Have you been robbed?
 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

https://cdn.accentuate.io/3954869239...3.png?1140x487

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.

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:rofl:) was not a friend and I did not LEND him my bike.

He got 4 YEARS!!!! :rofl: bier

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:D

No
 

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

:biggrin3:

Okay, yeah, I had something stolen too.

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

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

Ah yeah, I found a wombat chewing my bread under my tent-flap when in OZ :cool4:


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.

There are a lot of ways of being "robbed" while traveling, and many are not covered by the poll. For example, I've never had anything stolen from my panniers, hard or soft, but I've had shoes stolen twice--once from atop my bike while I napped a few feet away. That was somewhere in Argentina. I had someone run a credit card twice in India and didn't discover the theft until I arrived home many months later; the money was substantial, in the thousands of dollars, but I got it back. I've encountered lots of pickpockets, none successful. I've been short-changed in a variety of ways, although never for significant amounts. Etc.

All of this rather pales in comparison to the sorts of things that have happened at home in America; knives pulled on city streets, cash stolen from my home, an incident of threats from a couple of hitchhikers I'd picked up (they backed down when I, somewhat foolishly, came right back in their faces), even a semi-famous boss who used to vanish on paydays and routinely skip out on bills.

I'm normally pretty cautious with my possessions, but often a little bit reckless with my personal safety. This has worked out just fine, for the most part. Limiting opportunities for opportunistic theft is probably the best protection; a philosophical attitude toward ephemeral possessions helps, too.

The only 'thefts' we suffered were stickers/decals off the panniers and handlebar screen, which we began losing them in eastern Turkey, then similar in Egypt and on into India. Our response was to get a couple of friends back in the UK to each post us a bagful to Madras, whereafter we could stick a few new ones on each day, always being careful to leave one edge un-stuck so that they didn't tear when the kids peeled them off; we handed a few out too, but the kids seemed to enjoy stealing them more.

Funny, was just reading on facebook today somebody in Cairo was looking for a Rotopax fuel container as his was nicked off the bike along with the mounting bracket. Somebody must have really wanted that, they're pretty solidly bolted on!

A skunk came into the annexe of my tent looking for food while I was on a USA tour in 1995.
He smelled really bad, but nothing like as bad as if I had spooked him, so I just let him get on with it.

I’ve been robbed so many times! The “government” calls it tax but it’s robbery....

But in person, no

Hi,
7 years ago in Iran I got robbed a couples of times in different cities.
With a trick which is well known in the country and iranians start it every region with a different approach:
First they invite you to their home or to a restaurant near by and you get feeded with really delicious food till you get tired. Than they bring you to the best places in their area. They pay all entrance fees and often they want to buy you a souvenir. After that you have to meet their best friends who will start the trick again. You need a while till you recognize that a big amount of your precious travel time was stolen! But I advise you to stay relaxed and politely because you will always feel very well and you will definitely miss nothing material after this theft which in iran is very well known as "The Amazing Hospitality Trick"!

(Was a much trickier rip off than the one with 3 guys in Buenos Aires who pointed a revolver to my face to grap my 25$ swatch and 12$ cash in 1996. Luckily they ignored my cheap shoes which I had bought in a local supermarket. So I was able to catch a taxi with hidden rest of cash)

We’ve had our hotel room robbed by staff in Nairobi. Guards on the front door and key card entry didn’t stop staff with a pass key. The cops told us this.
Again in Nairobmi my wife had a necklace snatched from her neck. She never ever took it off and so forgot it when we left valuables behind before the trip.

The wife and I ride two up so when we go through borders she’ll mind the bike while I do the paperwork.
We have travelled pretty extensively in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. When in poor countries we generally go for hotels with private parking although we also camp and use hostels too. Booking.com is good for finding what you want.
When we get off the bike to wander around, we put the satnav in a shoulder bad, then cable lock the jackets and helmets to the bike. We then wander off and forget about it. We rarely worry about robbery or theft because it’s never happened outside Nairobi.
In dodgy countries I carry valuables in a back pack with both arms through as a black lady security guard in Zimbabwe warned me that the one-arm carry I was using at the time made me a target for thieves.

When starting a trip we change valuable kit such as watches for battered road kit, never flash the cash, wear worn clothes and smile and treat people nicely.
As someone else said, cities are more dangerous so take higher precautions there.
Be watchful but relax and enjoy yourself.

I had my mobile phone stolen from the dashboard of my truck as I opened the door to buy a ticket at the Bara ferry crossing into the Gambia.

The truck was surrounded by kids/teenagers trying the door handles and lockers, later heard from a fellow traveler some of their group had the ropes securing items to their roof rack cut and cases dragged off.

I Ended up staying the night at the port, where the locals tried to sell my sim card back to me.
A couple of days later in a market in Banjul I saw my phone on a popup phone & sim stand, I bought it back for a couple of quid and used it for the rest of the trip.

Call it an "involuntary safe keeping fee".

Next time, maybe get one of these? A dye detonator that can also detonate by GPS and also fire off a flare that burns for four minutes:

https://cdn.thisiswhyimbroke.com/ima...dyetonator.gif

Never had a problem while on the road - the Americas, Asia, Europe, Africa, Oceania.

Had an attempted mugging in Rio once - should have known better than to be downtown on the weekend - they failed and came back later and apologised (!)

Had a phone stolen in the Claro office in Bogotá - I was replacing my phone with a new one, the new one disappeared while going through the process!

All the rest of the incidents were having items stolen from checked baggage at MIA - I never check bags through MIA now - this has happened a few times. It’s the only airport in the world where this has happened to me. Having said that, TSA has routinely damaged checked bags to open them - they have never been locked - just vandalism!

In terms of precautions - in some places (Brazilian cities for example) I use a cheap plastic watch and carry a second "giveaway" wallet with a little cash (never had to give it away so far). The obvious practices - no jewellery, no expensive cameras, no obvious laptop bag) in these areas. Secure parking in countries where secure car parks are everywhere - they're there for good reason. When in Africa it's common for kids to "guard your car" (or bike) for a small fee - I always do this - it's not really necessary but it's an accepted way to get some cash flow into the community.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vA6zaGwJKU...rchsuchung.jpg

Inside of 110`000 Overlanding Kilometers travelling by 4x4 it once happens at 2015 in Peru. Normally we Overlander did stay in our car, but at that night I was out for Dinner.

Im a very touristic small town named Puno (at the tikitaca lake) somebody did smash the sidewindow of the parked car and did steal what he can get with less time.

In my eyes is a touristic town mostly a bit more dangerous, compared to leave the vehicle 3 days remote, when you like to hike.

By travelling by 4x4 - you carry a lot, and there is usually also enough to steal

They did steal a lot. Even a running satellite Livetracker which I did use to keep mom more relaxed at home. It was heavenly raining and is was already dark - as we did start to follow the thiefes by car.

We did use our smartphone, to follow the livetracking unit, hoping that our datapackage will keep us online.

What we did? What happens? It was an adventure, if you like you can read:

Adventure-Overland: Von Arequipa nach Puno

I suggest to use an translator, than it is in german language.

I dont worry more since then. A delayed theft protection for the vehicle, a good insurance and a good backup plan (Data, Documents, Cash) is everything you need.

In a global world you can restock anything with DHL International Business Express (2 days). As long it is on stock somewhere in the world, you will get it in 7 days too in the 2nd world.

Surfy

Only ever had 1 item stolen in all my years of touring, and that was a tank bag in Peru as well. It was one of those moments when I was away from the bike for a few seconds.... lesson learned.

Looks like me and Surfy owe some thanks to the tracking Gods! :-)

Fortunately, the perps had no idea that my Garmin InReach was sending pings back to a satellite and I was able to track the location of the tank bag.

With the aid of some cops and a local motorcycle group, I recovered the tank bag. Now that was one crazy night!

Fully story below for anyone interested:

https://genxrider.com/garmin-inreach-explorer/

https://genxrider.com/wp-content/upl...r_Review_4.jpg

https://genxrider.com/wp-content/upl...r_Review_3.jpg

So posting a link to more in-depth details of being robbed (the topic of this thread) is clickbait?

I'll let the admins of this site decide if it goes against their TOC's, feel free to delete the link.

Also Cholo, I responded to your PM. Thanks. :laugh:

I also contribute to this site. I post information or answer questions that hopefully help.

I posted a link to my website, not my YouTube channel. Both are hobbies (zero income), which I do for fun and to give back information to anyone that is interested.

If what I posted is against the TOC's of this site, then I will let the admins take appropriate action. And that ladies and gentlemen, is my point of view :-)

It seems it's time for me to step in and clarify what I kinda, foolishly / naively thought would be obvious, but clearly not.

da rules...

Advertising
You agree not to post any advertising, URL's with affiliate id's or tracking numbers or anything which actively promotes your own business site or company without authorization.

Pretending to be a traveller and hyping your own business is not okay. Businesses desiring to advertise products or services on the HUBB, the Horizons Unlimited website or the monthly e-zine should contact us. See AD RATES here. Advertisers / Small Businesses Posts on the HUBB

a. Small vendors, tour operators etc: You can become a "Contributing Vendor" by simply paying for a one line Advertising Signature, which will show whenever you make a post.

• The price is only US$ 40 per year, payable in advance, minimum 1 year.
• Your signature can contain up to 40 characters of text and your link in one line.

b.You can also become a "HUBB Advertiser".

• The price is only US$ 100 per year, payable in advance, minimum 1 year.
• Your signature can contain
  • up to 150 characters of text and your link in three lines.
  • Signature Image / logo, animated .gif, 200x50 pixels, max 30kb.

c. Vendors with a regular ad (minimum 6 months, US$100 per month) on the HU website, are entitled to the "HU Sponsor" status. See AD RATES here to become an HU Sponsor.

• Your signature can contain
  • up to 250 characters of text and your link in three lines.
  • Signature Image / logo, animated .gif, 330x72 pixels, max 50kb.

IMPORTANT: The above options a, b and c do NOT allow you to make advertising posts, or any post promoting your services or products. You can offer information in response to posts by travellers, but NO MENTION of your services or products is allowed unless it's FREE.
If you wish to make advertising posts:

"Contributing Vendors", "HU Sponsors" and "HUBB Advertisers" can also make an Advertising Post on the HUBB. These are the first post of a thread advertising an event or product, in the appropriate forum.

• You can make as many posts in the thread as you like.
• Price is US$ 100 per thread, payable in advance.
• The thread is "live" for as long as you maintain your "Contributing Vendors", "HU Sponsors" and "HUBB Advertisers" status, so a minimum of one year.

CONTACT Grant to arrange any of the above options.
You can also have a FREE link to your website with a link to us of similar quality. See www.HorizonsUnlimited.com/linktous for details


-----------------------------


With all that, it IS ok to post links to your PERSONAL SITE for more information. HOWEVER - there is a trade-off here if you do that. What we ALLOW and what is FAIR to ALL - including myself, Susan and HU - is a little trickier.

Horizons Unlimited is VERY expensive to run, and is my full time job / living. And I DO like to eat. (During the pandemic our income has been essentially ZERO, not that it has ever really paid near enough.)
So, to do that, we need traffic TO HERE, and CONTENT for google to find and send people HERE, so they spend time on the site, maybe buy a DVD or a t-shirt or download the Achievable Dream series, or even better, go to an HU event or become a Supporting Member.

IF YOU SEND PEOPLE to YOUR site, or any other site, you drive traffic AWAY from HU - and that hurts us. If your site is a hobby, and you like what we do here on HU, the now 24 years of effort to support the traveller community, perhaps you could help to SUPPORT HU by driving traffic and providing full information here whenever possible.

Some people have complained that the "treatment" has been uneven, or unfair:

If you feel you've been done wrong, TELL ME. There's a link to contact at the bottom of every page, or PM me. I listen, and will ALWAYS do my best to hear both sides of a story and be fair to all.
I've also noticed that sometimes peoples understanding of all the factors improves, and they change their ideas, their attitudes, and how they interact on the site, and that's usually a good thing. They day I stop learning is the day they put me in the ground.

The moderators have a VERY difficult job, far harder than you can imagine, trying to apply the rules fairly at all times. They are to be congratulated and appreciated for their usually thankless and always unpaid efforts. We are forever grateful to them.

Sometimes they err - and sometimes mods have been relieved of their duty for too many errors. But always, they try their best.

We - the mods and I - often discuss how best to deal with an issue. I've been thinking hard about this one for several days now, (amongst all the personal stuff I currently need to deal with) - and hope that I have clarified for everyone the essence of what is ok or not re posting on HU.

P.S.: Please note that Greg Frazier has SPONSOR status here, as he has for a very long time promoted HU on a regular basis wherever and whenever he can, in the press, his books, and in presentations. He is a great AMBASSADOR for HU.

Surfy - great info, sparked lots of discussions, and it's much appreciated - please try to post full info here whenever possible.

Someone complained they thought they had been unfairly stepped on for posting a link in their sig to their own site years ago - contact me. Or, just note that a sig link to YOUR OWN NON-commercial, NON-money making in ANY way travel website is fine.

I hope all that makes sense!

Thanks for the clarification Grant.

1. Had an ex in Argentina take a few hundred from me that I left in one of my bags at her apartment. I had just sold my bike and got the deposit for it.

2. Once in Bogota when I was navigating their crazy bus system and getting on a bus, a group of guys working together got my fake wallet. They got me when I was stepping from the platform onto the bus. The guy getting on the bus ahead of me was in on it too. Two guys grabbed my legs while another guy grabbed the wallet. Luckily they only got $20. I was traveling with too much luggage.

3. Had a professional team get me once at an atm in Mexico. They withdrew $1000 from my account, but luckily by bank covered it as fraud.

4. Can't remember which central american country it was, but it was scorching hot and I stopped in a town to get a water. I started walking to the shop and than turned back to my bike for some reason I do not remember. I couldn't find the key to my bike anywhere. It wasn't in my pocket. It wasn't in the ignition. After about 20 minutes of searching an old man comes and taps me on the shoulder and gives me my key, and then shakes his finger at me and warns me not to leave it in the ignition. To this day, I don't know if he was a good samaritan, or in on a plan to steal the bike. lol

5. I had my chain break on the highway in Argentina. I had the rear tire off of the bike and a bunch of tools scattered around the side of the bike. A group of 5-6 young kids, maybe 10-12 years old came up to me and started asking me questions. The next thing I know one of the kids is picking up the rear tire and acting like he is going to drop it on the rotor. I run over to stop him, while his 5 friends each grab some tools and run off in every direction. Watch out for groups of young kids in Latin America. There is a lot of poverty.

I've had friends on trips get robbed quite a few times because they left money stashed in their room. Its a real common airbnb way to get robbed. Put it in your shoe if you need to.

Just a thought vaguely related to this topic; isn't it funny that when you do the most extensive, well planned trip of your lifetime you have to take the crappiest gear that you own. (not refering to tools).
Sunglasses: cheap plastic, good ones stay at home
Clothes: same
Watch: same
Bike: same?

Makes you wonder why we buy the good expensive stuff in the first place? just to show off to our neighbours?

On a more cautionary note, there is a tendency to steal your jacket (thieves are not stupid and they know that they are expensive and look cool) and with it the contents, like documents and wallet. So I keep the important stuff in my trousers

the world is not a dangerous place, but sometimes you ...
 

... can be in the wrong place at the wrong time.


bike stolen: 2009 Damascus / Syria

tried to steal the bike: 1999 Crimea/Ukraine and 2005 Sevilla / Spain

hard pannier broken into: 2005 Avignon / France

money stolen out of the room: 2015 Bishkek / Kyrgistan

tried to mug: 2003 Caracas / Venezuela, 2004 Cape Town / South Africa



enjoy your ride and try to avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
mika :scooter:

Attempted mugging: Bristol, UK 2003 (where I was studying, then my home country). Robber "changed his mind" doh after I clearly explained to him the disadvantages of his less than cunning plan...

Theft of 2 of my motorcycles from my garage in West Yorkshire, UK 2009 (then my home country). My vehicle test station sent the thieves. One bike was recovered almost immediately, the other 6 weeks later.

While travelling by motorcycle (25 years, 86 countries), touch wood, no thefts/robberies.

2010 Nicaragua - Costa Rica border. Someone stole my tank bag which I had momentarily put down on a window counter while dealing with immigration.

October 2015 - Serbia. Once we left Serbia into Romania on a bicycle trip I realized that the equivalent of $300CDN was missing from our cash. The really creepy part is that I had a vivid dream in Karavukovo, Serbia where someone was in our room and I was unable to move or scream.

To put things in perspective. The above were each 3 month trips. In my own country I've been threatened with serious bodily harm several times; had my home broken into three times; car broken into at least 5 times; witnessed an assault on the street and went to court as witness; lived beside a meth/drug flop house for 5 years and even had my community garden ransacked. All in all, I've had less problems on the road than I do at home ...and Canada is considered one of the safer countries out there.

BC and the rest of Canada
 

As British Columbia is is commonly known as BC, Bring Cash
I have lived there many times But the beauty and the the laid back life style really brings in the trash of Society I lived in Kamloops and it was probably right next to Surrey in comparative crime rates Kelowna is no better there are thieves everywhere, anything that isn't bolted down will get stolen even then the crooks may have wrenches
I moved to Colombia 6 years ago and have a iPhone 8 stolen right out of my hand by a motorcyclist , My f700gs is not on the radar of thieves but if you dont secure your stuff like a tank bag you may be robbed of this. I have touratech aluminum panniers and a aluminum top box every thing stays in these Cases locked.
dont give the bastards a chance. they are on the look out for you In BC also

Over twenty years travelling by motorcycle and yacht across five continents, the only significant/recurrent thefts that we suffered were kids in Asia (Turkey through to Malaysia, but most especially in India) and the Caribbean Islands stealing the stickers/decals off the panniers and boat's dinghy - we'd put those on especially. I got a friend back in the UK to collect a huge package of them from friends and the local m/c clubs and post them to me in India, whereafter I tried to give them away. This we discovered was 'no fun at all' so we instead affixed another 6-10 every day, being careful to always leave one edge slightly lifted, so the kids could get them off without damage to the sticker; we went through hundreds of them. :laugh:

Scammed for $20 was the worst I ever got it.

I just had a sketchy experiences in Pasto, Colombia. It is a city that is located pretty close to the border of Ecuador and Colombia. I was traveling by bus from Cali to Pasto. Unfortunately the bus did not arrive in Pasto until 2 am on a Saturday night. There was a fight going on at the entrance of the bus station where a big black guy was fighting 2 smaller security guards. They started clubbing the black guy with their batons, but he was still holding his own pretty good. Luckily the black guy didn't try to steal the batons. The police came a couple minutes later and walked this guy off like they knew him. Pasto didn't strike me as a very safe city. Lots of migrants trying to cross the border and they are low on money. Definitely would not walk around in Pasto at night.