Survey Reveals Bikers' Concern as Bike Theft Rates Increase

[PeteSC]

Survey Reveals Bikers' Concern as Motorcycle Theft Rates Increase
September 13, 2005

With motorcycle theft rates climbing more than 55 percent according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, and bike sales soaring at unprecedented rates, a survey of motorcycle owners revealed that a full 49 percent are concerned about bike theft and 84 percent believe the chances are "slim to none" of getting a stolen bike back.

Further, 46 percent were aware that professional thieves typically involved with organized crime rings are often behind the problem. The survey was conducted by an independent research firm and commissioned by LoJack Corporation, a provider of recovery systems for valuable mobile assets such as motorcycles, cars and construction equipment.

According to the survey, bikers are exercising a number of good theft
prevention habits:

* 88% always keep their bikes concealed in a garage or storage area when parked at home;

* 80% remove their keys from their parked bikes; and

* 62% park in a well-lit area. Additionally, 76% use locks and 47 percent use kill switches in an attempt to prevent theft. Only 16% use alarms.

"What this survey says to us is that many motorcycle owners are concerned about bike theft and are trying to do the right things to prevent it, yet they know it is simply not enough to protect their bikes from today's sophisticated thieves," said LoJack CEO Joseph Abely. "With bike theft rising at alarming rates, owners need to take every precaution possible to keep their motorcycles safe and out of the hands of thieves."

In an effort to increase awareness of the growing problem of bike theft
and offer tips on theft protection, LoJack launched its "Bike Smarts"
education initiative. Bike Smarts, which is a consumer guide to protecting motorcycles from theft, is available at http://www.lojack.com. It is part of the company's broader education
initiative on theft prevention for cars, trucks and construction equipment.

"One issue we are trying to address is the lack of information available
about the growing problem of bike theft and the sophisticated thieves who are driving up theft rates," said Abely. "This initiative is just a small step toward providing the biking community with information about this issue and advice on what they can do to help protect their bikes."

The survey was conducted with a representative sample of 501 American adults who qualified as bike owners. Response totals are subject to a plus or minus three percent margin of error.

[Maniac]

* 80% remove their keys from their parked bikes;

What the hell?

If you leave your keys in your bike and it goes missing, well I'll just play the worlds smallest invisible violin for you.  


Good story, though. Bike crime is way up! I remember when a local shop in Orlando was busted because it's techs were making copies of customers keys, then stealing the bikes a few days after the customer's picked them up. Friend of mine runs alarms on -both- of his Ninjas, and I usually carry a wheel lock of some type around with me. Usually it's just a bike lock that I wrap around the wheel/forks, but it's more of a deterant than anything thats actually going to stop them. Besides, my bike looks like poo.  Best theft deterant ever

[jfudo]

I don't know that this was a story or an advertisement.

[PeteSC]

Probably both.........

 

[enthusiast]

No doubt this "article" is just a shameless LoJack plug.  I looked up the original article online.  This post is just a copy of that article.  

LoJack is publicly traded and they spent a lot of money on an "independent firm" who did this research.  Of course, the findings only help to suport LoJack's sales pitch.

While tracking systems do have their merits, there are three important downsides that are often overlooked: (1) battery drain on the bike, (2) service area coverage, and (3) monthly cost.

Virtually all tracking systems require you to pay not only for the product itself but also each and every month to keep the "service contract" alive. The long term cost of tracking systems may leave a bad taste in the mouth of the average bike owner. Think about how much you already pay per month (phone bill, mobile phone, internet, etc.) and you can see why tacking on another subscription is cost prohibitive.

LoJack claims to not charge any monthly fees, but the fact is that their least expensive bike system runs $595, and their coverage is limited to LoJack towers and some police towers.  Once your LoJack "protected" vehicle exits the coverage area, its off the map and not traceable.

Rather than spend all that money unecessarily, a hefty dose of common sense coupled with a good low-cost security product may be all the doctor ordered.

Keeping bikes chained in a garage is useful when at home, but what about outings? On long trips, simple chaining alone may not be enough. A good electronic security system, like CYCLONE Motorcycle Security from Kiramek in Japan, can not only alert others to a theft attempt but also strike some fear into would-be thieves.

KIRAMEK also offers pagers to immediately alert you to a theft, which may be enough for you to either stop the crime yourself or at least phone the police at the time of the theft. The best part is, you pay for the system only once -- no recurring fees.

Yet other companies offer motorcycle alarm systems as well, but many of them are now moving toward expensive two-way pagers that drain the bike's battery quickly. But if you ride your bike daily, a 2-way system may be a good choice to consider.

[EODSarge]

LoJack claims to not charge any monthly fees, but the fact is that their least expensive bike system runs $595, and their coverage is limited to LoJack towers and some police towers. Once your LoJack "protected" vehicle exits the coverage area, its off the map and not traceable.

Not necessarily. LoJack installs tracking systems on many police vehicles; there are at least 6 in my agency, that are on and running whenever the car is. Every agency adjacent to mine runs LoJack receivers in some of their cars as well. An officer will be driving on his normal patrol routine and pick up a LoJack hit, and proceed to track the hit back to the vehicle. So, while your coverage may be hit or miss, it's not just limited to tow vehicles or LoJack employees or something like that; quite a large number of police vehicles are equipped with LoJack receivers. I know we've recovered several vehicles, generators, and even a forklift from LoJack hits in patrol cars.

[B6mick]

You know this subject amuses me to no end.
Dont get me wrong, bike theives should be treated as horse thieves in the 1800's string them up and string them up high.
I find it hard to beleive that someone is going to knock off your bike because you leave your keys in it. They have already made thier mind up to knock the bike off, before they enter your place to take it. I leave the keys in the bikes, hey if they gonna break in to shed to get the bikes, they might as well leave the family alone, and not have to break into the house to get the keys. As proved by insuranse companies here 2 skate boards and your bikes gone locked or not.
Back in the 80's when I bought my HD I went to insure it, and was sat on my butt, the price was half the price as the bike cost me. And they told me because of the thieft rate was so high on HD's. Heck I only had to keep it 2 years and I was in front. So a franci pump action was my insurance, and up until little johnie took that away was my only insurance.
And of course a couple of good dogs always helps, espeacially ones trained to ride on the bike with you, for some strange reason they seem to think they own the bike not you.  Beleive me no one touchs your bike full stop, even when the dog is a little fella like my dog bandit. Stuff laying his life down for me and my family, its the bikes that count. Just ask the last F*#*wit that got way to close to the bike, a face full of teeth soon had him back pedalling, and then he had me to deal with, should he wish push it further.

[aussiebandit]

I never leave the keys in the ignition, anymore...did it once and hadn't actually turned it OFF, so the lights were still on.....next morning flat battery..

When I park the bike away from home I try and park it in plain view....my biggest concern isn't someone knocking the bike off, it's someone nicking my gearsack or the stuff in it....hence they reason I'm trying to save for a lockable top box.....