bike.jpg
The 1972 Honda XL250 motorcycle was stolen in 1975 and just found on Thursday. (Photo courtesy Washington State Patrol)

Stolen motorcycle returned to owner nearly 37 years later

BY Kim Shepard  on August 3, 2012 @ 3:00 pm (Updated: 5:40 pm - 8/3/12 )

A 62-year-old man has been reunited with the motorcycle that was stolen from him nearly 37 years ago.

State Trooper Troy Briggs says in all that time, the bike didn't go far. It was discovered during a routine VIN inspection in Spokane.

"The vehicle was brought into our VIN inspection lane for inspection for title purposes [...] The seller told the purchaser they didn't have a title for it," says Briggs.

It turns out they didn't have the title because the 1972 Honda XL250 was stolen from the Spokane Valley man in 1975. They found the VIN number in a file of inactive reports.

"It was actually so old, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office actually had to go and research it on microfiche," Briggs says.

Troopers were able to track down the original owner. He told them he was shocked the motorcycle is still in such good condition.

As for the thief, Trooper Briggs says they're not holding hope they will ever be able to track him down. The bike has likely changed hands several times since it was stolen on November 21, 1975.

Kim Shepard, KIRO Radio Reporter
Kim Shepard is a news anchor and reporter for KIRO Radio and the office optimist. She's energetic, quick to laugh and has a positive outlook on life.
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Comments (3)


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  • otmilkr wrote...
    Very nice but
    August 3, 2012 7:25 pm
    Too bad someone couldn;t have been arrested so bare minimum, three lawyers could make some money off this.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Forrest wrote...
    I like your wit otmilkr
    August 4, 2012 6:20 am
    and your wisdom.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • R L M 456 wrote...
    As for the thief, Trooper Briggs says they're not holding hope they will ever be able to track him down.
    August 4, 2012 7:17 am
    Because the police would actually need to care enough to look
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }