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Attempted theft!!!

10K views 65 replies 20 participants last post by  mwhaley 
#1 ·
This morning two young men pulled into my apartment complex in a stolen truck and attempted to steal my 500R! They got the cover partly off before my cheapo eBay disc alarm chirped a warning. My wife heard it and alerted me. I ran outside, called 911, and they police came. One of my neighbors who was outside said he saw two guys fitting their description leaving the apartment complex on foot. The cops went and grabbed them. They admitted to messing with my bike and being in the stolen truck. I'm so glad I bought that disc lock alarm! My bike is undamaged and I'm still in possession of it. That was a close call!


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#2 ·
I am glad that everything turned out OK for you.

When my son and I took our 2,500 mile trip theft was my number 1 worry. But after may overnight stays and cities like Philadelphia, Washington DC, Lexington VA, and Charleston, SC, we did not have one bad incident.

A simple alarm can make the difference.
 
#7 ·
Yeah, those cops were great! They got there in minutes and reacted without any hesitation. Good people!
My insurance doesn't cover theft. It could've been a tragedy.

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#8 ·
Recently some youths tried to steal my bike but stupidly I did not use my alarmed disc lock but instead a cheap eBay motion alarm hidden under the seat and a basic disc lock. I guess what they did was not enough to set off the motion alarm as I was only around the corner and had no idea what was happening.

Thankfully someone local chased them off, and I only knew all this because someone else came around the corner and asked if it was my bike then explained. That said, the basic lock held and the only damage was scratches on it, and that they had somehow loosened the screw on the left bar end.

Since then I now only use the alarmed lock. Besides, whilst riding last week I the key ring with the fob to the eBay alarm fell out of my pocked so I can no longer use that now anyway!

Good lessons for us to make sure to always use an alarmed lock. It only takes a few seconds to add and remove each time when riding, but they do work.

Glad it all worked out okay for you, chzeckmate. Both being able to stop them before it was too late thanks to the alarm and the great police response.
 
#10 ·
Lol!

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#11 ·
He who laughs last.......
Even though an attempted rip-off is no laughing matter at least this did not end badly. My bike is normally parked in a safe spot, but your story makes me want to swap out the disk u-lock for an alarmed one. I suppose two big, dumb dudes could chuck it in the back of a (stolen, that bit really is too much) pick up. Maybe that is why they are called pick ups. Bleappen low-lives!
 
#12 ·
Almost any lock can be easily defeated, but an alarm is a necessity. If you don't have an audible alert you're basically giving permission for the crooks to take their time. I've always advocated for a cover and a disc alarm. The combination of those two things is enough. The cover is a must because the bad guys might damage your ignition before the alarm is tripped. Removing the cover will trip the alarm and save you the damage. If course you have to be alert and attentive. Nothing will save you if you're not.

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#13 · (Edited)
Surprised to hear there is so much theft in US.
Here is AU, HISS (Honda immobiliser) is standard; (so is the toolkit and 2 year warranty; but higher list price).
The vast majority of the population don't know how to drive a stick (manual), let alone able to ride a manual bike!
And those that know how to ride a manual bike, know better than to steal a used low cost bike.
 
#14 ·
Surprised to hear there is so much theft in US.
Here is AU, HISS (Honda immobiliser) is standard; (so is the toolkit and 2 year warranty; but at a higher starting price).
The vast majority of the population don't know how to drive a stick (manual), let alone able to ride a manual bike!
And those that know how to ride manual bike, know better than to steal a cheap bike.
This is true for the US as well that most people don't know how to drive a manual transmission car or motorcycle, but criminals make it their business to know how to steal whatever's on the menu. We do have a lot of theft here, but certainly less than in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and many other countries. https://www.bikerandbike.co.uk/uk-far-worst-motorcycle-theft/
I really think they should've offered HISS an option here in the US.

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#15 ·
Glad they caught the little beestards. We've had 2 attempts, or at least "viewings" by potential little scroats at our house. Not sure how they planned getting a 300kg quad over a car but obviously they were stronger than their scrawny little skeletons would lead you to believe. Since then we have cctv and extended the gate upwards another 2 feet (now 9 feet tall) and always use my disc and steering locks.

Problem is here in the UK ride along theft is becoming the primary method. Thankfully being on a quad I can stand and swing a leg at any 2-up stolen scooters that try to encroach on me. And my best buy yet....... A £2.95 Samsung headset off amazon to plug into my phone. Works great for music and makes perfectly audible calls via voice command in an emergency. Have to say is have no qualms hitting the redline all the way through the gearbox to evade theft/attack, regardless of cameras or lights

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#16 ·
That ride along crap wouldn't go over too well in Texas. Almost every biker I know here is carrying. That's a good way to get a perforated carcass.

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#17 ·
Yeah the most we can legally carry here is harsh words. And we'd get arrested did we fight back when they have weapons too. But way things are going there's gonna be a lot of little chavs with wounds and sores, confused as they were lead to believe by law and parents alike that they're untouchable

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#22 ·
I don't really know how much it is. Motorcycle theft in Houston is a serious problem, though and that's bound to jack up the price. My liability is a negligible cost at $70/yr. Maybe some of the guys here could chime in on how much their full coverage+theft comes out to.

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#23 · (Edited)
Disc locks are the best thing going with the alarm. Ive heard of one that calls your phone. They can't get the steel ones off with a pry bar. Don't buy the cheap aluminum ones. Those are easy to snap off with a pry bar. The disc locks are rated by a former professional motorcycle thief as the only thing he could not overcome. Everything else he said he could defeat with basic burglary tools. Disc lock he said he just moved on if it was steel.
 
#24 ·
Cz-mate I am with you. I never carry loans of any sort. Everything but my house, which is free & clear, is paid in full at the time of purchase.
Liability only is running $98 a year for California. When the bike was brand new I carried full coverage at $290 for one year, but dropped it after that (the full coverage, NOT the bike). Haven’t had a ticket since 1968 & have not had an accident since’67.
 
#25 ·
You're saving a ton of money!

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#31 ·
Ran across this thread while trying to figure out the best way to secure my 500R now that I'm moving to a flat where I only have on-street parking :(. Anyone have experience with either the Pragmasis or Almax chains? It's stated that they're unbreakable with bolt cutters, but can be cut with an angle grinder.

https://securityforbikes.com/security-chains.php

Almax Security Chains Limited

Chzeckmate, sorry to hear your bike nearly got stolen. Glad it was ok in the end!
 
#32 ·
I have found chains to be a waste of money for me. I have several high end ones that I never use because taking them with you is a pain and I don't have a good anchor point where I live now. I literally never use them. I find that thieves generally aren't interested in a bike that has a cover and a disc lock alarm. I can chuck those in my pack and ride away.

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#33 · (Edited)
Steel Disc lock alarm the only thing i know of that they walk away from. Chains can be defeated with a battery operated grinder. The 2 guys picking the bike up and throwing it in a van is not what happens, because of cameras. Those guys get caught when local police check cameras in the area. The pro wear a hooded garment, work alone, roll the bike out of the area to a van parked to an area extensively cased and found camera free. The van will have stolen plates that they rotate hourly. An x pro bike thief admit the steel disc lock the only device that stops theft. Don't use an aluminum one. I don't understand why this question about chains went up when the disk lock already explained over and over again.
 
#34 · (Edited)
The bikes often stolen use either a chain, those u locks, or fork locks. All defeated in a few seconds. The fork lock.....they sit on the bike and kick the bars over, those shear clean off, that design nothing more then a built in bolt cutter. These thiefs carry battery operated grinders, tool of choice. Then maybe a Pry bar for aluminum disc lock. Shaving cream for alarms. It ain't rocket science.
 
#35 ·
To defeat a disc lock you can simply cut out the segment of the brake disc with an angle grinder instead.

But there are different kinds of thefts, from organized thieves stealing bikes to order so may have be casing out yours to people who just opportunistically steal one to joy ride then abandon.

And the way thieves operate is different around the world. Given the choice of chains Little_Blue_Phoenix mentions I assume they are in the U.K., where bike theft is more common than the U.S. and in the big cities are popular for commuting that bikes blend into the background. In a bay filled with up to a dozen bikes, most of the public would not notice if someone was trying to steal one.

I do agree though, that the problem with big chains is they are such a hassle to carry and use that they are not convenient. They are only really useful where you can leave the chain where the bike will be locked, and that you have something secure to chain the bike too.

So if it is only to be used at home, and you are able to use a lampost or similar to lock the bike to, then it would be a good idea. Although without an alarm, if someone did take an angle grinder to it would your neighbours notice or do anything? Really the more your spend on security you are just slowing them down, putting more thieves off from bothering, and giving you more time to act.

Both of the chain brands mentioned are supposed to be good, but remember that the weakest link in any chain is the padlock, so make sure you get the best there too. Unfortunately the London Bikers forum has gone through an upgrade which makes it impossible to search, but Almax comes up often on there and I think the usually recommended lock is a Squire SS65CS.

Supposedly a cover is good security as it puts off most opportunists, and is cheap. And it keeps you bike dry! Luckily our 500s are not the most desirable bikes to high end thieves so it is mainly the opportunists we need to worry about.
 
#36 ·
Thanks someone and yep spot on I'm in the UK, specifically the southeast coast where bike thefts are particularly bad, although not as bad as London. This might be due to the close proximity of shipping ports nearby where stolen bikes may be shipped off to Europe more easily. I'll definitely have a closer look at the chains with a Squire SS65CS lock. At the moment I've got an Abus Granit Victory X rollup disc lock, which rotates and supposedly makes it impossible to cut with an angle grinder. The plan at the moment is to use the Abus rollup disc lock and cover which I already have. If I'm able to chain it to a lamppost, then the Almax or Pragmasis. Finally, all this combined with the steel Kovix KAL alarmed disc lock:

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/405156

I know it sounds like overkill, but with the way the insurance companies in the UK work, if my bike got stolen that would pretty much mean the end of my biking days :(.
 
#37 ·
Rant:

Not only does crime result in your hard earned property being stolen and or damaged, leaving you stranded without a vehicle, can’t get to work, can’t get the kids to school and really upset you, but think about all the other costs.

We all pay for locks on our doors and windows. We have cctv, sensor lights, insurance for theft, and have to pay for and carry around locks to secure our property. We have to hunt around for safe places to park, and we have the worry that someone will try to steal our stuff. Then when someone finally does steal or damage our property in an attempt to steal it, our insurance goes up, and we have an excess to pay.

Then, when our stuff is stolen, 90% of the time it is used to buy drugs, and the cycle continues.

The average person owning a vehicle and owning / renting a home likely spends $1000s each year related to stopping / insuring against theft.

I’d rather give that money to build more prisons where the low lives can rot.

Illicit drug addiction results in at least 90% of all volume crime theft / burglaries. Gambling addiction makes most of the other 10%. Possession and use of illicit drugs should firstly be dealt by way of counselling, but on a second offence imprisonment then strict probation / parole.





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#41 ·
The answer is income inequality

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