Cowboys BIKE!

Cowboys BIKE!

It's been a long summer. I worked hard to get my 1975 Harley Davidson FXE ready for the season. It was out of commission for a few years. You know when you get divorced everyone, including the ex, wants a piece of you. Well it's why my bike was down and out of commission. To some extent it still is. But through it all I've managed to keep my bike and it's a safe and strong running bike. Not the best looking one on the lot but it's mine! I don't have the money to put too much into it. I have 5 kids, a couple of ex's and a lot of child support to pay. So, my bike runs and looks okay. I will give it that much. It's paid for and I like it. I usually scrape up enough cash to get the necessities that keeps it moving for me. I change my oil and clean it regularly. When problems arise I have to save up my money to get what's needed.

So when I was tooling down the road on Saturday morning, heading back to the Rendezvous, I was in for a big surprise when I approached the State Trooper roadblock. They set up shop on Friday night. In fact they had the inmates putting up a fence for bikes to pull into for the auto theft division boys to inspect. It was set up right as you go past the bridge that goes over the water. Right around the corner. I was unaware that this was their agenda. I figured I had straight pipes and ape hangers, I was going to get a couple tickets. Other than that everything was legal. I have owned the bike for 13+ years, registered, insured and inspected.

There was a young State boy with his hat angled, uniform cleaned and his shoes shined. He had a buzz cut and looked as young as one of my kids. As I pulled up to a stop under his demand he asked me what year my bike was. I told him it was a '75. He ordered me to pull into the pen on the right. I asked him why. He responded for me to just do what he said! As I was turning my bike, another rider was behind me. In fact there were many bikes as it was the Rendezvous. I overheard the trooper ask what year his bike was? He told him '82 and the trooper told him he could continue through. At that point I was wondering what the hell was going on. I brought my scoot in the pen they had set up and was told by a plain clothed officer to get off my bike and stand next to the fence. I did as I was told but being the outspoken one I began to question what they were trying to do. In doing so, I proceeded to piss them off. Cowboy-1, PD-O. I asked what they were looking for? Told them my bike is legal, unless you are issuing me a ticket I want to leave. I was beginning to get uneasy because there were a few others that were getting their scoots impounded. I was following them asking question after question. There were 3 officers and they were detectives working for the State Troopers in the Auto Theft division. Two of them were all over my bike looking at anything that had a number on it. As I was questioning them I was told "for the final time" to stand next to the fence. So happens another Rendezvous Staffer was getting his bike looked over. He stood next to me. One of the State boys came to me and told me my VIN on my motor did not match the VIN on my frame. I said "So"! He told me they were taking my bike under suspicion that my motor was stolen. Cowboy-1, PD-100. No matter I don't think I'm going to win this one. That it appeared to them that the VIN had been altered. When I attempted to look at the VIN I was placed back to the fence. He handed me my helmet and told me to sign a form that they had possession of my bike. If I didn't sign they were taking it anyways. I told them I wanted to speak to their supervisor. They refused me that right. They refused me the right to inspect my own bike too. I tried to get them to take all the info they wanted and let me go. That if there was a problem they could get a hold of me. But, they told me any time a VIN is altered, it's like you're committing a crime everytime I ride the bike. Believe me I tried everything I could to get them to let me ride out of there. Everything that wouldn't have gotten me in jail. I did think about running or struggling with them but then we'd be worried about bailing my biker ass out of the slammer and not figuring out how to get my bike back. That would have been a big mistake. But a friend of mine suggested we go down there and picket the warehouse, notify the media and fight to get the bikes back.

They did take my bike and I was on the road without any wheels. Just so happened a friend of mine was driving by in his new PU truck and gave me a ride to the Rendezvous. I was scheduled to work my shift from noon till 6 p.m. on Tit Alley. Believe me when I tell you I was fucking pissed. I still am and it's been over 8 months. I worked my shift, did a half-assed job of working. In fact I believe I would have caused more harm than good working my shift. The boss opted I stay by the campground shack and keep an eye on the ladies working. Basically he got me away from any potential trouble. My nerves were shot and I do believe I could have gone postal on some poor bastard that looked at me wrong. I was seriously considering going home but thought it would be better to be around my friends and try to have a good time. The day turned into night and my friends were trying to make my stay at Rendezvous as fun as possible. To no avail I downed an entire bottle of Jack Daniel's; and believe it or not, I wasn't drunk! Got a ride home from a friend and phoned the cop on Monday. We played phone tag for a few days then he called and told me that my bike was going to an auto theft shop off of Central Ave. in Colonie, I believe. Told me there was nothing he could tell me until it was all checked out and any numbers were sent to Harley Davidson to determine if anything was stolen.

Weeks turned into months. My Harley sits in a warehouse waiting. I went there to discuss why they still have it because NO-ONE could tell me my motor was stolen. You know if they said that so and so owned the motor and they reported it stolen 14 years ago I would have been pissed but it would make sense to me and I would be scrambling to figure out how I got suckered into buying a stolen motor. Anyway I went there to look at the different VIN #'s. When I was starting to write it down one of the cops said to me that the VIN's were the same that I'd have to be an idiot to have 2 different numbers. Nice! I really like when someone does the name-calling thing to me. I explained to him that maybe the motor was replaced before I bought it or there was some damage and it needed a new one. But I guess my GF was seeing some tension between us and decided it was time we left. The next visit was to take a picture of my VIN and see if Spitzies, a motorcycle dealership, could determine for me whether it was a bad number or not. So happens the cop that was referring to me as an idiot was there, and he was behind the double mirror. I could see him because he had a light on at his desk. After about 10 min. I tapped on the window, he shut the light off and spoke through an intercom. I told him I wanted to take some picutres of the bike. He asked if we had an appointment, I told him no but it would only take a couple minutes. After a few minutes of pressing him he let me take shots of my bike. Took the pictures down to Spitzies and the guys there said the VIN was NOT altered and the police should not have taken it. Now I was on a mission. They still could not tell me if my bike or motor was stolen. They can't tell me if anything is stolen! They are holding my bike with no probable cause in my opinion. I never heard anyone they think MAY have committed a crime and they arrest them. Please! The last time I saw my bike I was trying to check on it and the cops told me I can't come back here unless I have my lawyer with me. They don't return my calls or won't let me see the bike.

I call my lawyer every week and find out if he knows anything concerning my bike. The other guy that works staff and got his bike taken is actually picking it up today (February 2003). He had to pay for them to correct the registration and get this, he has to pay for when they took the bike, the tow truck company! Hey there's something wrong here. They took my bike. They prevented me from riding all summer long! This is our legal system folks. Love it or leave it! What are my rights? What kind of compensation am I entitled to for their fuck up? Please somebody tell me! I'm very happy for my friend who is getting his bike back. All year long the cops were telling me I wasn't getting my motor back that it was gone. They told me that if I wanted my motor then I would have to go to the DMV auction and buy it back. Fuck that! I have done nothing wrong and the cops couldn't even tell me what was wrong with the VIN. Believe me I looked at it and couldn't tell you if there was anything wrong. Spitzies couldn't tell me that it was a bad # or a restamped #! They told me the bikes in the '70's were hand stamped and the ones on my bike were fine and looked the way they were supposed to look. I haven't been arrested so I am not being accused of any crime. I feel I am the victim of a crime. They take my bike, tell me the VIN has been altered then tell me they can't tell whether it's stolen or not. I haven't rode my bike since June of 2002! To this day I have heard nothing. My lawyer says I have to wait. Do you realize what kind of condition my scoot is going to be in? Tires are rotted, the gas is K-1 now. Which means my carb is probably all gunked up and the gas lines will need replacing. Not to mention the little bit of rust I have on my chrome here and there is now all rust! Please! But wait if I want my motor back I can go to a DMV auction and get it back. It's a legal fucking chop shop! So there are attorney fees for fighting for my bike, fees for getting it back and work when I do. Who's going to pay for that Mr. PD? I still sit and wait for the call to come in to tell me that I can pick up my bike: Rendezvous 2003 is 4-months away.

I'd like to say there's something I can tell all you bikers out there but I can't. I couldn't tell if that VIN was altered or not. It's going to be very difficult buying another bike someday because I will be very cautious as to the VIN numbers on the scoot. Look over the bike and check the VIN's. I would be very reluctant to buy a motorcycle from a friend and find out that there's a problem with the VIN. I couldn't drop a friend in the grease. I'm not made that way. If you have to go to motor vehicle and have them check to see if it's a clear title/registration. They may be able to tell you if there is anything wrong with that end of it. Folks they don't need any excuse to take your bike and hold it for almost a year. NONE! I'm the example here because they can't tell me if the bike is stolen or not. In fact the search from Harley Davidson came back clean. Wouldn't you think if it was stolen that the cops would have some kind of record of it being stolen? If you think there is something wrong with your bike you need to be extremely careful, cause you never know. Make sure all your ducks are in order.

Well here it is 3 months before the Harley Rendezvous. I'm sitting at my desk at work. I work in a lab, you call me a lab rat, and I just got a call from my lawyer. He informed me that I was getting my Harley back, 10 months after it's been taken. It's a mess! Still has dirt and rust from the 'Vous 2002. Any little bit of rust is now a major problem. The tires are a mess and the engine will need some TLC. The gas has been in it for that long. The cops wouldn't let me put stabilizer or do anything to the bike. Believe me I'm happy that I'm getting my scoot back but there is a pit in my stomach that just aches for revenge! I am wondering if there is anything I can do for what they've done to me and to my bike. It's going to cost me $125 for the tow and $25 for DMV. So this won't happen again. What's it going to cost me to get her running and looking at least like it did? What's the price tag for not riding for 10 months? The calls, the visits, the stress and the fighting with the cops. I'm a fighter! But one can only do so much, without being in jail yourself. A couple of my friends picked me up on a snowy Tuesday in the first of April and drove me to the Auto Theft division to retrieve my bike. I instructed them not to do or say anthing to the cops until the bike was loaded on the truck. It went all smooth and I'm very happy to inform you that it's in my back yard and will be there until I get my house and will take it's proper place in my garage. I'm very happy and anxious to roll down the road on my bike. I took my friends bikes out from time to time, and thank you for letting me, but it's not the same. It's not my bike. I'm planning some important runs this summer and if anyone wants to be part of those runs they can email through the Express Online. I would be more than happy to inform anyone about some of the runs that I feel are important and honored to ride with you. I didn't win. They took my bike, couldn't tell me it was stolen and kept it for 10 months. I just didn't give up. By God the only time I will give up is when I'm no longer part of this world! The legal system-1, Cowboy-0.

Ride Free

Cowboy

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