Is this the end of my beloved bike?

Hello everybody, long time no see.

I know the following story is not very technical, but I think that more people will recognise me in this category with regards to my mega-alternator-thread...

I am posting here because I am looking for opinions, advice, some backing up, EMPATHY...

Yesterday night after a big dinner I stayed over at my friends in Filton (Bristol) saying it was cold and ****ing it down. Since I was gonna sleep on the sofa, I parked my beloved and very special SV outside the living room window - the thing is, even a fly would wake me up, so no chance (I thought) anybody could even touch my beloved and very special SV.

I got up very late, had breakfast, and at 11, saying it was going to be a wonderful day, I was planning on riding back and giving my bike and me some quality time.

It was gone. No trace. Nothing. Never existed.

After bursting out in tears (I aaam a girl and I doooo love my bike) I took a taxi home cos I just couldn't get my registration number together.

Back home, I found a note from the police with a reference number asking me to call them. Aven and Somerset Police.

So I do and they are like, yes, your bike has been toed away, and I'm like, thank bloody goodness, it was just parked wrong! And they are like, no, it has been found and toed away, and I'm like what, where, what do you mean? And they are like, it has been left and reported by somebody in Horfield and then toed away, and I shall call this number (toe away place).

I call them and they are like we can't find the bike, we gonna call you back. So they do (by that time it is already 12:30pm), and they say they have 'recovered' the bike 'somewhere' and it is there now. And I'm like, so can I pick it up now or what, what the hell has happened??? And he says, well, the ignition is damged and it has been dropped to one side, but they are closed now till Monday, so I can't see it now anyway.

Then they are like, I recommend you come with a van on Monday as I cannot allow you to drive away with it because it would be dangerous as it is damaged and falls into his responsibility and so I have to come with a van (Right, no probs, I have got 7 vans parked in the garage, one for each day of the week).

AAAANNNNNNNDDDDD: I have to pay bloody 100£ something for the toeing fee!!!!!!! I'm like, dude, can I pay that in rates, I want my bike back but I have nonononononono money, he's like no, but your insurance should cover you. So I say thanx and call my insurance.

They waste my time by asking me for about 20 minutes for my details and what has happened and what the damage is, and I'm like, well I haven't even seen it myself!!! So please would you first of tell me what is gonna happen next, I am a foreigner and not used to not finding my things where I left them!!!!!

So my insurance goes, I have fully comprehensive cover, so they will pay all the damage and toeing fees - but I have a £500 excess, and I will have to pay up to that. bla bla.

So now I don't know what to do. I am at the end of my overdraft as it is, I get on my bike to escape exaclty this fact, and now I cannot do that becuase I have to pay more than £100 to even seeeeeeeeeee it again!!!!!!

Is that normal?? Why do I have fully comprehensive if it does not help me anyway? And I thought the £500 is only applicable when it is MEEE who is doing the damage? And why on earth do I have to pay the toing fee, I didn't park illegally and I didn't tell anyone to toe it!!! And I will maybe lose my 3 years no claims!!!

And is it even worth it using my insurance, I mean come on, does anyone of you really think it is gonna be more than £500 to repair a lock and some scratches? - well, I haven't seen the bike yet, but that is all I expect???

The thought that some blooy thicko dared to put his dirty ass on my beloved and very special SV makes me furious!!!

I can only hope it is alright, whereever it is... I don't even know...some toing place... and now I am sitting here and waiting till Monday 8:30...

And what about the police? Are they gonna try and get the *******s automatically or do I have to innitiate something?

Why can't people just save their money up and buy a bike, like I did, if they want one!?



Ah. That was good. I know you understand where I am coming from. All the best, Nadine

[the_lone_wolf]

Willkommen nach England, traurig wird es so geschissen

hard luck there.These people should be strung up.I remember once I took my old car out of the garage and put it on the road for the garage to pick up.It was going for some welding and an MOT.Ten mins later the tow truck driver knocked on the door and asked where my car was.????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It turned out that it had been towed away because it was not taxed,bad timing or what.Two weeks later I got a fine for leaving it on double yellow lines.The official tow truck driver had left it on the yellows outside the compound and a warden had walked out from the office ,ticketed me and towed it away again(all of 15m)to the compound.
Gits,I got two towing fees

Originally Posted by the_lone_wolf

Willkommen nach England, traurig wird es so geschissen

The wonders of babelfish

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by simesb

The wonders of babelfish

it doesn't translate back to english so well

Originally Posted by the_lone_wolf

it doesn't translate back to english so well

I thought the meaning was fairly clear

yes, it truly was very bad luck. I have heared of youngsters taking cars for joyrides and then setting fire to them, but a bike!!! I didn't think everybody could just sit on it and ride off with it, I mean, it even took meeee a week to get used to the handling!

I guess what I will do is accept the fact that I will have to pay for it by myself, get it into my garage somehow where it can stay until I have the money. I AM NOT SELLING IT OR WRITING IT OFF. I have experienced so much with it...28,000 miles through Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, France. In 3 years only...

how much is it to repair the ignition? (I can live with scratches)

[yorkie_chris]

The recovery people are robbing *******s, they need setting fire to. I know someone who was recently stung by this after an off, 180 quid to get it back.

No point claiming on insurance as they'll fk you next time around because you've claimed. (renewal price yadda yadda) also excess is less than the cost so pointless.

Basically you need to borrow the cash off someone and get it back, what makes it dangerous condition ask them? Go and get it, tell them you're pushing it home (if it's rideable) If you were closer I'd come and give it the gaffer tape treatment! None of their f###ing business if you want to ride a dangerous bike!

Ignition switch is easy to fix.


There's 2 ways ignition switches get done.... either hotwired, where they'll have attacked the wiring loom, or brute force done by battering a screwdriver down through the lock. Not much money to fix, there's plenty ignition switches about on ebay. I'll talk you through it.

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

The recovery people are robbing *******s, they need setting fire to. I know someone who was recently stung by this after an off, 180 quid to get it back.

No point claiming on insurance as they'll fk you next time around because you've claimed. (renewal price yadda yadda) also excess is less than the cost so pointless.

Basically you need to borrow the cash off someone and get it back, what makes it dangerous condition ask them? Go and get it, tell them you're pushing it home (if it's rideable) If you were closer I'd come and give it the gaffer tape treatment! None of their f###ing business if you want to ride a dangerous bike!

Ignition switch is easy to fix.


There's 2 ways ignition switches get done.... either hotwired, where they'll have attacked the wiring loom, or brute force done by battering a screwdriver down through the lock. Not much money to fix, there's plenty ignition switches about on ebay. I'll talk you through it.

Hi Yorki Chris,

thank you very much for that! I guess the only thing I can do this weekend is try to find somebody with a van for Monday - I do know some biker people who've got work vans but obviously they are AT WORK.

And for now I can only wait till Monday 8:30am and hope that she is not too damaged.

I will also look at ignitions. Do I need anything else for that? (Wires or so)

And I was afraid the insurance wouldn't be any good - why on earth have I got fully comp for?

all the best,
Nadine

[yorkie_chris]

There's no point having full comp insurance.

Go and get it, push the f###er home!

Ignition switch is a simple connector, you need a special security torx bit to undo the switch from the bars though.


Seriously go get it and ring your recovery and claim to have broken down or something, they'll charge you for storing it! The robbing swines.