There are 2 types of bikes: the ones that have been stolen and the ones that will be stolen.

Few feelings are worse than returning to where you are certain you left your motorcycle only to find that it is no longer there. You futilely look up and down the street hoping that you might have mistakenly parked it on an adjacent block, knowing full well that you hadn’t.

I count myself as one of the growing statistics of riders that has had a motorcycle stolen. Mine was an all to common account of leaving my bike parked in front of my Girlfriend’s building downtown. It was one of the rare occasions that I hadn’t used my disc lock, and I still remember vividly the feeling of my stomach sinking as I came to the realization that my precious two wheel steed was gone.

Although ICBC Statistics have shown vehicle thefts have fallen to almost half of what they where in 2009 it is still not unheard of for motorcycles to go missing. The following are some ideas that should help in securing your motorcycle to make sure you never have to experience such loss.

What can I do to protect my bike from getting stolen? Nothing deters thieves like an expensive disc lock/chain combination. You can not buy the cheap ones, nor can you use a bicycle “U” lock. In the realm of locks you get what you pay for.

Once you have the lock it is best to use it on the back wheel and run the chain through the frame of the bike if possible. It is far harder for a thief to swap out the rear wheel than the front, and locking it though the frame means the thief is left with no choice but to defeat the lock or chaining mechanism.

People that know recommend NYC fughetaboutit chain/lock from Kryptonite or something of a similar calibre. If you use a chain try to fix it in such a way that it doesn’t touch the ground; the common way to cut said chain is to use a long bolt cutter or grinder, one end on the ground, the other pressed with the thief’s body weight.

If they use a grinder a hanging chain is far harder to cut than a chain laying on the ground. If you are using a Disc lock you might want to consider stripping at least one rotor bolt. This will make it difficult for any would be thieve to simply replace the locked brake rotor with a new one.

The advantage of the disc lock is the small, portable size, unlike a unwieldy chain. If you go the disc lock route make sure to include a neon coil take connects from the lock to the throttle, to call attention to the thieves, but more importantly to you in case you forget to remove it before riding away.

The other best option is to make your bike invisible. Failing that buy a cover, preferably one that has the ability to lock at the base. This will, as often as not, cause the would be thief to look for easier prey, not having to run the risk nor waste the time stalking an undesirable bike.

Alarms are only good if you are willing to run out into the dark to face a man or two usually in full gear, wielding tools and a desire not to go to prison. Not to mention that it will trigger 10 times for no reason for every one of consequence.

Lowjack is only good for helping to recover a motorcycle and more often than not the thief will easily find and disable them. If the thief is smart they will deliver the bike to a deep underground parking lot and then take their time going though the bike looking for the lowjack. If it is successful in leading the police to the bike the fastest, easiest (and probably most fun) way for the police to end a pursuit is to crash into them… still want that bike back?

New to the market are GPS Tiles; small key chain size devices that help you locate any item to which they are attached with the help of a cell phone. They are far more affordable and do not require a monthly fee, but once again, great to help you recover your bike, not from loosing it in the first place.

A really easy, if not practical way to stop your bike from getting stolen is to remove the clutch leaver. This is more a sabotage then prevention, but works a charm in a pinch.

Where is the best place to park it to dissuade thieves? I was quite surprised to find out the worst place to park a motorcycle was in or around a large high-rise building. Apparently this is where thieves go to shop. From your top end professional to your neighbourhood crackhead, they can all be found in and around large residential areas. It is the combination of the concentration of motorcycles and the anonymity that densely populated high-rises afford.

If you think your bike is safe in the underground parking, think again. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security when the gate closes behind you. Garages are often empty, unwatched and easy to get into with lots of stairwells to escape from.

And parking in front of the large building is no better due to the “diffusion of responsibility”… look it up, it’s a thing!

If you live in a nice neighbourhood don’t get lulled into a false sense of security, because unless it is a gated community, nice parts of town are the areas where thieves go to “shop” for bikes.

So where is the best place to park your bike? In your bedroom. Failing that a private garage or in a place where few people come and go, and those that do all know the bike is yours.

Whom is stealing my bike? Generally speaking there are two types of thieves: the thinkers and the doers.

Thinkers are meticulous; they will scope out your bike for days. These are the guys that prey on you. By this I mean they will take the time to learn your schedule and your bike. They will learn when it will be there but you will not. They will have had a close look. They will have bumped it to test if there is an alarm and checked for a Lowjack. When they show up to take it they will often have the tools and parts to simply replace your ignition and brake rotor rather than defeating the steering column and disc lock. These are the guys that can get around your immobilizer by simply replacing it.

The doers are the joyriding punks that often commit crimes of opportunity. They look for easy targets that are old and/or not well protected. They often don’t plan that far ahead and are often the ones that get caught.

Either way the odds are the thief will ride the bike away. It is far more stealthy to show up on foot or 2up’d, dressed like the bike is theirs. In other words, hiding in plain site. If you find that your bike has been tampered with remember that it might not be a failed attempt, they might be coming back later with the appropriate tools to finish the job.

If they are successful they simply ride off. The idea that it is a couple guys physically picking up the bike and putting it in the back of a truck is rare. It is far to easy to get caught this way. Trucks are large, loud, slow, and have licence plates. If you where the thief which would you rather flee with; a large, slow moving truck, or a nimble and fast motorcycle? Good choice.

Be very careful of whom you let know where the bike lives. For example, the person or people whom sell you the bike or even service the bike (whether large dealership employees, small garage mechanic or even individual) can easily find out where you live, or more importantly, where your bike lives by looking on the transfer form or your insurance papers. It would not be hard for them to get a spare key for the bike and simply have to show up and ride off on it.

The good news it is extremely unlikely that you will get “jumped” for your bike… well around here anyway. It is far to much of a “heat score” to physically take a bike from the rider. But keep this in mind when you travel, it is far more common when riding in other parts of the world. Not to mention all the scams that are involved in renting bikes in tourist destinations. But I will save that for another article.

What bikes are most often taken? New sport bikes, not surprisingly, are the most commonly stolen bikes. If it is older then 7 years the value falls significantly. Also of high value to thieves are expensive bikes: your Harleys, Ducatis and BMWs, etc. These are sot after simply because the parts are more rare, expensive, and harder to steal.

If your bike is old, common and missing, odds are it is just being joy ridden and will be found at some point in some state of disrepair, and probably painted mat black. The older bikes, from the 90’s, where quite easy to steal: a screwdriver forced into the lock and then cranked over would do the trick. Now technology has gotten to the point where immobilizers and chipped keys are making it far more difficult… but not impossible.

It is also important to note that it is very easy to “part” a bike out. If you leave your bike in a vulnerable place it might start missing parts from it. I lost a mirror and brake lever one night a few years ago. I am guessing someone with the same bike dropped it on the right side and broke those two items.

What do I do if my bike is stolen? Call the police! Don’t forget to report it to ICBC, they will most likely need the incident number that you will get from the Police. Put the word out; let everyone you know know via Social Media. Put a search alert up on your local Craigslist/Kijiji/Auto Trader. These sites can be set up to notify you of any comparable bikes being posted.

ICBC will make you wait a month before they pay you out, so you might as well start shopping for a new bike. If/when you get your new bike do things differently when it comes to securing it. It is not unheard of for the same thieves to come back for seconds after stealing your bike a first time. And if you do find your bike let the cops handle it. If you don’t you might end up serving more time than the A-Hole that stole it.

Any final suggestions? Don’t leave original insurance papers in the bike. And I know this sounds stupid, but don’t leave your spare key in the storage area of the bike; a butter knife and a little skill is all that is necessary to open it.

As well, investigate what theft would cost. Often, if you go though private insurers and/or opt out of the collision coverage it might be a nice added piece of mind.

Look, if you ride long enough you’re bound to have a bike stolen. Try to think of it as a compliment that your bike was nice enough to risk jail time to take.

Bikes are material things, maybe this is fate’s way of telling you it’s time for a new bike. Remember: “Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.” Neil McCauley to Vincent Hanna in Heat.

Finally, most of this information in this article was Gleaned from personal experience and a fantastic AMA of an ex-bike thief on Reddit.

It weighs in at just under 25,000 words on some 78 pagers but a fascinating read all the same. I have included the address if you are interested.

www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/comments/t5shp/ex_thief_chopshop_operator_ama/

Lionel Grannis 2003