[Aymincendiary]

First bike a 2017 Yamaha YZF-R3, up until March 21st a 2018 Yamaha Bolt R-Spec. This is what has become of my present bike.

Hindsight is 20/20. Should have kept the R3 until I moved into a house with a garage. Been over a week since I filed a police report so recovery at this point is slim. I spoke to the owner at Halls MotorSports of NOLA about a cheap 2018 Suzuki GSX250R so I can get riding again, already got a loan approved from America First Credit Union. Will be submitting the notarized forms to the insurance company this week, they've already been advised of the theft. This was internal by a resident, visitor or employee... and nobody is giving me any info at the complex. My neighbor who works for NOPD has taken a personal interest in helping me out, he owns an Indian motorcycle. I just want some closure here and buy the Suzuki so I can get riding again.

 

[Aymincendiary]

My attitude now is if one can't afford to garage a nice bike like this, they can't afford the bike. A bike a few years old with the paint faded is better than no bike at all and not so attractive to thieves - and this would be a better option for riders who live in an apartment complex. Should have waited until I could afford a house with an attached garage before making this purchase last June. My old R3 I had for 23 months was a bit sun bleached but perfectly rideable. I put 21,609 miles on it and have been to every state within a day's ride of Louisiana. My post for this is on Stolen911, I've posted a reward of $1000 for the recovery of my bike but now 9 days has passed and I just want some closure so I can go buy another one and get back on the road. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security if your complex is gated and guarded, somebody else's security is NO security. Now with COVID-19 and the hosed economy it may be three or more years before I make a purchase like this again.

Needless to say, I will be moving out once my lease is up, whether to buy a house of move into another complex.

 

[vito]

The one time that I owned a bike without a garage to keep it in, I rented a storage unit. I would drive to the unit to get the bike and drive home after a ride. Not ideal but it worked and didn't cost much. The other key is to have "comprehensive" insurance coverage. I never would expect a stolen bike to be recovered, ever. It likely was a joy ride that got wrecked soon after being stolen, or was stolen for parts, never to be seen whole again. Insurance will never pay you the full and real value of your bike, but it sure is better than getting zero.

 

[Aymincendiary]

The problem with that is I ride the bike every day to work; I have an old 2002 Infiniti I just use when it's raining or cold out, or have to go shopping or to the gym. I simply don't have time to take a bike in and out of a storage unit every day. So, a cheap bike that runs well will suit my needs better. Should have put this purchase off until I could have afforded a house with a garage and security system. That's how I'll operate from now on. My insurance will pay the loan off but I still lose my $1800 down payment. I like riding too much to give up now and just want some closure so I can buy my Suzuki sport bike, put a GPS and brake alarm on it, and get back to riding. I'd hate to make that purchase and then police recover my R-Spec in fixable condition and then I'm paying on two bikes. With COVID-19 I'm looking at seriously reduced working hours and income.

This is my old R3. Sun bleached but still ran good... and much less attractive to thieves. I've been to every state within a day's ride of Louisiana... if for anything just to take a picture of the state Welcomes You sign. This is on I-55 MO/AR border 485 miles from New Orleans.

 

[Aymincendiary]

If it got joy rided I'd like to know how they got around the transponder key ignition. Also, a Suzuki motorcycle was stolen the same day. My neighbor said his Indian he kept under a cover was messed with as well as another neighbor's Kawasaki. The complex maintenance said it was kids who came in from the levee to get around the gate but nobody is going to push a 540 pound bike 1000 yards in the grass only to be stopped at a gate and k-rail barrier. This went out the front gate in a truck or van and was stolen by either a resident, a visitor or employee. Nobody is giving me any information because the complex wants to protect their reputation and image. Hopefully my neighbor at NOPD can get a hold of the security footage and tie the theft to a particular vehicle. There has to be a record of any visiting vehicle coming on the premises that can be tied to a resident. This was an internal theft, not a joy ride by some bored teenagers in the surrounding neighborhood that wouldn't have the know how to get around a chip key ignition in real time in the dark. I rode the whole length of the levee on my mountain bike from pumping station to Algiers Lock and it would be very difficult to get any motor vehicle out that way with all the fencing and obstacles in the way. This was an internal theft. All I want now is to move out of here as I hate living here now. I have the option to pay an extra month rent to get out of my lease early and move elsewhere if the opportunity opens up.

 

[Aymincendiary]

This is what happened to my 2012 Chevy Malibu in the same complex 18 months ago. Should have moved out after this. If it wasn't for my R3 I wouldn't have been able to get to work. Three or four times a year the parking lot floods in front so I started parking in the back. There are many NOPD officers who live and park cruisers on the property and they claim they occasionally get broken into.

 

[Aymincendiary]

Fortunately this survived the flood 18 months ago. It was my only way to work for about three weeks until I bought a used car off someone I work with.

 

[Aymincendiary]

The one time that I owned a bike without a garage to keep it in, I rented a storage unit. I would drive to the unit to get the bike and drive home after a ride. Not ideal but it worked and didn't cost much. The other key is to have "comprehensive" insurance coverage. I never would expect a stolen bike to be recovered, ever. It likely was a joy ride that got wrecked soon after being stolen, or was stolen for parts, never to be seen whole again. Insurance will never pay you the full and real value of your bike, but it sure is better than getting zero.

I like riding too much to give up now... will buy the cheap sport bike until I can afford to buy a house with a garage. Fortunately I have comprehensive, I'll lose my $1800 down payment but it will pay the loan off, and if it doesn't the GAP insurance will kick in. Lesson learned, I'll never buy an expensive bike like that and store it in an apartment complex. Sad thing is, whoever stole my bike is probably still around and I just may see them every day and not know it. Moving out is an imperative as I now hate living here. That bike went out on a truck and out the front gate and maintenance isn't giving me any information. I already have my name on a waiting list for an apartment in the zip code I'm planning to buy a house in and if something opens up I will pay the extra month rent required to leave my lease early and move out. With COVID-19 the future is uncertain.

If Friday comes and I don't hear anything about my old bike I'll contact Halls and buy the Suzuki. I want to get back to riding again.

 

[Aymincendiary]

The one time that I owned a bike without a garage to keep it in, I rented a storage unit. I would drive to the unit to get the bike and drive home after a ride. Not ideal but it worked and didn't cost much. The other key is to have "comprehensive" insurance coverage. I never would expect a stolen bike to be recovered, ever. It likely was a joy ride that got wrecked soon after being stolen, or was stolen for parts, never to be seen whole again. Insurance will never pay you the full and real value of your bike, but it sure is better than getting zero.

What I'm trying to avoid here is buying the sport bike and then my old bike resurfaces and I end up paying on 2 bikes. I just want to know for sure it's unrecoverable before pulling the trigger on a new purchase. Once I bought the R-Spec I initially decided to keep the R3 as well but no longer had a use for it so I ended up selling it to the bike shop at a loss just to get it off my hands. I made up for my loss in sheer riding pleasure, I didn't get into biking to make or save money. Again, I'll wait until I buy a house with a garage before buying another expensive cruiser... right now I need adequate transportation to work as my car is old and anything new would be cost too much between payments and insurance.