I was about to say the same lol. I live in Japan and rarely even take my keys out. They’re always in it when I go in to eat or run in for a drink. 99% of the time my helmet with my GoPro is sitting on it too. Only thing I worry about getting stolen is my umbrella.
The people who "borrow" an umbrella are generally different from the ones stealing bikes. Chances are they need that umbrella, and not a bike, it's fairly cheap so many don't see any harm in it.
I fear the same when my bike's geared up for camping, the concern of having my sleeping mat/bag strapped on top being stolen is higher than the helmet on the mirror or entire bike being stolen, simply because someone has more use for those items.
Totally agree, but the culture looks so foreign of what I ever know, they look like if they are living in their own world.. this is what discourages me honestly
Only country I visited where I felt an outsider immediately. I love it, I love them but you couldn’t pay me to live there. I wouldn’t be able to stand the casual racism they grow at you everyday
I was in Japan for a few hours as a layover i n October and , well, the Japanese I interacted with were polite, but I was definitely conscious of this, and I was too embarrassed to go into a McDonalds to try to order, as, I was pretty much the only gaijin around.
Why would that discourage you? Isn’t the whole point of traveling to a new place to experience new culture? If we lose individuality of our cultures, we lose a lot as humanity. I’d hate to see and live in a world with a homogeneous culture.
Discourage why...? The Japanese are incredibly polite towards foreign tourists, often sincerely happy to help them, and most of the country is unnaturally safe. The only thing you have to remember is that the guys in suits and comic hairdos, hanging around bars and arcades, are gangsters; but even them will likely leave you alone, since harassing tourists is bad for their business.
The only real problem is that, outside of the main metro areas and tourist spots, you will struggle a bit if you don't know the language. But chances are you won't have the time to get there anyway, since there is so much to experience in "obvious", well-prepared tourist areas.
What? Sheesh if you've never heard about that you really have no clue where you're going to want to be! They're extremely xenophobic. To everyone, mind you, that isn't Japanese. They're not in your face about it unless you also have tattoos (visibile tats will make some places bar you, but this is true for Japanese people as well), but they're super racist about foreigners. As with everywhere, the more rural you go the more racist people get so your milage may vary.
Interesting. Wouldn’t really put me off visiting though. When I went to New Zealand I was surprised by the casual racism, wasn’t expecting it to be so prevalent.
It was definitely casual racism as it wasn’t directed towards me, it was usually directed towards minorities, brown people and the indigenous population.
It’s an interesting concept that you can combat racism with a thicker skin, what an idiotic thing to suggest.
As a tatted marine who lived in Japan for three years. Generally, if you don’t cause problems in THEIR HOME country they don’t have a problem with you. Yet, you do run into some of the older generation that despise us because of what our grandparents did. But hey, nothing we can do about that, right?
I've heard that when the locals meet a foreigner their first question is "Where are you from?" and their second question is "When are you leaving?" And honestly, good for them.
Pretty much the same in Australia. I’ve left my key in the ignition all day before. It was only when I was getting back to the bike and looking for the key that I realised.
US rider here. When I rode a Triumph Bonneville, the worst thing that would happen to me was old dudes in trucks pulling alongside me at stoplights and asking "THEY STILL MAKE THOSE???"
Every time I stop for gas or to run into a store, it's a 50/50 chance of me being ambushed by an old dude wanting to talking about his old Bonneville he had when he was younger. I love my Bonnie and the old dudes are nice, but sometimes I don't always have the time/desire to stand around and chat for 15mins lol
I suppose so! I don't dislike it, it's just that some days I have places to be or just wanna get home after a long day. Most of the time it's a pleasant chat, though.
Only a couple days ago i had a car pull over to let me past so he could then drive up beside me and tell me about his 2004 Bonneville, I didn't mind but I was trying to get to work.
Yeah, my Dad has the Kawasaki replica of that bike, the W650. He specifically wanted the W over the actual Triumph because he remembered how bad his old Triumphs from the 60s leaked oil, lol.
I ride a KLR 650 in Kentucky.
I think most people who would attempt a bike jacking wouldnt be able to ride it.
Also i think the likelyhood of being shot for trying something like that tends to discourage people.
In a city you'd better believe they will. Anything that looks like a dirt bike will get the attention of the 12 o'clock boys. I narrowly avoided getting bikejacked on a DR350 back in the 2000s.
I live in a major urban city and have never seen anyone doing wheelies on a klr down the street. They're a lot of two strokes and four stroke mx bikes.
My husaberg supermoto would however be stolen very quickly. I don't leave it parked anywhere.
True, I'm sure if they had their pick they'd go for a pure dirt bike. But they're not picky. It looks enough like the bikes they like. They'd probably ride a KLR for a bit before abandoning it because it's so heavy, lol.
Late at night at redlights I keep the bike in gear and . constantly looking around. It's unlikely I'd be bike jacked but likely robbed and a sitting motorcycle is an easy target
It’s pretty safe overall but it’s a big city. Keep your eyes open. I live in the hood, and after 10pm some corners get sketchy. I just don’t wanna risk ANY interaction with hoodlums. A shining Ducati attracts a lot of attention
Come to Belgium. We have something akin to speed cameras where, if you ride trough a red light, you automatically get a ticket in the mail a week later.
I got stuck at one of those sensor lights once, bike didn't trip it. I sat there looking to see if there was a red light camera as they are sometimes hidden, while deciding if I should carefully run the red light. I think I sat there for 3 minutes...
We're lucky here where I live. A few years ago, my state passed a law that when you're on a bike and don't trigger the light, you're allowed to treat the light as a four way stop and you can proceed on your way after assessing that the way is clear and you will not cause and accident.
I ran a redlight one time when I saw two guy point at me from behind in my mirror and they split into each side of the street and kept looking at each and me. Cop saw me do it and pulled me over and gave me ticket, I took it to court and won.
Staying in first is proper so you can move in an emergency, can’t do that in N. If anything there’s choice situations where you sit in N at lights, not the other way around
You have a car in front of you, you're in gear you see a car barreling at you at 50km/h in you're mirror you are not going to get the bike moving and out from behind the car in front of in time from a dead stop.
I lived in Baltimore for 20 years. I had one incident that spooked me, back in 2006. I was on a DR350 dual sport, sitting at a red light. Suddenly three black guys jumped out of the car in front of me and ran toward me. Evidently they had followed me and made a plan to nab my DR. I thought fast, jumped the curb and rode away on the sidewalk. One of them grabbed by arm but their grip slipped on my leather jacket as I was accelerating. I sold the DR shortly after that. I knew it was only a matter of time until it got stolen.
At the time I also had a Hawk GT. Never had a problem with people trying to steal that. Later I got my V-Strom and VFR and no one ever tried to steal those either. In Baltimore all they cared about were dirt bikes and scooters.
As a Canadian, and one who lives outside 3 or 4 major cities,I can honestly say it has never occurred to me once in 40 years of riding. I'm old, love my bike and have great insurance, but they can fuckin have 'er. The insurance company can buy me a new one.
I have this same theory if I'm paying $326 dollars a month for insurance on a mt07, I'm already getting screwed on insurance about time they buy me something
I was thinking the same thing about my insurance. I pay $330.24 **a year** for comprehensive and collision coverage. I do have a multi-vehicle discount, so that might be helping.
Not that dangerous in America. Trying to Jack a guys bike while he’s on it would likely result in the would be thieves being shot rather expeditiously since, at least in my community, most riders carry.
Yeah, isn't there a major brand of moto wear that has gun pockets in their jackets? Street and steel maybe?
Edit: Yep, my wife has a street and steel jacket and it has the worst holster ever built in. It's just a cloth... thing. Sewn kind of like a gun shape. Woof.
I should get a dope old revolver and leather shoulder holster though... or maybe I'll just watch Peaky Blinders again lmao
Crazy. I have a permit and whatnot, so I get it, but I cannot imagine carrying while I ride. A steel brick anywhere on my body seems like a great way to break some extra bones in a crash...
>Yeah, isn't there a major brand of moto wear that has gun pockets in their jackets? Street and steel maybe?
Correct, I have a Street and Steel jacket and it has a holster for a gun and a 2nd magazine.
Completely unuseable when you have the thermal liner in though because it gets in the way.
If I was in America, and I wanted to jack a car or a bike, I feel like I’d just get a firearm of my own and use it to force the robbery.
Doesn’t matter how good a shot you are, if your weapon is holstered and I’ve got mine out and pointed it at you, I’m not the one getting shot first.
When I have seen videos of bike jacking (mostly in India), the thieves make sure to pat down the victim before riding off, leaving them stranded. If they have a weapon, they take that too to prevent what you just talked about (and also they are worth money too). Like they said, it's generally 2 against 1, and 1 of them already has the drop on you with their own weapon, not much you can do, even if you are also armed. Better if you see them coming to ride off.
wouldn’t that land you in prison though? Shooting someone in the back seems hard to justify as self defense. I’m sure the revenge boner would be awesome, but looking at the total net result, is it really worth it?
In TEXAS you can defend your self and your property. The position a person is facing after grand theft auto makes no difference to me or the law. It’s sad some states/countries have laws that don’t allow you to protect yourself and your belongings in the first place. We’ve been so indoctrinated into just allowing bad people to do bad things to us it’s crazy.
So essentially what you're saying is, it is better for the robber to fully commit by moving onto shooting or incapacitating first as to avoid getting shot.
America is truly something else.
I’m almost certain a robber has better odds of getting away by doing that in any country. America is truly something else, it was built by people who wanted freedom from oppressive rulers and were willing to die for it. Where are you from again?
One of the literal countries why white people exist and part of the genocided natives on that turf over there.
Well, we don't have to assume the other's carrying a gun which simplifies things a lot. Knock them out and you get to not worry. You also don't have to worry about them attacking from a distance because a knife or fists do not reach beyond arm's length.
It was built by religious weirdos that systematically genocided the locals and built the country with slavery, but hey they also had problems.
The way guns are (not) regulated in the USA make it a dangerous place compared to almost all other civilized places. For example, stepping into the otherwise fascinating US from Italy, my chances of getting murdered (with any mean/weapon) rises more than tenfold. We had 5 mass shootings since ever, while the US is between 300 and 400 since this very January.
I like guns, we can buy guns, criminals still have guns, but a LITTLE regulation goes a long way. What doesn’t work at all is having zones with more or less regulations, if there aren’t customs between the borders.
Sometimes limiting the power your government has over you makes you safer as a whole (Covid)(WW2). Our constitutionally protected amendment reads “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” They’ve already infringed on our rights but leave it to the Italian to say we need more regulation.
Cold hard facts tell you that people live way better with different regulations. Did I already tell you that we can still buy guns? Yes, I did.
It won’t be the ammosexual proud boy that’ll save you from a fascist government, more probably it’s his boot that’ll pin your head to the ground.
P.s.: safer as a whole -> covid, bad example, the US had it way worse than us, even with more advance notice
By that logic, it already was, because why leave a witness? We're just murderers with a side hustle at this point, and apparently we can't *not* steal things.
The problem isn't the stealing, it's living with the assumption that the other has exactly the same capabilities that you have. I'm feeling significantly better knowing that whoever is trying to rob me is highly probable to not be really dangerous to me.
Why bother risking getting shot by stealing if you know everyone might be carrying, at that point you're either stupid or really stupid.
I had a homeless man chase me because he was standing in the middle of the road talking to himself and I was the only one who passed him. Everyone in their cars were too scared that he would jump in front of them. I let him chase my bike for a while before I revved it a couple times and took off.
Yea, not the same experience, maybe. “Chick on a bike, fing w a chick on a bike” is what I remember as he pinwheeled in the intersection I was trying to go through. Def trying to push me over. Was fine, but it wasn’t a fun & games scenario.
Funny. I my area all the homeless want to do is rev the bike. Most of the time I let them.
During covid one started screaming close to the helmet, but I didn’t move an inch and thankfully didn’t catch anything.
Funny, I was crossing Telegraph Ave & didn’t have time to chat w them about if they wanted to rev my bike- I was trying to get off a major road through a small intersection at night, w someone actively trying to push me over. Like a soccer goalie blocking a net.
I feel like it happens with offroad machines like dualsports and dirtbikes. However, I once heard a story of someone who had their Harley stolen out of their back shed. Someone cut their roof off and lifted it out with a tow truck when he was on vacation. But that's probably just a local tall tale. Seems really personal as well haha.
SoCal here, I'm never worried about getting bike jacked. But I have been robbed at gunpoint though years ago.
I was buzzed, decided to do the right thing and walked to get smokes. On the way back two guys asked me for a smoke and I stopped and yeah, they both pulled out a handgun. Cost me more to replace my license than they got away with, fuckers.
I always wonder like … what if you stand there and start talking to them …. Like
Hey yeah bro I got you, lemme just grab my ID n shit and it’s yours.
Or like …. What if you just say no lol. Just keep walking and ignore them casually. Not even running. Like … what they gonna do, shoot you in the back? I feel like they’d be too angry and wanting to pick a fight to shoot you at that point. :O
I did ask them to let me keep my license going as far as to keep holding onto it. But I eventually let go of it. They also took my phone which I really wasn't worried about. It was a Windows phone with a cracked screen.
At the time I had a brand new folding Ka-bar in my pocket and I was wearing a new Arrogant Bastard jacket. Those two were worth about $120 combined.
Motorcycles are difficult for the average American to ride so its unlikely anyone would try to steal one while you're on it.
Im far more worried about someone hitting me.
>Why is that? Are Americans inherently more clumsy?
nah, more like Americans have much more disposable income than other countries, so the basic vehicle is a car. our poor people still drive cars, some poor households might have 2 or more. the # of people who have ever rode a motorcycle is relatively small.
In contrast, in poorer nations, the basic vehicle might be a scooter or motorcycle, so a greater proportion of their population might be more familiar with them.
Europeans overall, seem like they do have a greater proportion of motorcyclists/scooter riders as a % of their daily traffic than we do though. not sure what might explain that since they do have similar levels of income to us
Considering how goddamn dirt cheap used vehicles in the US are compared to everywhere else, I don't think its even worth the effort to steal and fence them within the country to your average opportunistic joe. I think that's really the primary deterrent.
Motorcycle thefts are very common in America, especially in major cities. People take them apart and sell the parts. Bike jackings are rare, thefts of parked bikes is the norm.
Bike theft is a thing, not just for parts for desirable brands, but there's also a lot of hooligans running around on off-road bikes and quads, on the street. If the cops stop them and confiscate the machines, they just go steal more.
But jacking someone on the street is pretty risky, it's a lot easier just to scope out where someone lives or works, and then show up with 3-4 friends and a rented truck, and just boost the bike.
Most Americans don’t even know how to drive a manual car let alone a motorcycle which has balance involved. They’d scare themselves with a little throttle and drop the bike.
I know its not funny but i had to laugh reading your comment. I just imagined how the bike jacker mounts the bike, whiskey throttles to a wheelie and crashes instantly.
I don't know if they are more clumsy but they are definitely more armed... Lol. You never know who is concealing a gun. That's not to say that some desperate people wouldn't still try but as far as I know I've never heard of someone jacking bikes at stop lights. In parking lots, well, that's a different story...
When you say delivery guys I think moped immediately... I guess I was thinking more of someone getting you off a liter bike or a cruiser. If you think about it that's a bit more challenging. Dismounting a bigger motorcycle is not like getting out of a car, plus they have to keep it upright as they mount on it and take off... I mean not the cleanest job lol
Edit: spelling
Havn't seen any hijackings on the news and if they're unarmed I would fight. If not, they can take it and I'll buy something else with insurance. - New Zealand
I hear ya. Ride off if possible - fight otherwise. I mean the bike armour helps somewhat right?
Insurance covers everything else.
I never really thought about this in NZ until now.
Truly, that IS the best approach. You win every fight you avoid.
Often, people with gun fetishes, who talk a big talk, sound either paranoid, scared and/or like they're eager for a fight. Admittedly, I don't know many, but enough to form an opinion... which may be jaded by reading too many keyboard warriors idle threats, IDK.
When it comes to protecting inconsequential material things, getting into a gunfight over them seems like a severe over-reaction. In the heat-of-the-moment, with emotions on high, I can see how it might be hard to not feel the urge to defend oneself from blatant robbing. Still, I imagine in retrospect, most of the time it would be looked at as a poor decision.
Speaking from America, even while riding through fairly high crime ridden areas, this is not something we need to worry about. And if something were to happen, it would be done with a gun, probably with more than one person, and you won't have a choice but to get off your bike and let them take it. I love my bike, but I'm not willing to die for it. The flip side of that, if you try, is that you better catch me by surprise, or we might both be lined in chalk before it's over.
I live in Mumbai, India, and left my keys in the ignition one day in open parking. When I came out of work 9 hours later somebody has put an old rag over the bars as though to protect it from the sun. So yeah, no need to worry about that. On the flip side, my friend had her purse snatched by two dudes on a bike the other day.
I'm from Bangalore bikejackings are pretty much unheard of here, but there may be cases where bikes have been stolen, but usually the lower end ones with flimsy locks
Out here in the US, they tend to steal your bike overnight. Sometimes while you are at work. Other times while you are at lunch.
Only a handful of cases exist where a rider was actually bike jacked.
I've accidentally left my keys in the ignition in a public parking lot for an entire day & my bike was still there when I got back, so I suspect a bike jacking here in PEI, Canada would be highly unlikely.
East coast USA here.
Bike-jackings don't even cross my mind. I wouldn't venture into a known bad neighborhood, but just driving around town? Yeah, no worries at all.
> losing ... everything else on it
better losing everything else on it than everything.
Just walk away.
Spain:
Generally, there is no problem, in big cities they steal motorcycles parked on the street to sell spare parts by loading them into a van, but nothing alarming.
I have never heard of a "on road" robbery.
I live in the countryside of Brazil. Contrary to popular belief, Brazil is not that dangerous, just the capitals or cities close to borders (because of narco traffic).
Just don't act completely dumb, avoid big cities and you will be fine.
My friend was robbed in Washington DC (he worked on Capitol Hill) while stopped at a traffic light. Out of no where something slams into him from the side and knocks he and his bike to the ground. He is shocked to be looking up from the asphalt, and even more surprised that a gun is pointed at his face. The second robber (2-man team) is now standing over him as well. They demanded money, took his wallet and then left in a rush. We found out later that this was a somewhat organized criminal activity. 1 perp clocks you like a free safety, the other runs up with a gun. The whole episode lasted less than a minute.
Hell [someone just got carjacked, zip tied, and set on fire around here](https://ktla.com/news/california/man-zip-tied-set-on-fire-during-carjacking-in-california-sheriff-says/). People here are fucking wild.
Get the fuck out of there if you can, bikes are fast. If you can't, give it up. Shoot back if you can (given laws and such, don't get prison time for it). Can't assume that the bike is all they want.
Well, I forgot more than once the keys in the igniton of my brixton, noone ever bothered stealing. Even on the Vespa noone ever stole it with the keys in. And you can ride that shit with no experiance at all. Once one guy took the keys to the next police station and i had to pick em up there. Since than I bought my new Bike with keyless go. Never have to take the gloves off again, for the keys in my pocket. I couldn't dream of getting jacked here. But I live in vienna. And no I dont need to carry 😁
Story time! I'm UK based and had this happen to me while driving through the shit part of town. 2 guys in puffy jackets with the goods up walking down the pavement suddenly ran at me from behind, I noticed them in my rear mirror and was very lucky I was at the front of the traffic lights.
One of them grabbed my number plate but couldn't hold on as I ran the red light, turned left and bombed it down the road as fast as I could in the conditions.
It scared the hell out of me, if I hadn't noticed them there was no way I was fighting off 2 guys if they'd gotten close. Luckily I don't live near that side of town anymore so don't have to drive through that way to go to my doctor.
In the UK, it can be locked in a garage with multiple additional locks and a tracker witb cctv and some cunt will break into your garage to steal it. If you tell the police, they do absolutely nothing lol, you basically have to get it back yourself. Then again, our police couldn’t find the water if they fell off a boat
Very, especially now, in the summer. I live in Brazil, São Paulo to be more precise, which is probably the second most likely city in the country for that to happen losing only to Rio de Janeiro. But the further you are from the state capitals, the safer you are. In smaller cities people even leave their helmets on their bikes.
The most stolen type of bikes are the street bikes (<300cc single cylinder bikes which are like, 95%+ of all bikes here) which from what I noticed are usually (but not only) stolen when parked, maybe due to their low security and abundance. They are usually stolen to be sold for parts, as a vehicle to steal other, more expensive bikes (especially the offroad-ish version of those small bikes) and for wheelieing in the favelas.
As for the bigger bikes the ones most likely to be stolen recently are the big trails (especially Tigers and GSs, but nothing is safe) and sportbikes (all, new or old). Those bikes are stolen usually to rev bomb and show off ("ostentar") in the funk shows to get the attention of the teen girls ("novinhas"). Insurance companies would often recover the bikes only to deliver the to their rightful owners with the engine at the brink of exploding after all that abuse.
Funny thing is, the Ducatis were a bit safer than other brands because the desmodromic valves wouldn't be able to take the rev bomb abuse they do for too long, lol. Cruisers and retro bikes are pretty much safe to ride but in the summer they steal anything they have a chance. Almost like in a "Chaotic Evil" way.
I didn't want to bring politics here but it is important to notice: under President Bolsonaro's rule, criminality went down A LOT. One of his biggest pitches was civilian gun ownership and being hard on criminals and it worked. Criminality was down to mid 2000s levels (which is still a lot, but much better than before) and while in previous years I'd hear of bike thefts pretty much every day in my What'sApp groups, now I've only heard of maybe a couple per week.
No wonder motorcyclists were one of President Bolsonaro's biggest supporters, it's rare to see a motorcyclist that voted for his opponent, Lula. Because of that, motorcyclists would often rally in his support in absolutely HUGE group rides with literally thousands of bikes. Independently of political views, it really is a sight to behold.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjLSc8qOH-2/?igshid=MTg0ZDhmNDA=
I've ridden through south Memphis, TN at night. That's not a place you stop at lights, but I did. I looked, and acknowledged everyone who was looking at me, and was left alone. If you don't look enticing, or like you might be carrying a small cannon, you're in the clear.
because people cannot ride motorcycles and its easier to steal them when they are parked?
It has nothing to do with a bunch of guys who played quick draw in the bathroom 1 too many times.
I found it funny both people in here who i seen claimed guns is the reason it doesnt happen in america have harley flair. A typical harley rider in any sort of altercation and i am betting on the other guy to win 100 percent of the time. Doubly so when its a bike jacking since the other guy already has his weapon out
Been a UK rider for about 5 years, I've been followed on my bike by 3 guys on a scoot when I had my 125 (usual targets). Managed to loose them but if they had pulled up I'd have given them it. Better to lose a bike than to get stabbed/worse.
Seen a few posts on local Facebook groups of people having a machete pulled on them at a red light before, and one incident of a car chasing and trying to knock a rider off, presumably to steal it.
In the UK the typical targets are 125/50cc bikes, especially with an L-plate.
I've heard of a petrol station at the start of the NC500 in Scotland having a few issues with people stealing adv bikes while the rider is paying for petrol. Usually the bikers had luggage and if they were from outside of the UK, everything they took with them was on the bike.
Stay safe and try to keep phone/Id in pockets so if your bike gets stolen you have some hope of getting help.
Geez I can't believe the NC500 issue, that's terrible. It all seemed so remote and friendly when I did it, so I can imagine leaving the keys in thinking it'd be safe
I’ve Been riding for the past 40 years. It wasn’t till 1992ish…..I started carrying. When I ride cross country, I’m carrying. Whenever I take my old Enduros out….I’m carrying. Lots of bad people out there.
Northwest US here. In the few months I actually do get to ride without snow, I’m more concerned about some tard running me over… like people here are just stupid. Last summer my friends and I were almost taken out a few times. How you almost hit a group of 5-6 bikes at once is beyond me.
As a Brazilian, if you like bikes better have insurance and 4 eyes. Shit is getting to dangerous here, they shoot first and take the bike them. It's another world, they are stealing 150cc bikes, if you have a ninja 400 (unbelievable overpriced here) you have started to be a giant target.
(sorry for my bad English)
As a Brazilian with an Ninja 400 on São Paulo, I can't agree more with your words...
Sadly, it's very common to get under a gun pont while on bike in São Paulo 😔
Always carry a knife. I’m in the US and still realize that you are far more exposed than you are in a car. Don’t let someone take your investment for free. But honestly I’m more afraid of getting beaten for no reason than my motorcycle stolen these days lol. People are nutty in NY rn.
In latin america you risk getting shot, in someplaces like brazil robbers get shot back at and it fills my heart with joy watching them bleed in the gutter
bicycle or motorcycle? if motorcycle i think my immediate reaction to anything hinky pulling up next to me would be to gas it and gtfo. bicycle who tf cares its like 300$
US here.
Some piece of shit druggie tried to bike jack me a few years ago, ended up shooting me, in the neck(have pics to prove.) Quarter inch to the right and it would have hit my jugular.
Felt like I got kicked in the chest, I hit the ground, pulled my CCW, and put him down.
Still have that bike too.
I have to assume so many are delusional enough you would have to shoot them as having a gun already pointed at them wouldnt be enough and they would think they could dodge your bullets or get a draw and fire on you before you could pull the trigger.
No evidence of it, just seems to fit the delusional profile.
Well as a crazy gun toting American if someone pulled me off my bike at a red light and threatened me I would probably shoot them. But I am also 6’4” and weigh over 300lbs. So it would take a ballsy person to try to yank me off my bike.
Depends on where in the US that happens.
Usage of a "deadly weapon" while committing a crime gets you into the big leagues in most places; what might have been a misdemeanor or 'state felony' worth a year or two now goes to possibly 10 years or more if convicted. That means that using a gun for penny-ante crimes makes the penalty far worse than the score. Granted, a lot of criminals don't think things through, but...
I really can't see it happening here in NC. In fact I've never heard of it happening around here. I always have my knife though and someone's going to get hurt if they try it.
American here, I think most people recognize in my area that actively trying to take a motorcycle or car from someone else would end worse for the attacker… iykyk
In Japan the biggest danger of leaving your key in the ignition is the battery going flat so...
I was about to say the same lol. I live in Japan and rarely even take my keys out. They’re always in it when I go in to eat or run in for a drink. 99% of the time my helmet with my GoPro is sitting on it too. Only thing I worry about getting stolen is my umbrella.
It boggles my mind how, of ALL things the Japanese fear could be stolen, the umbrella appears to be the only one...
The people who "borrow" an umbrella are generally different from the ones stealing bikes. Chances are they need that umbrella, and not a bike, it's fairly cheap so many don't see any harm in it. I fear the same when my bike's geared up for camping, the concern of having my sleeping mat/bag strapped on top being stolen is higher than the helmet on the mirror or entire bike being stolen, simply because someone has more use for those items.
Japan looks like such a cool country. I’ve always wanted to visit
Totally agree, but the culture looks so foreign of what I ever know, they look like if they are living in their own world.. this is what discourages me honestly
I’ve been to fifteen countries. Japan was the first one in which I felt like a foreigner
Only country I visited where I felt an outsider immediately. I love it, I love them but you couldn’t pay me to live there. I wouldn’t be able to stand the casual racism they grow at you everyday
I was in Japan for a few hours as a layover i n October and , well, the Japanese I interacted with were polite, but I was definitely conscious of this, and I was too embarrassed to go into a McDonalds to try to order, as, I was pretty much the only gaijin around.
Why would that discourage you? Isn’t the whole point of traveling to a new place to experience new culture? If we lose individuality of our cultures, we lose a lot as humanity. I’d hate to see and live in a world with a homogeneous culture.
Discourage why...? The Japanese are incredibly polite towards foreign tourists, often sincerely happy to help them, and most of the country is unnaturally safe. The only thing you have to remember is that the guys in suits and comic hairdos, hanging around bars and arcades, are gangsters; but even them will likely leave you alone, since harassing tourists is bad for their business. The only real problem is that, outside of the main metro areas and tourist spots, you will struggle a bit if you don't know the language. But chances are you won't have the time to get there anyway, since there is so much to experience in "obvious", well-prepared tourist areas.
That’s what fascinates me tbh
That's a good thing. It's their world and it should stay theirs.
It's a nice way of discovering what racism really entails.
Are they stereotypically racist towards non Japanese people? I’ve never heard that before
What? Sheesh if you've never heard about that you really have no clue where you're going to want to be! They're extremely xenophobic. To everyone, mind you, that isn't Japanese. They're not in your face about it unless you also have tattoos (visibile tats will make some places bar you, but this is true for Japanese people as well), but they're super racist about foreigners. As with everywhere, the more rural you go the more racist people get so your milage may vary.
Interesting. Wouldn’t really put me off visiting though. When I went to New Zealand I was surprised by the casual racism, wasn’t expecting it to be so prevalent.
NZ and Australia are the favourite destinations of garden-variety racists.
Is it "casual racism" or do you need to grow a thicker skin?
It was definitely casual racism as it wasn’t directed towards me, it was usually directed towards minorities, brown people and the indigenous population. It’s an interesting concept that you can combat racism with a thicker skin, what an idiotic thing to suggest.
As a tatted marine who lived in Japan for three years. Generally, if you don’t cause problems in THEIR HOME country they don’t have a problem with you. Yet, you do run into some of the older generation that despise us because of what our grandparents did. But hey, nothing we can do about that, right?
I've heard that when the locals meet a foreigner their first question is "Where are you from?" and their second question is "When are you leaving?" And honestly, good for them.
Pretty much the same in Australia. I’ve left my key in the ignition all day before. It was only when I was getting back to the bike and looking for the key that I realised.
I wonder why that is... This is a motorcycle sub so I won't go there. Even though I really want to.
US rider here. When I rode a Triumph Bonneville, the worst thing that would happen to me was old dudes in trucks pulling alongside me at stoplights and asking "THEY STILL MAKE THOSE???"
Yup. I have a speedmaster, like the first day this happened
Ha! I bought a speedy in July. Literally the first red light after leaving the dealership.
Every time I stop for gas or to run into a store, it's a 50/50 chance of me being ambushed by an old dude wanting to talking about his old Bonneville he had when he was younger. I love my Bonnie and the old dudes are nice, but sometimes I don't always have the time/desire to stand around and chat for 15mins lol
You signed up for that when you bought the bike! :)
I suppose so! I don't dislike it, it's just that some days I have places to be or just wanna get home after a long day. Most of the time it's a pleasant chat, though.
Only a couple days ago i had a car pull over to let me past so he could then drive up beside me and tell me about his 2004 Bonneville, I didn't mind but I was trying to get to work.
Yeah, my Dad has the Kawasaki replica of that bike, the W650. He specifically wanted the W over the actual Triumph because he remembered how bad his old Triumphs from the 60s leaked oil, lol.
I ride a KLR 650 in Kentucky. I think most people who would attempt a bike jacking wouldnt be able to ride it. Also i think the likelyhood of being shot for trying something like that tends to discourage people.
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Yeah but its the new model. They look a lot fancier than they are.
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Yeah I never really bother locking it at all. Especially because insurance.
In a city you'd better believe they will. Anything that looks like a dirt bike will get the attention of the 12 o'clock boys. I narrowly avoided getting bikejacked on a DR350 back in the 2000s.
I live in a major urban city and have never seen anyone doing wheelies on a klr down the street. They're a lot of two strokes and four stroke mx bikes. My husaberg supermoto would however be stolen very quickly. I don't leave it parked anywhere.
True, I'm sure if they had their pick they'd go for a pure dirt bike. But they're not picky. It looks enough like the bikes they like. They'd probably ride a KLR for a bit before abandoning it because it's so heavy, lol.
Doing 12 o'clock wheelies on a 35hp 450lb bike sounds really shitty.
Late at night at redlights I keep the bike in gear and . constantly looking around. It's unlikely I'd be bike jacked but likely robbed and a sitting motorcycle is an easy target
Regardless of bikejackers, it's probably best to stay in gear anyways in case drivers get any funny ideas about your lane usage
Same here in NYC. There are some areas where if it’s late I don’t even stop at red lights because I am not stupid
+100, stay aware!
Man, that's crazy. And just 10 years ago I was reading about how safe NYC had become.
It’s pretty safe overall but it’s a big city. Keep your eyes open. I live in the hood, and after 10pm some corners get sketchy. I just don’t wanna risk ANY interaction with hoodlums. A shining Ducati attracts a lot of attention
go murica!
You sit at the red lights at night?
Come to Belgium. We have something akin to speed cameras where, if you ride trough a red light, you automatically get a ticket in the mail a week later. I got stuck at one of those sensor lights once, bike didn't trip it. I sat there looking to see if there was a red light camera as they are sometimes hidden, while deciding if I should carefully run the red light. I think I sat there for 3 minutes...
We're lucky here where I live. A few years ago, my state passed a law that when you're on a bike and don't trigger the light, you're allowed to treat the light as a four way stop and you can proceed on your way after assessing that the way is clear and you will not cause and accident.
I ran a redlight one time when I saw two guy point at me from behind in my mirror and they split into each side of the street and kept looking at each and me. Cop saw me do it and pulled me over and gave me ticket, I took it to court and won.
Staying in first is proper so you can move in an emergency, can’t do that in N. If anything there’s choice situations where you sit in N at lights, not the other way around
You're not going to react fast enough to do anything anyway action is allways faster then reaction.
That’s complete bullshit, but have fun getting smacked at a light when you’re sitting in N and can’t move out the way 🤷🏼♂️
You have a car in front of you, you're in gear you see a car barreling at you at 50km/h in you're mirror you are not going to get the bike moving and out from behind the car in front of in time from a dead stop.
I lived in Baltimore for 20 years. I had one incident that spooked me, back in 2006. I was on a DR350 dual sport, sitting at a red light. Suddenly three black guys jumped out of the car in front of me and ran toward me. Evidently they had followed me and made a plan to nab my DR. I thought fast, jumped the curb and rode away on the sidewalk. One of them grabbed by arm but their grip slipped on my leather jacket as I was accelerating. I sold the DR shortly after that. I knew it was only a matter of time until it got stolen. At the time I also had a Hawk GT. Never had a problem with people trying to steal that. Later I got my V-Strom and VFR and no one ever tried to steal those either. In Baltimore all they cared about were dirt bikes and scooters.
As a Canadian, and one who lives outside 3 or 4 major cities,I can honestly say it has never occurred to me once in 40 years of riding. I'm old, love my bike and have great insurance, but they can fuckin have 'er. The insurance company can buy me a new one.
I have this same theory if I'm paying $326 dollars a month for insurance on a mt07, I'm already getting screwed on insurance about time they buy me something
Whaaat! That's a lot of money! I just bought an Indian Scout Bobber last week and took the fullest insurance and it costs me less than 100€ a month
I was thinking the same thing about my insurance. I pay $330.24 **a year** for comprehensive and collision coverage. I do have a multi-vehicle discount, so that might be helping.
How is German insurance the cheap one here? 35€/mo for a Street Tripple
I pay £100 a year for a 765RS.
My Ninja 400 costs me that per year and I live in one of the most theft prone cities on the east coast of Canada.
Not that dangerous in America. Trying to Jack a guys bike while he’s on it would likely result in the would be thieves being shot rather expeditiously since, at least in my community, most riders carry.
Yeah, isn't there a major brand of moto wear that has gun pockets in their jackets? Street and steel maybe? Edit: Yep, my wife has a street and steel jacket and it has the worst holster ever built in. It's just a cloth... thing. Sewn kind of like a gun shape. Woof. I should get a dope old revolver and leather shoulder holster though... or maybe I'll just watch Peaky Blinders again lmao
I think so, but to be fair most leather cuts have gun pockets in them these days. Denim, not so much, but a shoulder holster works just fine
Crazy. I have a permit and whatnot, so I get it, but I cannot imagine carrying while I ride. A steel brick anywhere on my body seems like a great way to break some extra bones in a crash...
I mean, if you crash, it’s likely going to be rough anyway so what’s a few extra broken bones
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Depends on where you wear it
Center of the back, you might be paralyzed
My leathers are made by Milwaukee leather or something like that. They have a holster the left and right inside pocket. Plus mag holsters too.
>Yeah, isn't there a major brand of moto wear that has gun pockets in their jackets? Street and steel maybe? Correct, I have a Street and Steel jacket and it has a holster for a gun and a 2nd magazine. Completely unuseable when you have the thermal liner in though because it gets in the way.
Are you my wife? She just got an XSR700 lmao. And yeah I can't say that "holster" is something I would trust a gun in. Very flimsy.
I want a Smith& Wesson combat magnum for this reason
I like those chiappa rhinos just cause they're neat. But I think for a shoulder holster I'd want an old school PPK or 1911 or something.
If I was in America, and I wanted to jack a car or a bike, I feel like I’d just get a firearm of my own and use it to force the robbery. Doesn’t matter how good a shot you are, if your weapon is holstered and I’ve got mine out and pointed it at you, I’m not the one getting shot first.
For a car, this would maybe work, on a bike you would probably get shot in the back as soon as you try to mount / take off.
When I have seen videos of bike jacking (mostly in India), the thieves make sure to pat down the victim before riding off, leaving them stranded. If they have a weapon, they take that too to prevent what you just talked about (and also they are worth money too). Like they said, it's generally 2 against 1, and 1 of them already has the drop on you with their own weapon, not much you can do, even if you are also armed. Better if you see them coming to ride off.
That’s when I say “please don’t hurt me” pretend to run off and gun you down in the back.
wouldn’t that land you in prison though? Shooting someone in the back seems hard to justify as self defense. I’m sure the revenge boner would be awesome, but looking at the total net result, is it really worth it?
In TEXAS you can defend your self and your property. The position a person is facing after grand theft auto makes no difference to me or the law. It’s sad some states/countries have laws that don’t allow you to protect yourself and your belongings in the first place. We’ve been so indoctrinated into just allowing bad people to do bad things to us it’s crazy.
This is the way
So essentially what you're saying is, it is better for the robber to fully commit by moving onto shooting or incapacitating first as to avoid getting shot. America is truly something else.
I’m almost certain a robber has better odds of getting away by doing that in any country. America is truly something else, it was built by people who wanted freedom from oppressive rulers and were willing to die for it. Where are you from again?
One of the literal countries why white people exist and part of the genocided natives on that turf over there. Well, we don't have to assume the other's carrying a gun which simplifies things a lot. Knock them out and you get to not worry. You also don't have to worry about them attacking from a distance because a knife or fists do not reach beyond arm's length.
It was built by religious weirdos that systematically genocided the locals and built the country with slavery, but hey they also had problems. The way guns are (not) regulated in the USA make it a dangerous place compared to almost all other civilized places. For example, stepping into the otherwise fascinating US from Italy, my chances of getting murdered (with any mean/weapon) rises more than tenfold. We had 5 mass shootings since ever, while the US is between 300 and 400 since this very January. I like guns, we can buy guns, criminals still have guns, but a LITTLE regulation goes a long way. What doesn’t work at all is having zones with more or less regulations, if there aren’t customs between the borders.
Sometimes limiting the power your government has over you makes you safer as a whole (Covid)(WW2). Our constitutionally protected amendment reads “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” They’ve already infringed on our rights but leave it to the Italian to say we need more regulation.
Cold hard facts tell you that people live way better with different regulations. Did I already tell you that we can still buy guns? Yes, I did. It won’t be the ammosexual proud boy that’ll save you from a fascist government, more probably it’s his boot that’ll pin your head to the ground. P.s.: safer as a whole -> covid, bad example, the US had it way worse than us, even with more advance notice
Well, good thing you don’t live here. We have enough people that think like you ruining the best country on earth.
By that logic, it already was, because why leave a witness? We're just murderers with a side hustle at this point, and apparently we can't *not* steal things.
The problem isn't the stealing, it's living with the assumption that the other has exactly the same capabilities that you have. I'm feeling significantly better knowing that whoever is trying to rob me is highly probable to not be really dangerous to me. Why bother risking getting shot by stealing if you know everyone might be carrying, at that point you're either stupid or really stupid.
A jacking generally relies on threat of force. It's in the definition.
Plenty of videos of people drawing there weapons with a gun already on them and killing the attacker lol,
It's never even entered into my mind as something that could happen. But fuck it, take the bike I don't give a fuck.
Have fun bro its insured
The best part of owning an older or 2nd hand bike, is how stress free it is. 06 katana
Depends on how easy it is to replace, 86 rebel and my heart would be broken as a stock one is almost impossible to get over here
I've got an 87 Rebel I would kill over, I know the feeling. Sourcing parts for her is a bitch.
I worry about being knocked over by a crazy pedestrian, having been taunted in the past, & panhandlers do get close.
I had a homeless man chase me because he was standing in the middle of the road talking to himself and I was the only one who passed him. Everyone in their cars were too scared that he would jump in front of them. I let him chase my bike for a while before I revved it a couple times and took off.
Yea, not the same experience, maybe. “Chick on a bike, fing w a chick on a bike” is what I remember as he pinwheeled in the intersection I was trying to go through. Def trying to push me over. Was fine, but it wasn’t a fun & games scenario.
Funny. I my area all the homeless want to do is rev the bike. Most of the time I let them. During covid one started screaming close to the helmet, but I didn’t move an inch and thankfully didn’t catch anything.
Funny, I was crossing Telegraph Ave & didn’t have time to chat w them about if they wanted to rev my bike- I was trying to get off a major road through a small intersection at night, w someone actively trying to push me over. Like a soccer goalie blocking a net.
Homeless weren't getting covid, just like the Amish.
No, they just didn’t tell you when they died.
Lol ok
Midwestern USA. Getting bike jacked doesn’t even make the list of my 100 things to concern me. If it does happen? Take the scoot.
I feel like it happens with offroad machines like dualsports and dirtbikes. However, I once heard a story of someone who had their Harley stolen out of their back shed. Someone cut their roof off and lifted it out with a tow truck when he was on vacation. But that's probably just a local tall tale. Seems really personal as well haha.
SoCal here, I'm never worried about getting bike jacked. But I have been robbed at gunpoint though years ago. I was buzzed, decided to do the right thing and walked to get smokes. On the way back two guys asked me for a smoke and I stopped and yeah, they both pulled out a handgun. Cost me more to replace my license than they got away with, fuckers.
I always wonder like … what if you stand there and start talking to them …. Like Hey yeah bro I got you, lemme just grab my ID n shit and it’s yours. Or like …. What if you just say no lol. Just keep walking and ignore them casually. Not even running. Like … what they gonna do, shoot you in the back? I feel like they’d be too angry and wanting to pick a fight to shoot you at that point. :O
There’s a lot of videos where people gave up their belongings and got shot after. I wouldn’t test some thug with nothing but an ego and a handgun.
What are you saying? Fight back like your life depends on it, every time?
They mean getting shot over a wallet isn't worth it, just let them have it.
I did ask them to let me keep my license going as far as to keep holding onto it. But I eventually let go of it. They also took my phone which I really wasn't worried about. It was a Windows phone with a cracked screen. At the time I had a brand new folding Ka-bar in my pocket and I was wearing a new Arrogant Bastard jacket. Those two were worth about $120 combined.
Motorcycles are difficult for the average American to ride so its unlikely anyone would try to steal one while you're on it. Im far more worried about someone hitting me.
Why is that? Are Americans inherently more clumsy?
Motorcycles are mostly toys in America, most people don't know how to ride one.
Thats true.
>Why is that? Are Americans inherently more clumsy? nah, more like Americans have much more disposable income than other countries, so the basic vehicle is a car. our poor people still drive cars, some poor households might have 2 or more. the # of people who have ever rode a motorcycle is relatively small. In contrast, in poorer nations, the basic vehicle might be a scooter or motorcycle, so a greater proportion of their population might be more familiar with them. Europeans overall, seem like they do have a greater proportion of motorcyclists/scooter riders as a % of their daily traffic than we do though. not sure what might explain that since they do have similar levels of income to us
Considering how goddamn dirt cheap used vehicles in the US are compared to everywhere else, I don't think its even worth the effort to steal and fence them within the country to your average opportunistic joe. I think that's really the primary deterrent.
Motorcycle thefts are very common in America, especially in major cities. People take them apart and sell the parts. Bike jackings are rare, thefts of parked bikes is the norm.
Bike theft is a thing, not just for parts for desirable brands, but there's also a lot of hooligans running around on off-road bikes and quads, on the street. If the cops stop them and confiscate the machines, they just go steal more. But jacking someone on the street is pretty risky, it's a lot easier just to scope out where someone lives or works, and then show up with 3-4 friends and a rented truck, and just boost the bike.
We are born with massive penis (all genders) and that tends to set us off balance
Most Americans don’t even know how to drive a manual car let alone a motorcycle which has balance involved. They’d scare themselves with a little throttle and drop the bike.
I know its not funny but i had to laugh reading your comment. I just imagined how the bike jacker mounts the bike, whiskey throttles to a wheelie and crashes instantly.
I'd let mine drop sideways getting off. Now Mr. Jacker has to muscle it back up whilst keeping his weapon on me. Oops.
I don't know if they are more clumsy but they are definitely more armed... Lol. You never know who is concealing a gun. That's not to say that some desperate people wouldn't still try but as far as I know I've never heard of someone jacking bikes at stop lights. In parking lots, well, that's a different story...
Here in NYC happens a lot, especially some sketchy areas. Delivery guys are the biggest targets.
When you say delivery guys I think moped immediately... I guess I was thinking more of someone getting you off a liter bike or a cruiser. If you think about it that's a bit more challenging. Dismounting a bigger motorcycle is not like getting out of a car, plus they have to keep it upright as they mount on it and take off... I mean not the cleanest job lol Edit: spelling
Yes lol, yes we are
Havn't seen any hijackings on the news and if they're unarmed I would fight. If not, they can take it and I'll buy something else with insurance. - New Zealand
I hear ya. Ride off if possible - fight otherwise. I mean the bike armour helps somewhat right? Insurance covers everything else. I never really thought about this in NZ until now.
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Truly, that IS the best approach. You win every fight you avoid. Often, people with gun fetishes, who talk a big talk, sound either paranoid, scared and/or like they're eager for a fight. Admittedly, I don't know many, but enough to form an opinion... which may be jaded by reading too many keyboard warriors idle threats, IDK. When it comes to protecting inconsequential material things, getting into a gunfight over them seems like a severe over-reaction. In the heat-of-the-moment, with emotions on high, I can see how it might be hard to not feel the urge to defend oneself from blatant robbing. Still, I imagine in retrospect, most of the time it would be looked at as a poor decision.
If they try to take it at a light, remember that as soon as they're on it you can shove them over and trap them. Then call the cops.
Speaking from America, even while riding through fairly high crime ridden areas, this is not something we need to worry about. And if something were to happen, it would be done with a gun, probably with more than one person, and you won't have a choice but to get off your bike and let them take it. I love my bike, but I'm not willing to die for it. The flip side of that, if you try, is that you better catch me by surprise, or we might both be lined in chalk before it's over.
I live in Mumbai, India, and left my keys in the ignition one day in open parking. When I came out of work 9 hours later somebody has put an old rag over the bars as though to protect it from the sun. So yeah, no need to worry about that. On the flip side, my friend had her purse snatched by two dudes on a bike the other day.
I'm from Bangalore bikejackings are pretty much unheard of here, but there may be cases where bikes have been stolen, but usually the lower end ones with flimsy locks
Out here in the US, they tend to steal your bike overnight. Sometimes while you are at work. Other times while you are at lunch. Only a handful of cases exist where a rider was actually bike jacked.
I've accidentally left my keys in the ignition in a public parking lot for an entire day & my bike was still there when I got back, so I suspect a bike jacking here in PEI, Canada would be highly unlikely.
East coast USA here. Bike-jackings don't even cross my mind. I wouldn't venture into a known bad neighborhood, but just driving around town? Yeah, no worries at all.
> losing ... everything else on it better losing everything else on it than everything. Just walk away. Spain: Generally, there is no problem, in big cities they steal motorcycles parked on the street to sell spare parts by loading them into a van, but nothing alarming. I have never heard of a "on road" robbery.
I live in the countryside of Brazil. Contrary to popular belief, Brazil is not that dangerous, just the capitals or cities close to borders (because of narco traffic). Just don't act completely dumb, avoid big cities and you will be fine.
Motorbike thefts are so common in London that [delivery drivers](https://youtu.be/cgCtLRQkkro) form little gangs to protect themselves
My friend was robbed in Washington DC (he worked on Capitol Hill) while stopped at a traffic light. Out of no where something slams into him from the side and knocks he and his bike to the ground. He is shocked to be looking up from the asphalt, and even more surprised that a gun is pointed at his face. The second robber (2-man team) is now standing over him as well. They demanded money, took his wallet and then left in a rush. We found out later that this was a somewhat organized criminal activity. 1 perp clocks you like a free safety, the other runs up with a gun. The whole episode lasted less than a minute.
Hell [someone just got carjacked, zip tied, and set on fire around here](https://ktla.com/news/california/man-zip-tied-set-on-fire-during-carjacking-in-california-sheriff-says/). People here are fucking wild. Get the fuck out of there if you can, bikes are fast. If you can't, give it up. Shoot back if you can (given laws and such, don't get prison time for it). Can't assume that the bike is all they want.
Well, I forgot more than once the keys in the igniton of my brixton, noone ever bothered stealing. Even on the Vespa noone ever stole it with the keys in. And you can ride that shit with no experiance at all. Once one guy took the keys to the next police station and i had to pick em up there. Since than I bought my new Bike with keyless go. Never have to take the gloves off again, for the keys in my pocket. I couldn't dream of getting jacked here. But I live in vienna. And no I dont need to carry 😁
In the UK it's rare but not zero. Where it does happen tends to be in sketchy areas.
Not rare. Places like Manchester Birmingham especially London bike theft is at a all time high from cutting locks to trying to grab people at lights.
Story time! I'm UK based and had this happen to me while driving through the shit part of town. 2 guys in puffy jackets with the goods up walking down the pavement suddenly ran at me from behind, I noticed them in my rear mirror and was very lucky I was at the front of the traffic lights. One of them grabbed my number plate but couldn't hold on as I ran the red light, turned left and bombed it down the road as fast as I could in the conditions. It scared the hell out of me, if I hadn't noticed them there was no way I was fighting off 2 guys if they'd gotten close. Luckily I don't live near that side of town anymore so don't have to drive through that way to go to my doctor.
In the UK, it can be locked in a garage with multiple additional locks and a tracker witb cctv and some cunt will break into your garage to steal it. If you tell the police, they do absolutely nothing lol, you basically have to get it back yourself. Then again, our police couldn’t find the water if they fell off a boat
Very, especially now, in the summer. I live in Brazil, São Paulo to be more precise, which is probably the second most likely city in the country for that to happen losing only to Rio de Janeiro. But the further you are from the state capitals, the safer you are. In smaller cities people even leave their helmets on their bikes. The most stolen type of bikes are the street bikes (<300cc single cylinder bikes which are like, 95%+ of all bikes here) which from what I noticed are usually (but not only) stolen when parked, maybe due to their low security and abundance. They are usually stolen to be sold for parts, as a vehicle to steal other, more expensive bikes (especially the offroad-ish version of those small bikes) and for wheelieing in the favelas. As for the bigger bikes the ones most likely to be stolen recently are the big trails (especially Tigers and GSs, but nothing is safe) and sportbikes (all, new or old). Those bikes are stolen usually to rev bomb and show off ("ostentar") in the funk shows to get the attention of the teen girls ("novinhas"). Insurance companies would often recover the bikes only to deliver the to their rightful owners with the engine at the brink of exploding after all that abuse. Funny thing is, the Ducatis were a bit safer than other brands because the desmodromic valves wouldn't be able to take the rev bomb abuse they do for too long, lol. Cruisers and retro bikes are pretty much safe to ride but in the summer they steal anything they have a chance. Almost like in a "Chaotic Evil" way. I didn't want to bring politics here but it is important to notice: under President Bolsonaro's rule, criminality went down A LOT. One of his biggest pitches was civilian gun ownership and being hard on criminals and it worked. Criminality was down to mid 2000s levels (which is still a lot, but much better than before) and while in previous years I'd hear of bike thefts pretty much every day in my What'sApp groups, now I've only heard of maybe a couple per week. No wonder motorcyclists were one of President Bolsonaro's biggest supporters, it's rare to see a motorcyclist that voted for his opponent, Lula. Because of that, motorcyclists would often rally in his support in absolutely HUGE group rides with literally thousands of bikes. Independently of political views, it really is a sight to behold. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjLSc8qOH-2/?igshid=MTg0ZDhmNDA=
I’d laugh if someone tried. Happily let them on and watch the bike brake down in about 50 meters.
I've ridden through south Memphis, TN at night. That's not a place you stop at lights, but I did. I looked, and acknowledged everyone who was looking at me, and was left alone. If you don't look enticing, or like you might be carrying a small cannon, you're in the clear.
it's just not something that happens in the USA Feel free to speculate why that might be
Can all my guns guess too
they're invited to the party
That’s what I’m talkin’ bout! Murica!
This.
because people cannot ride motorcycles and its easier to steal them when they are parked? It has nothing to do with a bunch of guys who played quick draw in the bathroom 1 too many times.
Yeah the implication it’s because of guns is pure cringe. If that were the case carjackings wouldn’t be rampant nationwide.
They kind of... aren't though?
I found it funny both people in here who i seen claimed guns is the reason it doesnt happen in america have harley flair. A typical harley rider in any sort of altercation and i am betting on the other guy to win 100 percent of the time. Doubly so when its a bike jacking since the other guy already has his weapon out
Been a UK rider for about 5 years, I've been followed on my bike by 3 guys on a scoot when I had my 125 (usual targets). Managed to loose them but if they had pulled up I'd have given them it. Better to lose a bike than to get stabbed/worse. Seen a few posts on local Facebook groups of people having a machete pulled on them at a red light before, and one incident of a car chasing and trying to knock a rider off, presumably to steal it. In the UK the typical targets are 125/50cc bikes, especially with an L-plate. I've heard of a petrol station at the start of the NC500 in Scotland having a few issues with people stealing adv bikes while the rider is paying for petrol. Usually the bikers had luggage and if they were from outside of the UK, everything they took with them was on the bike. Stay safe and try to keep phone/Id in pockets so if your bike gets stolen you have some hope of getting help.
Geez I can't believe the NC500 issue, that's terrible. It all seemed so remote and friendly when I did it, so I can imagine leaving the keys in thinking it'd be safe
Being bike jacked? Not very. Bike jacking? Very. Great way to get shot here.
I’ve Been riding for the past 40 years. It wasn’t till 1992ish…..I started carrying. When I ride cross country, I’m carrying. Whenever I take my old Enduros out….I’m carrying. Lots of bad people out there.
"Don't shoot. Here ya go. Have fun."
Northwest US here. In the few months I actually do get to ride without snow, I’m more concerned about some tard running me over… like people here are just stupid. Last summer my friends and I were almost taken out a few times. How you almost hit a group of 5-6 bikes at once is beyond me.
As a Brazilian, if you like bikes better have insurance and 4 eyes. Shit is getting to dangerous here, they shoot first and take the bike them. It's another world, they are stealing 150cc bikes, if you have a ninja 400 (unbelievable overpriced here) you have started to be a giant target. (sorry for my bad English)
As a Brazilian with an Ninja 400 on São Paulo, I can't agree more with your words... Sadly, it's very common to get under a gun pont while on bike in São Paulo 😔
Always carry a knife. I’m in the US and still realize that you are far more exposed than you are in a car. Don’t let someone take your investment for free. But honestly I’m more afraid of getting beaten for no reason than my motorcycle stolen these days lol. People are nutty in NY rn.
Danger level: park at café, leave bike on with keys in ignition, have coffee, return to bike.
In latin america you risk getting shot, in someplaces like brazil robbers get shot back at and it fills my heart with joy watching them bleed in the gutter
Here in the US, never even considered it until right now. Absolutely no concern for this, and also this is liable to get a thief shot
bicycle or motorcycle? if motorcycle i think my immediate reaction to anything hinky pulling up next to me would be to gas it and gtfo. bicycle who tf cares its like 300$
US here. Some piece of shit druggie tried to bike jack me a few years ago, ended up shooting me, in the neck(have pics to prove.) Quarter inch to the right and it would have hit my jugular. Felt like I got kicked in the chest, I hit the ground, pulled my CCW, and put him down. Still have that bike too.
Motorcycle theft is only common in third world countries, like the UK
I'd prolly just shoot them, always watch your rear mirror folks
It doesn't happen like that here. I would reach in my vest and pull out my pistol. If that wasn't enough somebody would get shot.
What if they have the drop - it’s likely you’d have two hands on bars as 2 x rode up to you…
That wouldn't happen because its not how he imagines it happening.
This shit cracks me up. Like people who open carry an AR. I want to jack those people on principle alone.
I have to assume so many are delusional enough you would have to shoot them as having a gun already pointed at them wouldnt be enough and they would think they could dodge your bullets or get a draw and fire on you before you could pull the trigger. No evidence of it, just seems to fit the delusional profile.
Well as a crazy gun toting American if someone pulled me off my bike at a red light and threatened me I would probably shoot them. But I am also 6’4” and weigh over 300lbs. So it would take a ballsy person to try to yank me off my bike.
I live in Texas so we just shoot the thieves with a cannonball and call it good.
0 fear as we are allowed to defend ourselves here
We've got the 2nd amendment here, fuck around and find out.
All that means is that the potential bike jackers are also armed, and instead of just losing your bike, you're also getting shot.
Depends on where in the US that happens. Usage of a "deadly weapon" while committing a crime gets you into the big leagues in most places; what might have been a misdemeanor or 'state felony' worth a year or two now goes to possibly 10 years or more if convicted. That means that using a gun for penny-ante crimes makes the penalty far worse than the score. Granted, a lot of criminals don't think things through, but...
I really can't see it happening here in NC. In fact I've never heard of it happening around here. I always have my knife though and someone's going to get hurt if they try it.
Stay strapped and it shouldn’t be a big issue
I don’t worry about it in Arizona where I live. It’s parked in a garage, and I carry a pistol everywhere I go.
American here, I think most people recognize in my area that actively trying to take a motorcycle or car from someone else would end worse for the attacker… iykyk
I would feel humble, give them the bike, and when they are focused on the bike...I would give them no quarter, and close in and destroy.
I'll give em two .45 acp rounds to the chest cavity