So I'm at the wife's place in Stoke Mandeville (Bucks) and I'm about to leave. It's knocking on 1am. I opened the front door and there's my bike (FZ600), parked on the path. Hmmm, thought I parked it in the drive
Anyway....the mrs needs another quick smooch before I go, so I nip back indoors. 10 minutes later I opened the door to be greeted by.......nothing! I called the old Bill and set off up the road on foot like an Olympic sprinter, but after running this way and that I drew a blank.
One week later still nothing.
Then, after another few days, there's police chase past my house in the dead of night. Two speeding motorcyclists, lots of plod cars and bikes and a helicopter. Oh what a joy to behold.
Next day I get a call from the local constabulary. They've found my bike. It was used in a bank robbery in Swindon, and was chased through my home town of Wendover and finally crashed out just up the road in Aston Clinton.
The bike was pretty totalled, and I knew the urchin that stole it. He was fully aware it was my bike.
He got a really sound ticking off in court, and was ordered to pay me 200 quid in damages at a pound a week or something silly (I never received a bean). He had a hard upbringing, so they didn't want to be too heavy on him...poor lad. I wanted to smash all teeth out.