If your next job involves motorcycle repossession there are a few things you should know before you get started. First, it’s important to understand that every state has different laws regarding the vehicle owner’s rights and what you can and can’t do when performing motorcycle repo. Secondly, you should make sure you have a towing option that can handle motorcycle repo. Let’s walk through the process of motorcycle repossession and what you’ll need to complete the job successfully.
Locating the Motorcycle Repossession
The first step in any motorcycle repossession is to find the vehicle. With most motorcycle repo jobs, you’ll often receive the name of the vehicle owner and their home address, but it will be up to you to scope out where the vehicle is stored — which may not always be at their home.
If you are provided with electronic tracking information of the vehicle this can help narrow your search, otherwise you’ll need to use some detective skills to track it yourself. Most people trying to disguise a vehicle from repossession park it within three blocks of their home, so in many circumstances a quick scan of the surrounding area will turn up the missing motorcycle.
Completing the Motorcycle Repossession
Once you’ve located the vehicle you plan to repossess, it’s best to wait until the vehicle owner isn’t home or is asleep to complete the job. This is because many vehicle owners are not pleased to see the repo man or woman, even if you’re just doing your job and fulfilling a contract. No vehicle is worth an altercation or potential risk to injury, so it’s best to be discreet and complete the job at night or while the owner is at work.
When completing the motorcycle repo, you are not permitted to “breach the peace”. This means you are not allowed to break laws in order to repossess a vehicle. Fortunately, the law is somewhat flexible for the repossession industry.
For example, although you can’t steal the keys from the owner or their home, hotwiring the vehicle or duplicating the key from the manufacturer’s copy may be permitted. Also, you are not allowed to break into a locked garage in order to complete the motorcycle repossession, but if the garage door is open, or the vehicle is parked under a carport, you may collect it.
Towing the Motorcycle Repossession
Motorcycles are small enough to be towed easily without attracting a lot of attention. If you have compact towing equipment that attaches to your vehicle, you can easily pick up the motorcycle without having to hotwire it or find a key and haul it away.
Lift attachments for your truck, for example, are especially handy for motorcycle repo as they allow you to navigate tight spaces. This means you can repo a motorcycle at night without having to use a loud or cumbersome wrecker for the simple job.
Many vehicle lifts must be adapted to work for motorcycle repo, but it’s often as simple as using a special attachment or modifying the lift for one wheel instead of two. This allows you to get in and out quickly, complete your contract, and receive your paycheck that much faster.
Planning to repo motorcycles? The Minute Man XD features a compatible motorcycle lift attachment so you can quickly and easily tow away motorcycles safely. Contact us for more information about simplifying your future repo jobs.
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