Stolen bike, well kind of...

[Scooterdude]

Ok not a scooter but maybe someone can put me on the right track. Right ill wind the clock back 34 years to 1982, the year I pass my car test. Understandably after riding around on my Yamaha fs1e for a couple of years to work and back ( and covering 32000 miles on the thing!) I now don't need it, the cold mornings, or the getting p155 wet through going to work so I lay it up and put it behind my Fathers garage and more or less forget about it until I go down there for something else maybe a year-eighteen months later and it's gone, stolen! Well I never Informed the police as it was probably only worth 80-100 quid and I wasn't much bothered anyway, something less to clutter the place up.

Fast forward to last Friday, I decide I'd like a personalised number plate so jump on the Internet and the first site I come across is the AA numberplate checker, more out of curiosity than anything else I put my old fs1e reg in and up it comes.... Blue Yamaha! I'm shocked but Dident go any further otherwise it would have cost me £20 so I decide to go to the local police station (which has now changed and you can't just go in like you used to) so I end up ringing 101 and eventually get through to someone and after explaining the situation he told me that yes it looks like it is still registered and despite it being 34 years ago a theft has taken place and they would look into it and someone would ring me back within 24 hours, so a couple of hours later I get a voice mail saying they now don't think a crime has been committed and in any case it was 34 years ago so case closed!

Any ideas what I can do now? Report it stolen 34 years later to DVLA?

[DigDug]

If you have any evidence that you own the bike I'd go back to the Police.

[timexit17]

I'd agree with DD -if you have any evidence you own it then it's irrelevant who it's registered to.
I can sympathise with the local plod after 34 years but have also found that the civilian workers on their front desk (phone line seems the same!) seem to think anything under mass murder isn't worthy of their time -particularly theft or attempted theft.

[warts]

In general, the Modern Police Force is mainly concerned with ticking boxes, in most cases a case closed box. They are closing the case because it makes them look good for no work.

[EddieStone]

I'm a bit puzzled by this - you typed in the registration and the bike is still on the road?

I had a Vespa stolen years ago, it was worth less than the hassle of claiming insurance, so I didn't do anything about it. Since I still have the V5, I still technically own the bike. When I type the registration in on the DVLA site, it still registered as a black Vespa. I doubt it exists though - it's just a record on a database.

If you didn't surrender the V5, it will still be on the database, but whether the actual bike still exists is another matter. Stolen bikes don't tend to last long.

[DigDug]

I'm a bit puzzled by this - you typed in the registration and the bike is still on the road?

I had a Vespa stolen years ago, it was worth less than the hassle of claiming insurance, so I didn't do anything about it. Since I still have the V5, I still technically own the bike. When I type the registration in on the DVLA site, it still registered as a black Vespa. I doubt it exists though - it's just a record on a database.

If you didn't surrender the V5, it will still be on the database, but whether the actual bike still exists is another matter. Stolen bikes don't tend to last long.

V5 isn't proof of ownership though is it.....

[holty]

I'm a bit puzzled by this - you typed in the registration and the bike is still on the road?

I had a Vespa stolen years ago, it was worth less than the hassle of claiming insurance, so I didn't do anything about it. Since I still have the V5, I still technically own the bike. When I type the registration in on the DVLA site, it still registered as a black Vespa. I doubt it exists though - it's just a record on a database.

If you didn't surrender the V5, it will still be on the database, but whether the actual bike still exists is another matter. Stolen bikes don't tend to last long.

V5 isn't proof of ownership though is it.....

correct, it used to say on the front of the logbook, this is not proof of ownership.
i guess this is a legal matter that the police wont be interested in as it has probably passed through many hands before it reached the current owner, you could always check if the mot is due on dvla website to see if its being used ?

[YAMLAM]

Two useful websites:-
https://www.vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/
https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

[warts]

If the foot was on the other leg, and you were riding around on a scooter which some scumbag had stolen and passed on, you could be in for some explaining, until it all got clarified.
Stolen goods ALWAYS belong to the person from whom they were stolen. May be not the exact words, but the idea of a principle of English law.

If your bike had a V5 it will be more traceable much more easily. If you STILL had the V5 then it would be no problem, It would show you had an "interest" in the bike at some time.
If you have anything to indicate previous ownership, photos perhaps, it would help. Other wise the police could be looking at a "he said/she said" situation.

[YAMLAM]

possesion is 9/10ths of the law ?