Bike grabbed by the City
 

Well, I have it back but the fine city of NY decided it needed to swipe my bike when I wasn't looking and sell it back to me at cost.

So things are a bit different here. I tend to do a few things that guys living in different areas would find odd. For one, I have for 20 yrs parked on the sidewalk. The reason is that if you park on the street your bike will get crushed by cars parking with their eyes closed. I've had car drivers tell me if I park on the street that they will drive into my bike.
Yeah its weird but I never look for parking I just park on the sidewalk politely and out of the way. Usually taking the plate off to avoid tickets.

Anyway. Yesterday I left it for a quick hour and it was gone. I was with my wife so she had to jump a cab to work, I had to jump one home. Get my paperwork then another $43 cab ride to get to the pound.
Damage was minimal but the used a grinder to cut off my disc lock and nicked the disc and wheel. Also nicked the givi maxia top case.

I am happy to have it back & ride another day.

Oh, it was $185 to get it back plus $65 for the ticket. Cost of riding. But if they took it shouldn't I NOT have to pay the ticket? Geesh!

WOW!! I'm glad I live in the sitcks.

Me too Bud!

And the damaged caused by them is not actionable?

Depends on how much time you have. For example, if you get hit by a city bus on your bike, they will sue you pre-emptively since they assume you'll sue them.
Also when I had a crash type thing when I hit a sinkhole they wanted my insurance company. I don't want to risk higher rates so just at the damage.
I'm gonna look into it but doubt anything will come of it. You cant fight city hall and NYC is a monster bully.

Wow Joe, that's pretty raw. I don't commute to NYC like yourself, but whenever I do ride in, I always find a corner spot where I see other bikes, or in between cars. Neither of those ideas are prolly legal, but they don't seem to care, guess it's just a matter of time?

I still say sidewalk out of the way is best. This time I was on an avenue (street is better). I was on Broadway in the Flatiron district. Funny I managed a big nightclub there for years. It was just probly a resident called 100 times to complain. I knew id only be there an hour so thought id be good.

Agree with you 100%, the alternatives are not as good.
I did the same thing exactly plus a cover for 8 years in NYC, usually parked between street transformers and other objects that no one cross through anyway, was never a problem for the most part.
An old cover seemed to help allot, less praying eyes as well....

One rule of riding a sport bike in NYC. You can only have/keep it if you don't flaunt it. If they see it on the regular, they will covet then take. I have watched dozens of guys who I tried to explain this to get their bike vicked. One for parked right next to mine but mine was covered and locked, his naked and easy.

Sorry but NYC sucks, as does NJ, RI, MA and most of NYS and the east coast in general due to their crazy laws.

Here in Cook County and Chicago, they're just corrupt and tax you to death. And no, we are not the murder capital of the US despite what Donald says; as everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie and/or gross exaggeration.

Yes, it's flat and boring here but cleaner and WI is close enough. But here people are much friendlier, considerate and generous; though that's maybe not saying much and relative. However, parking is pretty easy comparatively and thefts are down (knock on plastic).

Sorry :cheers:

:rotf:

Good luck with that.
Gummint do what she want.

Yeah, it sucks. But there are perks. I go over 100 every ride. Its like the wild west. Been riding in the city over 20yrs and rarely had issues. Been hit by a cab, cars, bus, truck, bicycle and pedestrian. Pretty good record. Cops mostly leave you alone except spring when they harass you.

I was in NY city one time. On a bus. On the way to the Port Authority terminal we rolled through what looked like a war zone, 'bombed out' buildings, wide, one-way streets, most of the parked cars with bottles in bags on the roofs w/ people hanging out, these weird, orange arc-lights above so it was like high noon on a planet 300-million miles from the sun. The bus driver kept it at 60 MPH, not slowing for anything or anyone. (Earlier, he'd pulled over, just outside Providence, to tell the guys in the back of the bus..."If you don't put that s**t out I'm calling the State Troopers." (I wasn't *quite* in the back of the bus, BTW. :cool:)

That said, it's all what you grow up with and/or get used to. If you gotta park on sidewalks...you gotta park on sidewalks. All in a day's living.

But do you suppose them impounding your bike represents a new enforcement rule, or just a random a-hole doing his/her job?

Alan

Like I said it was random or it was a nutty tenant calling 311 a zillion times. They usually will ticket it and give you a chance to move it but not on this day at this time. Ive parked on sidewalks every day since and every day for 20yrs before so I have some good empirical evidence.

Next time chain it up to something...

There's been an abandoned FZ750 chained up in Amsterdam city centre by a canal for nigh on 20 years, and a Transalp 650 chained to a lamp post for 15 years in London.

Nice thought but they cut chains even quicker than the disc lock they cut on mine. The last time this happened to me was like 17yrs ago and it was chained with a huge hardened chain.
Did they cut a link? No they cut the $150 padlock.
Like I said its the wild west.
Its like the 2 guys confronted by an angry grizzly bear in the woods. One guys starts lacing up his running shoes. His friend said "what are you doing, you cant outrun a bear". He smiled and said, "I know but I don't need to outrun the bear, I just need to outrun you".....

Nice proximity to San Gennaro Feast. Figured they thought my bike was too ratty to ticket, haha.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sup...cc958a05c3.jpg

Dang hate that for you. gotta love communism. No wonder so many people from the north are moving down here south of Mason Dixon. Just hope your bike stays safe from their greedy paws from now on