I bought a stolen bike?

Racerx930
Profile picture for user Racerx930
Posts
774
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
Stillwater, OK, USA
Racerx930
Edited Date/Time 6/25/2021 5:12pm
I just got a call that a vintage bike I purchased a month or so back was reported stolen on the day I bought it. I paid pretty good money for it, have a bill of sale, and gave the sheriff the information of the people I got it from. I'm trying to look at it from the other parties side as well but apparently I'm the only party involved with a bill of sale on the bike, the people claiming it was stolen from them do not even know the vin. The sheriff asked me to hold onto the bike for now until it goes to court, I'm not sure what my play is here. I have somewhat significant money tied up in it, I have a hard time telling myself just to cough it up because someone is saying it is there's with no proof.
9
|
KennyT
Profile picture for user KennyT
Posts
4395
Joined
8/16/2006
Location
Vista, CA, USA
Fantasy
77th
KennyT 5/24/2021 3:50pm
5/24/2021 3:50pm
Without proof and if they don’t have a VIN I don’t believe you should be giving them anything until it’s proven they owned it and it was stolen. I’ve bought 10-12 vintage bikes over the years and was not provided a title on any of them. Bill of sale only. Sorry to hear about the hassle you are going through. You’ve done nothing wrong
51
Racerx930
Profile picture for user Racerx930
Posts
774
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
Stillwater, OK, USA
Racerx930 5/24/2021 3:54pm
5/24/2021 3:54pm
It just seems fishy. The people I bought it from knew it had value, I didn't give $200 for it. I would not have even thought to ask for a bill of sale. The lady actually said here let me write you a bill of sale. Her story was it was a family members who passed away. We didn't meet up at the corner of some gas station, I went to her house and bought it.
15
JG463
Profile picture for user JG463
Posts
937
Joined
6/21/2011
Location
Stillwater, OK, USA
JG463 5/24/2021 3:59pm
5/24/2021 3:59pm
I agree with Kenny. And anyone who knows you knows you’re a stand up guy in the moto community. I wouldn’t be parting with it! Good luck JT.

Oh, and why are there not pics of said vintage bike!?
5
BAMX
Profile picture for user BAMX
Posts
2896
Joined
1/22/2012
Location
Fallbrook, CA, USA
BAMX 5/24/2021 4:02pm
5/24/2021 4:02pm
Racerx930 wrote:
It just seems fishy. The people I bought it from knew it had value, I didn't give $200 for it. I would not have even thought...
It just seems fishy. The people I bought it from knew it had value, I didn't give $200 for it. I would not have even thought to ask for a bill of sale. The lady actually said here let me write you a bill of sale. Her story was it was a family members who passed away. We didn't meet up at the corner of some gas station, I went to her house and bought it.
Don't just give it back because someone says it is theirs. You paid and have a bill of sale. Make the court decide to take it from you. That would set the precedent that your seller sold you stolen goods. You have a receipt from them so it should be an easy small claims case.
11

The Shop

See All »
Chris_Buehler
Profile picture for user Chris_Buehler
Posts
8404
Joined
7/21/2019
Location
PORTLAND, CT, USA
Chris_Buehler 5/24/2021 4:02pm
5/24/2021 4:02pm
Agree with what everyone is saying. See how this plays out and until they prove its theirs hold on to it. Tough situation on your part. Ive had a bike stolen. I could certainly prove it was mine though
1
mxtech1
Profile picture for user mxtech1
Posts
1968
Joined
7/21/2011
Location
Galesburg, IL, USA
mxtech1 5/24/2021 4:05pm
5/24/2021 4:05pm
Might want to contact an attorney to see if you can file a lawsuit against the seller to recover your investment. If the court system finds them guilty of a stolen motor vehicle, I would tend to think that would be an easy case for you to win.
2
1
Racerx930
Profile picture for user Racerx930
Posts
774
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
Stillwater, OK, USA
Racerx930 5/24/2021 4:07pm
5/24/2021 4:07pm
JG463 wrote:
I agree with Kenny. And anyone who knows you knows you’re a stand up guy in the moto community. I wouldn’t be parting with it! Good...
I agree with Kenny. And anyone who knows you knows you’re a stand up guy in the moto community. I wouldn’t be parting with it! Good luck JT.

Oh, and why are there not pics of said vintage bike!?
I don't need anyone else claiming it's theirs!
12
nytsmaC
Profile picture for user nytsmaC
Posts
5946
Joined
8/10/2009
Location
Frig Off, CA
nytsmaC 5/24/2021 4:10pm
5/24/2021 4:10pm Edited Date/Time 5/24/2021 4:13pm
I bought a KX500 that needed some work a few years ago, no bill of sale, no title. Was going to do a restore on it. Found a cherry one instead so sold the other one that needed work. It had a leaking shock, and I had bought a bunch of assorted spare parts for it including another leaking shock, which I had sent out for a rebuild.

I kind of forgot about it, until the spare shock showed up at my door. I emailed the guy I had sold the bike to, letting him know that I had this rebuilt shock for him if he wanted it. His response was that he was surprised to hear from me, as when his son went to register the bike the insurance office called the police and had it impounded, as it was a stolen bike. He had told the police all of my info, and they told him “Don’t worry, we know all about that guy.”

Go figure. No follow up, no one had reached out to me to ask where I gotten the bike from, and this was weeks/months later.. So the guy who I sold it to assumed that I had stolen the bike and sold it to him. I tried contacting the guy who I had bought the bike from and he ghosted me until I threatened to publicly shame him, and then he reluctantly gave me the name of the person who he had supposedly bought the bike from, which was a dead end.

The whole thing stunk and I hated being involved in it. The cops didn’t care and had no interest in investigating anything. They alluded to the guy that they “knew about me” as if I was known to the police, I assume just to make him think that they were doing something and to make him go away. Complete horse shit. Unfortunately the guy I sold the bike to lost his money, which I felt terrible about, but it could have just as easily been me.
6
4
CASH476
Profile picture for user CASH476
Posts
630
Joined
2/27/2009
Location
Perth, AU
CASH476 5/24/2021 4:17pm
5/24/2021 4:17pm
Racerx930 wrote:
It just seems fishy. The people I bought it from knew it had value, I didn't give $200 for it. I would not have even thought...
It just seems fishy. The people I bought it from knew it had value, I didn't give $200 for it. I would not have even thought to ask for a bill of sale. The lady actually said here let me write you a bill of sale. Her story was it was a family members who passed away. We didn't meet up at the corner of some gas station, I went to her house and bought it.
Sounds like you might be caught in the middle of a family dispute to me. Bike may have been owned by a family member who passed away and now that it is sold someone else is disputing ownership by reporting it stolen. Sounds like you've done everything above board, best of luck sorting it out.
26
TeamGreen
Profile picture for user TeamGreen
Posts
37072
Joined
11/25/2008
Location
Thru-out, CA, USA
TeamGreen 5/24/2021 4:28pm
5/24/2021 4:28pm
Racerx930 wrote:
It just seems fishy. The people I bought it from knew it had value, I didn't give $200 for it. I would not have even thought...
It just seems fishy. The people I bought it from knew it had value, I didn't give $200 for it. I would not have even thought to ask for a bill of sale. The lady actually said here let me write you a bill of sale. Her story was it was a family members who passed away. We didn't meet up at the corner of some gas station, I went to her house and bought it.
CASH476 wrote:
Sounds like you might be caught in the middle of a family dispute to me. Bike may have been owned by a family member who passed...
Sounds like you might be caught in the middle of a family dispute to me. Bike may have been owned by a family member who passed away and now that it is sold someone else is disputing ownership by reporting it stolen. Sounds like you've done everything above board, best of luck sorting it out.
This

And, if that’s the case? It’s a “False Police Report”...which is a crime.
5
1
Nathaniel129 5/24/2021 4:53pm
5/24/2021 4:53pm
CASH476 wrote:
Sounds like you might be caught in the middle of a family dispute to me. Bike may have been owned by a family member who passed...
Sounds like you might be caught in the middle of a family dispute to me. Bike may have been owned by a family member who passed away and now that it is sold someone else is disputing ownership by reporting it stolen. Sounds like you've done everything above board, best of luck sorting it out.
I agree with this. I was in law enforcement for 10 years. The fact the Sheriff is allowing you to keep the bike is huge. In my experience, if the claimant had a legitimate case for the bike being "stolen" either the Sheriff would take possession of it, or they would have recovered it and returned it to the reporting party.
Sounds like a civil issue and you SHOULD be made whole (financially) if you ultimately have to return the bike.
5
Up Wind
Profile picture for user Up Wind
Posts
381
Joined
4/6/2021
Location
Auburn, CA, USA
Up Wind 5/24/2021 4:54pm
5/24/2021 4:54pm
Ride it like its stolen!!!!!!!!!!!
9
2
sandhills
Profile picture for user sandhills
Posts
320
Joined
5/4/2021
Location
Scotts Valley, CA, USA
sandhills 5/24/2021 5:02pm
5/24/2021 5:02pm
TeamGreen wrote:
This

And, if that’s the case? It’s a “False Police Report”...which is a crime.
It's only a false report if it's intentionally inaccurate. If you call the police and say "my aunt stole this bike that I believe is mine cause my grandpa promised it would be mine when he dies!" they'll just say ok and take the report. The person making the report hasn't lied, even if they're wrong.
3
Nathaniel129 5/24/2021 5:05pm
5/24/2021 5:05pm
sandhills wrote:
It's only a false report if it's intentionally inaccurate. If you call the police and say "my aunt stole this bike that I believe is mine...
It's only a false report if it's intentionally inaccurate. If you call the police and say "my aunt stole this bike that I believe is mine cause my grandpa promised it would be mine when he dies!" they'll just say ok and take the report. The person making the report hasn't lied, even if they're wrong.
Yep, and that sounds like what is happening here based on what else I posted.
captmoto
Profile picture for user captmoto
Posts
5874
Joined
4/22/2009
Location
Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA
captmoto 5/24/2021 5:12pm
5/24/2021 5:12pm
Racerx930 wrote:
It just seems fishy. The people I bought it from knew it had value, I didn't give $200 for it. I would not have even thought...
It just seems fishy. The people I bought it from knew it had value, I didn't give $200 for it. I would not have even thought to ask for a bill of sale. The lady actually said here let me write you a bill of sale. Her story was it was a family members who passed away. We didn't meet up at the corner of some gas station, I went to her house and bought it.
It sounds like somebody else in the family wanted the bike and it got sold. Or it could just be a straight up scam.
3
Hollywood009 5/24/2021 7:03pm
5/24/2021 7:03pm
So the it was reported stolen the exact same day you purchased it? also how could they even make a theft report with out a vin number or any documentation? whom ever filed the theft report had to know the bike was being sold, either the seller sold it out from under them or they saw it listed online
1
Boomslang 5/24/2021 9:09pm
5/24/2021 9:09pm
Racerx930 wrote:
It just seems fishy. The people I bought it from knew it had value, I didn't give $200 for it. I would not have even thought...
It just seems fishy. The people I bought it from knew it had value, I didn't give $200 for it. I would not have even thought to ask for a bill of sale. The lady actually said here let me write you a bill of sale. Her story was it was a family members who passed away. We didn't meet up at the corner of some gas station, I went to her house and bought it.
As an outsider I say you will be good. You checked all the boxes. At worst it'll cost you time and effort.

The crux of the matter could be the part of the bike belonging to a family member who passed away. Her selling the bike is probably being disputed by another family member who perhaps wants it back.

Good luck.
cablecable 5/24/2021 11:12pm
5/24/2021 11:12pm
Racerx930 wrote:
It just seems fishy. The people I bought it from knew it had value, I didn't give $200 for it. I would not have even thought...
It just seems fishy. The people I bought it from knew it had value, I didn't give $200 for it. I would not have even thought to ask for a bill of sale. The lady actually said here let me write you a bill of sale. Her story was it was a family members who passed away. We didn't meet up at the corner of some gas station, I went to her house and bought it.
CASH476 wrote:
Sounds like you might be caught in the middle of a family dispute to me. Bike may have been owned by a family member who passed...
Sounds like you might be caught in the middle of a family dispute to me. Bike may have been owned by a family member who passed away and now that it is sold someone else is disputing ownership by reporting it stolen. Sounds like you've done everything above board, best of luck sorting it out.
man this definitly sounds like the case, if you get screwed over and it is along these lines id be removing a whole lot of parts before the bike gets taken off you
2
2

Pit Row

See All »
nytsmaC
Profile picture for user nytsmaC
Posts
5946
Joined
8/10/2009
Location
Frig Off, CA
nytsmaC 5/24/2021 11:25pm
5/24/2021 11:25pm Edited Date/Time 5/24/2021 11:26pm
Racerx930 wrote:
It just seems fishy. The people I bought it from knew it had value, I didn't give $200 for it. I would not have even thought...
It just seems fishy. The people I bought it from knew it had value, I didn't give $200 for it. I would not have even thought to ask for a bill of sale. The lady actually said here let me write you a bill of sale. Her story was it was a family members who passed away. We didn't meet up at the corner of some gas station, I went to her house and bought it.
CASH476 wrote:
Sounds like you might be caught in the middle of a family dispute to me. Bike may have been owned by a family member who passed...
Sounds like you might be caught in the middle of a family dispute to me. Bike may have been owned by a family member who passed away and now that it is sold someone else is disputing ownership by reporting it stolen. Sounds like you've done everything above board, best of luck sorting it out.
cablecable wrote:
man this definitly sounds like the case, if you get screwed over and it is along these lines id be removing a whole lot of parts...
man this definitly sounds like the case, if you get screwed over and it is along these lines id be removing a whole lot of parts before the bike gets taken off you
No way, keep your honor. Money comes and goes. If scumbag relatives want to use the law to fuck you out of it, fight for it but if the courts rule in their favor, trust in karma. Worst case scenario, look them up in 20 years and you’ll get the last laugh.
7
6
cablecable 5/25/2021 4:15am
5/25/2021 4:15am
CASH476 wrote:
Sounds like you might be caught in the middle of a family dispute to me. Bike may have been owned by a family member who passed...
Sounds like you might be caught in the middle of a family dispute to me. Bike may have been owned by a family member who passed away and now that it is sold someone else is disputing ownership by reporting it stolen. Sounds like you've done everything above board, best of luck sorting it out.
cablecable wrote:
man this definitly sounds like the case, if you get screwed over and it is along these lines id be removing a whole lot of parts...
man this definitly sounds like the case, if you get screwed over and it is along these lines id be removing a whole lot of parts before the bike gets taken off you
nytsmaC wrote:
No way, keep your honor. Money comes and goes. If scumbag relatives want to use the law to fuck you out of it, fight for it...
No way, keep your honor. Money comes and goes. If scumbag relatives want to use the law to fuck you out of it, fight for it but if the courts rule in their favor, trust in karma. Worst case scenario, look them up in 20 years and you’ll get the last laugh.
So i assume you kept your honor and you gave the guy his money back for the stolen kx500 you sold him?
12
Cashmore
Profile picture for user Cashmore
Posts
784
Joined
9/12/2012
Location
Granbury, TX, USA
Cashmore 5/25/2021 5:05am
5/25/2021 5:05am
I’ve recovered a stolen bike from craigslist before. I had a title though. Sounds like you did nothing wrong so I wouldn’t worry about it. I had a guy call the cops on me driving down the highway claiming all 3 bikes in my truck belonged to him. He felt pretty stupid when I pulled out all 3 titles for the cop at my house and off to jail he went.
3
1
mx_phreek 5/25/2021 6:18am
5/25/2021 6:18am
cablecable wrote:
So i assume you kept your honor and you gave the guy his money back for the stolen kx500 you sold him?
Ouch
5
Lukass59
Profile picture for user Lukass59
Posts
624
Joined
12/12/2014
Location
Jacksonville, OR, USA
Lukass59 5/25/2021 7:03am
5/25/2021 7:03am Edited Date/Time 5/25/2021 7:04am
cablecable wrote:
So i assume you kept your honor and you gave the guy his money back for the stolen kx500 you sold him?
That’s entirely different haha
Id have a hard time sleeping if I sold a kid a stolen bike.

Really that was more of his screw up than the kids IMO
1
Falcon
Profile picture for user Falcon
Posts
12420
Joined
11/16/2011
Location
Menifee, CA, USA
Falcon 5/25/2021 8:43am
5/25/2021 8:43am
Run a KSR report on the VIN. I believe you can do so at the DMV or on their website in most states. That will tell you who the last legal owner was (the most current, actually.) If it is not the person who claims to own it, then tell that person to pound sand.
1
FWYT
Profile picture for user FWYT
Posts
3553
Joined
5/25/2014
Location
San Diego, CA, USA
FWYT 5/25/2021 9:01am
5/25/2021 9:01am
Racerx930 wrote:
It just seems fishy. The people I bought it from knew it had value, I didn't give $200 for it. I would not have even thought...
It just seems fishy. The people I bought it from knew it had value, I didn't give $200 for it. I would not have even thought to ask for a bill of sale. The lady actually said here let me write you a bill of sale. Her story was it was a family members who passed away. We didn't meet up at the corner of some gas station, I went to her house and bought it.
CASH476 wrote:
Sounds like you might be caught in the middle of a family dispute to me. Bike may have been owned by a family member who passed...
Sounds like you might be caught in the middle of a family dispute to me. Bike may have been owned by a family member who passed away and now that it is sold someone else is disputing ownership by reporting it stolen. Sounds like you've done everything above board, best of luck sorting it out.
Yup.

FWIW, first thing I do when looking at a bike is run the VIN.
nytsmaC
Profile picture for user nytsmaC
Posts
5946
Joined
8/10/2009
Location
Frig Off, CA
nytsmaC 5/25/2021 10:24am
5/25/2021 10:24am Edited Date/Time 5/25/2021 10:30am
cablecable wrote:
So i assume you kept your honor and you gave the guy his money back for the stolen kx500 you sold him?
No, I was transparent with the guy and made an attempt to do some investigating on his behalf. I figured it was the least I could do since I was involved, knowingly or not. I had hopes of recovering some money for him but got nowhere with that. I wasn’t liquid myself at the time either, credit card debt and such, I wasn’t in a place where I could help him out although I would have liked to. He didn’t expect me to either, he said he had put the whole thing behind him.

If it were me who had gotten the bike impounded I would have been angry at the guy who sold it to me and want an explanation as to how exactly he came to own this stolen bike, but I wouldn’t expect him to give me my money back if he had no knowledge of the bike’s status. I assume this is common practice, or did I do the wrong thing?
2
4
nytsmaC
Profile picture for user nytsmaC
Posts
5946
Joined
8/10/2009
Location
Frig Off, CA
nytsmaC 5/25/2021 10:26am
5/25/2021 10:26am
Lukass59 wrote:
That’s entirely different haha Id have a hard time sleeping if I sold a kid a stolen bike. Really that was more of his screw up...
That’s entirely different haha
Id have a hard time sleeping if I sold a kid a stolen bike.

Really that was more of his screw up than the kids IMO
No kids were involved, I was probably the youngest.
Racerx930
Profile picture for user Racerx930
Posts
774
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
Stillwater, OK, USA
Racerx930 5/25/2021 3:46pm
5/25/2021 3:46pm Edited Date/Time 5/25/2021 3:48pm
Been thinking about this a little bit today and the more I think about it I feel like the local sheriff was just trying to see if he could talk me into giving the bike up freely. I purchased the bike in another county and told him "I'm in a spot where I'm going to have to fight this". He told me not to sell it and wait to see how the court case went in the other town. It seems likely to me that whoever reported it stolen was told by their local PD there wasn't much they could do about it, so he called the local sheriff here. I have not been contacted by the pd / sheriff in the town I bought it in, you would think they would have some questions. My local sheriffs office said "They won't be picking it up unless it is determined stolen in court".
1
yak651
Profile picture for user yak651
Posts
8724
Joined
8/26/2006
Location
Appleton, WI, USA
Fantasy
1318th
yak651 5/25/2021 6:54pm
5/25/2021 6:54pm
cablecable wrote:
So i assume you kept your honor and you gave the guy his money back for the stolen kx500 you sold him?
nytsmaC wrote:
No, I was transparent with the guy and made an attempt to do some investigating on his behalf. I figured it was the least I could...
No, I was transparent with the guy and made an attempt to do some investigating on his behalf. I figured it was the least I could do since I was involved, knowingly or not. I had hopes of recovering some money for him but got nowhere with that. I wasn’t liquid myself at the time either, credit card debt and such, I wasn’t in a place where I could help him out although I would have liked to. He didn’t expect me to either, he said he had put the whole thing behind him.

If it were me who had gotten the bike impounded I would have been angry at the guy who sold it to me and want an explanation as to how exactly he came to own this stolen bike, but I wouldn’t expect him to give me my money back if he had no knowledge of the bike’s status. I assume this is common practice, or did I do the wrong thing?
I’m no lawyer but pretty sure the guy could sue you if he wanted to. Seems like he felt it was an honest mistake and was more understanding than most people would be
2
1
okbyenow
Profile picture for user okbyenow
Posts
37
Joined
2/23/2015
Location
Villa Rica, GA, USA
okbyenow 5/25/2021 7:18pm
5/25/2021 7:18pm
If they had it insured, and claim it, insurance company may also get involved. We had a 4-wheeler stolen and a few month later saw it was being sold online. Told the cops, they went and recovered it. The people who were selling it were apparently 3rd or 4th buyer after it was stolen and had no idea. If they would have checked, they would have seen it was stolen! They were out the cash they paid and I’m pretty sure they can go to claims court to try and recoup if they want to from previous seller..then they can go to previous seller and so on..eventually someone will lose out. Whenever we buy used, we ask for the number and I’m amazed at the number of people who just stop responding.

Post a reply to: I bought a stolen bike?