SuzukiSavage.com - My Bike is Back

jandaso

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My Bike is Back
10/17/11 at 13:07:51

Just wanted to say hello to everybody and that the cs1 and other projects are looking really good. Unfortunately 4 months ago my bike was stolen but yesterday the Atlanta Police Departmet called me giving me the good news that they have recovered my bike!!! Good News!!! So I went to get the release papers to get the bike from the impound and also got the police report. The police report said that the guy who had my bike drop it at his mom's house (keep in mind this guy is 42 years old). His mom after noticing the bike called the cops and reported the bike at her house (you know what happened next) The guy is still out there but a warrant isis out there for him as well.

The bad part: I went to the impound and there she was! But not looking the same. The guy ate the whole back tire doing burnouts, "Hotwire" the bike, dropped the bike both sides, ripped the seat, etc... I will post pictures.

I will go ahead and take my previous project to the next level and get the kit and rebuild the bike from the ground up.

Can I do something legally to this guy since he basically destroyed the bike? Just off the bat I had to spend 139 dollars to take her out the impound.

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2006 S40 - Mikuni VM38 (UFO and Dial-a-Jet), K&N filter, Barnett Clutch, Dyna Muffler, and Verslavy.

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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: My Bike is Back Reply #1 - 10/17/11 at 13:09:45 Yes, sue him,, file a civil suit, maybe small claims court, of course, the odds of getting anything out of a LOSER arent too good,, Most lawyers will give a 1 time chat,, get some free advice..
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splash07 Serious Thumper Offline Posts: 911 Charleston, SC Gender:	Re: My Bike is Back Reply #2 - 10/17/11 at 13:15:18 justin_o_guy2 wrote on 10/17/11 at 13:09:45: Yes, sue him,, file a civil suit, maybe small claims court, of course, the odds of getting anything out of a LOSER arent too good,, Most lawyers will give a 1 time chat,, get some free advice.. +1 always a good idea to consult with a lawyer, and most will do the first consult for free.
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babyhog

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WV
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Re: My Bike is Back
Reply #3 - 10/17/11 at 13:15:20

Well thats good! And bad...

At least you already have the police report and they handled the recovery, so surely it shouldn't be hard to prove fault. But since he had to resort to theft, I agree with JOG, you probably aren't gonna get much out of him. Your insurance company may be able to help you decide what route to take. Talk with your agent.

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~ 2006 Black, Big Crank battery, HD Softail muffler, engine guard/o-ring pegs, Spitfite windshield, custom mounted Saddlemen bags, Mustang seat! ~ oh, and Hairdo by Helmet! ~

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Ed L. Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline "We All go a Little Crazy Sometimes" Norman Bates Posts: 2808 Sunny Florida Gender:	Re: My Bike is Back Reply #4 - 10/17/11 at 13:32:09 With any luck your insurance will pay for the repairs on the bike and then go after the butt head who stole it to get thier money back. It can't hurt giving them a call.
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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: My Bike is Back Reply #5 - 10/17/11 at 13:55:16 Some states allow for wages to be garnished, iof he gets probation, one of his requirements will be to get a JOB,, Im sure his mom would like that, too.
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Jerry Eichenberger

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2006 S40. OEM
windshield, saddle
bags, Sportster

Posts: 2919
Columbus, Ohio
Gender: male

Re: My Bike is Back
Reply #6 - 10/20/11 at 06:08:27

As a lawyer, but not one admitted to practice in Georgia, let me chime in.

First, assuming you have insurance on the bike, that's the best and fastest way to get it repaired properly. Let a good shop at a good dealer to it first rate.

Suing anyone for less than a couple of grand is a waste of time. You'll make repeated court appearances, take off of work to do so, and generally spin your wheels ( no pun intended ) with little to no chance of recovery.

Assuming you get a judgment against this guy, then you have to collect it - more time wasted trying to garnish wages ( assuming he has a job to begin with ).

Just another reason to always have your property properly insured.

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Jerry Eichenberger
Columbus, Ohio

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RidgeRunner13

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haulin' the
groceries!

Posts: 649
Mustang Island, Texas
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Re: My Bike is Back
Reply #7 - 10/20/11 at 07:00:57

For years I carried nothing but liability insurance on my Savage, thinking that at it's age & value it wasn't worth full coverage. Then my carrier hit me with a price increase I thought was ridiculous. Shocked

I went insurance shopping & found I could get full coverage for far less than I had been paying for liability only. I have a "declared " value of $2000 with full coverage & roadside assistance for $108 a year with Foremost now. Cool

The lizard had gone to over $150 just for liability. Angry

I know this may not help you now but someone else may be able to profit from my experience.

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Wind me up & watch me run, I ain't never had too much fun!

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Fish Full Member Offline Who Shot Who In The What Now? Posts: 213 (near) Tampa, FL Gender:	Re: My Bike is Back Reply #8 - 10/20/11 at 08:06:14 You have to pay to get your stolen vehicle out of impound? Talk about adding insult to injury. Jeeze.
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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: My Bike is Back Reply #9 - 10/20/11 at 16:11:01 Fish wrote on 10/20/11 at 08:06:14: You have to pay to get your stolen vehicle out of impound? Talk about adding insult to injury. Jeeze. Seems likie they could at least tack that onto the penalty imposed on the thief,, Jerry,, thanks for that input,, I am now a bit wiser,,
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Fish Full Member Offline Who Shot Who In The What Now? Posts: 213 (near) Tampa, FL Gender:	Re: My Bike is Back Reply #10 - 10/20/11 at 17:50:49 I definitely agree with that. That's the kicker though. It all comes down to money. They know they can get the money from the owner, because he wants his bike back. They figure it's unlikely to get money from a thief on the run. Money rules all.
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RidgeRunner13

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Mustang Island, Texas
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Re: My Bike is Back
Reply #11 - 10/20/11 at 20:03:20

Fish wrote on 10/20/11 at 17:50:49:

I definitely agree with that.

That's the kicker though.
It all comes down to money.
They know they can get the money from the owner, because he wants his bike back.
They figure it's unlikely to get money from a thief on the run.

Money rules all.

Don't blame it on the towing service, they're just doing their job. When they get the call, which may well be in the middle of the night, all they know is they're picking up a motorcycle. The LEOs don't tell you it's a stolen recovery until after you get there.

They still have a truck, driver, fuel, insurance, building, impound yard & various permits to pay for. It's hard to make a profit these days even charging what seems like an extremely high price for the service given the overhead.

I used to be in the towing & recovery business before that overhead forced me to quit. The joys of having to deal with a just released drunk trying to get their vehicle back..... let's just say I don't miss that at all! And that is not the worst part of the job. Embarrassed

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Wind me up & watch me run, I ain't never had too much fun!

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Fish Full Member Offline Who Shot Who In The What Now? Posts: 213 (near) Tampa, FL Gender:	Re: My Bike is Back Reply #12 - 10/20/11 at 21:42:16 I was thinking a police impound lot. Didn't think about how there aren't really any police tow trucks, forgot about the civilian aspect of all that.
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RidgeRunner13

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haulin' the
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Mustang Island, Texas
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Re: My Bike is Back
Reply #13 - 10/20/11 at 22:01:15

Some cities do have police tow trucks & impound lots, most don't.
Many have more than one local tow service working on a rotation basis. The tow services usualy have to pay a fee to be on the rotation schedule. Their impound lot has to meet certain stadards & may be licensed by the state, county, & even city. Guess what, more fees to pay.
The tow trucks may also have to be licensed, beyond the normal registration fees we all pay.

The more companies on rotation, the harder it is to pay expenses since you get fewer tows. I gave up when my town had 5 companies on rotation, 3 from out of town. One week in five won't pay the overhead, & insurance for the trucks & yard is outrageous.

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Wind me up & watch me run, I ain't never had too much fun!

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JohnBoy Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 825 Gender:	Re: My Bike is Back Reply #14 - 10/20/11 at 23:51:55 jandaso wrote on 10/17/11 at 13:07:51: Can I do something legally to this guy since he basically destroyed the bike? Why not invite him to go fishing...out past the three mile limit
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