two weeks ago with me ‘losing’ my bike keys, I never lose anything so was a total mystery and if I’m honest was still expecting them to turn up lost in a silly place. In hindsight, they were stolen from the little wall outside my house when I was cleaning my bike. I had been using my spare since then.

Everynight since then the bike has been chained to a post and disc locked. Untill friday when cars were blocking all the poles and I had to leave the bike at the end of a bay - a bike theifs dream really (my bad was in a hurry as running late and wanted to get started on my hour drive)

First opportunity to pinch it easily and it was gone (lesson learnt here!)

Since reporting it stolen on here, I have had numurous offers of people lending me bikes for rideouts so I didn’t get left out. Had many private messages trying to cheer me up and understanding my pain. Offers of help to try and find my bike.

After the idiot happened to take it into my mechanic, me and chips spent the whole day there waiting for him to return, including chips riding round kingston for a couple of hours trying to find it ? (massively gratefull) and also Jerry who I had only met once spending his time riding round kingston trying to find it and actually acheiving it!!! talk about needle in a haystack!!

The long and the short of it, is I have my bike back unscathed and without any doubt something that wouldn’t have happened without the help of forum members.

I am eternally gratefull for all the people that made me feel better, those that offered advice. those that went the extra mile, and ultimately jerry for finding my bike and calling the police.

The girl I am seeing struggles to comprehend what people that hardly know me are willing to do, the spirit of the biking community. Take comfort in the fact that those pikeys that think stealing bikes is ok, will never be apart of that.

Thanks you all.

x x x

2

Thank you, my drunk old friend.

I hope your charcoal grill food was enjoyable :smiley:

3

i do hope you buy a new lock set now and keep it chained up, well done guys

4

Great news Leon, but a couple of lessons learnt there I’m sure. Good luck with your hangover :wink:

5

Go and buy a lottery ticket you lucky s.o.b!

Be interesting to hear any tall tales and to check the state of your knuckles out down BM on wednesday.

6

Great news :smiley: :smiley:

7

Excellent stuff mate. Nice to read that and see bikers sticking together…:slight_smile:

8

Unbelievable news… Congratulations!

It’s good to finally hear some positive news on these stories!

9

So did you steal the bike back off him? Just stick in your spare and off you go?

Did you ‘catch’ the guy?

Police involved?

Have you got both sets of keys?

10

Blimey! some lessons learned, and some luck you have there…

Get cracking on some new security for the bike… :smiley:
LB always has been a great community, which is why once you really get stuck in you start to appreciate the people that make up the site/network.

11

So did you meet the little mug that actually stole it?

From reading what you wrote am I right in saying the bike was taken into your mechanic and then this thief has left again on the bike after your mechanic has realised it was your bike?

Then Jerry has ridden around Kingston (I am assuming local to where you are) and found it?

Did he get nicked?

12

Yes basically police came down, I had my spare key and we just rode it to jerry’s garage.

The police are now going to get statement off mechanic, proper description as they know which block of flats he lives in, his name etc so chance they might get him. Mechanic is happy to identify him if need be.

Currently only have the 1 key, pikey scum has the other hence its in a garage till my almax chain comes and I can get my key recoded or new keys (although with HISS I believe this is mega expensive :angry: )

13

no didnt see the little pikey, tbh the cambridge estate is well known over london. I used to live nr it and constant stabbings, shootings, rapes etc so not the sort of people you want to extract revenge on when they know where you/your bike lives.The mechanic had only seen the bike once, and to be fair was kicking himself after but wasn’t 100% sure so when the guy asked to borrow a lid he lent him one so there was a chance he would be coming back.Chips and jerry were riding round kingston, I was driving round surrounding area’s hoping to see him out and about on it. Jerry found it tucked down this little close at the end behind loads of cars its amazing he found it tbh

14

fook yeah sounds like a good effort by Jerry to find that…

Well done that man :slight_smile:

15

Result! Great newas, id change ignitiin barrel if i was you… Better safe…

16

been to Honda today, for a new key set and fitting as it is HISS is over £600+ VAT :w00t: To be honest I am going to be putting my all into making sure no one can get the bike away. The police are following up so hopefully they will get him and return my key.

17

Is this not what insurance is for?

Plus you’ve already told them it got nicked etc…but come into trouble with the keys being left on wall…you should have reported them as stolen. The insurance may think that you left them in the bike the nigh it got stolen.

If you don’t get the key set changed…but get the original back…who’s to say its not been copied, knowing how silly/easy it was to steal in the first place. They may be back in six months and you haven’t chained it again…

I would get the key set changed…

18

£500 excess, so literally no point in claiming for £600 keys.

I won’t not be chaining it again.

Easy to say, but its £600 when you have just spent £3000 on a bike, £400 on wheels/exhaust, £1000 on insurance, £1500 on gear, £700 on DAS, and now a total of £250 on security etc.

This is within two months.

End of the day, my bike isn’t worth going to the great lengths that they do for say a new R6/R1 etc, it was taken as someone spotted an opportunity that I handed too them. I don’t particulary like the thought of someone having a key for my bike - BUT I am not going to give them that opportunity again.

The bike will be almaxed to a post, with the top oxford lock round the almax and frame and covered/alarmed. If they get through all that then having the key is largely irrelivant in my eyes, if they are that desperate having to change keys wouldn’t have stopped them.

19

has to be done at Honda dealer to code the HISS key, and they 100% will not do this without a logbook. So if I can get my one back will be big peace of mind

20

Leon, that was no problem at all. After you told me that the bike was in the area, I thought I’d take the little Ducati out for a spin and look around the local chav spots. Didn’t see anything at first, so I went back later and trawled the local area, setting off dozens of car alarms, sometimes more than once…

When I saw it, I couldn’t see the number plate, but the wheels and the can were spot on (note to chavs - if you nick a bike, don’t nick one that’s instantly recognisable). Got to say, once the Police were stirred into action, they were in the area quickly. However, they drove past me no less than six times, once I even pointed at the bike, they drove into the dead-end street, looked around and drove off again. Eventually, they rocked up seconds before Leon and stayed put! However, I phoned 999 to report the bike and the operator was not helpful at all. Really didn’t want to know. FFS, all it took was a few minutes driving around to find the bike in the first place, which the Police could have done, then once it was reported, they just had to rock up and pop it into a van, or just wait until Leon rocked up. Anyway, within a few minutes I heard sirens in the area.

BTW, sitting in a rough end of town on a shiny Ducati watching a nicked bike isn’t a good experience. Helmet on, keys in ignition, thumb over the starter :slight_smile: