No more PCX for me

[Hax]

So after 13 months of PCX ownership I no longer have it in my possession. It has been a good 13 months and the PCX has been one of the best two wheelers that I have owned, out of twenty odd bikes over the years. For town transport I believe that it is perfect, with its light weight and manouverability and unmatched economy, it has been a dream. However there has been a downside; within the first 6 weeks of ownership there had been 2 attempts to steal it. Both failed as it was securely locked. Over the past 28 years of riding no other bike has attracted the attention of the lower life forms that steal other people's rides, like the PCX did.
Last night, whilst returning from work, my usual route home was closed. I followed the diversion, which took me through a renowned bad area of town. Whilst waiting at the lights I was drop kicked off the scooter and onto the floor. The attacker then ran at me and started kicking at my head. Obviously I had my helmet on and was wearing an armoured jacket so it wasn't difficult to block the kicks and get onto my feet. Another bloke stood near by while the initial attacker continued to try and kick me. I am a black belt in Karate and so was able to block his attacks, which led him to challenge me to a fight. I considered the odds; 2 of them, possibly with knives, maybe guns against me for the sake of a scooter? I decided to step back. The attacker pulled the scooter up, jumped on it, almost crashed it into a metal fence and the shot off with his boyfriend trailing behind.
I went into a cafe, not far from the incident and called the police, whilst the cafe owners made me tea. The police initially said that they would come out to see me within the hour. They are now going to phone me on Sunday (3 days after the incident!) I don't hold out much hope for seeing the PCX again or for the thieves to be apprehended. And this is one of the reasons why we have such a problem with bike theft in the UK: unless you are really unlucky there are no consequences to taking someone's bike as there is a 90% chance that the police will do nothing about it anyway as it is a low priority crime.
I don't see any point in getting another scooter simply because they are too easy to steal and to ride. These morons can just jump on and ride away, whereas with a motorcycle they have to know how to ride. I will be getting back on my Shadow 1100.

[GeorgeSK]

That had to be a hard decision with the adrenaline flowing, but it was probably the wiser. Your story really sucks, but at least you can tell the tale.

[Greenmeenie]

That totally sucks dude. Sorry for your loss, but glad youre okay. What the hell is going on in the UK with all these hit and run bike thefts? I don't think i've ever heard of that kind of thing happening here in the states. Crazy. I really don't know how i'd react if that happened to me. I'd like to think i'd kick their asses... But then nobody is really prepared for such a thing. It's not like the movies. Its real life. Better to walk away than get shot or stabbed.

If this is such a big problem in the UK...Why don't the cops set up sting operations? Have a cop ride around on a scooter all day as a decoy with an undercover van following them. God, i'd LOVE to see those crooks get busted.

[markcap]

Yo dude....horrible story. Having a scoot stole is bad enough but to attack you and steal it? Really sorry.
I'm licensed & permitted to carry a concealed weapon in PA. Would I use it? Hard decision for sure. But if I felt my life was in danger.....

[you you]

So after 13 months of PCX ownership I no longer have it in my possession. It has been a good 13 months and the PCX has been one of the best two wheelers that I have owned, out of twenty odd bikes over the years. For town transport I believe that it is perfect, with its light weight and manouverability and unmatched economy, it has been a dream. However there has been a downside; within the first 6 weeks of ownership there had been 2 attempts to steal it. Both failed as it was securely locked. Over the past 28 years of riding no other bike has attracted the attention of the lower life forms that steal other people's rides, like the PCX did.
Last night, whilst returning from work, my usual route home was closed. I followed the diversion, which took me through a renowned bad area of town. Whilst waiting at the lights I was drop kicked off the scooter and onto the floor. The attacker then ran at me and started kicking at my head. Obviously I had my helmet on and was wearing an armoured jacket so it wasn't difficult to block the kicks and get onto my feet. Another bloke stood near by while the initial attacker continued to try and kick me. I am a black belt in Karate and so was able to block his attacks, which led him to challenge me to a fight. I considered the odds; 2 of them, possibly with knives, maybe guns against me for the sake of a scooter? I decided to step back. The attacker pulled the scooter up, jumped on it, almost crashed it into a metal fence and the shot off with his boyfriend trailing behind.
I went into a cafe, not far from the incident and called the police, whilst the cafe owners made me tea. The police initially said that they would come out to see me within the hour. They are now going to phone me on Sunday (3 days after the incident!) I don't hold out much hope for seeing the PCX again or for the thieves to be apprehended. And this is one of the reasons why we have such a problem with bike theft in the UK: unless you are really unlucky there are no consequences to taking someone's bike as there is a 90% chance that the police will do nothing about it anyway as it is a low priority crime.
I don't see any point in getting another scooter simply because they are too easy to steal and to ride. These morons can just jump on and ride away, whereas with a motorcycle they have to know how to ride. I will be getting back on my Shadow 1100.

Cool. Warning signs are there.

Appreciate the paragraphs. Good luck with the shadow 1100.

Let us know how it goes.

[PCX150Rider]

A sad story indeed. The silver lining to that cloud is you are still alive to tell us about it.

All kinds of thoughts are and will go through your head about the situation but at the end of the day it's best to let it go. . .be thankful for what you have. . .and renew with the 1100. Nobody lives forever and time is too valuable to waste it on revenge. Take the higher ground, be better than they are, add value to the world with each step you take. I've had a motorcycle stolen on me and I know the feeling of that kind of loss. Also had a boat stolen as well. Life goes on. . ..

[Gil]

The struggle is real in the UK, when it comes to scooter thefts. I have see some YouTube personalities comment on the epidemic of motorcycle thefts in the UK, but I never thought it would be this darring. I guess it's a good thing that scooters are looked down upon, here in the US of A. The judgement of the situation is great, I'm glad that you got out of it without any major injury. One thing that I don't understand is the police response. They attacked you, that's like assault. Have fun on your non-automatic motorcycle. Here in California thieves don't steal manual vehicles because they can't drive them, anti theft device I suppose.


Gil

[Mel46]

Unfortunately it is easy for us to judge, but I do have to ask this: since hand guns are banned in the UK, is being shot a real threat? Here in the USA it is quite possible, though it most likely wouldn't be for scooter theft.That being said, bad parts of town here could get you killed for a quarter. I wouldn't even think about going there.

[87112]

wtf/ when I think of UK I think of London and people sipping tea watching foreigners do all the dirty jobs.. sorry had to let that out.

I really hope something else works out for you so you don't lose the joy of 2 wheels.

[alx123]

Omg, just be glad youre safe. I thought things like these are just 3rd worlds problem. What went wrong UK?

[easyrider]

Whats the black belt for ??? Getting a couple of licks in would have made you feel better.Did you actually see a gun??? Rule #1 Never stop rolling in a bad part of town, and if you must be prepared to mash the throttle.. Time to see how maneuverable it really is.. Best of luck on the new ride.

[fish]

Have seen the same problem of scooter thefts in London discussed on the Vespa forum......with several owners stating it is simply not possible to own a Vespa in London. They'll not be buying another.
Sad business....once word gets around how easy it is to get away with.
A shame. Glad it was no worse for you.
Fish

[Slowinitdown]

Hax what happened to you and many others is horrendous and especially the response from police seeing as you were attacked. No one knows what they would do in the same situation. Sad that you've lost the convenience a scooter offers and that these scum bags get away Scot free every time. Need better tracking systems on these bikes if the police had a chance of tracking them they would be more likely to go after them.

[Greenmeenie]

I just watched a whole bunch of scooter theft videos from the UK. Again...i am amazed at how common a problem it is over there. But more than that, i am shocked that the police haven't set up elaborate sting operations to stop this scurge. Seriously. Create a task force of undercover cops on scooters riding around London to catch these bastards in action. Then post those videos of thieves getting busted. Word would get out and the risk might become too high making thieves think twice. Cause right now the thieves are too damn confident that nothing will happen.

[Mel46]

From all of the TV shows and movies I have seen involving London, how effective could the police be if they are not armed at least as well as the bad guys?
I try to imagine a policeman yelling, "Stop! Police!", expecting the thugs to just drop their weapons and stand there with their hands up. Really?? How much affect would yelling have in a bad neighborhood?
The police over there are at a big disadvantage if guns are starting to show up on the streets. Good luck with stopping armed thugs.

[Greenmeenie]

In Northern Ireland, ALL police carry guns. In the UK, the majority don't except for specially trained firearms officers. So, such a task force could be set up to stop these bike hijackers.

[doletotodole]

In England? daylight robbery, inconceivable.

[Hax]

Thanks for all your replies. In the heat of the situation, yes the adrenaline is flowing, but there is also a calmness. My assessment of the situation was that the main attacker was there for intimidation. The potentially more dangerous one was the guy who held back but who would have joined in, no doubt, if his companion was getting hit back. There is a 90% possibility that they were carrying knives and, as mentioned, possibly guns as well. Gun and knife crime are a big problem in some parts of the UK. At 5 foot six and 56 years old I made the decision to stand back. Hence the reason that I am still able to tell the story with nothing more than a slight ache in my right shoulder, where I went down. What I didn't mention in my previous post is that I believe the attacker tried to knock me off the scooter, before I got to the lights, while I was still moving, which would have been worse. I recollect someone coming close to the bike as I was riding but just thought it was someone running to cross the road.
The police don't care about vehicle theft and haven't done for years. It is low priority to them and I will be surprised if they even bother to contact me tomorrow, as they have said that they will do. I was in a hit and run in 1999 and was left with a Yam 1100 on top of me. Two bystanders helped me up and got me and the bike to the side of the road. A police officer did turn up about an hour later and his first question was asking if the bike was MOTd (a basic functionality test done on all vehicles over 3 years old). I asked why I would need an MOT on a 2 year old bike? After taking a few notes he told me that an officer would come to take a full statement in 'a few days'. That was 18 years ago. I am still waiting.
I will update you tomorrow. So far no news.

[outlander]

I lived most of my life in the UK, stories like the above are sad but they are nothing new. Also as an ex member of Greater Manchester Police, I will say the UK Police are useless. They are not there to prevent crime but to show up afterwards and take a crime report. With the hope that the attackers are found, convicted and useless don't serve anytime. The UK Police are overstretched, underpaid and under financed.

I have lived in the U.S. the past 10 years. I always carry my pistol in either my scooter tunnel bag or my vstroms tank bag. Most criminals know not to attempt to steal one's bike or burgle/robb one's home.

The left biased uk mainstream media love to selectively report how dangerous the U.S. is with mass shootings everyday blah blah blah, but in reality I feel more safe in the US than the UK.

Getting rid of the scooter with the mindset your going to prevent these incidents is wrong in my opinion. Attempt to steal my property and I will make you wish you didn't.

[you you]