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  #1  
Old 16 Jan 2009
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Problem with motorcycle hosting in Venezuela
Hello all,

Travelling around South America with my XTE, i left my mechanical horse at the borde between Brasil and Venezuela at a german s house. Unfortunatly a few home problems kept me in Europe a bit longer than expected.

Since the german needed some room he gave the motorcycle to one of his friends. I sent a friend of mine to get the motorcycle back to transfer it a friends house there but the german guy refused to give it back, saying he needed the motorcycle to work in his mine.

Which advises could experienced travellers give me to solve that unexpected problem? Is there a Venezuelian community i could contact to find solutions?

Kind regards

Philippe
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  #2  
Old 16 Jan 2009
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Do you have the title to the motorcycle? Send your friend a copy of it and some money to have a Venezuelan lawyer write a letter to the German guy.

Hopefully he gives it back after receiving the letter but if he does not there is not much you can do other then returning to Venezuela yourself and involving/bribing the police.
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  #3  
Old 16 Jan 2009
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Sounds like you need to go back and get it yourself; objections to handing it back will probably evaporate once the rightful owner appears.

Involving a lawyer is an invitation to be ripped off....

SW
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  #4  
Old 16 Jan 2009
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Thanks both for your replies.

It s odd that you Gatogato replied because last year at the same time i was speaking in Santa Elena with a french canadian guy who participated in your temporary desapearance search that mobilised a few members here =)

Since i dont have the free time to get there right now, i have no other option than trying to solve the problem at distance. I thought that leaving the bike at a european s home and counting on his friendship was pretty safe.

If i dont get it back, well...another travelling experience. Travelling is also about exploring human nature .

*sadness and fatalism*
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  #5  
Old 19 Jan 2009
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Hi
i am the French Canadian guy.
Lots of Germans in Santa Elena, with whom did you leave your bike? I hope it is not Andreas, the German from Kamadac (in fact son of Germans), he is the one who put fire to my 650GS the 24th of December 2006. pure envy...
If it's him, you can imagine that unfortunately I don't talk with him.
Is the bike under your name?
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  #6  
Old 19 Jan 2009
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Indeed Claude, you guessed well .
French carte grise with my name.
I still have the entry and leave stamps of the motorcyle on my passport.
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  #7  
Old 19 Jan 2009
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Obviously, the bike being in your name, you can claim it legally, but unfortunately you will have to go yourself in person because like I told you by PM, i don't know many persons in SEU who will want to have problems with this psycho. If then he doesn't give it back to you, you can report it as stolen and notify the PTJ (judicial police, they have an office in santa elena and they already know the guy for the problem with my bike. Unfortunately they couldn't do nothing in my case, even though they had the witnesses, because in venezuela putting fire to an object that doesn't have foundations to the ground is a "private" matter, not criminal. In your case it is criminal so they will be able to get it for you, but then you'd better get out of town fast...
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  #8  
Old 19 Jan 2009
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Hi Claude,

Thanks for your quick reply. True, Andreas is not german but culturally he is pretty much.

I ll see what i can do with my friends network there but since you are saying that the Frank is dangerous, i don t want to put their health at risk. i unfortunatly don t have the availability to deal with that problem directly right now.

It s not a question of money but a question of trust. I m feelling stupid to have placed my trust in the wrong person.
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  #9  
Old 20 Jan 2009
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Anybody knows the email address of Richard Brandt who travelled From Venezuela to Alaska on a BMW 1200 GS in 2008? Does he have an account on horizons unlimited?
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  #10  
Old 25 Jan 2009
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trust
Just to make you feel better I left my motorcycle with a well known motorcyclist who said he would sell my bike and he has now disappeared. (the guy who runs this tour company called viajandosinlimites)
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Last edited by BklynDakar; 31 Jan 2009 at 01:13.
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  #11  
Old 26 Jan 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BklynDakar View Post
I stayed at the other guys place in Santa Elena for free. He seemed nice enough but something was off.
Richard is not in my circle of close friends, but I know he welcomes all motorcycle travellers and offers them a place for free in his house, what you confirm he actually did with you.
the comment "something was off" is your thank you note?
Claude
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  #12  
Old 29 Jan 2009
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Well i contacted Richard but no news yet.

It looks like Franck, the german guy, doesnt feel like giving the bike back. I dont see any other option than a legal process and pay the police to keep the bike if they find it back.

If you guys have other ideas, they are welcome.

Seems like Santa Elena de Uairen is the Bermuda Triangle for international motorcyle travellers. Already 3 of us got their motorcycle desapearing there (burnt, confiscated, desapeared).

May it be a lesson to be remembered for other RTW motorcyclists passing there. The proximity of the border and "free zone" status is convenient to leave the motorcycle and come back but..this is Venezuela, you need to find the gems in the dust in a carabean environment where trust, responsability and respect and words understood by a minority since most people have a day by day survival psychology.
Last edited by Vorteks; 29 Jan 2009 at 18:00. Reason: additional thoughts
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  #13  
Old 29 Jan 2009
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Hi Vortex,

Just read your private message. For some reason I cannot reply directly.
Vortex wrote: "Since you might know the venezuelian reality better than me, what would you advise me to solve that problem? Which are my options?"
Unfortunately I can't be of much help. I don't know Venezuelan law. And Santa Elena is a long way from where I live (Choroní).
What I can tell you is, as posted before, there is not much chance of having someone else than yourself claiming back your bike.
I will however ask a friend of mine, who is a lawyer in Caracas, for his opinion. I know he can't do anything himself, because he's a very busy guy, but who knows he might have some ideas!
I will probably see him over the weekend.

Bye,
André Loerakker
Holiday home and rooms in Choroní, Venezuela - Cachama Negra, posada/hotel in Choroní
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  #14  
Old 29 Jan 2009
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Nothing is that far on a motorcycle, i rode from El Tigre to Santa Elena in one day =)

Dank u well for your concern and your answer, André. I got Richard (he travelled from Venezuela to Alaska on his bike) on the phone today as well and he accepted to do a mediation. The more ideas i get the better to find the most appropriate action.

I might visit you this year if i can get the motorcycle back.

Un abrazo

Philippe
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  #15  
Old 30 Jan 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vorteks View Post
Already 3 of us got their motorcycle desapearing there (burnt, confiscated, desapeared).
just to put the record straight here, we are talking of 2 bikes mishaps in santa elena, mine, which was put into fire and yours, and it is not santa elena, it is the same german guy..... (if he would move to montpellier in france, montpellier would become a dangerous place... ) apart from that santa elena is OK. The other guy, dakar, who left is bike to be sold in vzla happened in puerto la cruz, and btw it is impossible to sell a foreign used bike in vzla (and many other latin american countries)
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