I've ridden for over 55 yrs and NEVER had anything stolen from my camp site or off whatever bike I have ridden. I have ridden in about 40 states, camped in most, big towns/small towns, boonies, Canada, state parks, KOA's, up in the mountains, you name it. NEVER had anyting stolen nor felt need for a gun. How many of you FF's have he same experiene? Share your stories.
When camping and riding I haven't been stolen from either, but I know people who have. I've been robbed at gun point, but that's an unrelated mugging. I always try to secure my shit and don't flaunt what I got. I also keep my phone and GPS pinned, so if I 'lose' them, nobody is getting use out of them. On my external carrying gear I don't try to keep the newest or most expensive shit around (or keep it particularly clean), not only does that make replacement easier, but people also don't focus in on it.
Also 40+ years & never had a thing stolen from any bike, ever. That's mostly over here (N.Amer.) & 8 months all over western Europe. I have had 1 bike stolen & 1 attempted theft that needed $250.00 worth of new lock cylinders & a battery to repair. But never had anything stolen from the bikes though.
1 tankbag, from a monitored parking lot 2 blocks away 1 helmet, from right in front of my shop,,minutes after I got off the bike, and unlocked the door to go in. 2 separate occasions,,got meth?
left my helmet on my bike, just like I have, for 40 years, all over Can the US and Mexico. came out after lunch and it was gone. Had my backpack stolen from a bus in Costa Rica a couple of years ago. that's all I can think of.
Having a black bear carry off my fishing equipment count? Never did get any of it back. That was in Bamiff bout 1956.
Had a totally skanky, dirty old Shoei stolen off of my Gold Wing around 2000. Whoever took that was a moron. It was getting to where *I* didn't want to put my head in it anymore, Dipshit.
I've never had anything stolen, ridden throughout US Canada & some in Mexico. I routinely leave my jacket thrown over my tank/handlebars and helmet on the mirror. I have to admit once in a while I wonder why I do it but I just have never had anything stolen. Now I've left a lot of stuff in remote campsites etc. (unintentionally) gas can, numerous straps and bungee cords, flashlights & headlamps, critical topo maps, my bike's key, all my tent stakes, one glove, and other miscellaneous stuff.
At the shop my brothers and I share, we had 2 Honda 400EX's stolen right after a full service tune-up fix-up and general makeover by my oldest brother. They were his friends Hondas. A couple years before that, the same brother caught someone trying to steal one of our dirtbikes from the same shop. When I was a kid, the same brother had his go kart stolen. He's just bad luck, I guess!
Someone stole a open water bottle from my bike at a rest stop north of Phoenix, Arizona once. Came out of the bathroom, saw some guy going through a backpack I had bungied on the back of the bike and he saw me come out, and jumped in a truck and they peeled out of the parking lot with a opened water bottle. Pissed me off, but also laughed, because all he got was a a water bottle full of backwash and hot water.
Not a thing. Motorcycle camping. Bicycle camping. Backpacking w/day trips away from camp. Nothing ever stolen. I've just had some work done by a machinist that I'd call a thief, but there is a possibility that he thinks he cannot make a mistake.
Had my helmet stolen off my bike. I used the helmet lock so the thief cut the strap. What good is a helmet without a strap? Well at least I still have a souvenir D strap now!
Used to camp down by the river off 128 outside Moab; came back to the tent (pretty obscure spot) one day & something just felt odd... Unzipped to find my stuff strewn about. Curiously, the only things missing were toiletries & iirc a shirt or two. Camera and other assorted valuables untouched. I had the feeling that my campsite was maybe someone's "homestead".
`I sometimes carry a bicycle lock. run thru one sleeve of the jacket and the helmet. Once, came out and all my stuff was hanging by the cable, but someone could have bumped it. That is it. My helmet is due for replacement next spring. My jacket has 3 years of bug stains and road grime. Even a crack addict would not want it. Rod
My wife and I had stopped at fast-food place in Meridian, MS to eat and rest a bit as it had been pouring rain non-stop since we left home. Some redneck (I'm from here so I'm allowed! ) started up a conversation about how "he didn't ride in the rain cause it got his Hardley dirty." We said we needed to be somewhere, were prepared for it, and moved along. Got back out to the bike after about an hour or so and both bar-end weights were gone! Everything else was locked in side/top cases or with us in the restaurant.
Never had anythings stolen while out riding, and I almost never secure stuff at campsites. I do at hotels. Of course while living in the Dallas area for 20+ years I had stuff stolen including a bike. Damn glad to be free of that shithole.
