Stolen! :*(

[tmnothing]

My (yellow/black) 2004 GS500F was stolen last week (6/22) in Youngstown, Ohio between midnight and 8:00 AM. Sadly, I have not even had it a year. I had the front wheel locked, does that make the bike, as a whole, undrivable or is that something that can be cracked? How often do these bikes turn up when they're stolen?

[scratch]

Welcome.

Sorry for your loss of bike.  Unfortuneately, the wheel lock (properly termed steering lock) is easily defeated.  Look for a bike, or parts, being sold with out an ignition.  Craigslist.org or eBay, or even your local paper.  They may not even advertise for a while.  Did you call it in?

[pandy]

tmnothing:

Welcome to the board, and I'm so sorry some dirtbag stole your bike. There's a special karma for thieves.    scratch is steering you right...did you have full insurance on her?

[RedShift]

... in other words, can you get another bike in relatively short order?

If the bike is out in the open, the only way to prevent theft is to chain it to something that can't be lifted.  The steering lock is only to keep honest people honest.  Someone who's determined can unlock the ignition -- but breaking a Kryptonite lock and chain is a different matter.

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

Someone who's determined can unlock the ignition -- but breaking a Kryptonite lock and chain is a different matter.

Yeah.. THAT takes a $.10 Bic pen and about 30 seconds of your time! ... sorry, I'm in an odd mood, and that struck me as funny. Sorry to hear about your loss though, that really does suck. As others have suggested, make sure you call the police, file a report, etc... give em the VIN number so they can check any suspicious bikes.

[tmnothing]

Of course I've done everything that I could possibly to with the police and insurance. It was "fully" insured but insurance companies only pay what they're supposedly worth, and that figure did not even equal what I still owe on the loan.

I have checked in the local papers and on ebay so far, with nothing suspicious for sale.

I went to look at bikes today but with the loan on the old one still active I'm not sure if I'll be able to get a loan for a new one.

[jordanearl]

haggle with em, tell them how disapointed you are with the level of service.  tell them to stick their premiums, you will go elsewhere if and when you get another bike.  it may, or may not work, but the trying is free