Coping with the theft of a very personal motorcycle

Instead of my prized possession, I found only an empty space and broken locks — sliced through by an angle grinder.

Losing a bike you love to theft is a blow. Sure, it's a mechanical object, not a person. But we motorcyclists form strong bonds with our two-wheelers and I had even more reason to be attached to this one.

After dealing with the police and shock, I admit to being devastated. I've had some time and advice to contemplate on how to move forward. Here's what happened and how I've responded.

Not just any motorcycle

First, it's cathartic to share the significance of my stolen motorcycle here with a community that understands. Some of you may recall reading about my KTM 690 Tx3 build on Common Tread. As I wrote, "I'd started mulling the possibility of one production motorcycle that could do it all. And when I couldn't find what I was looking for, I decided to create it."

That was the genesis for the KTM 690 Tx3: one bike for dirt, street, and track. I chose a stock 2019 KTM 690 Enduro as the platform. Then I went to town on mods and some light fabrication. The result was a bike that did all forms of riding I wanted reasonably well via swappable modes: daily rider, ADV, supermoto, track, and off-road.

Among the highlights, I got 20 pounds off the bike, remapped the ECU, and modified the braking system. After torquing the last titanium bolt on KTM 690 Tx3 in late 2020, Common Tread published the story on the build.

And then I spent the next few years thoroughly enjoying my custom bike. KTM 690 Tx3 ended up being pretty much everything I'd wished for.

It became my sanity cycle over the pandemic, allowing me to get out for some wind and motion during lockdown. My KTM transported me on color tour rides into upstate New York, single-track dirt exploration, and up to 120 mph on track-day straights. Tx3 was also my vehicle for the research that led to the widely read (and heavily debated) Common Tread feature on NYC's bike life scene. I'd gotten to the point where my intuitive riding sense had synced up so well with my machine's dynamics that it took little thought to ride it.

And then my bike was gone.

The heist

Walking into my garage on a Wednesday afternoon, I noticed immediately the missing silhouette of my covered KTM. The space was empty, save bits and pieces of sliced chain links.

The local police pegged it as a well planned theft. A crew cased my bike, my garage, and my security system to breach five locks — yes, five — load KTM 690 Tx3 into a vehicle and abscond.

After putting so much effort into building my bike, and bonding with it through so many awesome experiences, it was a kick in the pants. My mind cycled between deep disappointment and anger. How could lowly thieves violate my space and callously take something they'd done nothing to earn?

The entire incident provoked notions of hanging up my helmet for good. Added to the "it's too dangerous" quips we motorcyclists hear consistently, were my own thoughts: "Maybe these added security challenges make owning a motorcycle no longer worth it."

Rolling forward

Fortunately, I didn't land on that conclusion. I'm not going to let thieves dictate when I stop doing something I've loved since single digits.

But here's the question I've been mulling: How do I move forward from this theft in a positive way?

I'm happy to share some thoughts on that, a few things that helped, and an ultimate answer.

The first thing that helped shift my mind to a better place was the local police response. When my bike was stolen, my expectations were low for law enforcement showing much dedication to tracking down the perpetrators. I was squarely wrong.

Shortly after I reported the theft, a detective from local police department came to my residence and proceeded to diligently investigate. He questioned me, people near my residence, subpoenaed video from nearby cameras, and even scanned hours of local traffic camera footage for suspect vehicles. My hometown detective also called me frequently with updates and to brainstorm leads. The local PD entered my bike description and VIN in the stolen vehicle database, so anyone found with it will be arrested.

So far, the investigation has turned up few viable leads on my bike. Still, local law enforcement's quick response to try to bring some accountability to the losers who took it has really helped shift my head space.

I've also channeled my energy into advocacy. What happened to my ride is by no means extraordinary in the United States. Motorcycle theft in America has been on the rise for three straight years, with 54,736 motorcycles reported stolen in 2022, per National Insurance Crime Bureau stats. And the thieves are getting more brazen, resorting to snatching bikes directly from dealers during and after hours.

Anecdotally, getting one's bike ripped off is a big fear in my moto community. One of my riding buddies had his Yamaha heisted. And shortly after I featured NYC bike life personality Malissa Alexis in the Common Tread article (including a photo of her working on her bikes), thieves breached her Bronx garage and stole two of her motorcycles.

Regarding my experience, sure I'd like the perpetrators caught and my bike found. But beyond that, I want to see greater national efforts to address the larger problem of organized motorcycle theft. That's why in the wake of my bike being stolen, I wrote letters to the American Motorcyclist Association, Motorcycle Industry Council, and the New York State Attorney General's office urging measures to combat motorcycle theft at scale.

I'm not sure how much impact this will have, but it felt like an effort in the common interest of motorcyclists. The New York State Attorney General has shown commitment to the matter, taking down several motorcycle theft rings over the last few years.

I believe the motorcycle industry and trade groups need to take this problem seriously. If mass theft makes motorcycle ownership too risky, fewer folks are going to buy new motorcycles.

A new ride and keeping it safe

Since losing my ride, any thought of getting a new bike collides with the fear of having it stolen again. That's prompted a deep dive into what failed in my motorcycle security system and new tech to fix it. With five locks harnessed to three anchors and an alarm on the front wheel, it's hard to imagine doing more. But my system failed on the weakest link principle and shifting criminal tactics.

A growing trend among thieves in the United States and Europe is the use of portable angle grinders. While they bring more noise than bolt-cutters, angle grinders can slice through most security chains and loop anchors in less than a minute. By cutting two of my chains and one of my anchors, the thieves negated my entire system. And unfortunately, I didn't have a GPS tracker.

Mindful to these unfortunate trends, some motorcycle security companies are bringing new tech to market. ABUS is releasing a grind resistant U-lock and HipLok recently unveiled a new integrated grind resistant lock, arm, and anchor. Then there are advances in alarm systems. For example, Scorpio offers a security kit that combines an alarm, motion detection, and GPS tracker all in one.

I won't give away exactly how I'd set up security for a new bike, because criminals are now mining public information and social media for intelligence. But I'd definitely go about securing any future ride in a more robust way, leveraging new innovation on the market.

And that brings me to the final conclusion for overcoming the loss of KTM 690 Tx3. The only way I'm going to get over the theft of my motorcycle is by getting back in the saddle on another one. I've been exploring a fresh bike project — something that excites me about a new ride and thinking less about the one I lost.

What's piqued my interest is doing a similar conversion with a lighter platform. One of my few gripes with KTM 690 Tx3 was that it was a bit heavy for dirt and supermoto riding. At the expense of higher service intervals, a 500 dual-sport — with swappable supermoto and MX modes — could offer all the dirt, street, and track range of my last bike with (roughly) 100 pounds less weight. I'm looking at a KTM EXC-F or Beta RS 500. The ideas are churning. My mind's moving forward. The disappointment's fading. Stay tuned.

That sums up the journey I've taken to overcome the theft of a treasured motorcycle. It's one I sincerely hope none of you have to make.