I Love It When Bike Thieves Get Busted
Does it make you smile really hard when you hear of some bike thief getting busted? Then boy, I’ve got just the thing for you. This isn’t a commercial for LoJack but it could be interpreted that way.
You know about LoJack, right? They hide a radio transmitter in your vehicle and if it gets stolen the cops can often locate it quickly and get it back to you. And it’s not incidental that the guys who took it often end up getting picked up, too.
Now, I’ve never used LoJack, and heck, I really don’t think anyone is going to be interested in stealing my 1980 Honda CB750 Custom. It’s the Harleys these guys want. You guys with the bulls-eyes on your bikes know who you are.
Well, apparently LoJack releases an annual listing of the stolen motorcycle recoveries in the past year that they are most proud of. Straight from the press release, here’s this year’s list. Read it and smile.
“Most Arrests Made in Recoveries†– In less than 48 hours, LoJack For Motorcycles helped Las Vegas police and the Southern Nevada Auto Theft Task Force break up two theft rings, which led to the recovery of four Honda motorcycles, a Yamaha ATV and the arrest of 10 suspects.
“Fastest Motorcycle Recovery Leads to Big Chop Shop†– In this recovery, a Yamaha YZR was stolen and recovered in only eight minutes after the system was activated. Through this recovery, Los Angeles Police Department and LAPD Burglary Auto Division also found seven other stolen bikes and bike parts, valued at a total of more than $100,000!
“Best Bust Reflecting the Trend of Selling Stolen Bikes Online†– In this recovery, thieves advertised a bike online and, as soon as they got an interested buyer, stole a bike matching the one they had advertised. The thieves then delivered the stolen bike to the buyer, thus limiting the time they were in possession of the stolen item. Fortunately, the bike had LoJack For Motorcycles and its signal was picked up only 10 minutes after system activation – 75 miles away from where it was stolen.
“Bike Stolen – and Recovered – Four Times in Nine Months†– A Tucson resident discovered his 2007 Suzuki GSX-R 600 missing from his apartment, reported it stolen to police and just 14 minutes later, a police helicopter and ground vehicle tracked down the bike. This was the fourth time since August 2007 that the owner’s bike was stolen and recovered with LoJack For Motorcycles.
“Best LoJack Early Warning Recovery†– LoJack Early Warning notified the owner of a Yamaha YZF-R6 that his bike was moved without permission from the parking lot of his apartment. Police activated the system and within 20 minutes received the silent signal from the bike, which indicated it was on the move on a local interstate highway. Police then picked up a strong signal and did not see a bike, but rather a Chevrolet cargo van driving nearby. As the police passed the van, the signal’s directional arrow reversed, which indicated that the bike was inside the van. The police stopped the van, discovered the bike (plus two other stolen motorcycles) and arrested two suspects.
Is that sweet or what?
Biker Quote for Today
Sleep with one arm through the spokes and keep your pants on.
Tags: LoJack
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Ken: Having been the victim of a some low life piece of sh!t stealing my 1992 Softail I know all to well how bad it feels to have something taken that means so much to a person. I was over 500 miles away from home when it happen. Walking out of the hotel I heard guests taking about a motorcycle being stolen. My heart raced as I walked faster for the door. Only to have it sink when I looked over the parking lot not seeing my bike. The police were already there taking the information for the other bike so I got in line. It turned out they stole four bikes that night. It was the first and only time I left town without my chain.
Link to chain: http://www.abus.de/us/main.asp?ScreenLang=us&sid=19295901102243730052008122149474&select=0105b02&artikel=4003318201820m
My new bike has the Harley alarm installed with the pager option. It may not stop them but it is for sure going to be making a lot of noise if they try. The LoJack system isn’t available here in Iowa so I will just rely on locks and alarms with some street smarts to keep my bike mine. I even use the chain in my garage at home. Chaining my bike to the lift table makes it just that more secure. The more you can do to make it hard for them to steal, the better the odds they will look for something easier.
fasthair