Re: [CR]Stolen Peugeot saga (long narritive)

So, did Waine get to keep the bike as a reward? Sounds like Michael Landon is back at work ...

greets, kim Klakow Berlin, germany

>
> Hey,
> So… back in Aug I’m off to Michigan from Los Angeles for several
> months. I
> grew up in the area and there was family stuff to do. I take my '74
> Peugeot PX10 figuring it'd be nice to have for basic transportation.
> Plus it was
> the bike I coveted as a teen but couldn’t afford so it made sense to
> take it.
> One weekend i decide rent a car and take my Peugeot to Toronto, see the
> sights and do some riding around town. I put a note out on the CR list
> wondering about interesting bike shops to visit. I get several good
> responses from
> CR members north of the border. Off I go. I love urban riding. Zipping
> past
> lines of cars stuck in traffic never gets old. Plus Toronto is a fun town
> to
> ride around with all sorts of stuff to see and do.
> Well, after the first day I return to my B&B carrying the bike in so to
> keep
> it in my room. The B&B owner freaks out and tells me to leave it
> outside,
> which I can't do. So I break it down and put it in the trunk of my
> rental.
> Next day - trunk empty - bike gone. I'm pissed as all hell... I blow
> outta
> town and haul ass back to Detroit.
> Upon my return, I contact some of the same people off the list telling
> them
> Toronto was a great time until the bike theft. There were a lot of very
> upset Canadians. One person tells me to contact Waine. He’s active
> with TBN,
> Toronto Bike Network and he may have ideas. I do and Waine gives me a
> host of
> ideas. I also hear from TBN’er Lawrence, who has incredible insight to
> which shops may have seen a stolen PX10. He’s also telling me about
> Police
> reports which do I file except I don’t have the serial number -- it’s
> in LA, if I
> have it at all. The police are telling me they recover lots of hot bikes
> and they run ‘em for serial numbers. If they don’t get a hit – it
> goes up
> for auction. They don’t have time for visual I.D. – make, color or
> type of
> derailleur… It’s the serial number or nothing. Lawrence is also
> citing
> Canadian law and the fiduciary duty B&B owners have – interesting
> stuff.
> So with all this info, I drive the 4 hrs back to Toronto. I need to make
> some recovery effort, if only for peace of mind... I also make up some
> “Reward”
> flyers and Waine allows me to use him as a contact person. Better
> chance
> they’d wanna call a local number than one outta the country. I suspect
> the
> thief is very local and my car parked dead center in his feeding ground.
> I
> place my reward posters in the immediate area – within yards of where
> the bike
> was lifted. I hit all the likely bike shops in town that might deal with
> hot
> or used bikes but no luck. One bike dealer with questionable ethics who
> says
> he’s gone legit tells me to post a reward sign at the local drug rehab
> center – “They’ll find the bike in 24hrs”. Street people I spoke
> with advised
> the bike would have been immediately painted and sold for $20 - $50. It
> was an
> interesting day however I return to Detroit empty-handed.
> Waine contacts me the next day saying he got a call almost immediately
> after
> I posted the reward poster. There were two people claiming to represent
> the person who purchased the bike for $200 from the thief. They wanted
> the
> cash reward money NOW. It was 11pm and Waine lived 15 miles away. Plus
> he
> didn't have all the money. They exchanged a few calls but nothing more
> happened.
> I tried calling the person but never got any return calls. Dead-end.
> I fly back to Los Angeles defeated. Then I start getting odd emails
> from
> someone in England saying they have the bike. I communicate with them
> – they
> have African accents. It sounds like a sham but I play along. Finally I
> ask
> for a description of the bike and it's nothing like mine. I guess they
> had
> another stolen Peugeot. It had been 5 weeks since my PX10 was stolen and
> I
> was WAY ready to move on. Back to Ebay and the CR "Wanted" list.
> A month goes by. I see an email message from Waine. Do I really wanna
> go
> there? I’m sick of dealing with this – more salt in the wound kinda
> thing.
> I open it and the first thing written is “I got your bike”. HE’S
> GOT MY
> BIKE?? I couldn't believe it. I read it five times and it still said
> the same
> thing “I-got-your-bike”. Talking to Waine later in the day, he
> tells me
> the most amazing story. The nite before, Sunday, he gets a call from
> someone
> at 11:30pm. This is a new guy and HE now has the bike. He wants to
> deal.
> Waine ’s caller ID indicates the call is originating from a payphone
> located
> in the area where my bike was stolen. However this new guy doesn't
> trust
> Waine and makes a point of telling him. Still he wants to deal. He
> wants Waine
> to come to this rough part of town with cash in hand to make the deal.
> Waine listens and his instincts tell him this may be the only chance.
> Waine and
> I had talked about this possibility. Criminal types don’t like to
> surface
> and when they do – it’s not for long. They also wanna be in
> control, they’re
> nervous as all hell and gotta call the shots or forget it. Don’t try
> talking
> reason with them – you’ll kill the deal. However, there’s also
> the risk
> of a set-up or worse. Anyway, Waine is 15 miles away PLUS his truck is
> in the
> shop for a brake job. Waine checks the public transportation and nothing
> is
> running Sunday nite going to downtown Toronto. SO WAINE GETS ON HIS BIKE
> AT
> MIDNITE and rides the 15miles into Toronto. He pulls into this rough
> area
> of town, a few blocks from where my bike was stolen. Had I known the B&B
> was
> in such a bad area I would have never stayed there. Their Internet pic
> looked
> so cute and comfy -- who knew??
> Anyway, Waine arrives at the location, a 24hr dive coffee shop and right
> away this guy comes out – “Are you Waine?” They go in and talk
> over coffee.
> After a few minutes the guy wants the money however he doesn’t have the
> bike.
> The guy won’t get the bike until he has money. What would u do? 2am,
> sleazy part of town, alone, a bunch of bills in your wallet… Waine
> tells him to
> look into his eyes and say, “You can trust me”. The guy does. He
> insists
> he can be trusted. Even though my reward poster cites “$500 For
> Return of…”
> Waine convinces him into taking $100. It’s all he had because where do
> u get
> $500 cash on a late Sunday night? The guy buys -- Waine gives him half
> the
> money and off he goes. While waiting, Waine pieces the story --
> sorta… My
> bike is stolen and sold for $200. Someone sees the reward poster and tries
> to
> broker the first deal several weeks ago but it fails. At some point the
> person who stole the bike ends up in jail. The first broker dude has a
> very
> pregnant girlfriend who is royally pissed her boyfriend is trafficking in
> hot
> goods. The bike gets handed off along with my reward flyer to this
> second
> broker dude who calls Waine. Anyway -- a short time later this latest
> broker
> dude returns -- with the bike. It looks fine except for a scuffmark on
> the
> saddle, probably from getting yanked outta the car trunk.
> EXCEPT Waine now has two bikes and no vehicle. What to do? HE convinces
> the guy to ride the bike back the 15 miles, back toward the area near
> where
> Waine lives. They return about 5:30am. Waine gives broker dude bus
> money.
> Then he walks the two bikes home, sends me email and goes to bed.
> Can u believe this???
> I’ve been thinking about it all day – what is wrong with the world
> and what
> is right with the world. I gotta tell you – Waine is what’s right.
> He
> is truly a remarkable person. He would prefer to remain anonymous and
> politely declined my efforts to laud him publicly. There are others I
> don’t even
> know who over the past 5 weeks were also involved. Speaking to Waine,
> I’m under
> the impression they would have done the same thing. I’m still floored
> thinking about it. Here I am, from Los Angeles, staying in Michigan and
> in
> Canada visiting Toronto where this coalition of bike people recovers my
> stolen
> bike --- just amazing. What else can I say?
> Except – there are a few lessons here. Next time I travel with bike
> in
> tow, I’ll check beforehand to make sure I can keep my bike indoors.
> If they
> give me a hard time – I’ll go with instinct and do it anyway.
> Putting up the
> reward signs was the key. Big reward gets you noticed. If it happens
> to
> you, put up reward signs for lotsa money. You may not have to pay it all
> out.
> >>From their end, some cash NOW is a great motivator because there’s
> always
> another bike or whatever out there. Put the signs up right away and right
> in
> the exact area the item was stolen from. Stick a business card in the
> handlebars or up the seat post. File a police report, if anything it’s
> good
> statistical info they can use. Jot down that serial number and keep it
> handy. You
> never know. I mean, you REALLY never know…
> George Elanjian
> (Los Angeles)
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>

-- Kim Klakow Diplom Grafik Designer Akimbo71@gmx.net +49172-1786481

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