Topic: Someone Just tried To Jack my Bike

[campbmic]

So I live in the industrial district of downtown Dallas. My front door is made up of a heavy gate and a wooden door on the front of my house. Sometimes I park my bike on the sidewalk a foot away from my front door whenever Im coming and going or running around a lot. I left the bike with the key in it today. I have one of those ignitions that are under the front left of the tank and my bike is only kick start so I figure it would be safe. A few hours later I'm baking some corn bread in my kitchen which is about 10 feet away from my bike and I hear my bike start up! 

I have three roommates and one of them is into old bikes and has an old Suzuki and he usually gets off work around this time (1:30am). So I figure its him starting it up and messing with me. I bolt to the door anyways and while the bike is still coming down from the initial starting rev i swing open the front door to see a guy sitting on my bike! 

At this point Im confused, angry, and scared all at the same time.

The guy says, "Hello" and I just stare at him with a shocked / Im about to kill you glare.

The guy says, "I've seen this bike out here all day and I figured I would come over and...."

I don't say anything, I don't blink, I just sit there and think about all the time I've spent rebuilding the engine, and all the hours of hitting my head against the wall trying to figure out the charging system. And now some piece of junk dude is sitting on it and just started it up. The guy doesn't look like a bum or a druggy. At this point in time I dont know if hes just a big fan of bikes or if hes about to burn rubber and take off. I hit the kill switch for him either way and still don't say anything.

The guy says, "Well I guess I should get off now..."

And I reply, "You can either get off now or I can shoot you off the choice is up to you"

The guy gets off and hands me the key and starts walking away. I don't have a gun or anything. Im still very confused about what his intentions were. Just a very strange situation! What would you all have done? The more I think about it the more miffed I get about the whole thing and think th eguy needs to go walk off cliff. Let me know what you guys think, while I go get my flame-retardant suit on for leaving the key in the ignition.

[dave500]

ide have punched him hard!in retrospect though he knows where you live and the bike is outside,he had bad intentions for sure,you dont muck about with anyones property full stop,,maybe knock on the door and ask if its for sale or what ever,chain it from now on man and use the steering lock, keep an eye out,if your freindly with your neighbours tell them aswell,ive had two cars stolen over the years and mum had one stolen and never recovered,imagine sitting on a one percenters bike?the last thing youd see would be stars and shiny circles.

[Ryan6838]

I would have beat the crap out of him. But that's just my short temper post iraq mind. My wife said i cant have a gun after i thought someone was breaking into my car and snuck outside at 3am with a my dagger i carryed in iraq. I swear im not crazy.  

[dave500]

i have a short length of shovel handle with a shallow hole drilled in the end painted black to look like a single barrel shotgun,it has a short chain on the other end with a nut and bolt through it.kept under the bed.

[jaknight]

Get A Big Heavy Chain....

.... and put it through frame members, then to something securely anchored.
Cover the chain with old bicycle tubes cut to slip over the chain so that
you do not damage paint or chrome.

He may very well return.  You and your friends can't stay awake all the time.

There have been 6 attempts that I am aware of on my 750 K4.  It now has
2 super heavy duty chains on it and then to a steel I beam supporting a huge
covered parking area.  The bike also has a wheel lock going through the shock
absorbers and spokes.

Still, my bike means an awful lot to me.  It scares my wife, because I keep
a .44 Magnum loaded just to let people know I am serious....

   ~ ~ ~ jaknight ~ ~ ~

[Hush]

I'm sending you a photo of a tool most Hondas don't carry but probably should for just this eventuality, doesn't quite fit into the tool kit but I slide mine into a bracket just behind the seat.
The PR24 (Tonfa to you Martial Arts buffs) is made by the Monadnook company in the USA and is standard issue to the NZ Police.
I don't even touch let alone sit on my mates bikes unless they invite me to, it's like...just not done man!

[jaknight]

Off Topic, But....

Hush.....

Got to say that is one very good looking bike!

   ~ ~ ~ jaknight ~ ~ ~

[Hush]

Off topic I wish it was mine.
Some advert Honda put out for their 750 model but I liked the idea of the night stick.
If I ever find a CB750P it's mine...all mine OK!

[dave500]

with a name like jaknight,should you really be posting on this thread.

[jaknight]

with a name like jaknight,should you really be posting on this thread.

Sshhhhhh.....

   The name comes from a secret pastime of mine....

   ~ ~ ~ jaknight ~ ~ ~

[fastbroshi]

Hey Mike, isn't that kind of a loft/warehouse type place?  There's no carpet, just concrete floors?  I'd just keep it inside if it were me.  But the other simple stuff like chains and all are always a good idea.

[Ayrity]

oh man, I don't even want to think about this happening. Thank god there are like 5 bikes in my apartment complex that are all worth thousands more than mine heh. Good bluff with the shooting threat, I might use that if I ever need to.

[Scott S]

 I'd definitely take the key with me from now on. Just saying....

[Stev-o]

I would have done exactly what you did...I hope. Sure, you could of beat the crap out of him like some of the other guys mentioned, but then you up the risk of the guy coming back to retaliate.

[fastbroshi]

I'd definitely take the key with me from now on. Just saying....

That's like saying "no offense, but..." right before you say something racial while attending the Apollo.  Ya big dork 

[co425]

 src="http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab338/co425/9c063833.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos" />[/url]

Park your baby in the house. That's where I park my 69. I also have a floor anchor in that room. With A nice heavy chain. Also my 75 lb and 95 lb D.O.G. alarm system and multiple firearms. Don't screw with my stuff.

[asom]

I would think twice about mentioning a firearm when you don't have one.  Just a good rule of thumb.  Unfortunately, if someone wants to steal something and they are an actual thief.  They'll steal it.  Locks and chains are a great deturant for crack heads and #$%*s.  You can't rightly beat someones a$$ while they're sitting on your bike, you may knock it over.  Once they stand up I'd give em an ol fashioned whoop'n. 

[MCRider]

As said a real thief will get it no matter what. But every effort is an iincremental deterrent. Enough deterents and they run out of tiime. Real thieves are 1 in 10 to nuisance thieves.

Take the key, a real thief will hot wire it. Lock the fork a real thief will break it. Chain it, a real thief will cut it. Lock the wheels, a real thief will have buddies and they lift it and throw it in a van.

The bike in my avatar was stolen. I rode it up to the back of the shop where I was working. 9AM, open lot. Got off, took the key, went inside to clock in, said high to the boss, went back to the overhead door to the shop, opened it to roll my bike in, and it was gone. No sounds, no tire tracks in the pools of water from the night rain, the beauty shop next door saw and heard no one. They knew my routine.

The bike had a rep, for 1972 it was pretty hot and I was a showoff on Friday nights. Someone decided they wanted it more than me. Heartbreaking.

In your case, take the key, wire in a toggle kill switch under the tank, lock the fork, and lock it to the ground or a post. That will eliminate the nuisance thieves anyway.

I'm thinking of a way to chain up the kickstart. But even that, the pros just pick it up and go.

[HondaMan]

When the 750 came out, they were stolen every few minutes in the Chicago area where I lived at the time: in 1970 alone there were over 1100 stolen K0 reports issued to the area's bike shops by the metro police folks. Today, as they are "coming back" as the all-purpose, great-looking, useful ride they have always been, they are getting stolen more again. Here in Denver, even, which used to be known for NOT having this problem...

I moved my keyswitch back under the tank by the carbs, first thing (and never leave the key in, of course) to make it a little harder to hotwire near the key. I park it 100% of the time with the KILL switch OFF and the steering column locked at minimum, just to slow down a would-be taker. Next step up is to leave it in gear, always a confuser. I also carry a 3/4" thick, PVC-coated, unpickable, double-tumbler plunger locked cable, and it goes through the rear spokes and the engine under the carbs at a minimum if I cannot see the bike from wherever I am going to be. At motels when I tour, it also goes through a guardrail if I can find one, and has sometimes spent the night in my room (ah, Eau de High Octane...).

And then there is the always-loaded, cleaned, and ready pistol on my belt, in my pocket, and/or my boot (sometimes more than one) or hanging near the door at the least. The Second Amendment and I have been lifelong, hi-caliber buddies... 
(And my wife is going to get HER carry permit shortly, too!  << This is me, happy about it...)

There have been 8 attempts on my 750 that I know of, based on its movement and things like the cable wrapped around the rear axle, or the bike lying on its side. People want these bikes, always have. Unfortunately, Honda did not make them hard to hotwire: fortunately, most thieves today don't know a green wire from a yellow one (and, the bikes are pretty heavy, this helps). This is one reason why I offer the coil-killing (but pricey) "Security Switch" on the transistorized Ignitions I build, as just one more "layer" a would-be driveaway thief would have to figure out after a hotwire (honest, that's not a plug, merely my reaction to all of this while I designed this thing for all of us Four lovers.)

[fastbroshi]

If you're close enough, you can just grab the back of their collar, and pull them back and to one side of the bike, they'll instinctively let go.

[Gordon]

The second he stepped off the bike I'd have been on the phone to 911 to report that I just stopped a motorcycle theft in progress.  I'd also have snapped a quick picture of him with my phone.  You'd have no way to prove that he tried to steal it, but a talk with the cops may deter him from doing anything like that again.

[HondaMan]

I'm thinking of a way to chain up the kickstart. But even that, the pros just pick it up and go.

This reminds me, MC: I have seen something similar in a custom bike show, and the 750 in particular could benefit from something simple. It was a (chrome, of course) bar that mounted to the frame behind the kickstart  and stored vertically along the frame when not in use. When folded down, it hooked into a bracket that had been bolted to the top of the engine (bolts on the inside, had to be installed with carbs out). A padlock went through holes in the bar and bracket and fit so close (the bracket had slots either side of the lock hasp) that a cutter could not reach it to cut the lock. The bar itself was said to be hardened and was about 3/4" diameter, too big to cut. It very effectively and prettily prevented the kickstart arm from being deployed. It was a very nice piece. Today, a CNC could make these pieces in minutes. Hmmm....I think feel the Hondaman Kickstart Blocker coming up....

It still doesn't stop the bike-lifting "trucking thieves" or hotwire-ers, but the toggle switch/Security switch arrangement sure slows those approaches. Normally, if they can't grab it and leave, it doesn't happen.

[HondaMan]

If you're close enough, you can just grab the back of their collar, and pull them back and to one side of the bike, they'll instinctively let go.

Done that. It is a little hard on the bike, but it puts him on the ground, too. The bike can also help by pinning his legs, if you're quick. 

[ChortlingSandcaster]

You have to ask yourself "What is reasonable adult behavior regarding someone else's vehicle that a normal considerate adult would engage in?"

What if we were talking about a car with its keys left inside, parked out front?   Does the following sound like reasonable adult behavior?

"There's a car I like and it has the keys in it.  And it's been sitting there for a few hours.  I think I'm going to start that car up."

About 99.99% of reasonable adults will NEVER DO THAT.

Here's why.  Your reaction to catching the dude in the act WAS PREDICTABLE -- "the angry owner shows up, I'm gonna get whooped."

And because you, the owner's reaction was predictable and dangerous, no reasonable adult will put themselves IN A POSITION WHERE THE OWNER MIGHT THINK THEY WERE A THIEF.  Because most reasonable adults will predict the possible outcomes of their behavior and avoid personally dangerous situations where they get hurt or shot.  In Texas I think that boy woulda got shot by a lot of other owners.

There's not a lot of difference between getting inside a car and hopping on top of a motorcycle to overcome the 'threshold of what a reasonable adult does.'

The guy was a thief, or (small chance) someone who likes being provocative, there are guys out there like that.

Me personally, because of an extensive background and an advanced need to assess someone's personal demeanor, body language, their verbal ability -- I could triage on whether that person was an innocent immature, not-yet-worldly adult who didn't know any better, or a probable thief/provoking type of person.

I tend to hate the latter so much I will usually start something, let it get physical (no weapons on my part) then get the cops involved and they will find out then and there if the guy has a police record for theft, and they will arrest him for attempted robbery and maybe for the altercation too since he was on my property (right outside my door, on my vehicle).   In other words, I'm gonna create a scene and get the cops involved and if nothing else, I know immediately if the guy has a record of theft.   My personal hatred of criminals overcomes my concern for personal safety.  I want immediate revenge for the behavior.

Plus after that he won't be coming back.

I think also you have to pay close attention to your instinct -- from your description of your thoughts when you first encountered the guy, it sounds like you had an instinctive reaction that it was all bad, not a young immature guy who was too stupid to know the danger he put himself in.  I suspect your instincts told you the guy was a thief, sounds like it to me.

But you can't leave the key in there in my opinion.   "Remove the temptation."  I hide everything out of sight because thieves are lazy -- they won't *generally* go to any trouble but if they see something out in the open, that looks like an easy 'grab' -- its a target for them.  With your bike parked in the back or key out/locked up, that scene wouldn't have happened, the bike would have never started.

[wildcatmahone]

As someone mentioned earlier there is "nuisance thieves", and "real thieves"- who know how to effectively steal your sh*t. A real thief will plan out the act long before it happens with the right tools at the right  time to minimize being caught. As said before not much you can do with one of these guys they'll find a way to get it. It's all about deterrents the harder you make your bike to steal the safer it'll be. In my opinion this is rare and the "nuisance thief" is a far more dangerous person. Usually a junkie or desperate person with limited experience in thieving skills they will attempt to take your sh*t when you LEAST expect it even right under your nose. Once had a guy break into the back of my house while I WAS HOME COOKING DINNER. Went out back to get something found tools scattered outside the door found the f*ck hiding behind the door. Would of beat the hell out of him but never seen someone run so quick in my life! This is why you should always keep your bike locked is one way or the other, even for a moment, if they can't easily take it they will move on. This is easily sorted with a combination of wheel/steering locks chains and kill switches. So take caution and be safe and as HondaMan mentioned a .44 at the hip can't hurt either.

-Wildcat

BTW: Get yourself one of these 1/2" link suckers! Lock it up (even for a minute)!