A long and sad story, but I caught two young lads who had robbed my blackbird last night. I'd taken it out and left it on the drive because I was hoping to bring it for a spin after the winter. It was absolutely pristine, but it's been scratched down both sides. I think they dropped it. I caught one of them but I let him go because I just felt sorry for him. He was a poor little teenager who just kept asking me to let him go, that he had no money and was a nice person, and his mother was ill, and I just believed him to be honest. He said "I have nothing, and you live in a big house, and you've loads of money, you can buy another bike". I told him I'd had nothing either, and id worked hard for things, which is true, but ive had every advantage going otherwise and he was right in many ways. I don't feel financially rich, but we do live in a biggish semi-d on a nice road. Anyhow, it's been scratched and it was pristine, so if anyone could recommend a bodywork lad in Manchester that'd be great (bike is in didsbury) Thanks
Aside from sounding like a passage from a Charles Dickens novel I can recommend Trafford Body Repairs on Chester Road They repaired the back of my camper van for me after I inadvertently reversed it in to a metal post and did a great job of it. Also Russell garage, Whalley Range, although it might look like a back street garage, which essentially it is, repaired a friends car roof after some guttering fell on it and did a seamless job for little money. Didsbury also, haven’t heard you around? What’s a Blackbird, apart from the obvious?
Yes a Honda super blackbird. It is (was) as new. Thanks for the recommendation. I'll try them though tbh, I'm wondering whether a mobile lad might be about just for ease.
Did you come across "the two lads" whilst out driving, walking the dog or what? I hope you don't mind my asking but it seems a fantastic coincidence - unless you followed a tracker signal and caught them red handed?
I got a phone call from a neighbor saying it had been robbed as I said. When I got home the neighbors said it had been pushed out down the road but they hadn't heard it start. They were nice ladies and obviously hadn't followed. Last time I had a bike robbed the immobilizer worked and they'd pushed it round the back of some apartments nearby (before ripping out the lock at a cost of £1000 to replace). I checked there first, then the gardens on the street (only a couple didn't have locked gates) then thought to check the apartments at the far end and there they were. They were phoning someone who I suspect had organised the whole thing and likely paid them some desultory sum to take all the risk. That's basically it.
Thanks for filling in the blanks. I'm very happy you still have your bike and really glad the lads didn't respond with *violence when you approached them. You are also a very generous guy imo. https://www.gmp.police.uk/news/grea...the 12 months to,previous 12 months of 37,092. *Wider serious violence offences, which includes robbery and violence with injury was 35,397 incidents. In the 12 months to August 2023, GMP recorded 3,732 knife crimes...
