Back in the eighties here in Japan a buddy and I were at the local jumps riding his Kuwahara Nova and my Mongoose Expert when the local bully shows up on his P.K Ripper.After he puts us down for riding $200 bikes he and his buddies the beat the crap out of us we were outnumbered and they were a couple years older.After a month or so we decided to get revenge one night.We were cruising and out the corner of my eye I see his blue P.K and his buddies Mongoose Pro Class sitting outside unchained.So we stash our cheap bikes at my house and rip theirs off.We didnt keep their bikes longer than 1hour when we decided to ditch their bikes in a pond.Now the pond is 15feet deep fresh water with alot of mud.What do you think of the survivability of a PK after 17years of sitting underwater?Or should I try to find the original owner and confess?I just wantto get your opinions.I know everyone hates a bike thief but that was the only way to get back at those dudes back then.We were much smaller than them.

got yerself in a pickle eh?

Get the bike out, eBay it, donate the funds to VBMX.

The only thing wrong with this sweet revenge story is the untimely demise of two bikes. It would be interesting to see if they survived the water and mud, but you might want to think twice about returning to the scene of the crime or bringing home incriminating evidence, at least if the bullies still live nearby.

Bullies beating up smaller kids. Bullies bikes then get stolen. Sounds like karma to me! Fish out the bikes if you can, but don't mention it to anyone but us.

Anything aluminum is still good. The rest will be toast. Go dig them out. I'd love to see the pics.

Ill try to do that this month .Just wondering how im gonna get to it.Only if there was such a thing as a aluminum magnet!

[ February 07, 2006, 11:35 PM: Message edited by: vanchi529 ]

doug what ya smokin bro?? corrision brother.....esp.if the water is brackish...

I like the story even though I typically hate thieves. Seems justified though!
I don't think it's incriminating evidence anymore. It was SO long ago!

I doubt you'll ever find them sitting in 17 years worth of mud. They may now be 2-3 FEET below the bottom of the pond bed.

scuba gear!!

Duuuuuuude......

We are still Ice Fishing here, that would be a cold recovery....lol

I would not even hesitate getting them. And I would never say a word to them about it.

But then again I never stole anything, so I am not sure how I would feel about it. Sometimes the past is best laid to rest...

I could not resist. Maybe it is because I would love to find a P-51 hanging from a tree in the woods, or a P-38 under 100 feet of ice in Alaska...

I used to collect Beer cans as a kid. That thrill of seeing a can and digging it up, and cleaning it off...

I wouldn't be able to sleep thinking about it, until I had them in my hands! But then again, I was not the guy that put them there either!

I'll give you 100 bucks, and you put an X on a map for me! We will both be happy!!!

That's a GREAT IDEA!!!! Dont tell the whole story, but do an Ebay Auction! Highest Bidder gets an X on a treasure Map to 2 quality vintage BMX bikes that have been under 15 feet of fresh water for 17 years!!!!!!

That would go huge in the States!!!!!!!! I'd have to bid a couple hundred!!!!

Never mind, you are in Japan, too far for me, but someones gotta do it....lol

[ February 08, 2006, 12:46 AM: Message edited by: Ted Carl ]

You reminded me of something very cool.

About 8 years ago I taught a guy (Jerry Provost) how to fly R/C Model Airplanes.

Jerry was an Ex Navy Seal in Vietnam. His business when I knew him, was high profile dives. He brought up (both) a vintage house that was on a semi truck, that went through the ice on lake superior. His company that he started, and owned, was called in for the underwater rescue/welding on the Exxon Valdez.

He also wrote a book on bringing up one of the Street Car Steam Boats in Lake Minnetonka, the "Minnehaha". He was the one that brought it up from 100 feet of water. It was scuttled in 1926 with clay tiles, and was in DEEP mud and lost for over 60 years. They had to go under it with a strap, in 14 foot deep mud, with a 14 foot beam. One guy was stuck under there for a few hours in the pitch blackness!

Jerry gave me an autographed copy of his book before he died recently of Hodgkin's disease . In it, he shows that there are many dive-able wrecks that were sunk in 1890's and 1900's there. Fresh water in the lake. He says that you can still see, and follow, all the coal roads on the bottom of the lake where the coal burning street car boats were routed in the early 1900s, and they dumped the burnt coal overboard.

So if that stuff can last 100 years. You need to get those bikes out of there! Or sell a treasure map!

Here is a couple of pictures from the Book to energize your ambitions! Nothing like a good salvage operation that ends in a complete restoration!





Come on! This is one we all want to follow now!....

[ February 08, 2006, 04:25 AM: Message edited by: Ted Carl ]

Last summer I recovered a Predator from its 10 year lake burial. The steal parts crumbled on the touch. Aluminum fared better. What blew my mind was the condition of the tires. Scrubbed the scum off them and they were like new! Maybe there's a set of barely worn Comp II's waiting to be resurrected...

Go fish my bike out of the pond or I'll beat the crap out of you... AGAIN!

Dig it up and keep it..... don't tell the bullies.

Rick times a different now.I weightlift and kickbox come on over.lol

Sorry guys,(In case the military historians call me on the mat...lol) after reading the back cover, he was the highest rated ARMY Diver, in the South China sea in Nam in 67

He also rigged the scene in the movie "Grumpy Old Men" when the fish house gets pushed in and sunk! LOL...(He told me that story personally, but I was reminded of it reading the back cover.)

...I love this place, fond memories linked everywhere!!!!

Sorry....Carry on! Who's going in after those things!??

If I got a grappling hook i think I can get them

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Iron-Grappling...1QQcmdZViewItem

LMAO!!!! I wonder if the people in the neighborhood would think as I hold that in my hand!

Sounds sorta like a Goonie Adventure to me ! I'll dream about how this turns out with what they do and tell you.


Tony
Bicycle Junkie

Those bikes are toast, man. If I were you, I'd find the guy(s) and say, "Remember how your bikes got stolen 17 years ago? Well, that was me, b*tch!" Then I'd do a Chuck Norris flying roundhouse kick to his head and run like crazy.

Or, you could always confess and see how they want to resolve it. They might say, "Yeah, we were a-holes. Sorry." Or, if they're Yakuza now, they might kill you very slowly.

i bet the bikes have survived quite well under the mud at the bottom of the pond. go get those bikes!!!!

this pond is in japan????

I'd go and find the bikes. Even if they're stuffed, it'd make for some great pics! I reckon the mud will preserve them, at least a little.

I have 2 words for you:

HUTCH LAKE

I say dig the bikes up, restore them if possible, sell them on eBay and donate the proceeds to a worthy charity.

What's the statute of limitations in Japan on stealing some bikes??

I vote go get them.

That is one funny story.

I bet those bikes are in pretty good shape. When you pull them out re-submerge them as fast as you can, in a tub or something, because it's the exposure to the air that'll really hurt them and initiate rust and corrosion. As it is they'll need a very good cleaning, of course.

Salt water I'd be worried about, but a fresh water pond you should be okay. I'd imagine, however, they're under the muck at the bottom of the pond, so good luck finding them.

i work for the park district and there was a homicide the body was thrown into the duck pond. needless to say we had to drain the whole pond for evidence. and some of the stuff you find would blow you away. anyway if it's under the mud it's good if it's showing it's going to be corroded. i found pop bottles under the mud still perfect, the ones that werent, you couldnt read them.

I'm not saying you should tell people there's a body in there. Don't do that!

How big and deep is the pond? If it was a busy place for kids playing around/swimming ... someone may have already found them.

Otherwise, I'd say Go Get 'em. I can't stand bullies! You have everyone's attention, and general conscent - do it!

The great irony of that e-bay grappling hook is that it is one that some guy stole and threw in a pond some 20 years ago.

no offense but you sound like you and your buddy were sissies. First you get beat up and that s fine, could happen to anyone. My problem is that you had to resort to stealing. Then on top of it you didnt have the balls to keep the bikes.

If i were in that situation I would have went up to one of the kids houses by myself later that day. beat on the door and call his *** outside. Then if ya get beat up again you know it was one on one and you were the smaller kid. i doubt he would have messed with you even if ya lost.

Not to mention if i just beat up some geeky kid and the next day my bike was stolen........i would be all over you. I do like the fact you stood up for yourselves, you just did it the wrong way.

... "The great irony of that e-bay grappling hook is that it is one that some guy stole and threw in a pond some 20 years ago."

- that's excellent! lol ...

Where exactly is this pond???

I second Hutch Lake!

LOL!

Do you know if these bullies actually paid for their bikes or did they steal them ?
As for not having the balls to keep the bikes , maybe they had brains instead.
It was simple payback , you **** us up , we triple **** you up the best way we can , through non violent actions.A punch in the wallet hits harder & hurts longer than a punch in the head does.
Only a moron wanting to open up a new account with the Police would have kept the high profile $$$ bikes for themselves , parents will ask questions ppl will talk & info will filter back to the ex owners or the Cops.

Commendable mission guys.

If you do in fact salvage the bikes , I'd take a 9 inch grinder to them & leave the pieces of the bikes exactly where you took them from all those years ago.

The Payback is complete.
.
Money was never the issue (it seems) & selling stolen bikes/goods via this forum may be frowned upon by the Moderators & maybe even Evil Bay.

Walk with the Shadows........

JB

Yes it felt good at the time and I never wanted a bike that didnt rightfuly belong to me.I really honestly believe that the Pk and Mongoose were stolen bikes anyway.

The pond is in Okinawa Japan.Okinawa City,Chibana Housing.Right next to the US Kadena Air Base.We only had 1 Bmx track on island.Every Sunday Japanese and American kids would race and show each others bikes off Bitd. That era was early 80s up to 1988.Any military brats here?

whos got there plane tickets ready!!!!!!!!!!hutch lake!!!