Helmet STOLEN off Motorcycle , Assaulted while pursuing thieves

EricV

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Great points Eric ( I see your profile pic all through the different threads ) I do have insurance and they did cover 750$ my deductible was 250$ I now know I'm under insured ha ha I will rectify this as I started to add up all the costs to replace jacket, pants, helmet ,etc and I need more coverage. As you stated it was a comprehensive claim .

Risk VS Reward , you know I probably still would have pursued the guy because dammit stealing peoples stuff is wrong mine or others ! I actually have a history of doing this for other's but when I was a tad younger , Nabbed a car thief after causing a horrific accident he bolted I got out of my truck ran him down ( he fell a few times ;) ) A purse snatcher in a grocery store parking lot .. guy stole an old ladies purse he fell a couple times too.... until security arrived. I also caught a guy breaking into my truck , that poor fella met up with my 8 iron until the police arrived for all intents and purposes he few too ..several times .

Locking stuff to your bike this to can be debatable , Yes it is a deterrent , Yes it makes your locked stuff harder to steal than someone else's . Here is another way to see it , if a low life wants to steal it he will regardless and in the process maybe rips off your throttle cable or your mirror.. maybe destroys some electronics now this starts to get very costly not to mention immobilizing your bike .
I guess the best is to pack it really
Glad you got some love from the insurance company. We also have a gear rider on our policy, ($3k each), mostly for accidents, since ATGATT adds up quickly in replacement costs. It was pretty cheap to add that and bump it to what we felt was reasonable for our gear.

Getting involved - yep, I've had some of that too. It's been a while and circumstances always dictate how I respond. Instant threats tend to bring out a trained reaction in me. (USMC) I don't think, I react to the threat to eliminate it. It's just ingrained from all the training. That's had only one negative instance when someone was "only joking" and pulled a knife.

Beyond that I think we all assess the situation individually. Stopping someone from fleeing the scene of an accident, you bet. Mostly little threat to personal harm, high level of ire that someone is trying to run from personal responsibility. Petty theft, well that more depends on timing and circumstances, I suppose. Kid stealing an apple... kid looks pretty hungry, I'd probably do nothing. Kid looks well kept/dressed, I'd probably say something or take some action depending on proximity.

I've had some fun with people trying to steal my stuff on rare occasions. To the guy sitting on my bike, trying to start it as I came back from the gas station rest room; "There's a hidden kill switch, you're not going to get it started..." Dude just about crapped his pants trying to get off the bike and run away. :D ('40 HD with no key, kick start, manual timing and it really did have a hidden kill switch)

To the scum bag reaching for my helmet in a rest area parking lot at 2 am; "It's a $100 Chinese knock off, and it stinks, nobody is going to give you shit for that." He stopped reaching and tried to beg for money. I was on day 6 of a 10 day rally, riding 20 hours a day. I looked pretty rough and have a good 'don't F*#& with me' look. He just wandered off mumbling. That guy looked homeless, not like someone really looking just to steal stuff. (the helmet cost a tad more, it was a Shoei multitech. ;) But it did stink! )

I've not been in the situation you were in, where I saw it happening and wasn't right there, but was in sight. I'd probably yell and chase, but not chase as far as you did. You never know until it happens.

Locking stuff - I do believe in avoiding opportunity theft by locking stuff up. Still, plenty of times I don't lock stuff and just let how the area feels dictate my actions. Keep the honest people honest by not giving them the opportunity to steal. The thieves will take stuff, regardless. I've seen locking Touratech GPS mounts, with the GPS, literally torn off a bike. If someone wants it bad enough or is prepared well enough, they are going to be able to steal it, no matter what we do. I cover my bike when parking at hotels. No one has ever stolen anything off the bike. Out of sight, out of mind. Most thieves are looking for easy stuff to take.

Most people will quickly give up an attempt to steal something in public if it's obvious that it's going to take more time than just lifting it off the mirror and walking away. I loop the cable lock around the bars inside the triple tree. A good pair of diagonal cutters would probably cut that cable, but the thieves of opportunity won't be carrying those. The pros that would, are looking for bigger game, so to speak. You can't fix stupid though. I've heard of people's Spot satellite trackers being stolen off the bikes while they were on. And the Police just following the spot ping right to the criminal. Dumbass didn't even know what he was stealing. :rolleyes:

Most of my stuff is not new and shiny. When I get new gear, I take more precautions. After it gets a patina, I'm more likely to leave it un-secured if I assess the situation to be generally ok. I know there is always the possibility in a parking lot, especially when you're out of sight. I'm pretty resourceful and have good insurance. Worst case, I'll deal with it and move on. But if I'm in a situation where dealing with it might kill a trip, I'm also going to take more precautions!
 

RCinNC

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"Locking stuff to your bike this to can be debatable , Yes it is a deterrent , Yes it makes your locked stuff harder to steal than someone else's . Here is another way to see it , if a low life wants to steal it he will regardless and in the process maybe rips off your throttle cable or your mirror.. maybe destroys some electronics now this starts to get very costly not to mention immobilizing your bike . "

Here's the thing, though; a lot of people are under the conception that there are roaming gangs of professional thieves fully equipped with tools of the trade, and that they're the ones who're responsible for all the opportunistic thievery that goes on. That's not the case. Thieves, especially the kind that will steal a helmet off a bike or smash the window on your car so they can get in to steal your change from the center console or steal your car because you left the keys in it aren't professional thieves (in the sense that they're highly skilled and making a living at it), but they make up a huge bulk of the people who are going to rip you off. Just based on your description of what happened, the guy who stole your helmet was one of these guys; an opportunist who saw an easy opportunity. If your helmet had been secured, he most likely would have walked right by your bike, because stealing it would have been too much work and too much risk, especially in a restaurant parking lot in the daytime. He isn't going to spend time gnawing at a cable lock with a pair of sidecutters or damaging your bike in frustration while risking getting caught; he's going to move on until he finds something that he can steal very easily and get the hell out of there. If you lock your helmet to your bike, if you lock your car and don't leave items of value in plain sight, if you put your ATV in the garage at night or chain it to a tree, you've just thwarted about 80% of the kinds of low level thieves who go around stealing unsecured helmets, or spare change out of cars, or unsecured ATVs parked in yards.

A professional thief steals your whole motorcycle out of parking lot in about 45 seconds by picking it up and throwing it in a van. An opportunistic thief roams parking lots at shopping malls looking for things to steal easily and sell for drug money (or simply because he wants it and has lousy impulse control). Those are the two types you're likely to encounter. That middle guy, the low grade thief who'll attempt to steal your helmet while it's locked, without the right tools, and then get frustrated and start tearing stuff off your bike in broad daylight, is going to be the least common one. Why fail to prepare because of the type of thief you're least likely to run into?

I've interviewed hundreds of thieves and burglars. Some were real pros, the kinds who specialize in things like business burglaries or heavy equipment theft, and they're pretty hard to deter. Most of opportunistic types of thieves would tell you that they stole your stuff because you made it easy to do it. They'll roam around all day long looking for stuff to steal; they don't have a master plan, other than to look for people who live by the adage that "locks only keep out honest people".
 

towboatcrisco

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"Locking stuff to your bike this to can be debatable , Yes it is a deterrent , Yes it makes your locked stuff harder to steal than someone else's . Here is another way to see it , if a low life wants to steal it he will regardless and in the process maybe rips off your throttle cable or your mirror.. maybe destroys some electronics now this starts to get very costly not to mention immobilizing your bike . "

Here's the thing, though; a lot of people are under the conception that there are roaming gangs of professional thieves fully equipped with tools of the trade, and that they're the ones who're responsible for all the opportunistic thievery that goes on. That's not the case. Thieves, especially the kind that will steal a helmet off a bike or smash the window on your car so they can get in to steal your change from the center console or steal your car because you left the keys in it aren't professional thieves (in the sense that they're highly skilled and making a living at it), but they make up a huge bulk of the people who are going to rip you off. Just based on your description of what happened, the guy who stole your helmet was one of these guys; an opportunist who saw an easy opportunity. If your helmet had been secured, he most likely would have walked right by your bike, because stealing it would have been too much work and too much risk, especially in a restaurant parking lot in the daytime. He isn't going to spend time gnawing at a cable lock with a pair of sidecutters or damaging your bike in frustration while risking getting caught; he's going to move on until he finds something that he can steal very easily and get the hell out of there. If you lock your helmet to your bike, if you lock your car and don't leave items of value in plain sight, if you put your ATV in the garage at night or chain it to a tree, you've just thwarted about 80% of the kinds of low level thieves who go around stealing unsecured helmets, or spare change out of cars, or unsecured ATVs parked in yards.

A professional thief steals your whole motorcycle out of parking lot in about 45 seconds by picking it up and throwing it in a van. An opportunistic thief roams parking lots at shopping malls looking for things to steal easily and sell for drug money (or simply because he wants it and has lousy impulse control). Those are the two types you're likely to encounter. That middle guy, the low grade thief who'll attempt to steal your helmet while it's locked, without the right tools, and then get frustrated and start tearing stuff off your bike in broad daylight, is going to be the least common one. Why fail to prepare because of the type of thief you're least likely to run into?

I've interviewed hundreds of thieves and burglars. Some were real pros, the kinds who specialize in things like business burglaries or heavy equipment theft, and they're pretty hard to deter. Most of opportunistic types of thieves would tell you that they stole your stuff because you made it easy to do it. They'll roam around all day long looking for stuff to steal; they don't have a master plan, other than to look for people who live by the adage that "locks only keep out honest people".

I have a small cable lock I use for my helmet around the chin bar , on my trip to Tuk trip this year used it often . I totally agree with the opportunistic thief and that this is the more commonly encountered . I also take some responsibility for giving that opportunity , I did actually attach my helmet to the bike , I just didn't lock it . I wrapped the chin strap twice around the handle bar and secured the strap .. not locked though ..... my bad . In Whitehorse we ( 3 of us see the " TENERE TRIO " in the Tall trails section ) used cable locks small but a deterrent non the less . In future I will make more conscience decisions for sure !

Excellent responses guys !! great dialogue you have to just love this ADV community now ... the Schuberth E1 or the Shoei Neotec2 :p
 

chwhnd

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Ever since I started riding I have never left my helmet with my bike be it locked or just sitting on the seat , I have always not trusted the average human when it concerns my safety, my thoughts go directly to the same area as jumping on the bike itself , you are invisible and they are out to get you, it has served me well for over 40 years..
 

Madhatter

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opportunist , really ? a thief is a thief that is the correct name . to me calling these people opportunist instead of what they really are (thieves ) is silly. as if the opportunity was to much of a temptation to an otherwise law abiding citizen . I see opportunity everywhere I go , doesn't belong to me so why would I touch it. now I know people make mistakes , we are human , but some people never learn . as a child I learned that taking something that did not belong to me meant consequences , my Dad was a big man.....
 

Checkswrecks

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TBCrisco - When I used to be with a German airline and we laid over in Kingston Jamaica years ago, one of the stews didn't survive being knifed in a botched robbery in the bathroom of the bar we were at. It was a formative experience for the rest of us in the group. With all the countries you've been in I'm sure you've had a couple of close calls too, so I'm glad that all you got for the loss of money was pepper sprayed, as around here you'd probably get knifed and maybe shot. I'd probably have chased the guy too, but have survived this long because I don't get close unless I know whether the other person has a weapon.

I had a high end brand-new Simpson helmet stolen years ago and can state first-hand that locking to the D-rings alone doesn't work. The police officer said that the punks just cut the straps and have a new one sewed on, which a helmet buyer probably would never notice.

These will only stop the laziest snatch & grab opportunists and are NOT WORTH the trouble.


The only three things that do work are:
1. Take the helmet with you.
2. Lock it in a box. My helmet goes in the top box every day while I'm in the office.
3. Use a cable lock. I keep one in the top box because the nice part about the cable lock is if the box is not big enough, the cable can go through not only the helmets but also the sleeves of our jackets.
 

RCinNC

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opportunist , really ? a thief is a thief that is the correct name . to me calling these people opportunist instead of what they really are (thieves ) is silly. as if the opportunity was to much of a temptation to an otherwise law abiding citizen . I see opportunity everywhere I go , doesn't belong to me so why would I touch it. now I know people make mistakes , we are human , but some people never learn . as a child I learned that taking something that did not belong to me meant consequences , my Dad was a big man.....
Calling them opportunistic is a descriptive adjective, not a lesser moral judgement. No one here has any higher an opinion of a helmet thief than you do; describing them as opportunistic is a way to help someone who previously didn't think it was necessary to lock his helmet, or secure his bike, understand a certain type of thiefs' mindset so they can better understand why they need to protect themselves. No one is calling them "opportunists" in order to lessen their moral culpability.

Look at it this way, what's a better description of a person's behavior:

"He's a total jerk" Well, that could mean anything to anyone, from leaving the toothpaste cap off the tube to punching your dog.

"He's a sociopathic narcissist"...those descriptors give you a way better understanding of the type of person you're dealing with.
 
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SHUMBA

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"Locking stuff to your bike this to can be debatable , Yes it is a deterrent , Yes it makes your locked stuff harder to steal than someone else's . Here is another way to see it , if a low life wants to steal it he will regardless and in the process maybe rips off your throttle cable or your mirror.. maybe destroys some electronics now this starts to get very costly not to mention immobilizing your bike . "

Here's the thing, though; a lot of people are under the conception that there are roaming gangs of professional thieves fully equipped with tools of the trade, and that they're the ones who're responsible for all the opportunistic thievery that goes on. That's not the case. Thieves, especially the kind that will steal a helmet off a bike or smash the window on your car so they can get in to steal your change from the center console or steal your car because you left the keys in it aren't professional thieves (in the sense that they're highly skilled and making a living at it), but they make up a huge bulk of the people who are going to rip you off. Just based on your description of what happened, the guy who stole your helmet was one of these guys; an opportunist who saw an easy opportunity. If your helmet had been secured, he most likely would have walked right by your bike, because stealing it would have been too much work and too much risk, especially in a restaurant parking lot in the daytime. He isn't going to spend time gnawing at a cable lock with a pair of sidecutters or damaging your bike in frustration while risking getting caught; he's going to move on until he finds something that he can steal very easily and get the hell out of there. If you lock your helmet to your bike, if you lock your car and don't leave items of value in plain sight, if you put your ATV in the garage at night or chain it to a tree, you've just thwarted about 80% of the kinds of low level thieves who go around stealing unsecured helmets, or spare change out of cars, or unsecured ATVs parked in yards.

A professional thief steals your whole motorcycle out of parking lot in about 45 seconds by picking it up and throwing it in a van. An opportunistic thief roams parking lots at shopping malls looking for things to steal easily and sell for drug money (or simply because he wants it and has lousy impulse control). Those are the two types you're likely to encounter. That middle guy, the low grade thief who'll attempt to steal your helmet while it's locked, without the right tools, and then get frustrated and start tearing stuff off your bike in broad daylight, is going to be the least common one. Why fail to prepare because of the type of thief you're least likely to run into?

I've interviewed hundreds of thieves and burglars. Some were real pros, the kinds who specialize in things like business burglaries or heavy equipment theft, and they're pretty hard to deter. Most of opportunistic types of thieves would tell you that they stole your stuff because you made it easy to do it. They'll roam around all day long looking for stuff to steal; they don't have a master plan, other than to look for people who live by the adage that "locks only keep out honest people".
Well said and very well written.
As a former law enforcement officer as I'm sure that you were/are what you have stated is correct. Items such as helmets, gloves, glasses etc. are all very portable items, so just taking them with you is usually the best way to ensure you will ride home clad the same as when you arrived.
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wjfawb0

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My 2019 Super Tenere is the first bike I've had without the lock. I'm going to keep a cable lock in my luggage. I was looking at the locks from revzilla and dennis kirk yesterday. The cable lock looks like a winner, along with a top case big enough for my helmet.
 

RCinNC

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That's what I do. I always carry two six foot cable locks. They really come in handy. I've used them to lock the helmets and riding gear to the bike, and at the same time lock the panniers to the panniers racks. A lot of times if I'm touring, I'll find someplace that I want to explore on foot, and it's nice to be able to secure all the riding gear/helmets to the bike, and be able to lock the panniers at the same time, when I leave the bike unattended. I've also used the cable locks to secure the bike itself when I'm at a motel, and if there's an object handy like a support pole for an awning, I've cable locked the bike to that. My tank bag has backpack straps, so if there's anything else I don't want to leave behind (like the helmet comm units, a GPS, etc), I just toss them in the tank bag and take it with me.

Personal security can absolutely be a pain in the ass, but I've always felt that it's a bigger pain in the ass to return to your bike and your helmet is gone, and you're 1000 miles from home in a mandatory helmet state.
 

RCinNC

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Well said and very well written.
As a former law enforcement officer as I'm sure that you were/are what you have stated is correct. Items such as helmets, gloves, glasses etc. are all very portable items, so just taking them with you is usually the best way to ensure you will ride home clad the same as when you arrived.
SHUMBA

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Thanks, Shumba. Yes, you're correct; retired criminal investigator here. My views about security are probably biased by years of interviewing victims and suspects about crime, and I probably take more precautions than most. I think most guys could leave their helmets on their bikes unsecured for a whole lifetime of riding and never experience a problem. But since I've talked to so many people who've been victimized, and talked to so many suspects who've told me how/why they victimize others, I take the extra precautions because I feel like they merit the effort.
 

SHUMBA

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Thanks, Shumba. Yes, you're correct; retired criminal investigator here. My views about security are probably biased by years of interviewing victims and suspects about crime, and I probably take more precautions than most. I think most guys could leave their helmets on their bikes unsecured for a whole lifetime of riding and never experience a problem. But since I've talked to so many people who've been victimized, and talked to so many suspects who've told me how/why they victimize others, I take the extra precautions because I feel like they merit the effort.
Agree, cause you just never know.
SHUMBA

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Dirt_Dad

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That's what I do. I always carry two six foot cable locks. They really come in handy. I've used them to lock the helmets and riding gear to the bike, and at the same time lock the panniers to the panniers racks.
I stopped using my cable lock to secure the panniers to the bike. When I hit the deer, the pannier separated from the bike when the deer's body got to that part of the bike. Fortunately it hit with enough force to break the cable lock. Otherwise, having a pannier dragging and kicking around at 75 MPH could have been enough to finally take me down. Since then I've only used the cable lock attached to the bike. The pannier lock to the rack has been a sufficient security step so far.
 

RCinNC

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I stopped using my cable lock to secure the panniers to the bike. When I hit the deer, the pannier separated from the bike when the deer's body got to that part of the bike. Fortunately it hit with enough force to break the cable lock. Otherwise, having a pannier dragging and kicking around at 75 MPH could have been enough to finally take me down. Since then I've only used the cable lock attached to the bike. The pannier lock to the rack has been a sufficient security step so far.
I don't lock them to the bike when I'm riding; that makes it a pain to get stuff out of the panniers if I need something. I carry the cable locks so I can lock everything up if I leave the bike in unattended.
 

wjfawb0

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I bought a three pack of 6' cable locks this weekend, and I stuck one in my side cases along with my motopump, tire plug kit, zip ties, etc.
 

STenitus

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As for price I bought the helmet for 900$ including tax I had a Sena SC10U in the helmet which cost 400$ with tax also I had on my Smoke Shield worth just under 100$ All Canadian dollars so all in it was a shade under 1500$ but you guys know the media and there "fake news" ;)
That's a substantial investment of your own hard-earned money and a real shame some DA thought he (or she) deserved it more than you. Like others, I hide and lock mine in a case or w/ a cable... and always pull the BT comm unit. The fake news I've come to know and loathe would spin your situation into the thieves being victims and would fault you for having the audacity to openly display your helmet. :mad:
 

Tenman

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I've been using so called cheap helmet locks for many years. They are a big deterrent. If a pro crook is there. No cable or lock is gonna help. I've seen a friend's helmets stolen while we were parked side by side. Mine was locked. We also were parked at a run down gas station once and a kid with bald spots from lice was putting his on. Mine was still locked.
 

STenitus

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I've been using so called cheap helmet locks for many years. They are a big deterrent. If a pro crook is there. No cable or lock is gonna help. I've seen a friend's helmets stolen while we were parked side by side. Mine was locked. We also were parked at a run down gas station once and a kid with bald spots from lice was putting his on. Mine was still locked.
Nasty! Lesson learned, thank you!!
 
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