There are a lot of advice being passed arround in terms of security measures to prevent theft and robbery - drop wallets, hard lockable panniers, safe parking, bike covers, bike locks, keeping your bike dirty, and so forth.

It would be real interesting in finding out how many has had either their bikes stolen or something stolen from it. At the same time, some info about the particulars - i.e. where this happened, at what time of day, what security measures that were put in place and which ones that hadn't and that could have worked.

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Blog: www.bamakobyvespa.no
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As for myself. I have never had anything stolen on my motorcycle travels, not even when I carelessly left all my coms on top of my seat for a whole day in a busy parking lot at Victoria Falls (Zambian side). I allways take great care not to leave my bike unattended if it can be helped, and allways try my best to find safe parking. I have hard panniers, which I seldom leave on the bike over night, but rather bring inside. Valuables I try to keep out of sight. When leaving my room unattended I try to keep things locked inside my panniers, which in more shady places are locked to furniture by a thin cable and tiny pad lock. I have no alarm or tracking system, and seldom bring a heavy duty bike lock (too heavy). If I have to leave my riding gear or helmet on the bike, I allways lock it to the bike with a thin cable.

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Blog: www.bamakobyvespa.no
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I'd be interested to hear the stories of those who said they had had their bike stolen, did they get it back? What happened? What security were they using? Most other things you can live with but that's a bit of a stopper.

Never had anything stolen during my travels.



Did lose a bike to thieves in my own country on a weekend away at 150km from my home. Never saw it again
It was the first (and only, knock on wood) time something like that had happened to me and it was also the first time I considered taking a full coverage insurance in stead of the common accident/3rd party and legal assistance cover. Quickly realized that I would have to have a bike stolen from me every 2 years to make it worthwhile for the type of bikes I choose to ride.

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Belgium to Nordkapp via Iran | Discover Overland | Destination World

I think it is equally interesting hearing the stories of those that have nothing happen to them - what precautions have the or have they not done. It is also interesting to find out if hard panniers prevent theft more than soft panniers, and so on.

I've been on trips where loosing my luggage would have been equally disastrous as losing the bike. In fact, in some cases it would have been less inconvenient if the bike was stolen and not my luggage.

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My Youtube Channel

I've had cash fstolen from a hostel in Argentina by a cleaner who found my hidden stash.

I had a Mobile phone stolen from my tank bag which I left unzipped and open when I took a photograph in Khartoum.

I had a motorcycle Stolen by Gypos in a secure carpark in Liverpool.

My friend had his cruise control rocker stolen off his bike in Barcelona City Center when it was parked overnight.


The theme here is that cities are full of opportunist thieves. As are hostels.

If you get complacent, you can be punished for it.

I've parked my bikes with softbags all over the third world and left them unattended and never had anything stolen. But then I seldom let my bike out of plain sight.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

I spent the best part of a year building a bike for the Elephant Rally (a winter bike meet in Germany if you don’t know it). It was stolen on my shakedown run while I was having lunch. I never did see it again.

I had the battery stolen from my bike in Venice when I was doing the sights.
I had my gloves stolen from my seat while I was putting my helmet on! (a young kid took them and ran off - I ran after him and got them backwhile wondering what his mates were taking while I was away)
I had the top box and panniers broken into and loads of stuff taken when I was in Spain. That was overnight in a hotel where the bike was in secure parking with a all-night guard. The hotel denied all responsibility (of course) and the guard “saw nothing”. We had to leave early to make a ferry.

Having said that (and there were other thefts I won’t bore you with listing) I’ve lost far far more stuff than I’ve had stolen. I’ve lost a couple of tents and loads of sleeping bags, mats, cooking gear etc. Also bike jackets (at least three I can remember), trousers, electronics, even the occasional bike part. We once (a long time ago) lost all our money (back in the days when you had to take cash). That was a tricky one to fix.

Last year we were coming back up the M20 from Dover and were overtaken by a couple on a 1200GS. Just as they came past something fell from their bike. I recognised it as their sat-nav as it just missed us and slid past on the concrete. Unfortunately the truck following along didn’t miss it. Last time my sat nav mount snapped I caught it on the way down. They weren’t so lucky.

I guess being a full time career criminal in small comunities - where everyone knows you - is not such an attractive careere path. Also, having it as one's criminal masterplan - to sit curbside out in the boonies, waiting for the very rare and complacent overlander to fall into your lap - is a poor strategy to get the bills paid - it makes for a very low return on invested time and effort, and at incredible risk. Rsik wize, the other small business owners (legal), who wants this traveler's money, as well as a continued stream of new bsuiness deriving from good repute - they will tend to "regulate" the competing (illegal) business practice - out of business.

The bigger the population, the greater the risk of career criminals.

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Blog: www.bamakobyvespa.no
My Youtube Channel

I've never been mugged or had anything stolen from my bike, nor from my lodging.

I've used both hard and soft bags and see them as being roughly equivalent in terms of fending off stealing, although for short time periods (walking 10 minutes up a path or going inside a restaurant) the hard bags are a bit more secure.

I cringe when I see people leaving jackets, gloves, and helmet laying on their bikes to go into a restaurant. I often take my GPS into a restaurant with me, or put it inside my panniers, hard or soft.

I always pack using pannier liner bags, and everything goes up to my hotel room, or into my tent at night.

I certainly agree that smaller towns are better for avoiding theft, although small towns situated on major through-routes may not be. I'm thinking of the frontier town of Beyneu on the Kazahk/Uzbek border where the locals, many of them drunk in the afternoon, made me feel very uneasy.

I recently bought a small Pac Safe pouch to put my cash, tablet and GPS in when I leave my hotel room.



It has wire embedded in the fabric to make it cut resistant and locks with a cable to some solid object in the room. I put my cash, tablet, and GPS in it when I leave my room. I like to lock it up- out of sight- to the plumbing pipes under the sink or something else that would be difficult to break.

Mostly, like all of you, I just try to stay aware and take ordinary precautions and that's worked for me so far.

.............shu

During my 5 year RTW trip I had nothing stolen from my bike nor anything of my belongings I brought into the places I stayed overnight.
I was however mugged two times when I was a pedestrian walking the streets of places I visited. Or to be correct - I was attempted mugged two times, the a**holes never got away with anything.
First time was in Salvador in Brasil. I was walking along a well litten beachwalk which the locals had assured me was safe to walk even after dark as it was very well litten and always busy with people walking there. But this evening the whole city suddenly had a power blackout so the lights on the beach walk went off. So what could I do, I was still 30-40 minutes from where I stayed. I continued walking. Two big black guys came out of a dark corner and attacked me. Tried to get into my pockets and get my phone and my wallet. But I resisted! Then I took a bit of a beating and they grabbed my backpack which I in addition to water, wet wipes and a powerbank also had some groceries I had bought. Then I got mad! Maybe not so smart but I did. I grabbed my backpack back and ran like hell. Those guys only had flipflops and I had a decent pair of hiking shoes. They didnt come after me....I praised my shoes that night!

Then seceond time it happend in Pasto, south Colombia. I was also walking the streets of the city and I used my phone to navigate my way around. I noticed a guy on a twostroke Suzuki motorbike. He passed me several times. Then he came from behind and tried to snatch my phone out of my hands. He missed, he only knocked the phone out of my hands and it fell down on the street. I picked it up and it was not damaged. If they had been two guys on the bike the pillion could easily have snatched my phone. I have seen such snatchers several times. But luckily this guy didnt have any friends that were into phone snatching from gringos that day.

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

So I've had my bike stolen out of a restaurant parking lot. Four guys picked it up and put it into a truck.

4 weeks later guy arrested transporting drugs on it.

Got the bike back pretty much destroyed. State Farm literally had the bike completely rebuilt to new condition, don't know why they didn't just write me a check.

Went to court and testified that Mr. Richard Stuffelbean (talk about a moniker) was not a friend and I did not LEND him my bike.

He got 4 YEARS!!!!

That was in the late 80's. Lesson learned. Since then I NEVER go in anyplace that I can't watch my bike. I also use a pager/disabler and at 63 I will still wack the crap out of somebody with a $600 helmet if they come within 6 feet of my ride

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Rule#2 "Never go ANYWHERE that YOU are considered a source of FOOD!

Ni,
I have not been robbed yet.
But you never know.

Main reason is that I camp and like nature.

I use camping facilities. Put up my tent next to the tent.
So I have everything supervised, ass good as it gets when you sleep.
In the areas there are mainly campers in huge vans.
Very different from big cities.

When touring France i travelled Loire Vally.
I visited castles and small family owned wine yards.

That is not the main area for theifs.

I do not use expencive stuff, that creats attraction.

But OK, I had something stolen one time. I had my bag with food for dinner outside the tent. And a dog stole my bread.

I went RTW in the late 70s early 80s, nothing stolen, no mugging either, but the world is a lot more crowded now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Charles CCM450, BMW R90/6, BMW R50
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Okay, yeah, I had something stolen too.

Ravens pecked open my food bag while I was out for a walk.

.................shu

Ah yeah, I found a wombat chewing my bread under my tent-flap when in OZ


The worst case happened in South Africa. Even though the campsite was fenced in and boasted a nightwatchman a thief carefully opened the zipper of my tent and grabbed everything within reach while I was snoring happily. Wallet, credit card, passport, money, binoculars, cellphone gone.... Fortunately he didn't just cut the tent open.


Probably he had watched me drawing cash at the ATM. Since then I ALWAYS stop at an ATM en route - never ever near the place I`m staying overnight.

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Only when we pause to wonder
do we go beyond the limits of our little lives.
(Rod McKuen)