GOSHEN — After doing substantial work on his relatively rare 2009 BMW G450x dirt bike and turning it into a street-legal motorcycle valued at $4,500, Scott Raymond woke up one morning last week to find that it had vanished.
Raymond, who lives at 7 Main St. (Route 9), was hoping to sell the bike and had it secured it to a telephone pole in the front of his home using three large chains and three padlocks.
“It was there at 10 p.m. on (Aug. 23), but at 5 a.m. the next morning it was gone,” Raymond said.
Goshen Police Chief Jeffrey Hewes said Monday that someone likely cut the locks and loaded the bike into another vehicle or a flatbed, before leaving the scene.
“We have absolutely no leads at this time,” Hewes said. “We talked to neighbors and they said that they did not hear anything.”
Hewes noted that the thieves likely had an easy getaway with the bike being right on Route 9.
Hewes said that he knows of no uptick in larcenies in Goshen or the surrounding Hilltowns, but did note that on the night Raymond’s motorcycle was stolen, an all-terrain vehicle had been stolen from a residence in North Adams.
“Unfortunately motorcycles frequently get stolen from cities and towns because they are easier to take and easier to get rid of, “Hewes said.
Raymond said that whoever is responsible for taking his motorcycle likely had a plan “and a buddy for sure.”
He has owned the motorcycle for four years, and is offering a $500 reward for its return. Raymond said he had taken the motorcycle off the road while doing repairs before selling it, and because it was uninsured, he could not be covered for the theft.
“That was kind of upsetting,” Raymond said. “But I do have the title number and the VIN number and I sent that right away to my brother-in-law who works for the State Police dispatch. Hopefully that will help.”
According to Raymond, the 2009 BMW G450x motorcycle was in production only for two years, which makes it a rare bike.
“In all the time I have owned this bike, I have never seen another one. They are pretty special,” Raymond said. “Hopefully that will make it easier to spot.”