Have you ever had a bike stolen?

It's hasn't happen to me yet, knock on wood. Just would like to hear how, where and if you ever saw your bike again. Was it lock up, at a mall parking spot, on the side of the road, etc...

My dad's was stolen back in the late 70's. The police later found it in a ditch on the side of the highway several miles outside of town. Out of gas but undamaged.

My 87 TW200 was stolen a bunch of years ago. Never saw it again.

Charles.

70's were different times. Guess that person just borrowed it. LOL.

I had a brand new DT250 that I bought with a well earned bonus back in the 70's.
It got stolen one night about 3 months after I bought it. Never recovered.
Still pissed about that. I hope the bad karma played itself out in full with the new 'owner'

Bike identical to the avatar stolen from our very rural (hick sticks!) property, wrecked, found by cops. Stolen by dopers. One of two guys still sittin' in jail two years because several counties want to prosecute. Now have locked gate and all such toys are chained to concrete anchors, got a big dog and a loaded shotgun.

Had a friend I worked with in a motorcycle shop get an R6 stolen from him. Dumbass who stole it rattlecanned it black and kept riding it around town. Another friend of ours saw him and started chasing, the guy immediately took off. Ended up blowing a corner and laying the bike down in the grass, getting off and sprinting through the woods to his escape. Guy got away but we got the bike back, albeit mostly trashed. He bought it back from insurance for next to nothing and turned it into a stuntbike.

Another friend of mine at M.M.I. had a brainfart and left his key in his SV650. He showed up to class early, walked in and realized he left his key, walked back out and the bike was gone. Ended up finding it a few weeks later at another students place rattlecanned black. He bought it back from insurance and turned it into a scrambler, still has it I'm pretty sure.

Wow. When I was a student I rode, and when I parked one day I noticed the bike next to me still had the key in the ignition. I took it out and slipped it in the guy's saddle bag. He must have figured it out because the bike wasn't there when I got back from class!

Charles.

Good on you. I've done that before and rushed out to find my key still there. I'm not sure I ever would have found it in the mess of crap I carried around with me back in those days...

Unfortunately I joined the stolen bike club back in 1992. Bought a new CR250 and parked at a motel for a ride the next morning and backed my truck up against some bushes near my room. Had to run inside for something which was about 50' from the truck. Came back out after 10 minutes and bike was gone never to be seen again . My bad for not locking it and never made that mistake again with anything of value I own. At least I was first in line ordering a 1993 CR250 .

In my old neighborhood a neighbor had a cheap pitbike stolen. It was sitting outside in the small space between his shed and side of house. It was NOT locked/chained in any way.

The neighbor told me when I walked by his house that morning. I asked if it was locked and he says "no, but they would have had to move all the stuff in front of it..."
I was pretty shocked he thought piling up some trashcans a few odds and ends in front of the dirtbike would be a deterrent to thieves.

A few years ago, we bought a used DR200 for my daughter. The ad was honest and stated that it was a theft recovery. The thieves had jacked the ignition and the locking gas cap, so the owner had to replace those. He didn't say how it was recovered or if they caught the ass-wipes.

Back in the 80's, a buddy had a Honda CR480 stolen out of his garage. This was back in the newspaper days, so he took out an ad about it. He said an old lady called him and said someone was riding a dirt bike in the field behind her house. He went over and confronted the guy. The bike had been spray-canned and some plastic removed/changed. He told me that he kicked him in the nuts and said, "You can pay for this damage or we can call the sheriff." The guy paid for it.

^

+1 for originality on this thread.

Had my BMX bike stolen in front of K mart when I was a kid. Never recovered.

No motorcycles yet luckily.

Oh, I stole a motorcycle once when I was a kid, for about 2 hours. Brought it back after a joy ride though so we'll call it borrowed.

Early 70s my CB750 was stolen from the parking lot of my apartment.

Recovered by state police, who chased down a fleeing rider of another stolen bike, which led to the breakup of a motorcycle theft ring.

Insurance paid for damage.

Edited to add:

Cops discovered that the thieves had accumulated hundreds of Honda m/c keys, which they used to steal bikes with.

Once - many years ago. Joy-riders who probably knew whose bike it was. It was dumped only about 1/2 mile from where it was taken. No damage.

Got woken one Sunday morning by a few local kids trying to start a couple of stolen dirt bikes behind bushes at the bottom of my yard. Ran them off and called the cops but before the police were able to get there, the owner of the bikes showed up and reclaimed them. Never did find out if any ass-whoopings were handed out.

I'm careful but not especially paranoid when on the road. At home is another story (due to the predisposition of local redneck kids and druggies to steal anything that's not locked up/bolted down (esp. dirt bikes.) I have alarms, cameras, security lights and heavy chains for the bikes in my garage. I don't leave the door open if I'm not in the yard and I strongly discourage people from wandering up the drive to chat with me/take a look/etc.

Rednecks in England? 'Ell, eye be! Nah!

Louisiana

In the 90s I had my '82 Yamaha Seca Turbo stolen from my apartment complex in Michigan City, Indiana. It was locked with a chain and the steering was locked but it didn't even slow them down.
This was in October.
Since it was a rare-ish bike I called all the dealerships in the area just in case someone came in looking for parts.
Fast forward to April and I get a call from one of the dealers, the police had recovered my bike in a drug raid in Gary, IN. The police had run the engine number for some reason and come up with the previous owner, he called the dealer he traded the bike to and the dealer called me.
My bike was in the impound yard, they would not release it to me without the okay by the PD. The Gary PD wouldn't release it because I didn't have a copy of the police report stating that it was stolen, ownership documents didn't matter. After showing up at the police station every day for a week they got tired of me and gave me the necessary paperwork.
I showed up at the impound and found them just starting to strip the bike. It cost me $200 in impound fees to get it back.

Had an '82 CB900F with factory sport fairing and control kit stolen out of my garage in the early 90s in Connecticut. I'm pretty sure the people living upstairs from me were responsible as later my apartment was robbed. The only thing the upstairs neighbor had to say about both thefts were "you we're insured, right?" Never saw or heard of the bike again....

Had an '05 F250 Crewcab diesel stolen at a hotel outside of Atlanta too. It was one of six Ford diesel crewcabs stolen in the area that night (horse show was in town). It was parked right in front of the main entrance to the hotel. Never heard about it or saw it again.

I'm in Senior Housing. Apartment building with parking lot.
I reroaded an 81 XV920RH and it seemed safe enough.
Traded for an 03 Yamaha FZ1. One September a white pickup (no plates) drove on to the parking lot, two guys walked on camera. The four men lifted wheel locked covered motorcycle and placed in pick up truck. 2AM
Motorcycle was found abandoned at end of November "in bad part of town." Bike had been stunted. Written off.

I had OnGuard chains and locks through wheels locked to frame and cable over bike cover. Chains (judging by tool marks had resisted whatever bolt cutters someone had at one point.
There was a brake rotor lock alarm but it was ignored as best can be determined. Parking lot cameras filmed theft. Idea was to prevent rollaway/break ignition lock theft. Not enough.

I have an 02 FZ1 now.
I use a Schlage loop chain around lamp post with On Guard lock to 250 lb cast iron "anchor." Two cast iron plates bolted together with spacers, bolts welded. 12 ft of Pewag chain ($15 ? a foot at the time) from anchor lock to bike frame. Same lock OnGuard Beast chain thru front wheel to Pewag chain with Kryptonite lock. Another chain, OnGuard Mastiff from frame lock to kryptonite lock over cover at saddle OnGuard Beast chain thru rear wheel and Kryptonite lock to Mastiff chain.
The Kryptonite locks are better (around $36 when purchased but smaller loop, not useful around frame, 3 keys. OnGuard sells covered chain with lock combination which is "best buy" in my estimation. Beast is 14mm chain I think, Mastiff 12mm.
Pewag is about $16 a foot last I looked, squarish section, impressive youtube videoes. The dealer I used offered a better chain to chain lock "E" shape about $50.
Good chains resist bolt cutters by being surface hardened same as bolt cutter jaws and shaped to maximize suface contact.
Any chain can be ground through, torch cut, or liquid nitrogen broken. Good chains slow the process.
I have a Gorilla paging alarm mounted. I'm hard of hearing in the frequency the page alarm uses so it is not much use. I have a tracker on the bike. Hopefully recovery will be possible.
But my impression is motorcycle recovery is not a great police priority.

Thieves defeat tackers by parking bike some place and seeing if anyone comes for it.

FWIW amazon prices shipped
Schlange chain with cinch ring $58 shipped 5 ft. 3 ft 3 in $31. Purchased for cinch ring
OnGuard Beast chain and lock 180mm 5ft 2in ? 14mm links with X4 Lock $114
OnGuard Mastiff chain and X4 lock 6 ft x 3/8 in links hex $77
Kryptonite U lock $39 small shackle.
Gorilla alarm $212 (I pd)
Pewag chain about $16 a foot plus cover if needed and shipping, some 6 ft plus lock discounts

I was not sure what I was doing just wanted to discourage someone carrying bike off again.
If you own the property a good ground anchor and a couple Pewag chains should discourage all but pros. For travel where it could be issue carrying the Mastiff and Schlange is almost reasonable.

There are two premium security chains available. Pewag was easiest to order at best price at the time.
Abus chains and locks are best rated motorcycle security, Kryptonite, then OnGuard.
For the prices at the time I choose the OnGuard as good enough. YMMV