Warning, Stolen Motorcycle !
 

Hey everyone. On the 25th May I had my bike stolen, a 21 year old DR650 from my address in South Milford, Yorkshire, England. Gutted to say the least. The bike was of no real monetary value, however I had put time and effort into bringing the bike up to a comfortable spec for touring etc.

Police think I was specifically targeted by a gang, Followed home and a thorough recce done of my property. My bemusement is why make the effort for a bike that is only worth a grand max ? They chopped through 2 chains which secured the bike to a ground anchor and it had a disc lock on.

My mate is sure that the bike was stolen to order for the engine. Apparently flat tracking is a very popular up and coming sport and single cylinder powerful engines are put into modified road frames. So I guess that it's highly likely some chav needed one for his bike.

I'm putting this out there to warn other members to be extra vigilant. Bike theft is on the up and following you home is a common occurrence prior to the theft taking place. In the future I will certainly be varying my routes to and from work etc and also stopping short of my house to see if I can spot a follow up before actually going to my property. I have had to cancel a planned trip to Norway as a result of the theft so rather upset.

I don't want this to happen to anyone else it's soul destroying. The upside is I get a new bike next week :D

Wow, that sucks. For all of the time they spent following you ,reconning, stealing, transporting, etc., it sure seems like it would have been easier for them to, you know, put in a couple of hours of overtime and, uh, just buy a twenty-year old engine. People are strange...

I'm sorry for the loss of your bike.

Also here in Italy they are doing the same thing.
Last week, close to my hometown, two GS 1200 ADV "disappeared" while being stored inside private houses garages overnight secured with electronic alarm + front disk lockers + heavy chains linking them to the floor...
Nobody ever saw them since then.

The case of the two 1200 GSA is a very sad as well, but IMO it looks different. Like Als Dog pointed, the effort was not worth the money of reselling.

So, I guess your mate is just right: probably your bike was mint, your engine sounded great, seemed well looked after and had relatively low mileages on the clock, that may be why the thief specifically wanted YOUR bike, probably to transplant YOUR engine (and good parts) to his DR650.

I may sound too bad, but I wonder if your engine has swaped shoes for slicks and is now been revved like mad in a track by an urban warrior... (I'm not blaming a group of people as a whole, just pointing a possibility)

Another possibility is what happened in Spain: the Police arrested a gang that was stealing enduro bikes, dismounting them and exporting them to Morocco as 2nd hand spares. Over there, they were re-assembled again and re-sold. Personally, I find it less probable in the UK and for a DR.

In any case, hopefully good luck finding your bike. I cross fingers.

Esteban

Sorry to hear you're bike is gone. IMO it's more likely to be local scum steeling because it's a "scrambler" (their description, not mine). Before I beefed up my garage security I has a low value dirtbike stolen and expensive bikes/ kit ignored. The same happened to a mate in Bristol.

Often the older bikes are easier to steal, particularly for your average unskilled pondlife.

In my case somebody at Odsal Motor Cycles sent the thieves... The police did nothing to investigate. One 17 year old was let off despite finding his dna on the scene and admitting to the crime...

Sorry to hear this, it sucks. My DR650 was stolen after my trip and although I never got it back, it eventually came up on Gumtree. The guy (not the thief, it had obviously been sold/passed around) was getting rid of it because apparently it was 'too big and too fast'....!! Despite it looking totally wrecked, I recognised it straight away due to its aftermarket exhaust.

I'm sorry to hear of anyone who loses a bike to thieving scum, but there is a way of helping ourselves.
There are now plenty of GPS/GSM tracking devices available starting from under £40. You hide the device somewhere in your bike and it can be configured to send you a text message if it's moved and keep sending its location.
Apparently their use is becoming quite common so thieves often leave a newly stolen vehicle in a public place for a day or two to see if its recovered before moving it to their own premises.
A couple of years ago these devices were several hundred pounds, but I think for £40 or £50 they are well worth considering.
If you are thinking of buying one I suggest you look for the following features.
Can be wired into the vehicle battery as well as having its own power.
Uses GPS and GSM location technology
Supports Geo-fencing

Pond life.
 

Hey thanks fellas. I have written it off but am constantly looking on ebay for potentially recognisable parts. The local Police officer came round 2 days after the event to drop off a leaflet giving me advice and information on bike security. Errr talk about after the horse has bolted lol.

Thanks for the advice. I have now bought a Yamaha XT 660 Z Tenere so looking forward to that. I have installed CCTV as the Police did say that face recognition is getting a lot of crimes solved these days. That was reletively inexpensive and obviously not only goes some way of protecting the bike will protect the property too. As for everything else It just has to be chained, alarmed, immobilised and disk locked to death. I will certainly be investing in the tracker system that mustaphapint suggested thanks for that :thumbup1:

I'm tossing up wether to spend $250-300 on an ABUS chain/lock combo or go the tracking device route. Have not seen a tracking device under a few hundred dollars so if you know of any brands for £40-50 would love to hear about them.
I wonder wether the quAlity of the chain/lock makes a huge difference to the determined thief.
The ABUS stuff looks seriously kickass but if they can cut through it probably best just to go with a deterrent lock for out and about with gps tracking?
I have insurance but have a limited edition Bonnie I would hate to lose.

Would be interested in other peoples views on this.

Abus can be broken easily. Not worth the certificates it has
Non-Almax security chains for bikes vs Bolt Croppers - YouTube

Almax Chains are the best money can buy here, and not too expensive.

Also, the only disc lock that seems pick proof according to the chap who tests them is a Motrax Vishas.

As far as Home Office/ police statistics are concerned, the crime at my place (mentioned above) was "solved"! The cigarette butt that Shane Cooper of the Buttershaw estate, Bradford (down the road from Odsal) left on my driveway identified him from his DNA. He admitted it. The Police then let him off!

Apparently because the law says that a 17 year old doesn't know the difference between right and wrong, or at least you have 2 chances as a 17 year old, the police didn't see the point of pursuing him through the courts. He was already on the police database (his 1st offence was afray a.k.a. fighting) and my garage was his "second" offence.

Also as my garage is not attached to the house (it's 6 feet away), it's a lesser offence. Had he burgled my house (or a garage attached/sharing the same wall to my house) he would probably have ended up in jail. Go figure.

FWIW, when my wife called 999 (our equivalent to the American 911) as Shane and his mate were running down our driveway at 1am, the police despatcher's words were "What's the point of coming to look at where the vehicle used to be?". The first time anyone showed an interest was the SOCO at 6 the following evening.

And the UK police/ authorities in general wonder why they are held in such low regard.

Rant over...

Good luck with your new bike. Keeping the bike out of view at your house, PIR security lights, alarms, heavy chains are good legal deterants.

cheers
Chris

I don't what devices are available or will work in the US. I did a search on ebay in the UK for GPS tracker devices and came up with a GPS102-b for £49. There was a choice of several from £36 upwards but I wanted one that had all 3 features I suggested.
A tracking device is not a replacement for a good lock and chain. One helps you from having it taken in the first place, the other gives you a chance of getting it back if it is taken. Neither are foolproof, they just give you a fighting chance.
A friends car was stolen last year and it was recovered undamaged due to the tracker device. Another friend's motorcycle was stolen (without a tracker), found by the police in a public car park who told the owner where it was and when he got to it found it had gone again, this time for good.

Isn't it amazing how back to front the law is. I work for BBC News and I see stuff like this all the time. Incompetence is the norm in this day and age, unfortunately. However You step a foot out of line and you get hammered into the ground. If you want to see a Policeman just got along the B1222 on a sunny Sunday there are loads waiting to persecute bikers heading for Squires. Winge over.

Sorry to hear about the bike. "Adventure" bikes have hit the headlines and they're a prime target. The thieves may not have known it was an old machine - it looks really good in your photo! Hope you get it back - if road-worthy, it could be worth buying back from the insurer at a substantial discount.

Security.
 

Interesting that in central Brighton a 2 year old Yamaha xt660 Tenere sat unsecured in a busy bay until I noticed the rust and cobwebs. I'd seen it 3 months before exactly the same place and condition. Then, I was so exasperated with my Yamaha TTR600 after it smashed my ankle and was just a big pile of trouble, that I left it outside unsecured and no-one would nick it. I didn't know that Sussex was safe for bikes but it looks like that's the case. Lindsay.