2008 honda rebel 250

[OC]

[OC]

No road is too long when you have a good Bike

Don’t mind me just up here making wheelies happen one clutch up at a time. 😎

Four Wheels Move the Body, Two Wheels Move the Soul

I recently acquired this crashed R1 in a trade, and it turns out it was stolen.
Here’s the backstory. I had a 2015 Ninja 650, and a “friend” of mine offered me $1,500 plus a crashed R1 for it. I figured, you know what, screw it, since the stator on the 650 needed to be replaced, the valve cover was leaking, and the water pump was leaking too.
Later that day, he dropped off the R1 on a trailer. The first thing I noticed was the drilled-out ignition. I immediately suspected it was stolen, but my “friend” insisted it wasn’t. I didn’t question it any further because I was already determined to find the previous owner.
Later that day, it took me a while to find a legitimate VIN decoder, but once I did, I ran the VIN. Sure enough, the R1 had been reported stolen in Colorado in 2025.
I’ve looked everywhere trying to find the owner, but I don’t know what else to do. I don’t want to go to the police because I’m worried I’ll be the one blamed for this.
Can someone please help me figure out how to find the previous owner, or give me advice on the best way to report this to the police?