Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Stolen MOTORCYCLES over your lifetime...

in the early 80's while living in Modesto, CA. I had a 79 honda 750-4 chained to the stairway going up to my appartment. I came out one morning to find the tach and speedo gone. the 4 nuts that previously fastened the instruments to the bike were neatly setting on the ground next to it. Nothing else taken or damaged. I was pissed as it was my only functioning vehicle at the time. It was about a month of 'guess my speed' before I could afford boneyard replaceemnt parts.

When I moved out of my parents house many, many years ago I had a trials bike and my roommate had an Elsinore. They lasted about two months before they were stolen. The cops found them but never charged anyone (another story). Mine was busted up a bit but ride able. My roommates was in a 2 x 2 cardboard box.

Back in the "good ol' days" I had a 73' 750 Bonnie OIF chopper stolen outta the workshop by a 15 year old kid. He had managed to hot wire the ignition after pushing it down the 1/4 mile gravel drive, but didn't have the Umph to kick the girl over. The local LEO's caught him pushing the bike 2 miles further down the road & the kid had dropped it twice , once on each side in the effort to make away with it in the process.....

Cost me $250.00 to get the tank fixed & repainted & another $50 for new handlebars. I rode it for another 6-8 months & eventually sold it for $3500.00

The kid (being a minor) got off with a slap on the wrist & I never got a dime from the kid, or his parents for the costs incurred to repair the bike

Firstly, there are those that I am SURE do not care to talk about the loss of their iron horse(s).

Secondly,
All this talk of antique motorsickles gets me wishing I could have ridden when I was a yute. Such beautiful bikes. Two strokes indeed. Only two strokes I had was outboards. Reminds me of the days before Brian France and his group of pseudo-educated cookie cutters believed they could turn NASCAR into the NFL. Heck, look at the cars today. Look at the tracks. BORING. Then recall the king and Dale Earnhardt. Recall the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era. Hallelujah! What beautiful cars. Total racing. Damnit. Now we have the likes of Danica strutting around in a bikini for GoDaddy. “She sits back in her usual 32nd place looking for a soft place in the wall. Yet she remains the main topic of conversation from the announcers during any race! “Danica’s having a great run today….she’s up to 29th!” She has destroyed more equipment in a few years of NASCAR racing than America did to Iraqi tanks during the Persian Gulf War.” (credits)

Whew. Where was I? Oh yeah. The art of muscle bikes and cars. Back when Richard Petty drove a Plymouth Road Runner, then a Dodge Charger. Then there was that race in Daytona back in 1979. Dang.

Only 'lost' one bike....so that's good,eh?
But it was a '68 T120, so that's bad...very bad, isn't it?
It was 1972 and I'm still in need of therapy for that one
Al

My (now ex) husband's 1970 Bonneville was stolen. Weeks later, as I was riding to work, I saw his bike parked at the sidewalk of a busy residential boulevard. Needless to say, I called him then the cops. When the police showed up and we provided proof that it was our bike (the thief put a different plate on it)and they verified the original stolen property report, the cops just told us to take it back. No one was charged, but we did get it back!

Someone once tried to steal my Virago and sidecar from my driveway at 2am. How the heck they where going to drive it I have no idea. They where on bikes too as my then wife woke me up saying that someone was trying to steal the outfit. I yelled out..."No they are not!" 2 bikes then roared off up the road. I yelled that loud by being woken from a deep sleep they heard me.

Well Ross, over here in the States we have a version of that, but we don't have to strain our vocal chords while doing it.

(..uh huh...it's the sound we make when we chamber a round into our Remington model 870 or our Mossberg model 500..."ka-SHUNK"!!!)

Whilst in genteel Tunbridge Wells, we simply shame them by muttering 'Oh how very disappointing'

Al

Not my story, but my dealer friend, Ron's. He had just quit college and signed up for the peace corp. (late 60s) He had a month to appear in India, so he landed first in England and bought a brand new Triumph off the showroom floor. He rode it less than two weeks and had it nicked in Italy. A year later the cops contacted him and said they had finally found it, at the bottom of a quarry. One of the saddest stories I have ever heard when I think about it. Can you imagine, the rush of buying a brand new bike to travel Europe as a young man, and then having it stolen only days later?!!

Yep Rich, THAT would indeed ESPECIALLY suck, Ol Chap..err..I mean Ol' Buddy in YOUR case!

My late friend Larry had a classic Oxbridge accent.
I once found him knocking eight bells out of a local miscreant whilst at the same time telling him how 'awfully sorry' he was to be the 'author of such misfortune'

Another good one, Al!

(...don't ya just love a guy with a total command of the Language?!)