I've gotta put this one out there. Last fall I bought a really clean 2004 Yamaha V-Star from the original owner. Seemed like a very nice guy. Bike had been sitting for about 6 years. He advertised it as 'won't start'. Battery was of course stone dead and gas in it smelled awful, so I bought it expecting the usual routine to get things back in order. Got it home and with about 15 minutes of checking things over determined the engine to be locked up tight. I guess he was technically correct in his statement. My fault for not checking it out more before handing over the money.
Bought a clean, low mile engine and over the winter replaced it, giving everything else the once over. Bike turned out very well. In May I advertised it for sale, laying out the entire history of the bike for anyone who might be interested. I wanted to sell it to look for an enclosed trailer. After 3-4 days I'm contacted by a guy about an hour away wondering if I'd be interested in trading the bike for an enclosed trailer. I couldn't believe my good fortune! I hauled the bike to his place, looked over the trailer and was very pleased with its' condition.
This guy also seemed a really decent sort. Story was he'd gone through a difficult divorce, down on his luck and needed something good on gas. The trailer background was he'd bought it a year previous from an old guy who'd lost the registration card. (This is a real common issue with smaller trailers here. The state issues a lifetime license sticker and just sends you a post card size registration slip. The sticker goes on the tongue of the trailer and you never have to renew the tag. I've run into this a lot over the years, where the owner has lost the card. I've seen it so much I'd quit worrying about it) We made the trade. He wrote me up a nice bill of sale, signed and dated. I dragged the trailer home thinking things worked out pretty good after all.
About a month ago I get a call from a sheriff in a neighboring county. Net is he's investigating a stolen trailer and thinks I may have it. I make it a point to call the county directly to connect with this guy so I know he's for real. He tells me the motorcycle is still registered to me. The guy I made the trade with is "a prolific thief". If he can determine the trailer I have is stolen, he can seize the bike, and once things are processed I'd get the bike back. I send him some photos of the trailer per his request. Don't hear anything further. I figure, false alarm or the guy's too busy to focus on it.
Two weeks ago I get a call from an investigator in another county. Here too I make it a point to call the police dept directly to get connected to this guy as I'm starting to get a bit paranoid. Net of this is he's involved because the guy was killed on the motorcycle the previous weekend. He and a girl were found in a ditch out in the country. He was dead at the scene and the girl in serious condition at the hospital so they'd not been able to interview her to see what happened. I tell him about my previous discussion with the sheriff. He asks for photos and within 10 minutes is back to confirm I have the stolen trailer. He further tells me the bike is still registered to me and asks if I want it. I have mixed emotions at this point, but decided I might as well go get it to see what I might recover since I'm about to be out a good running bike and a trailer. I pick it up the next day. The bike looks like hell. It had obviously been upside down, there'd been a fire as most of the seat is melted. The handle bars are broken off, etc.
I then hear from the previous owner of the trailer. Nice guy. Tells me he's already been paid by his insurance company so it's technically theirs now and he'll advise them of me having it so they can come get it. I ask if he'd inquire on my behalf about possibly purchasing it from them as I still need a trailer. He says he will.
Trailer guy calls me the next day to say the insurance folks will sell the trailer back to him and he's told them he'll take it and is sending them a check that afternoon. If I want the trailer I can then buy it from him for what he's paid for it. I was quite struck by how decent he was about the whole deal. He just said " I know you're out money on this deal. I'm whole because of the insurance settlement, so am glad to help you recover somewhat." I couldn't tell him how grateful I was for his actions.
Last Thursday while I'm at work a girl stops at my house and knocks on the door. My wife answers. Story is she is the girlfriend of the guy who was killed and is pregnant with his child. She's says she got our address from the title for the motorcycle. (This is clearly not the girl who was on the bike when it crashed. I found out that girl had some pretty good burns). This girl at the house is quite emotional (or a really good actress), says the funeral was a closed casket and she'd like to see the motorcycle for closure. Fortunately my wife has the presence of mind to not let her in the garage. She provides our home phone number and says she can call me that evening. She hasn't called back yet anyway.
Within an hour, there's a message on the answering machine from a guy claiming to be the nephew of the guy who was killed. He's wanting to see the motorcycle. I've had about enough of this by now and just delete the message.
Later that same day there's yet another message from a reporter supposedly at a TV station who's trying to do a special interest story on the crash and wants to come get video of the motorcycle. I deleted that one too.
I'm starting to think there's still more to the story than I'm aware of. I've torn the bike down enough already to know if there were drugs stashed on it somewhere. Perhaps they've visions of trying to claim the motorcycle. Making sure everything is locked up tight around the homestead, cars parked in front of the garage doors, etc. I'm waiting to see what happens this week now. I do have to brush up on my people reading skills.
Bought a clean, low mile engine and over the winter replaced it, giving everything else the once over. Bike turned out very well. In May I advertised it for sale, laying out the entire history of the bike for anyone who might be interested. I wanted to sell it to look for an enclosed trailer. After 3-4 days I'm contacted by a guy about an hour away wondering if I'd be interested in trading the bike for an enclosed trailer. I couldn't believe my good fortune! I hauled the bike to his place, looked over the trailer and was very pleased with its' condition.
This guy also seemed a really decent sort. Story was he'd gone through a difficult divorce, down on his luck and needed something good on gas. The trailer background was he'd bought it a year previous from an old guy who'd lost the registration card. (This is a real common issue with smaller trailers here. The state issues a lifetime license sticker and just sends you a post card size registration slip. The sticker goes on the tongue of the trailer and you never have to renew the tag. I've run into this a lot over the years, where the owner has lost the card. I've seen it so much I'd quit worrying about it) We made the trade. He wrote me up a nice bill of sale, signed and dated. I dragged the trailer home thinking things worked out pretty good after all.
About a month ago I get a call from a sheriff in a neighboring county. Net is he's investigating a stolen trailer and thinks I may have it. I make it a point to call the county directly to connect with this guy so I know he's for real. He tells me the motorcycle is still registered to me. The guy I made the trade with is "a prolific thief". If he can determine the trailer I have is stolen, he can seize the bike, and once things are processed I'd get the bike back. I send him some photos of the trailer per his request. Don't hear anything further. I figure, false alarm or the guy's too busy to focus on it.
Two weeks ago I get a call from an investigator in another county. Here too I make it a point to call the police dept directly to get connected to this guy as I'm starting to get a bit paranoid. Net of this is he's involved because the guy was killed on the motorcycle the previous weekend. He and a girl were found in a ditch out in the country. He was dead at the scene and the girl in serious condition at the hospital so they'd not been able to interview her to see what happened. I tell him about my previous discussion with the sheriff. He asks for photos and within 10 minutes is back to confirm I have the stolen trailer. He further tells me the bike is still registered to me and asks if I want it. I have mixed emotions at this point, but decided I might as well go get it to see what I might recover since I'm about to be out a good running bike and a trailer. I pick it up the next day. The bike looks like hell. It had obviously been upside down, there'd been a fire as most of the seat is melted. The handle bars are broken off, etc.
I then hear from the previous owner of the trailer. Nice guy. Tells me he's already been paid by his insurance company so it's technically theirs now and he'll advise them of me having it so they can come get it. I ask if he'd inquire on my behalf about possibly purchasing it from them as I still need a trailer. He says he will.
Trailer guy calls me the next day to say the insurance folks will sell the trailer back to him and he's told them he'll take it and is sending them a check that afternoon. If I want the trailer I can then buy it from him for what he's paid for it. I was quite struck by how decent he was about the whole deal. He just said " I know you're out money on this deal. I'm whole because of the insurance settlement, so am glad to help you recover somewhat." I couldn't tell him how grateful I was for his actions.
Last Thursday while I'm at work a girl stops at my house and knocks on the door. My wife answers. Story is she is the girlfriend of the guy who was killed and is pregnant with his child. She's says she got our address from the title for the motorcycle. (This is clearly not the girl who was on the bike when it crashed. I found out that girl had some pretty good burns). This girl at the house is quite emotional (or a really good actress), says the funeral was a closed casket and she'd like to see the motorcycle for closure. Fortunately my wife has the presence of mind to not let her in the garage. She provides our home phone number and says she can call me that evening. She hasn't called back yet anyway.
Within an hour, there's a message on the answering machine from a guy claiming to be the nephew of the guy who was killed. He's wanting to see the motorcycle. I've had about enough of this by now and just delete the message.
Later that same day there's yet another message from a reporter supposedly at a TV station who's trying to do a special interest story on the crash and wants to come get video of the motorcycle. I deleted that one too.
I'm starting to think there's still more to the story than I'm aware of. I've torn the bike down enough already to know if there were drugs stashed on it somewhere. Perhaps they've visions of trying to claim the motorcycle. Making sure everything is locked up tight around the homestead, cars parked in front of the garage doors, etc. I'm waiting to see what happens this week now. I do have to brush up on my people reading skills.
