All this time I knew it might happen... and it did!!

[pulsar2]

This morning, Maryland officer called to report that my bike was found in Maryland. The news came as a surprise since neither me, nor my wife knew it was stolen till he called!!!. I am out of town and just came to know that my bike was found this morning near Elkton, Maryland - about 10 miles from my place. The motorcycle was stopped by an officer and upon finding the ignition had been popped - they went ahead to look up the owner and took the rider and the motorcycle into custody. This, I think is nothing short of miracle. Especially looking at the probability of finding a lost bike even after reporting it... finding that your bike was recovered even before you realize it is stolen feels incredible!!!! Amazing job by the Maryland Sheriff's dept :thumbup:!!!

I just hope it is in a good condition except for a broken ignition. And time for some heavy duty security locks/alarms !!!

 

[7UPyours]

wow that's awesome news, and looks like they didn't get a chance to ride it much. Im shocked that a thief would even stop for popo knowing bike was stolen

 

[2nd childhood]

Wow, you are indeed a lucky man, if anyone having their ride stolen can be considered "lucky".

 

[Motogiro]

That's almost comical! Glad they got it back! Good he didn't run on the MV stop!

 

[Verharen]

With luck like that you should go buy a lottery ticket! Might win enough to repair the ignition.
I love happy endings!

 

[OneCheekRider]

That's an awesome story!

Would you be willing to share where and how you keep your bike (outside, garaged, under a cover, locks, etc) to help others hopefully avoid a similar or worse situation?

 

[Nelly]

With luck like that you should go buy a lottery ticket! Might win enough to repair the ignition.
I love happy endings!

Wot he says^

 

[FZ09Bandit]

Very lucky, some of us haven't even heard a word on ours....

 

[FinalImpact]

Wot SHE says^

^^ fixed it for you!

 

[pulsar2]

I park my bike right near the entrance of my apartment, in an open parking lot. It is always covered(hmm...wonder what happened to that cover now). Except for the stock handle lock, there were no other locks on it to prevent theft. I felt it was in a secure enough place since it is right near the entrance where most people see it throughout the day.

What I feel might have prevented this :
- A separate lock - disc/through the wheel.
- An alarm - maybe the ones built into the lock .

I am planning to put both(disc lock + alarm) as soon I get the motorcycle back.

Ironically, I am designing one such security system, which should alert me if anyone moves my bike, and take pictures/record video whenever it is triggered. I always felt uneasy when I am out of town, leaving the bike in a open parking lot. This incident provides me the push to finish the project sooner now.

 

[FIZZER6]

That's pretty crazy! Glad they recovered it and hopefully insurance will help you repair it!


Sounds like a novice thief. Who steals a bike and then rides it around with the original owner's tags? haha.

 

[LERecords]

I park my bike right near the entrance of my apartment, in an open parking lot. It is always covered(hmm...wonder what happened to that cover now). Except for the stock handle lock, there were no other locks on it to prevent theft. I felt it was in a secure enough place since it is right near the entrance where most people see it throughout the day.

What I feel might have prevented this :
- A separate lock - disc/through the wheel.
- An alarm - maybe the ones built into the lock .

I am planning to put both(disc lock + alarm) as soon I get the motorcycle back.

Ironically, I am designing one such security system, which should alert me if anyone moves my bike, and take pictures/record video whenever it is triggered. I always felt uneasy when I am out of town, leaving the bike in a open parking lot. This incident provides me the push to finish the project sooner now.

i have a 0 gauge wire lock that i run through the front wheel and then the headers. Its not going to "stop" someone, but possibly deter them as it would be a huge PITA to get it off without anyone noticing what you were doing.. might want to look into one of those.

glad to hear they found it!! :thumbup:

 

[BamBam]

wow that's awesome news, and looks like they didn't get a chance to ride it much. Im shocked that a thief would even stop for popo knowing bike was stolen

you don't catch the smart ones...lol

 

[motojoe122]

No wonder I haven't heard from you in a while! Glad they found it:thumbup:

 

[VEGASRIDER]

I park my bike right near the entrance of my apartment, in an open parking lot. It is always covered(hmm...wonder what happened to that cover now). .

If you want your bike stolen, just leave it outside in the parking lot of an apartment/condo complex. # 1 way how a bike is stolen. Consider getting a garage.

 

[motojoe122]

If you want your bike stolen, just leave it outside in the parking lot of an apartment/condo complex. # 1 way how a bike is stolen. Consider getting a garage.

I agree, however, on the east coast garage's are not always available here.

 

[NorCal FZ6]

There's always a basement. j/k

 

[pulsar2]

Like Joe said, I do not have access to any garage near my apartment. I also knew parking a motorcycle in the open parking lot is very risky. So, I always kept it covered and in the most visible parking space all the time. Infact, in the last three months, no one else got a chance to park in that space. The only security flaw I knew was that there was no deterrent on the motorcycle - no wheel locks/alarms.

I will be getting it back tomorrow, hope there is not much damage from all this.

Anyway, do you guys think that any damages (ex: broken ignition etc) because of the theft will be covered by insurance? And do I need to keep the insurance aware of the theft before I go get the bike?

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

When I was still working as a police officer, we had a group targeting sportbikes in apartment complex's. They were using a box truck. They'd literally pull up to a bike (covered. locked, alarmed), quick grab it, stuff in the back of the truck and off they went... Took 15-20 seconds...

They were eventually caught after parting out the bikes.

One of the best things you can do is to secure it to some solid object (or something immobile) with a high performance cutting resistant cable/chain. With an audible alarm that NOTIFIES YOU AS well, and the bike being securred will more than likely have the potential theives move on to an easier target.

Should you have assigned parking in an apt complex, I'd be inquiring into putting some sort of anchor in the curb, even into a concrete car stopping block. The more difficult it is to get the bike, the more likely, they'll move on to something easier..

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Like Joe said, I do not have access to any garage near my apartment. I also knew parking a motorcycle in the open parking lot is very risky. So, I always kept it covered and in the most visible parking space all the time. Infact, in the last three months, no one else got a chance to park in that space. The only security flaw I knew was that there was no deterrent on the motorcycle - no wheel locks/alarms.

I will be getting it back tomorrow, hope there is not much damage from all this.

Anyway, do you guys think that any damages (ex: broken ignition etc) because of the theft will be covered by insurance? And do I need to keep the insurance aware of the theft before I go get the bike?

Depending on if its just an ignition switch that destroyed, your deductable will likely pay for most of a new switch. There's only two bolts holding it in the top triple clamp, maybe an hour installing it, that's taking your time. It'll take longer to get the new ignition switch re-keyed to fit your old key..

IMO, it's not worth reporting to the insurance company, I suspect they'd likely just jack up your rates now that they believe you live in a "high crime area" (even thou it could be a one time incident)..

Always report any thefts, damage, etc to the police. Most departments, shifts specifically, have briefings (pass on important things happening in their jusrisdiction) and will try to spend more time patrolling those "hot spots".