What to do when you think you're bike's gonna be stolen?

[YORCHI]

I went to lunch with a co-worker and I got a call when I was on my way back from another co-worker asking if I was selling my bike because there were two guys standing outside checking out my bike.

I told them no and instead of them coming outside to investigate they just took pictures from inside the office and laughed about it when I came back. They showed me the pictures and you can clearly see two guys standing directly next to my bike pointing and different parts of it and then they said they just left.

So now I'm thinking that these two guys were here to scout it out and see if anyone told them anything so they could come back later and scoop it up in a van or truck. I have the pictures they took and one of them shows their car and the license plate and you can see their faces clearly.

What should I do? I want to just bring one of my toys with me to work so I can shoot them if I catch them in action but I know that's heavily frowned upon. Our building has security cameras that record 24/7 and I have insurance but the issue is that I don't want something to actually happen instead of me having to deal with it later. Leaving the bike at home is not an option.

[CC Cowboy]

Sounds like they were just looking at it and wondering if the girl that rides it is pretty. Thieves wouldn't be caught casing a bike (standing right next to it) they would look for afar. They know the cameras are everywhere.

If your bike ends up stolen I might be wrong.

P.S. Shooting a thief is not frowned upon in this forum.

[Jiggles]

Leave some pubes on it, should deter any theft. If no pubes are available just pour some soda on it, no one wants to touch something sticky.

[rojoracing53]

I believe you can report it to your local police department with plate number and discription and if the guys have a record the people may look into it. Or maybe they were simply admiring it, I always park my ride in my building but I know not everyone has that option. What kind of anti theft measures do you have in place?

[80MPHdownhill]

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.

[SemperFudge]

mods remove this if its inappropriate but it is relevant haha

best theft deterrent ever

[choneofakind]

If you have insurance, who cares? Just leave it. Not worth getting in trouble for bringing a firearm to work. If anything happens, you have pictures of two guys who you have reason to suspect.

But if it makes you feel better, drive the cage to work for the next couple days.

[alex.s]

as someone who has been accused several times of "looking to steal" someone's bike, i can say you are probably overreacting.

i suppose i could see how someone might get upset the way i look at bikes... more like i'm molesting them with my eyes.

[YORCHI]

The only anti-theft device is at home when I chain it to my parking structure. I don't have anything here at work and the bike just sits directly in front of my building in a parking spot. I do have insurance but it doesn't mean it's okay for my stuff to get jacked, especially because I still have to pay my deductible. I'm hoping that I am just overreacting and I really hope nothing at all happens or else I might take it out on my co-workers who just stood by and did nothing. I know I would of gone outside to make sure everything was okay regardless of who's car or bike it was someone was looking at.

[GreenNinja]

Look at it this way, you can now have the new 2013 You don't actually pay the deductible, it just gets taken from the amount that they pay you. You should verify that your insurance actually has theft coverage. It is possible for them to just admire the bike or they were debating about whether it was a 250 or not. They could be pointing out the features that are 250 parts. I do that with my buddy but I try not to stand within 3 feet of it.

[Aggrotech]

the way i see it is if someone wants to see my bike, they can look at it from 50feet away. Its so incredibly easy to steal a bike...people in the public dont give a ****, if it doesnt affect them they dont care (the op's co workers for example) they sit there and laugh like pieces of ****. If you leave it in gear all you gotta do is pull the clutch in and walk off..you literally have to chain your bike to something for the best deterrent.


If people are so interested in bikes, they can go buy one themselves and stare at it as long as they want to.

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by Aggrotech

If people are so interested in bikes, they can go buy one themselves and stare at it as long as they want to.

i have 3 bikes. i still get trapped staring at other peoples bikes when i stumble upon one. it's very interesting to see the different features of bikes... how bikes are used... it tells you a lot about different types of riding styles. tells you a lot more about different types of maintenance styles. if someone clearly isn't taking care of a bike i will leave a note telling them what needs to be done (i've only done this a couple times... mostly its lack of chain maintenance but one time i wrote someone a note because it looked like one of their coolant lines was barely secured... if someone noticed something wrong with my bike and left a friendly note i would be very happy... maybe people take offense to it?

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by YORCHI

The only anti-theft device is at home when I chain it to my parking structure. I don't have anything here at work and the bike just sits directly in front of my building in a parking spot.......

What do you think would stop any thief from stealing your bike in 20 seconds from that parking spot?

What do you believe they were looking at or planning to do if there was nothing there to slow them down?

Why come back two days later if the bike was a give away?

Check this thread:

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showt...ighlight=thief

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by Motofool

What do you think would stop any thief from stealing your bike in 20 seconds from that parking spot?

What do you believe they were looking at or planning to do if there was nothing there to slow them down?

Why come back two days later if the bike was a give away?

Check this thread:

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showt...ighlight=thief

To bring a van and a ramp, that way they can pop the steering lock (or stick a sweet tin lid under the locked wheel) & have it gone fairly discretely in under a minute.

[GreenNinja]

Originally Posted by Aggrotech

the way i see it is if someone wants to see my bike, they can look at it from 50feet away. Its so incredibly easy to steal a bike...people in the public dont give a ****, if it doesnt affect them they dont care (the op's co workers for example) they sit there and laugh like pieces of ****. If you leave it in gear all you gotta do is pull the clutch in and walk off..you literally have to chain your bike to something for the best deterrent.


If people are so interested in bikes, they can go buy one themselves and stare at it as long as they want to.

You can't go around having that kind of attitude. If someone was just looking at your bike and not sitting on it and you give them some attitude they might come back later just to push or run your bike over. Not everyone that is looking at your bike is there to steal it. Think about all the times where you have seen a nice looking car/bike and admired it. Would you want someone coming up and threatening you?

[Z300]

Originally Posted by SemperFudge

mods remove this if its inappropriate but it is relevant haha

best theft deterrent ever

lllllllllllllllloooooooooooooooooooooool

[Aggrotech]

Originally Posted by GreenNinja

You can't go around having that kind of attitude. If someone was just looking at your bike and not sitting on it and you give them some attitude they might come back later just to push or run your bike over. Not everyone that is looking at your bike is there to steal it. Think about all the times where you have seen a nice looking car/bike and admired it. Would you want someone coming up and threatening you?

Its one thing to look at a bike/vehicle, its another thing to walk up to it, stand by it and pick out/point at certain things/parts on the bike. I deal with this issue on a daily basis at work. It's why people get their cars stolen everyday, because they leave the window down and the door unlocked lol. then they get all pissed at everyone else.

I see people walk by my bike all the time, thats different. When some random shady looking character walks up to it, looks around and does 360dagree walk around then picks up his cell to call someone, thats completely different. Not only that but people are assholes in general, its so easy to do small damage to a bike that'll end up costing quite a bit.
Dude at work loved when people gave his bike attention. Eventually some asshole ripped off his mirrors, ruined his shorty levers and just key'd up his fairings all in under 15seconds. If you like the bike, take 2-3pics and move on

[siebadn]

Originally Posted by 80MPHdownhill

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.

Agreed. The inevitable inevitably happens, why be unprepared?

It wouldn't help if they put it in a van or truck, but taking the clutch lever off would help with them just riding it away. Actually I doubt anything would help someone just scooping it up.

[80MPHdownhill]

Originally Posted by SemperFudge

mods remove this if its inappropriate but it is relevant haha

best theft deterrent ever

maybe for 50% of the population.

for the other 50%, that may encourage theft.

[LoneRonin]

Maybe they were just checking out...
I've had people stop and start checking out my clip-ons, GPS mounts etc...because its not common to see on our bikes.
Most people looking to steal bikes aren't going to go after a lowly 250...

[rabies]

iv had 2 bikes stolen. good thing i wasnt there. iv prevented thefts before.
i get overly heated not caring how many dudes there are.
all the jelly seems to leave the spine in a single moment and the grip on the hatchet gets real tight, swinging and hitting everything.
show them how rabbid you are. people freak out and run away.
no1 ever wins fighting against a hatchet..(what if they have a gun?..i have a few also)
.02

[LoneRonin]

Originally Posted by rabies

show them how rabbid you are. people freak out and run away.
no1 ever wins fighting against a hatchet..(what if they have a gun?..i have a few also)
.02

+1....age old injun' tactics.
Other than a samurai sword I'll take a hatchet and knife any day....it puts fear in a mother****er's heart. Shows you're willing to get up close and personal...

[rabies]

Originally Posted by LoneRonin

+1....age old injun' tactics.
Other than a samurai sword I'll take a hatchet and knife any day....it puts fear in a mother****er's heart. Shows you're willing to get up close and personal...

glad to see another on this forum with backbone

[dfox]

get an alarmed disc lock.

pretty good deterrent. can't roll the bike, and if someone lifts the bike up, an obnoxious alarm goes off. works well when you're in a public place to scare people away.

[alex.s]

it seems like there are two types of bike theives... small time guys and big time guys... by small time i mean random dudes that walk up to any bike and break the lock and walk it away simply because its in a dark area where nobody is paying attention. they'll steal what looks fancy, regardless of how expensive or well made it actually is. probably mostly crack heads. then there's the guys who scout out apartment complex parking lots looking for ducatis then at 3am come with a box trailer, pick up the bike by the wheels (after using that 5foot bolt cutter on your black mamba), load it in the trailer and are gone in about 2 minutes... i think the second kind is pretty rare but there is video of it on youtube. the single crack head theif seems much more common so things like disk locks, chains, locked covers... really anything that is a deterrent will make that weird crack head paranoid about getting caught while trying to break the lock

just put one of those fake cameras with a big red led pointing right at it.

[Ravenger]

No idea how much this costs but this is a fairly good solution imo

http://www.asianwolf.co.za/products/...&category_id=6

This one has gps to track rides as well it seems

http://www.scorpioalarms.com/products/motorcycle

[ryan.chin]

Originally Posted by YORCHI

What to do when you think you're bike's gonna be stolen?

[YORCHI]

Originally Posted by ryan.chin

lol...this can be said about anything that happens to someone, run to the internets and post about it lol

Again, I hope I am just overreacting, but I do check on the bike more often now and know that if I were to catch something going down the only thing I'd be able to do is call 911 and go out there without any weapons thanks to CA. But that will all change when I get my CCW permit and can legally carry anywhere I choose to (with a few exceptions)

I actually asked my boss if I can chain it to one of the posts in the parking lot and he said he doesn't care so I might start doing that and will look into a disc lock now. Regardless, I know I'm screwed if someone wants it, even if it is just a cheap 250, someone can grab it and haul it away most likely before anyone here would notice it including me. That's what insurance is for but I was hoping to prevent it at any case.

[Jiggles]

Easier to get a CCW in sacramento?

Its damn impossible in san jose. Population 1 million and last year there were 186 CCWs issued

[Joshorilla]

If I were you, i'd just make sure my insurance policy is up to scratch, buy TWO disk locks, both alarmed, I don't know if you get these in america, but here if you have CCTV you need to display a sign saying CCTV in Operation or "You are on CCTV, smile." They usually have a picture of a CCTV camera and are a legalish requirement but you can just buy a sign and pop it up on your works wall near your bike and that will deter some theifs.

[Joshorilla]

Originally Posted by YORCHI

What should I do? I want to just bring one of my toys with me to work so I can shoot them if I catch them in action but I know that's heavily frowned upon. Our building has security cameras that record 24/7 and I have insurance but the issue is that I don't want something to actually happen instead of me having to deal with it later. Leaving the bike at home is not an option.

I don't get american gun laws, you wouldn't actually murder someone for stealing your bike? I would rather someone had my bike then murder them.

I was going to say "shoot" but that removes you from the reality, and that is that shooting people os designed to kill them and that is murder.

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by Joshorilla

I don't get american gun laws, you wouldn't actually murder someone for stealing your bike? I would rather someone had my bike then murder them.

I was going to say "shoot" but that removes you from the reality, and that is that shooting people os designed to kill them and that is murder.

If someone was stealing his bike I don't think he would just open fire. Likely he would confront the thief and the thief would either run, in which case Jorge would never even pull out his gun, or the thief would attempt to fight him possibly with some sort of weapon. At that point if Jorge though he was in serious danger he would be justified in shooting the thief and no, it wouldn't be murder, it would be self defense

In CA if someone breaks into your home you can shoot them without them explicitly threatening you. Them simply having broken into the house is threat enough. I think in Texas if someone is stealing your property (motorcycle) while on your property you can shoot them but in CA the only time you can shoot someone is if you believe you are in serious and immediate danger.

[Joshorilla]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

If someone was stealing his bike I don't think he would just open fire. Likely he would confront the thief and the thief would either run, in which case Jorge would never even pull out his gun, or the thief would attempt to fight him possibly with some sort of weapon. At that point if Jorge though he was in serious danger he would be justified in shooting the thief and no, it wouldn't be murder, it would be self defense

In CA if someone breaks into your home you can shoot them without them explicitly threatening you. Them simply having broken into the house is threat enough. I think in Texas if someone is stealing your property (motorcycle) while on your property you can shoot them but in CA the only time you can shoot someone is if you believe you are in serious and immediate danger.

I can understand the whole "shoot before they shoot me" if they also had a gun, but I was thinking he planned to shoot the dude taking off on his bike, my life is more percious to me than theirs, but none of my possesions precious enough to me to offset the burden of taking anyones life.

[Jiggles]

I think you thought wrong because that would be illegal and he would end up in jail

[YORCHI]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

Easier to get a CCW in sacramento?

Its damn impossible in san jose. Population 1 million and last year there were 186 CCWs issued

Sacramento is now a 'Shall Issue' county because the elected Sheriff understands that there are less police on the streets so people should be able to protect themselves...I have my first appointment on February 14 so I should have my CCW by May or earlier

Originally Posted by Joshorilla

I don't get american gun laws, you wouldn't actually murder someone for stealing your bike? I would rather someone had my bike then murder them.

I was going to say "shoot" but that removes you from the reality, and that is that shooting people os designed to kill them and that is murder.

I can understand the whole "shoot before they shoot me" if they also had a gun, but I was thinking he planned to shoot the dude taking off on his bike, my life is more percious to me than theirs, but none of my possesions precious enough to me to offset the burden of taking anyones life.

Like Jiggles said, I wouldn't run outside with a gun and start shooting at them if they were in the process of loading up my bike or on the bike trying to start it or drive off on it. I wouldn't even bring a gun with me, I would just call 911 from inside the office and try to get their license plate numbers if they had a truck or van with them.

Also, I don't go around carrying a gun with me because it's illegal to do so. I'm an active duty Marine so I know very well how to handle and operate firearms and I thoroughly understand the laws here so I wouldn't ever do anything like that because it's illegal. But now we're getting off onto a different subject lol

Thanks for the input everyone, it sucks that I have to worry about this stuff but now I see that even working in a federal building isn't safe lol

I still hope I'm just overreacting and it was just some people looking at the bike but it's still incredibly fishy that two random strangers would park their car next to the bike, get out, stare it over, walk around it, point at different things, then get back in their car and leave. Oh well, if it gets stolen then it gets stolen and I have pictures of them and their car so hopefully that helps me recover it and if not then my insurance will definitely take care of it.

Looks like a disc lock with alarm is in my future, maybe even an actual alarm later on after I get my tax returns and stop buying guns and ammo lol

[GreenNinja]

According to that professional bike thief, if your bike gets stolen, you better hope the police doesn't find it. If they do it will be in pieces and the insurance won't compensate you since your bike is now back in your possession. It sounds crappy but I wouldn't put it past the insurance companies since they are operating to profit.
On a slight change of subject. Have you noticed that the insurance companies have a anti-concurrent-causation clause. You are free to look it up but the cliff notes version is this: If your house is insured by flood damage and your house is flooded and also damaged by wind then insurance will not compensate for the damage. Just another example of how they are trying to maximize their profits at the expense of others.

[NewbieNinja]

Originally Posted by SemperFudge

mods remove this if its inappropriate but it is relevant haha

best theft deterrent ever

[lgk]

Originally Posted by GreenNinja

According to that professional bike thief, if your bike gets stolen, you better hope the police doesn't find it. If they do it will be in pieces and the insurance won't compensate you since your bike is now back in your possession. It sounds crappy but I wouldn't put it past the insurance companies since they are operating to profit.
On a slight change of subject. Have you noticed that the insurance companies have a anti-concurrent-causation clause. You are free to look it up but the cliff notes version is this: If your house is insured by flood damage and your house is flooded and also damaged by wind then insurance will not compensate for the damage. Just another example of how they are trying to maximize their profits at the expense of others.

a lot of times comprehensive coverage includes for vandalism as well as theft so you are still covered in case the property is found.

but it really all in how the coverage is written, and realizing how insurance companies mitigate risk. it very important for an individual to take time and understand the coverage they purchase, and determine if it is sufficient. then talk to a lawyer or agent if they are unsure or feel they are wronged.

[Lychee]

Print out the picture of the two of them and their vehicle's license plate. Stick to your motorcycle seat while you are parked at work.

[joshuajcrouch]

To the OP: I demand seeing your coworkers pictures of the suspects.