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Searching for a very specific Blackbird - Possibly in Scotland

Patrick Shepherd

Registered User
Hi everyone. I'm hoping someone on here can help but I know it's a total long shot. The bike in the photo is my dad's old bird. He bought it new in 2005 with the registration NU05 BYK. I'll have been about 10 at the time and a few years later we went round Scotland together on it. My dad went all over Europe with his mates on this bike and loved it. It was fitted with Blue flame exhausts and a double bubble screen, and I believe heated grips. A few years later he replaced it with a ZZR1400 thinking it was a good move and has regretted it ever since. Whenever he sees a photo of the blackbird he always says how he should never have sold it. To him it's the bike that got away.

42824445572_02cd60580d_o.jpg


I want to try and track down the owner of this bike with the intention of trying to buy it back for my dad, if they're willing to sell. As of yesterday evening it's still insured, taxed and tested on UK roads so it's still out there somewhere. If anyone has any info, please let me know.

It initially was sold to a guy in Scotland, I believe possibly the Dumfries area - looking at the annual mileage on the MOT history it's possible that it may still be owned by the same person.

I appreciate it's finding a needle in a haystack but I really want to try and get it back for my old man.

Thanks in advance.
 

Me!

Utterly retired
Club Sponsor
I did similar for my Dad. I prepared a letter to the owner. Posted this letter with an accompanying letter to the DVLA explaining as you have. In turn, DVLA forwarded the letter to the current keeper. Make sure full contact details go on etc and send an envelope with a stamp with letter. I got a call from the current keeper and located said vehicle. Wouldn’t sell tho.... hope it helps.
 

Patrick Shepherd

Registered User
I did similar for my Dad. I prepared a letter to the owner. Posted this letter with an accompanying letter to the DVLA explaining as you have. In turn, DVLA forwarded the letter to the current keeper. Make sure full contact details go on etc and send an envelope with a stamp with letter. I got a call from the current keeper and located said vehicle. Wouldn’t sell tho.... hope it helps.

Hi, thanks for that. Might be worth a try. How long ago was this?
I didn't think the DVLA would do such a thing these days. If it was recent then it's certainly worth a try.
 

andyBeaker

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Club Sponsor
Hi everyone. I'm hoping someone on here can help but I know it's a total long shot. The bike in the photo is my dad's old bird. He bought it new in 2005 with the registration NU05 BYK. I'll have been about 10 at the time and a few years later we went round Scotland together on it. My dad went all over Europe with his mates on this bike and loved it. It was fitted with Blue flame exhausts and a double bubble screen, and I believe heated grips. A few years later he replaced it with a ZZR1400 thinking it was a good move and has regretted it ever since. Whenever he sees a photo of the blackbird he always says how he should never have sold it. To him it's the bike that got away.

42824445572_02cd60580d_o.jpg


I want to try and track down the owner of this bike with the intention of trying to buy it back for my dad, if they're willing to sell. As of yesterday evening it's still insured, taxed and tested on UK roads so it's still out there somewhere. If anyone has any info, please let me know.

It initially was sold to a guy in Scotland, I believe possibly the Dumfries area - looking at the annual mileage on the MOT history it's possible that it may still be owned by the same person.

I appreciate it's finding a needle in a haystack but I really want to try and get it back for my old man.

Thanks in advance.

Copy of PM just sent...........


dont take this the wrong way please, just need to be sure that your thread has been posted in good faith without a sinister undertone.

Can you provide a couple of other photos of the bike in different locations or something else that can validate your request? Photo of the old dvla document?

As I say, hopefully you don't take it the wrong way, simply looking to make sure everyone is safe.

Assuming we get this covered off, happy to suggest some other places you might want to ask.

The thread has been closed temporarily, will reopen when this is covered off.

Regards

Andy
 

carler

Old Hand
Club Sponsor
Congrats on your find! Once you ride it you won't let your dad have it!!
 

andyBeaker

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Club Sponsor
Deal arranged & collecting the bike Saturday from Falkirk.

My dad is currently in Slovenia and won't be home until the 28th. He won't know anything until he gets home and finds it in his garage!

The nerve racking part is riding it home!

Brilliant!!

Post up,some pictures of the event!!
 

jeffa

Been there, and had one
Club Sponsor
Wish i had a son like you, i presume you are paying for it, (y)
 

Jaws

Corporal CockUp
Staff member
Moderator
Club Sponsor
Deal arranged & collecting the bike Saturday from Falkirk.

My dad is currently in Slovenia and won't be home until the 28th. He won't know anything until he gets home and finds it in his garage!

The nerve racking part is riding it home!

Top result !
As a matter of interest, would you know roughly where in Slovenia?
We are touring there too, and are currently at Bovek...
 

Patrick Shepherd

Registered User
Top result !
As a matter of interest, would you know roughly where in Slovenia?
We are touring there too, and are currently at Bovek...

Jaws, they are no longer in Slovenia as they have now headed for home, however if you PM me I can give you a link to their travel route and blog, you can see pin points on the map and photos associated with it.

Well, the bike was collected Saturday lunchtime and I rode it straight home. It was in nowhere near the condition I expected and has a gearbox fault which needs investigating, everything is fine other than it drops out of 5th as soon as you ask for power, so I believe something with the selector forks potentially.
I spent 4 hours cleaning it and polishing scratches out yesterday. It's now roughly at the mark I expected it to be when I picked it up. The bloke openly admitted he hadn't washed it, and I was naive to think that meant since he last rode it. After using a full can of degreaser on the back wheel I now realise he meant in the last 5 years.

I took £800 off my offer price and rode it home. By god those things are quick.

It even still has his GrossGlockner sticker on the windscreen and a Honda wing dustcap on the rear tyre that I *ahem* sourced when I was a schoolkid.

As a bonus to the story, unbeknown to me a mate of mine also happened to collect a blackbird on Saturday, and posted up on Facebook. So I tagged the old man in it to test the water and sure enough he took the bait, saying how his biggest regret was swapping it for the ZZR. All the while that his very bike is sat in his very garage.

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