I've been mugged, had things stolen, scammed, and even punched for not having a cigarette. But nothing hurt more than the day I went to where I parked my scooter and found half a link from the chain I'd wrapped around it.
Quick job with a bolt cutter.
If you've ever had a bike stolen, you know how violated I felt. All you want is justice. And although the police did find my scooter, a bit battered and broken, they never found the scumbags that committed the crime. And that's never sat well with me.
Thankfully, those of us who've been through such things have stories like the one I'm about to tell, which we can live vicariously through.
A 47-year-old man had his Yamaha YZ motocross bike stolen in April. Like most of us who've had bikes stolen, he didn't hold out much hope in seeing it again. But also like most motorcyclists, he regularly checks out the classified ads. And one day, several weeks after his YZ was stolen, he saw a machine eerily similar to his old YZ listed.
The victim contacted the seller, who lived a little more than two hours away. And after a few questions, he was sure he'd found his bike. Instead of arranging to meet the seller and imposing some vigilante justice, the victim did the mature thing and contacted the local authorities, who then carried out their investigations.
The authorities surveilled the thief and arrested him at his home, so the victim didn't need to get involved. If the thief didn't keep the bike at his home, it wouldn't have been so easy for the police to catch him. But, you know, stupid is as stupid does.
The thief is in custody, and the motorcycle was seized by the police, but will be returned to its rightful owner once the investigation is over. And for a brief moment, all is right in the world.
What would you have done had you found your stolen YZ in the classifieds? And who amongst us has gone through an ordeal like this? Let us know in the comments.
