Steal or No Steal?

(Trials of a fellow 3%er, submitted as an article for our newletter, I thought it worth sharing with you guys)

For Publication

Noel Edmonds’ TV revival shows the appeal of something so basic as a closed box. Does it contain pennies or pounds? If the simplest question can absorb an audience of millions, then a similar challenge to that set contestants on “Deal or No Deal” must face toe rags who make their living ripping off motorcyclists’ hard luggage. How do they know whether that locked top box contains gunge, or Gore-Tex? “Steal or no steal?”

Which do they decide to prise off and which to leave? Is it haphazard or can these scum muster enough brain cells for rational deduction? The classier the bike, the better the prospect of a lucrative haul, maybe.

I only ask because I had the misfortune to have the box stolen from my R1200GS yesterday. Parked up in a bike bay, along the Embankment in central London. Monday, mid-morning, fifty yards from a police station and even closer to the cctv and armed guards of government buildings. And it was only there for a couple of hours. Yet the pond lives have left me a grand lighter in the wallet. Tot it up. BMW top box, black Aerostitch riding suit with mini i-pod and sunglasses in pocket. BKS gloves and Garmin 3 Streetpilot. A good day’s thievery and all uninsured. Ouch.

Yes I know I was taking a chance. But in those circumstances I thought it was safe. Expensive lesson. Hope you all learn from it.

I found writing about the loss helped with the trauma! My fury was also eased by reducing the cost slightly. I was able to replace the Garmin Streetpilot 3 at less than half I paid for the original. It’s now a discontinued model. Also I tracked down a riding suit- worn only twice - half price in the BMW Club mag’s small ads.

Interestingly, a fellow motorcyclist suggested I might have been picked out because of the GPS holder, which remains on the machine’s yoke after you detach the unit, With Satnavs the most nickable item right now, that may’ve caught the thief’s eye as the bracket advertises the fact that you have one.

So what to do to prevent another top box being jemmied off? I can’t leave the lid open to demonstrate there’s nothing to steal as that unlocks the base plate. You might as well fix a label : “Free luggage – help yourself”. So it looks as though I’ll have to haul the box with me whenever I park up. Motorcycling’s not as simple and convenient as it used to be.

Ride safe and keep it yours.

Geoff

[Biker Biggles]

That's a real bummer.
I get a perverse satisfaction out of leaving my bike adorned with an old crash helmet,a pair of nearly worn out boots and sometimes a pair of worn out overtrousers while parked in London.Of course the scum never nick my stuff,but I would'nt miss it if they did.

Originally Posted by Biker Biggles

That's a real bummer.
I get a perverse satisfaction out of leaving my bike adorned with an old crash helmet,a pair of nearly worn out boots and sometimes a pair of worn out overtrousers while parked in London.Of course the scum never nick my stuff,but I would'nt miss it if they did.

You'd be amazed what some people nick.

Towards the end of my time at university I had to decide what to do with a knackered old bicycle I'd brought up a couple of years earlier but barely used. Having seen better days, I couldn't see the point in taking it home (150 miles away), nor was there really anywhere to dispose of it.

So I simply unchained it, and hoped that some scumbag would oblige, which a week later they duely did. I was rid of the bike, and also safe in the knowledge that some low life would probably have broken bones after piling into something solid after finding out the brakes didnt work.

Makes you feel like creating a 'booby trap club' whereby, members leave bikes in areas around the UK, with top boxes on, in the hope that the scum nicks them and upon opening, gets some sort of 'surprise'.
Be that whatever.

A face full of sticky sh*t or something that makes them wish they had left it well alone!!

[Stu]

Originally Posted by Trampie

( A good day’s thievery and all uninsured. Ouch.

Sorry to hear this. Have you had a good try claiming off your house contents policy? Or are you stumped by "not leaving unattended in a vehicle", but usually out of sight in a locked boot would be acceptable?

Park under a tree in Summer and leave to stand for several hours.
Upon your return, you should find that your entire bike and top box have been completely plastered in bird poo.

Clean the poo as best you can off the rest of the bike but not the top box.
Foolproof method - I've never had a top box stolen in 15 years of riding.

Unfortunately, all of my bikes have smelt of bird poo.

Originally Posted by stu369

Sorry to hear this. Have you had a good try claiming off your house contents policy? Or are you stumped by "not leaving unattended in a vehicle", but usually out of sight in a locked boot would be acceptable?

make sure you have something called "personal possesions". this would be the cover you can claim off, subject to your excess of course.

Paul