Hey everyone. On the 25th May I had my bike stolen, a 21 year old DR650 from my address in South Milford, Yorkshire, England. Gutted to say the least. The bike was of no real monetary value, however I had put time and effort into bringing the bike up to a comfortable spec for touring etc.

Police think I was specifically targeted by a gang, Followed home and a thorough recce done of my property. My bemusement is why make the effort for a bike that is only worth a grand max ? They chopped through 2 chains which secured the bike to a ground anchor and it had a disc lock on.

My mate is sure that the bike was stolen to order for the engine. Apparently flat tracking is a very popular up and coming sport and single cylinder powerful engines are put into modified road frames. So I guess that it's highly likely some chav needed one for his bike.

I'm putting this out there to warn other members to be extra vigilant. Bike theft is on the up and following you home is a common occurrence prior to the theft taking place. In the future I will certainly be varying my routes to and from work etc and also stopping short of my house to see if I can spot a follow up before actually going to my property. I have had to cancel a planned trip to Norway as a result of the theft so rather upset.

I don't want this to happen to anyone else it's soul destroying. The upside is I get a new bike next week

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Transport is the stem without which the bright bloom of victory could not flower. Winston Churchill.

Wow, that sucks. For all of the time they spent following you ,reconning, stealing, transporting, etc., it sure seems like it would have been easier for them to, you know, put in a couple of hours of overtime and, uh, just buy a twenty-year old engine. People are strange...

I'm sorry for the loss of your bike.

Also here in Italy they are doing the same thing.
Last week, close to my hometown, two GS 1200 ADV "disappeared" while being stored inside private houses garages overnight secured with electronic alarm + front disk lockers + heavy chains linking them to the floor...
Nobody ever saw them since then.

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Nick and his 2010 Yamaha XT1200Z Super Ténéré

Sorry to hear you're bike is gone. IMO it's more likely to be local scum steeling because it's a "scrambler" (their description, not mine). Before I beefed up my garage security I has a low value dirtbike stolen and expensive bikes/ kit ignored. The same happened to a mate in Bristol.

Often the older bikes are easier to steal, particularly for your average unskilled pondlife.

In my case somebody at Odsal Motor Cycles sent the thieves... The police did nothing to investigate. One 17 year old was let off despite finding his dna on the scene and admitting to the crime...

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TBS.com

Sorry to hear this, it sucks. My DR650 was stolen after my trip and although I never got it back, it eventually came up on Gumtree. The guy (not the thief, it had obviously been sold/passed around) was getting rid of it because apparently it was 'too big and too fast'....!! Despite it looking totally wrecked, I recognised it straight away due to its aftermarket exhaust.

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Mike


www.singapore-scotland.blogspot.com
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My little Vid: India/Pakistan

BMW R1150GS
Suzuki DR650 SE: Ride it like ya stole it. Oh, somebody just did...

I'm sorry to hear of anyone who loses a bike to thieving scum, but there is a way of helping ourselves.
There are now plenty of GPS/GSM tracking devices available starting from under £40. You hide the device somewhere in your bike and it can be configured to send you a text message if it's moved and keep sending its location.
Apparently their use is becoming quite common so thieves often leave a newly stolen vehicle in a public place for a day or two to see if its recovered before moving it to their own premises.
A couple of years ago these devices were several hundred pounds, but I think for £40 or £50 they are well worth considering.
If you are thinking of buying one I suggest you look for the following features.
Can be wired into the vehicle battery as well as having its own power.
Uses GPS and GSM location technology
Supports Geo-fencing

The case of the two 1200 GSA is a very sad as well, but IMO it looks different. Like Als Dog pointed, the effort was not worth the money of reselling.

So, I guess your mate is just right: probably your bike was mint, your engine sounded great, seemed well looked after and had relatively low mileages on the clock, that may be why the thief specifically wanted YOUR bike, probably to transplant YOUR engine (and good parts) to his DR650.

I may sound too bad, but I wonder if your engine has swaped shoes for slicks and is now been revved like mad in a track by an urban warrior... (I'm not blaming a group of people as a whole, just pointing a possibility)

Another possibility is what happened in Spain: the Police arrested a gang that was stealing enduro bikes, dismounting them and exporting them to Morocco as 2nd hand spares. Over there, they were re-assembled again and re-sold. Personally, I find it less probable in the UK and for a DR.

In any case, hopefully good luck finding your bike. I cross fingers.

Esteban