A seized motorcycle that was infamously filmed burning down a busy Vancouver Island highway at speeds of nearly 300 kilometres per hour has been sold at auction.
The blue 2006 Yamaha R1 garnered 71 bids on the B.C. Auction website before being snagged by user “4x4albert” last week for $4,651.
The lowest bid entered was for $5.
Police confiscated the high-performance bike from a home in Esquimalt in April, shortly after footage of someone recklessly weaving it in and out of traffic on the TransCanada Highway hit YouTube. The shocking video has since been viewed more than 1.5 million times.
A salesman from Pacific Motorsports in Richmond said the bike sold for a decent price, approximately $600 less than the model might go for in average condition, but its notoriety could make it more valuable to the purchaser.
The bike is also missing its ignition chip key, which could be replaced and coded to the vehicle’s computer system at a cost of roughly $70, the source said.
Saanich police believe the motorcycle’s death-defying joyride took place on April 6 near Victoria, somewhere between McKenzie Avenue and the Millstream Road exit.
Police located the bike early on in their investigation, but were unable to recommend charges because it was registered in the name of their suspect’s mother, who they instead served with $1,449 in traffic violation tickets.
Randy George Scott, a 25-year-old with a lengthy history of driving infractions and licence suspensions, eventually turned himself into police and was charged with dangerous driving.
B.C.’s Civil Forfeiture Office, which sells off property used for unlawful activity, put the bike up for auction in early August.
A spokeswoman for the office said it has collected almost $28 million since it was created in 2006, including a record $10.8 million earned in 2011 alone. Forfeitures have garnered $4.2 million so far this fiscal year.
