Have you ever stolen a bike in Japan?

[AssKissinger]

Inspired by Devicenull's thread.

[FG Lurker]

A big "no" for me.

Although as I described in his thread, I know people who have been stopped while riding one. It's not a pleasant experience.

[GomiGirl]

No but I have definitely considered it.. especially while walking home after the last train tired and hungry and broke. Every bike I passed I checked to see if it was a) locked and b) didn't have flat tyres.

But none of the bikes that I passed on my long walk home fit the bill so my criminal life remains virginal at present.

[Mennon]

I bought a bike and I haven't bothered registering it because it's a piece of shit. But I have been stopped twice in a year by the cops riding home, so maybe I should.

Is it coz I is black?

[AssKissinger]

How black is yoo? Better uplaod a pic!

[tidbits]

Years ago, I took an abandoned bike whick was parked at my apartment 's bicycle park and I inform the Koban about this-is that considered half stealing?

[AssKissinger]

Years ago, I took an abandoned bike whick was parked at my apartment 's bicycle park and I inform the Koban about this-is that considered half steeling?

Yes, you better give yourself a spanking and post your bright red bottom to prove it.

[devicenull]

Years ago, I took an abandoned bike whick was parked at my apartment 's bicycle park and I inform the Koban about this-is that considered half steeling?

Sometimes I really wonder about all the abandoned bikes at the train stations, the bikes that are in perfect condition but are covered with the wire tags threatening to put more tags on it if you don't move it. The bikes that have been there so long that the chains are rusted solid. Are these the bikes of people who came to the station one day only to jump off the platform? The bikes that got a flat tire, so they were abandoned in the middle of nowhere, forgotten, only to be replaced the next day with a new $100 bike instead of getting a $10 innertube. How did these people get home that night? Like the odd pair of jeans you always saw in the school lost and found box. Or the pair of shoes out on the highway... knowing that this may have been their only pair of shoes they had with them... how do you buy shoes if you have to have shoes to go into the store?

These are the mysteries of life which keep me awake at night and inspire hangovers of legendary proportions.

[oyajikun]

No matter how much some of these bicycles look like trash. No matter how many times you walk past the same old abandoned mamachari, do not pick it up. Trust me on this.

[devicenull]

No matter how much some of these bicycles look like trash. No matter how many times you walk past the same old abandoned mamachari, do not pick it up. Trust me on this.

There are probably more abandoned bikes in Japan than there are bikes in use. The registration system should have an expiration date set on it, say 3 years to throw up an arbitrary number. If the sticker is out of date on an abandoned bike, it should be fair game.

[FG Lurker]

Years ago, I took an abandoned bike whick was parked at my apartment 's bicycle park and I inform the Koban about this-is that considered half steeling?

Sometimes I really wonder about all the abandoned bikes at the train stations, the bikes that are in perfect condition but are covered with the wire tags threatening to put more tags on it if you don't move it.

These bikes have almost certainly been stolen and then abandoned at the station when a better bike is "found" by the thief.

These are the mysteries of life which keep me awake at night and inspire hangovers of legendary proportions.

Mystery solved.

[oyajikun]

My first year here I picked up an abandoned fixer upper that I had been walking by every day for at least 3 months. I put new tires on it, align the seat and handle bars, and clean it up etc.

I rode it around for about 5 months before I was stopped by the J-cops. I explain to them that it was a junk bike that I fixed up but they got instant hardons the moment they called the number in and discovered that it was reported stolen nearly a year earlier.

I was arrested, questioned for about 3 hours with the same 2 questions over and over. "Where did you steal the bike?" "Why are you not telling us the truth?" ..

I was working at Yokota airbase at the time as a civilian contractor so lucky me gets turned over to the Air force cops after the J-cops tired of me. They believe my story (yea!) but they charge me with larceny because of "protocol"..

I won't even walk with a bike these days.

[Mike Oxlong]

I fell asleep on the last train home (had been drinking in the city), was woken up by a conductor. "O-kyaku-san, shuten desu." I was groggy, and not happy to find myself 10 or 12 clicks from home. No cash for a hotel/taxi, all cash-corners closed, calls to friends went unanswered.

Found a bike in a heap of seemingly abandoned ones a few blocks from the station, rode it along a major highway all the way back home, and left it next to the local koban. It should have found its way back to the owner.

I felt somewhat justified, as two of my bikes had been stolen (probably by drunks too). Faulty logic, I know, but did it anyway.

[devicenull]

I fell asleep on the last train home (had been drinking in the city), was woken up by a conductor. "O-kyaku-san, shuten desu." I was groggy, and not happy to find myself 10 or 12 clicks from home. No cash for a hotel/taxi, all cash-corners closed, calls to friends went unanswered.

Found a bike in a heap of seemingly abandoned ones a few blocks from the station, rode it along a major highway all the way back home, and left it next to the local koban. It should have found its way back to the owner.

I felt somewhat justified, as two of my bikes had been stolen (probably by drunks too). Faulty logic, I know, but did it anyway.

ATMs close up at night because the small Japanese who work inside of them need sleep too, true story.

[FG Lurker]

ATMs close up at night because the small Japanese who work inside of them need sleep too, true story.

No shit. And here I had always thought it was because the gerbils inside that keep those bill counters spinning needed a break.

[devicenull]

ATMs close up at night because the small Japanese who work inside of them need sleep too, true story.

No shit. And here I had always thought it was because the gerbils inside that keep those bill counters spinning needed a break.

Gerbils, Japanese.. same thing really if you think about it

[dimwit]

Never have. Never will. I think that what I do as individuals reflects on all foreigners here. When Japanese complain about foreign crime, we should be doing our damnedest to prove them wrong, not reinforcing the stereotype. Bikes I have seen abandoned at the stations, by the riverside, behind the apartment building etc. are of two varieties; the usable ones are almost always stolen, the unusable ones are way beyond repair and are a hazard to drive.

Personally, I probably cycle about 10 km a day and given that I ride mommacharis, their lifespans tend to be brief but exciting. The last bike I abandoned had a broken chain, broken seat, broken basket, broken crank, scored bearings, warped wheels, ten patch tires, badly worn front brakes, with a snapped back brake cable. Steal it if you feel lucky.

[fatslug]

The police stopped me one night while riding....the problem wasnt being the bike stolen , but i was way too drunk to speak properly....mumbling shit that no one could understand........they couldnt be fucked continuing to talk to me cause i was just wasting their time and vomiting everywhere !!

the funny thing was, they told me to put my bike lights on when i rode off !
All this at 2:00 am !

[sillygirl]

Stolen? Naaah, borrowed.

There was this gorgeous mountain bike outside the Lawsons near me. It was there for a year, because it had a puncture. (We all know how J people don't do puncture repairs).

I went in and asked the clerk about the bike, and he said he'd be happy for me to take it away. Which I did. And shipped it to England 2 years later.

Oh. I lied. I HAVE stolen it, then. Oh well. Come and arrest me. (Please, cos I'm sick of the freaking shite weather in England!)

My J friends had a job where they drove round with the blokes from the council or whatever, picking up abandoned bikes in a truck. At the end of the day, the driver invited my 2 buds to choose a bike to keep.

[Mels]

Never thought about getting a bike while in Japan. Sure, had a bike while at Yokota HS, but after I got my drivers license, never really rode it.
I was lucky, working in Ueno/Akasaka mistuke and living in Shimokitazawa, I really did not need a bike. Use to walk from Roppongi to Shibuya, etc. I would have preferred a patapata to drive around on.

I wonder now, why I had no desire to even ride a bike. I could have changed out of my suit, throw it in my back pack and riden the bike without worries about the crowded trains or missing the last train.

And of course today I own 2 bikes- mountain and road bike for the exerice....go figure

[Mike Oxlong]

...The last bike I abandoned had a broken chain, broken seat, broken basket, broken crank, scored bearings, warped wheels, ten patch tires, badly worn front brakes, with a snapped back brake cable. Steal it if you feel lucky.

Isn't abandoning a bike (or bikes) just as bad? You are contributing to the problem of illegal dumping of sodai gomi (all garbage, for that matter). Illegal, an eyesore...

[cstaylor]

Eyesore... doesn't that apply to most of urban Japan?

[guriguri247365]

I stole a convertible bmw when I was in jhs. Well, I put it back after a few hours but the tank was damn near empty and tires were worn out a little. But, if you put it back its technically not stealing isnt it? :P

After that, Im proud to admit that I havent stolen anything else

[dimwit]

...The last bike I abandoned had a broken chain, broken seat, broken basket, broken crank, scored bearings, warped wheels, ten patch tires, badly worn front brakes, with a snapped back brake cable. Steal it if you feel lucky.

Isn't abandoning a bike (or bikes) just as bad? You are contributing to the problem of illegal dumping of sodai gomi (all garbage, for that matter). Illegal, an eyesore...

Be a friend of the earth, give nature a bike and a refrigerator.

[hakuman]

Eyesore... doesn't that apply to most of urban Japan?

Dude, Yokohama is beautiful.

[Mini_B]

You shouldn't take shit that isn't yours. Imagine if someone stole your mom's bike. Would you like that? People who steal bikes should be killed.

[AssKissinger]

You shouldn't take shit that isn't yours. Imagine if someone stole your mom's bike. Would you like that? People who steal bikes should be killed.

Even me?

[Maths Dude]

I had a GSX400 motorbike stolen in Nagoya. I guessed some young punks (Yankees ) stole it for a joy ride. I had insurance on it, but it didnt kick untill it had been 'missing' for a month (I think). So in a way I was hoping it wouldnt be found. Unfortunately the cops found it 2 days before the insurance would have bought me a new one. It seems those fuckers had thrashed it till it ran out of juice, then tried to 'pick' the gas tank lock to try and increase their thrill time. The muffler was also missing. I guess I should have had better insurance, because I had to pay for the damage they caused. Pricks!

[ttjereth]

I have always been under the impression that the Japanese consider bikes and umbrellas as communal property.

[silverfall]

I have always been under the impression that the Japanese consider bikes and umbrellas as communal property.

[b]

I just had my bike stolen a week ago. Three days later I saw it parked on the other side of the building. The lock had been destroyed. I don't know if the person was brining it back or was an idiot for returning to the scene of the crime.