Ducati Monster Forum

So cops cracking down in nyc and saturday they took my bike for expired inspection.

I followed the bike to the tow company but couldn't pick it up till monday. I have gps scorpio tracking and i checked today and at 2 am last night they took it out and rode it up and down the block at 42mph.

I'm supposed to pick it up tomorrow. Can i do anything? Is it a crime? I have the proof in the app showing 8 hrs ago bike was taken and ridden up and down block.

I'd say show all the evidence you have to the tow company owner, and explain the risk that his boneheads in the yard have exposed him to.
And then lean on him to waive the storage fee.

How did they start it?

Cops pulled me over and took the bike w the keys. So they had the keys

I would suggest speaking to a lawyer.  http://www.newyorkcriminallawyer-blog.com/2010/03/new-york-penal-law-16505-16506.html (http://www.newyorkcriminallawyer-blog.com/2010/03/new-york-penal-law-16505-16506.html)  Plus they obviously rode a vehicle with an expired inspection sticker.  The city is also responsible for any damage to your bike.

Please post details in the NYMMC board so others know.

So it is against the law. I posted dets in the nyc forum. I will speak to the manager and ask him to drop the fees or legal action. Will see

If it was my bike, legal action, or much more than the fees.
I would have (kindly) asked for the keys though, to the cops, before surrendering my bike.

Yea but of theres no damage can i do anythig?

There was no reasoning w the cops. They got at me and told me to walk away. I was literally a block from the inspection place and the shop owner was willing to walk over and inspect it right there. They were having none of it and told me to leave the area

No crime but likely enough for the tow company to lose their contract with the police. I would file a complaint at the police department and with City Hall.

If you take the keys they have to drag the bike or car around with a forklift. Better to give them the keys.

i would find the owners wife and ride her up an down the block a couple of times.

 [clap]

Any chance it was on the truck, going up the street?

Or that the company will say it was?

They may i will find out tomorrow.
they def had it on, if it was on truck it would've triggered theft. It didn't it  just started tracking which means the bike was turned on

No.

(http://thumbsnap.com/s/EJiBmaPe.jpg)

 [laugh]

[roll] My funny bone must me broken this morning.  Seriously, how's that an appropriate comment?  

I'd not ride my bike with expired inspection.

It's not. I laughed though ;D.

Things must be different here.

I haven't had a sticker on either of my bikes for years.

Certainly a good idea for license, registration insurance and inspection to be in order, particularly when it comes to operating a motorcycle in NYC.  Sometimes you forget.  Did that with two cars one year.  Car?  Cheap ticket.  Motorcycle?  off to the pound.

Check these guys out on yelp. Knights towing in brooklyn. They have exclusive rights with the NYPD, have had criminal charges in the past, lots of complaints of people saying their cars held hostage, property stolen, many complaints filed against them

Also this
http://nypost.com/2007/04/01/scandal-makes-city-stub-a-tow/ (http://nypost.com/2007/04/01/scandal-makes-city-stub-a-tow/)

The things that go on in BP's head....

BP you're a trip.

who was trying to be funny?





 ;)

Radracer,

Any progress?

So here was my issue when picking up on Monday; if your bike was illegal to ride off in any way (most ppl there got towed for expired registration or insurance and me for my inspection) you had to get a tow truck to tow the bike from the tow place to a shop. So on top of the original tow another tow. My first main concern was to get the bike and avoid that.

There was no manager there to speak to. It was DMV style setup (one angry lady taking care of 30-40 ppl from behind glass and stone walling any questions) so after waiting 3 hrs and hoping they won't notice that my inspection was expired I just wanted to get the bike and leave.

As soon as I got it (they did ask what it was towed for like 3 times and I just lied and said I didn't have my insurance card on me when I got stopped by the cops) they released it, I gave it a look over hopped on and went straight to a shop and got it inspected.

My main reason with confronting them was to possibly get a discount on tow fees but that didn't seem possible since there was no manager and I felt that they would just make getting my bike so much more difficult if I started a situation. 

I may file a complaint but that's about as far as it'll go esp since no damages that I have seen.

I'm just really happy the have the bike back in one piece. 360 tow and holding fees plus 128 dollar ticket. Cops/Tow-1 Me-0

You cant win against NYC. ever.

As much as you want to make it a personal crusade to stick it to the man, dont bother. You think your soul will be happy doing it, but theyll find ways to make you even more mad. Just take it as a learning experience of how to survive with a bike in this city. Its beyond me why the city will tow your bike and not a car, but it is the law.

Just some words of wisdom, if you get pulled over, just be pleasant and nice. Even if your pissed off, just be nice cause these guys dont care one way or another. If your niceness wears on them, theyll give you a break. if it doesnt, you were going to get that ticket/tow anyway.

If you are parking inside the city, cover your bike, legal parking or not. Dowco makes an ultralite cover that literally packs as small as a footlong sub. throw it over and cover your plate and forks and it just blends into the citys background, away from thieves and such.

PROTIP: drag the license plate end of the cover in some dirt thats so foul looking, even a lab technician wouldnt dare touch it to lift the plate. Pour some coke on it and get it sticky too, itll keep any unsuspecting hands away. it also really depends on where you park your bike. Where i currently parked for work ( gramercy, so rich folks), i could have a machine gun sticking out and parked half on the side walk covering a hydrant and they would let it slide. but in brooklyn, itll get ticketed by meter maid wearing a cloak.

I heard that someone was buying motorcycle plates off ebay from Canada and putting them on the bike when parked.  As soon as it got a ticket, they would throw the plate away and get a new one.  Only when parked tho.

Funniest part was seeing the "Ontario" plates being listed as "Oregon" or even "Ohio" on the ticket. 

Here's another tip for NYC riders.

Title and register your bike in South Dakota. No inspections, and far cheaper than anywhere else. South Dakota has long been know as a haven for RV'ers, part time residents of Mexico, and full time travellers like myself. They welcome the money from out of state people. I've registered all my vehicles there for years.

Although you can pick any county, I know the ladies in Clay County on a first name basis. Friendly, personal, one on one service. Recommended.

http://www.claycountysd.org/view.php?doc_id=310 (http://www.claycountysd.org/view.php?doc_id=310)

+1.  I've learned that there is a lot of value in time and peace of mind.  I let them (DMV, DOT, etc.) win sometimes and take my 3-4 hrs of waiting, arguing, etc. and go to the beach instead.

You must be lucky.  I just moved from Gramercy and kept my bike in a garage in the EV because parking was impossible.  I got ticketed 2 out of the 3 times I parked in the street, and in both cases no more than 10-20min after my ticket expired.  Ninjas.  [bang]

Fyi nyc guys. My dad saw the cops w same setup yday in ridge wood queens pulling bikes over and towing

There are two tickets they can issue. Failure to display and Expired ticket.

If you have a failure to display, you will automatically win the case if you plead not guilty and just say i have a motorcycle (have done this 3 times and won all 3 times).
if you actually purchase a ticket and it expires, then you admit that you purchased it and let it lapse. Realistically i had no place to put one on my ducati without the wind blowing it away unless i taped it.

of course this doenst work with a car. Cant beat that one ;\

In NSW you simply don't have to buy a ticket for a motorbike - as long as you obey the same rules as a car would, i.e. you can only park for 2 hours in a 2 hour space etc.  The only daft thing is that it is illegal to park two bikes in the same (car sized) space.

Nypd stores state and tag info for tickets for 3 years.  If you have a south Dakota plate, they will tow it if you get tickets.

That sucks to hear that they're so arm in arm with each other that the city is essentially letting the tow company get away with what they want.  This does add to my reasons of not wanting to ever really go to New York and give them any tourist money.