Bike Theft - First Experience
Discussion
Not had this happen before so thought I'd share my experience so far.....
Triumph Explorer parked on street outside my office in sleepy Bath. CCTV shows it being surrounded at 4.45pm on Wednesday last week by a youth group on small motorbikes, within moments they got the steering lock off and rode it (not powered we think) downhill to the lower part of the City, it's pretty hilly here! Subsequently spotted by a jogger being recovered by the Police at 6pm from a cycle path and despatched to a storage pound in Bristol.
I didn't know it had gone until 6.45pm when I left the office, all of the above was discovered before the end of the day by Junior LFB using the power of social media! I ended up reporting the theft (online) after they'd actually recovered it.
Since then, I've produced documents at the drop in Police station but they seemed surprised I'd turned up. I had a call from the constabulary on Saturday to say someone will call me, as yet nothing. The storage pound won't let me see the bike as it's on Police hold and the insurance company say they'll transport it from Bristol to their depot near Heathrow as and when it's released for assessment. I'd take a punt on getting it out myself but if they've tried to jump it and fried the electronics, the bike is doomed.
It all seems like a mammoth faff. I'm not over fussed as I'm in the privileged position of having another bike and a few cars but if this was my only transport I'd be stuffed. My bad for not putting the disc lock on and a lesson learned but assume I'm in for the long haul of advanced bureaucracy!
Triumph Explorer parked on street outside my office in sleepy Bath. CCTV shows it being surrounded at 4.45pm on Wednesday last week by a youth group on small motorbikes, within moments they got the steering lock off and rode it (not powered we think) downhill to the lower part of the City, it's pretty hilly here! Subsequently spotted by a jogger being recovered by the Police at 6pm from a cycle path and despatched to a storage pound in Bristol.
I didn't know it had gone until 6.45pm when I left the office, all of the above was discovered before the end of the day by Junior LFB using the power of social media! I ended up reporting the theft (online) after they'd actually recovered it.
Since then, I've produced documents at the drop in Police station but they seemed surprised I'd turned up. I had a call from the constabulary on Saturday to say someone will call me, as yet nothing. The storage pound won't let me see the bike as it's on Police hold and the insurance company say they'll transport it from Bristol to their depot near Heathrow as and when it's released for assessment. I'd take a punt on getting it out myself but if they've tried to jump it and fried the electronics, the bike is doomed.
It all seems like a mammoth faff. I'm not over fussed as I'm in the privileged position of having another bike and a few cars but if this was my only transport I'd be stuffed. My bad for not putting the disc lock on and a lesson learned but assume I'm in for the long haul of advanced bureaucracy!
LFB531 said:
Not had this happen before so thought I'd share my experience so far.....
Triumph Explorer parked on street outside my office in sleepy Bath. CCTV shows it being surrounded at 4.45pm on Wednesday last week by a youth group on small motorbikes, within moments they got the steering lock off and rode it (not powered we think) downhill to the lower part of the City, it's pretty hilly here! Subsequently spotted by a jogger being recovered by the Police at 6pm from a cycle path and despatched to a storage pound in Bristol.
I didn't know it had gone until 6.45pm when I left the office, all of the above was discovered before the end of the day by Junior LFB using the power of social media! I ended up reporting the theft (online) after they'd actually recovered it.
Since then, I've produced documents at the drop in Police station but they seemed surprised I'd turned up. I had a call from the constabulary on Saturday to say someone will call me, as yet nothing. The storage pound won't let me see the bike as it's on Police hold and the insurance company say they'll transport it from Bristol to their depot near Heathrow as and when it's released for assessment. I'd take a punt on getting it out myself but if they've tried to jump it and fried the electronics, the bike is doomed.
It all seems like a mammoth faff. I'm not over fussed as I'm in the privileged position of having another bike and a few cars but if this was my only transport I'd be stuffed. My bad for not putting the disc lock on and a lesson learned but assume I'm in for the long haul of advanced bureaucracy!
I've had 2 bikes stolen at once in 2010, 1 was recovered but damaged and the other i never seen again. It's a horrible feeling. I did not use adequate security (obviously), i've since learnt my lesson. You'll get over it OP but please please go nuts on the security. I recommend something like a Litelok X3 which is an angle grinder resistant lock that goes through your wheel, it makes a push/ride away theft very difficult.Triumph Explorer parked on street outside my office in sleepy Bath. CCTV shows it being surrounded at 4.45pm on Wednesday last week by a youth group on small motorbikes, within moments they got the steering lock off and rode it (not powered we think) downhill to the lower part of the City, it's pretty hilly here! Subsequently spotted by a jogger being recovered by the Police at 6pm from a cycle path and despatched to a storage pound in Bristol.
I didn't know it had gone until 6.45pm when I left the office, all of the above was discovered before the end of the day by Junior LFB using the power of social media! I ended up reporting the theft (online) after they'd actually recovered it.
Since then, I've produced documents at the drop in Police station but they seemed surprised I'd turned up. I had a call from the constabulary on Saturday to say someone will call me, as yet nothing. The storage pound won't let me see the bike as it's on Police hold and the insurance company say they'll transport it from Bristol to their depot near Heathrow as and when it's released for assessment. I'd take a punt on getting it out myself but if they've tried to jump it and fried the electronics, the bike is doomed.
It all seems like a mammoth faff. I'm not over fussed as I'm in the privileged position of having another bike and a few cars but if this was my only transport I'd be stuffed. My bad for not putting the disc lock on and a lesson learned but assume I'm in for the long haul of advanced bureaucracy!
LFB531 said:
My bad for not putting the disc lock on and a lesson learned but assume I'm in for the long haul of advanced bureaucracy!
One of the main reasons I didn’t specify any external security when I insure my bikes.In my case it didn’t make a bit of difference to the price and there’s no comeback if it’s stolen and you’ve neglected to put it on.
Thanks for all the support and input.
Police released the hold on it this afternoon so I scampered over to take a look. The charmers who nicked it have made a proper mess of the ignition barrel and the steering certainly isn't right. Otherwise no visible damage but obviously I couldn't start it with no barrel. The decent folk at the pound let me retrieve all of my stuff from the box (the lock had been levered off) which the villains obviously weren't interested in including two pairs of quite expensive gloves. I was also able to remove my hardwired Zumo dock and the quick release pannier frames (panniers in the garage at home). I couldn't take the box or plate off.
My Triumph dealer suggested I should beware of frame damage if the steering lock has been forced so now to deal with the insurance company......
Police released the hold on it this afternoon so I scampered over to take a look. The charmers who nicked it have made a proper mess of the ignition barrel and the steering certainly isn't right. Otherwise no visible damage but obviously I couldn't start it with no barrel. The decent folk at the pound let me retrieve all of my stuff from the box (the lock had been levered off) which the villains obviously weren't interested in including two pairs of quite expensive gloves. I was also able to remove my hardwired Zumo dock and the quick release pannier frames (panniers in the garage at home). I couldn't take the box or plate off.
My Triumph dealer suggested I should beware of frame damage if the steering lock has been forced so now to deal with the insurance company......
Gutted for you. Not something any of us want to experience!
I've so far been lucky, pleasure riding only helps. I remember my Dad's cbr600 being taken in 99 as a child, broke into the garage silently in the night and wheeled it away. It was found 6 years later after being involved in a crash where the rider ran off on the M1. Some brass neck.
I've so far been lucky, pleasure riding only helps. I remember my Dad's cbr600 being taken in 99 as a child, broke into the garage silently in the night and wheeled it away. It was found 6 years later after being involved in a crash where the rider ran off on the M1. Some brass neck.
Haven't had a bike nicked (yet), but I do have experience with 5th dimension:
Someone reversed into my bike a few years back, breaking the front mudguard & rendering the bike unrideable. Breakdown truck took it away to their HQ & took a whole month to replace mudguard & return to me. They also replaced the tyre as 'it might have sustained damage....'.
I received multiple calls from ambulance chasers immediately thereafter, even though I didn't actually fall off or sustain any injury whatsoever. I was also offered a courtesy bike 'at no extra charge '; again, multiple calls from very keen sales reps, resulting in me losing my rag & telling one of them to FRO.
The whole experience of replacing a £50 part, which I could easily have done myself, was a ball ache.
Only silver lining was the van delivery driver: extremely professional & well spoken, spotless vehicle with all the right equipment, blaring opera music out of the stereo!
Why is the insurance industry such a crock?
Someone reversed into my bike a few years back, breaking the front mudguard & rendering the bike unrideable. Breakdown truck took it away to their HQ & took a whole month to replace mudguard & return to me. They also replaced the tyre as 'it might have sustained damage....'.
I received multiple calls from ambulance chasers immediately thereafter, even though I didn't actually fall off or sustain any injury whatsoever. I was also offered a courtesy bike 'at no extra charge '; again, multiple calls from very keen sales reps, resulting in me losing my rag & telling one of them to FRO.
The whole experience of replacing a £50 part, which I could easily have done myself, was a ball ache.
Only silver lining was the van delivery driver: extremely professional & well spoken, spotless vehicle with all the right equipment, blaring opera music out of the stereo!
Why is the insurance industry such a crock?
I've had experience with damaged cars and bikes being collected - I lived on the corner where we regularly had accidents
A car came through my hedge and had minor damage but the idiot driving it, abandoned it. It was collected a couple of days later
The truck already had a bike on the back so he moved it against the cab and then drove the car up the ramp - to save the hassle of trying to strap the bike on, which only had minor damage, he decided to just wedge it using the car bumper - between the car and the cab
Obviously causing significant damage to it
A car came through my hedge and had minor damage but the idiot driving it, abandoned it. It was collected a couple of days later
The truck already had a bike on the back so he moved it against the cab and then drove the car up the ramp - to save the hassle of trying to strap the bike on, which only had minor damage, he decided to just wedge it using the car bumper - between the car and the cab
Obviously causing significant damage to it
My Vespa ended up in a pound after the scrote that nicked it got caught.......after a whole year.
It took 2 visits and about 3 weeks to get it out whilst the people there treated me like a criminal.
I still don't get immobilizers. Expensive for me to replace in order for me to get the bike going yet the buggers that nicked it had no problem at all at putting 3000 miles on it whilst robbing others.
It took 2 visits and about 3 weeks to get it out whilst the people there treated me like a criminal.
I still don't get immobilizers. Expensive for me to replace in order for me to get the bike going yet the buggers that nicked it had no problem at all at putting 3000 miles on it whilst robbing others.
I think immobilisers are like steering locks - a token gesture.
My insurance will not pay out for a theft if the bike is recovered and it is found that the steering lock was not used. This is stupid. Thieves demonstrate on a daily basis that a steering lock is not a deterrent to the theft. Likewise, using the steering lock is not going to increase the likelihood of recovery but it will increase the cost of repairs if the bike is recovered.
My insurance will not pay out for a theft if the bike is recovered and it is found that the steering lock was not used. This is stupid. Thieves demonstrate on a daily basis that a steering lock is not a deterrent to the theft. Likewise, using the steering lock is not going to increase the likelihood of recovery but it will increase the cost of repairs if the bike is recovered.
The steering lock was obviously easily broken on my Vespa.
I managed to repair it myself but a year ago some
had a go and broke it again. Just takes a quick tug.
The barrel the ignition sits in was ripped apart. Only way to repair that is to strip the bike to its frame, angle grind the remains off and have a new barrel welded on.
So I no longer have a steering lock and don't use it for the same reason on my much more expensive bike.
Interesting that you say they won't pay out if it's not been used.
I managed to repair it myself but a year ago some
had a go and broke it again. Just takes a quick tug.The barrel the ignition sits in was ripped apart. Only way to repair that is to strip the bike to its frame, angle grind the remains off and have a new barrel welded on.
So I no longer have a steering lock and don't use it for the same reason on my much more expensive bike.
Interesting that you say they won't pay out if it's not been used.
black-k1 said:
I think immobilisers are like steering locks - a token gesture.
My insurance will not pay out for a theft if the bike is recovered and it is found that the steering lock was not used. This is stupid. Thieves demonstrate on a daily basis that a steering lock is not a deterrent to the theft. Likewise, using the steering lock is not going to increase the likelihood of recovery but it will increase the cost of repairs if the bike is recovered.
How would they prove that? I’d just tell them it was used. My insurance will not pay out for a theft if the bike is recovered and it is found that the steering lock was not used. This is stupid. Thieves demonstrate on a daily basis that a steering lock is not a deterrent to the theft. Likewise, using the steering lock is not going to increase the likelihood of recovery but it will increase the cost of repairs if the bike is recovered.
LF5335 said:
How would they prove that? I’d just tell them it was used.
If it's recovered it's very easy to tell - it's either smashed or isn't - no one picks locksRegarding immobilisers they do very but modern bikes requiring a code to the ECU are impossible to bypass IME
Having bought cars and bikes without keys it generally requires a new (or used) ECU, key and transponder, if there was an easy way to bypass them I'm sure the trade would be aware of it
KTMsm said:
If it's recovered it's very easy to tell - it's either smashed or isn't - no one picks locks
Regarding immobilisers they do very but modern bikes requiring a code to the ECU are impossible to bypass IME
Having bought cars and bikes without keys it generally requires a new (or used) ECU, key and transponder, if there was an easy way to bypass them I'm sure the trade would be aware of it
Just shrug your shoulders and say you don’t know why. I can’t see how they could try to wriggle out of paying for that. Seems like a really weird thing for them not to pay out for. Regarding immobilisers they do very but modern bikes requiring a code to the ECU are impossible to bypass IME
Having bought cars and bikes without keys it generally requires a new (or used) ECU, key and transponder, if there was an easy way to bypass them I'm sure the trade would be aware of it
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