04/03/2026
Hello Bikers of the North East!
Winter is letting go, and I’m sure you’re already getting your machines ready for the road trips…
I decided to reach out because I need help. I’m so desperate that I don’t know how to wake up from this dream anymore…
And the dream goes like this:
It all started in June 2021, when I took on a client. I don’t judge people by their appearance, but a well-groomed, middle-aged gentleman came to us asking if we could help him save his motorcycles.
Of course! That’s what we do. In this dream, Matty was there too!
We like projects like that. I immediately jumped into my T5 HMC and headed to the location. I was shown four large motorcycles – four choppers. They were standing in a leaky shed. Truly forgotten.
My T5 turned out to be too small to transport them safely, but we know a local biker, very nice guy, who rents out trailers. So I got a trailer, a few local trips, and all four were at HMC. As always with the client – a gentleman’s agreement, a handshake, and let’s go!
First things first in such cases: photos, so we have something to show – “before and after.” Next – a proper wash. Even if the motorcycles weren’t running, they had to look “almost ready.” I agreed with the owner that they would stay with us during the repair (of course), plus – as standard – I could put them on display. I would post ads on Facebook Marketplace and send him photos so he could upload them to Autotrader. His son would handle that part, as he’s good at those things (he wasn't). The ads would be active, and I would be on-site to present the choppers. Since there were several of them, I offered the first month after repairs for free. Every following month – £100 per bike.
The motorcycles weren’t running. Before attempting to start the engines, we had to check the intakes – chase out the mice. Replace missing parts, as it looked like someone had previously tried to repair them. Then just some lubricants, some love, fresh batteries. oh It was good to have some chrome under the roof. I even dreamed of taking a Harley Davidson to Dystie’s to show what we had for sale. Oh! Like the one in Terminator – without the windshield!
The motorcycles were ready. Three of them in the shop, one in the workshop because it was too big to fit through the shop doors. Invoice issued – just under £3,000. A month passed, and the “well-groomed gentleman” disappeared. Contact with his office and his son reassured me. He was fine, just busy, hard to catch. I asked them to let him know I’d like to settle the payment for the work and parts. No problem, he would surely get in touch.
The whole season passed. Winter passed.
At the beginning of the new season, I needed to recover workspace, so I contacted the client again several times. When he finally made time for me, he came in person. To my surprise, he came to check on his toys, not to settle the bills or arrange collection. Before leaving my shop, he pointed at a damaged fuel tank on one of the choppers and asked for proof of HMC’s insurance. (I must add that earlier, when we collected the bikes from the leaky shed, he had asked me to send that tank to a painter. He told me what he had hit, but that wasn’t important to me. I convinced him it wasn’t worth repairing such a small paint chip. I’d sell it as it was, no problem.)
We split that day with a very bad taste in my mouth. I even briefly woke up from the dream that night…
From that point, it became a nightmare. No longer an ordinary dream.
I decided I couldn’t continue storing the “well-groomed gentleman’s” property. It seemed I was expected to become the guardian of his toys – in my own yard.
At the start of the next season, I contacted the owner again, demanding immediate payment and collection from HMC. After several attempts, I threatened to sell one of them to cover my costs and put the remaining ones outside under cameras for pickup.
I sold one. With his consent and payment transferred directly to his bank account. No commission. The motorcycle left on new, unpaid tires. But at least I finally had some floor space for myself. He never came for the remaining bikes. He had another plan…
From then on, he contacted me only through lawyers. I counted seven! I brushed off the first ones like flies, explaining the situation – and they dropped like flies. I was threatened with groundless fines of many thousands, even prison, if I didn’t return the remaining three choppers.
I learned about the first civil court hearing less than 24 hours before it happened. A lawyer called asking if, since we had an online hearing tomorrow, maybe I’d like to talk today? I immediately called the court to verify. They confirmed it was scheduled. Wow. Just like that?
So I joined the Court next day and explained the situation. I offered to cancel half the invoice, which by then was close to £10k (from the original £3–4k). After two seasons of taking care of these choppers, I proposed £5k and collection by the owner, as I didn’t want to be accused of transport damage. The lawyer said it sounded like a good deal and thought the client would accept. I wasn’t so sure, but I wished him luck.
Time passed. Meanwhile, a tragedy struck my family – my older brother committed su***de. It was a very difficult time. The “well-groomed gentleman” came to my workshop and said: “Since you’re going through a family tragedy, I decided to come and try to ease our situation. I’ll offer you £1,500 and take the motorcycles.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. What kind of person does that? I asked him to leave my property.
At the next hearing, I wasn’t even invited. It turned out a judgment could be issued in my absence ordering me to return the motorcycles. One day, my locks were drilled out, the premises searched, and his property forcibly taken. Wouldn’t it have been easier and more civilized to inform me that the Sheriff would arrive on that day, at that hour? I had the keys – I could have used them!
It ended with replacing the locks. New keys were dropped into my home mailbox with a note: “New keys to HMC.” So they knew my home address, yet didn’t inform me of their intentions. No letter, no explanation who left the keys or why.
After returning from work (I was already doing something else), I found the envelope. I went to the police station. I asked an officer to come with me to the workshop as a witness because I didn’t know what had happened. The workshop is a five-minute walk from the station. Two female officers spoke to me through a three-quarters-open door, suggesting I probably hadn’t paid rent. It ended with the door being shut in my face because they were “concerned for their safety.” I only wanted help.
I asked a neighbor to go with me as a witness. It turned out two of three locks were working (and only one worked from the inside). The “well-groomed gentleman’s” motorcycles were gone, along with a few small items. There was some damage – on the workshop door and a lift. Shock.
I called the court to ask if they knew anything. The woman on the phone checked and returned saying it was very strange – there was no information about the Sheriff entering HMC. It didn’t look like standard procedure.
The motorcycles were gone. Two registration documents remained, somehow magically overlooked. They were lying on the desk with the unpaid invoices. I thought I’d hang them on the wall as a warning. After all, the DVLA itself writes on them: THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT PROOF OF OWNERSHIP. In someone else’s hands, without the motorcycles, they’re worthless – especially with a different name on them.
But that wasn’t the end. Court cases continued. For the costs of recovering the motorcycles and the costs of recovering the V5 documents. No scruples. No payment of the invoice. But seven lawyers paid.
Since the case seemed complicated, no one wanted to represent me. I asked the court if I could defend myself. After all, I hadn’t done anything wrong. The court agreed. After several hearings, the case regarding withholding the motorcycles was dismissed, without costs. I lost a lot of nerves, time, and money, but finally it was over. The judge informed me the case was closed with no possibility of appeal. I could finally sleep peacefully.
The joy didn’t last long. Even under the court building, I learned it wasn’t over.
Another case is now nearing its end. They’re ordering me to pay for the recovery of the V5 documents. Since the invoices were unpaid, I demanded settlement and said I would immediately return them. The DVLA writes on them: THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT PROOF OF OWNERSHIP – in someone else’s hands, without the motorcycles, they are worthless. But in my situation, that’s at least £3,000 from an invoice issued years ago! So the court ordered me to return them, and now they’re claiming tens of thousands of pounds from me. On top of that, after a year and a half, they suddenly found some “defects and missing parts” in the motorcycles. The ones that were stored under cover, with new batteries, ready for MOT.
Does anyone know a wizard who can wake me up from this dream?
