Thief steals Ducati during Gumtree test drive

[Ratmick]

Originally Posted by FPV0002

Very unfortunate for the victim, as a rider myself I don't see hopping on the back as a pillion as an option. Doing so on a bike like that would basically be a waste of time even for a legitimate test ride as having a pillion on a sports bike severely compromises the handling and ride experience. Also jumping on the back of a bike with someone I don't know and have no idea of their riding experience sounds like a death wish to me!

Totally agree, if I was someone else I wouldn't jump on the back of a bike I was test riding so wouldn't expect anyone else to

The issue with myself is that I have never ridden with a pillion and wouldn't want to give it a go the first time on someone else's bike with them on the back.

As someone pointed out the Ducati in question didn't even have a pillion pad anyway.

It's a bit of a difficult position to be in for the seller, especially if you want to sell. I was relatively ok when I did it as I had all the guy's details in emails, and I had called him at work (and cross-referenced the number on Google to the actual company, plus found him mentioned in conjunction with the company name) so I knew where to find him.

He was a nice guy returning to two wheels after a family break without a ride, certainly didn't set off any alarm bells. He ended up buying the bike too, said he'd think about it and call me during the week and rang back when he got home two hours later. Did a bank deposit and came back the following weekend.

You do read a lot of horror stories though...