So it’s pretty disconcerting getting my scooter stolen, especially if you stayed in during the day and are running a bit later than usual for work.
What I did right: Locked the handlebars, parked it in between a flock of other scooters in the lit front of my building.
What I did wrong: Didn’t bother to U-lock the rear wheel, left my blue card in the seat compartment, decided to live in Taichung.
What kills me was that I thought the blue card was the registration. Instead, it’s the title. My friends are telling me someone can sell my scooter now. I’m pretty bummed. I’m even more bummed hearing all the stories of “Yeah, we had our “insert vehicle here” stolen and the police never found it.”
Any happy endings coming out of this or am I out a reliable form of transportation?
I leave my key in my scooter’s ignition. Never had a problem. It’s in an underground parkade…but anyone can walk down into it…and my neighbors must have noticed by now.
I know of quite a few stolen scooters that have been recovered. Usually they just steal it to get somewhere…cheaper than a taxi…then they just park it and leave it. If so you should get it back in a month or so.
Agree with the above. Call the police and report it stolen ASAP. I’ve personally had one bike returned within two weeks (erh, not stolen but rather “misplaced” after a night when I clearly should not have been riding it). Also had many friends use the same valet service, all with positive outcomes.
Okay, that was Taipei, but I’m sure the local boys in blue are equallty dilligent. You see them plodding around on scoots with these little rego checker thingees. Quite amazing given the volume of scoots laying about. A nice but all too rare positive for the local cops.
Can’t be transferred without your ARC or the ID card of the owner. Can’t be transferred at all if it’s registered stolen. Unless it’s very new or rare it hasn’t been stolen for sale.
In Kaohsiung, the cops have been pulling people over to check for vehicle identification numbers on scooters. We’ve got a new SYM 125 and the VIN in inscribed in several prominent spots on the bike. It’s pretty simple: I got stopped real quick yesterday and the cop checked to see that my VIN not been defaced, which might indicate a stolen scooter.
Had my first bike (NSR150) in Taiwan stolen the 2nd week after I bought. Parked it in front of a bookstore for 2 minutes, came out and it was gone. Bought a FZR150 a week later. Then 2 months later I get a call from the Yung-Ho police station telling me they have located my bike (NSR150). It was found 2 blocks away from where it was stolen hidden in a small alley. I was amazed. Anyway, 2 weeks after I had gotten it back, I got hit by a BMW while riding it in the same area, bike was totaled. I swear, that area around the Tingshi MRT is like the Bermuda Triangle.
[quote=“Mordeth”]I leave my key in my scooter’s ignition. Never had a problem. It’s in an underground parkade…but anyone can walk down into it…and my neighbors must have noticed by now.
I know of quite a few stolen scooters that have been recovered. Usually they just steal it to get somewhere…cheaper than a taxi…then they just park it and leave it. If so you should get it back in a month or so.[/quote]
Yup! I got one back a week later. Joyriders. had a blast speaking Chinese to the Taichung coppers.