5 Step Stolen Scooter Recovery Plan And Theft Prevention

UPDATED 10th June 2023: If your motorcycle or scooter is stolen the information below has been updated to include the latest police intelligence.

Knowing what to do if your scooter or motorcycle is stolen can be challenge. The great news is that this 5 step stolen scooter recovery plan and theft prevention post will help.

Stolen Motorcycle and moped crime is at its highest it’s ever been.

Stolen scooters especially are being used for theft of mobile phones among some of the key targets for thieves.

With the increase in crime associated with motorcycles many owners of scooters are turning to more sophisticated methods of deterrents such as alarms, immobilisers and trackers as a way of preventing theft.

But if you haven’t fitted a tracker what can you do?

If you find yourself in the unfortunate position to have your scooter or motorcycle stolen this advise may help.

Before we get into it, it is worth checking wether your scooter or motorcycle has actually been stolen? It sounds really obvious but have you just forgotten where you parked it? Alternatively have you considered that it has been removed by the council because it was illegally parked?

Contact TRACE if your vehicle is missing or may have been towed. 

It is very common for scooters and motorcycles to be towed by councils so it is worth checking with TRACE which is a locating service for vehicles towed in London. TRACE can tell you which pound it is located in and how to go about recovering it. details below (PLEASE NOTE TRACE IS ONLY AVAILABLE IN LONDON):

please complete the TRACE online form or call TRACE on 0300 077 0100 (textphone 0300 123 2050).

If you think your vehicle has been stolen please read on for further details.

What To Do If Your Scooter/Motorcycle Is Stolen? 

1. Notify Police
2. Walk the streets
3. Look under covered vehicles
4. Inform the insurance company
5. Monitor Facebook groups
6. Keep records of time of theft and crime reference

1. Notify the police: immediately that you discover your vehicle has been stolen. The police will place a marker on your scooter or motorcycles registration. This is important because if your scooter or motorcycles if risen by the thief it may be picked up by an ANPR camera which is on most police cars. The second important reason for notifying the police that your scooter has been stolen is you will need to inform your insurance company and make a claim.

2. Walk the streets: walking the area where you last left the bike is a good place to start. As previously mentioned thieves understand that some scooters/motorcycles may have a tracker fitted and don’t want to take the risk of being caught red handed. They may leave the bike locally and come back to it at a later date. Of course if you do manage to locate the bike it is always advisable to stay a safe distance and call the police to assist.

3. Look under any covered scooters: while you are walking the local area it is a good idea to look under any covered scooters or motorcycles you see parked on the streets (of course making sure not to cause damage).Thieves will cover bikes as a way of preventing bikes from being identified.

4. Inform your insurance company: once you have informed the police, you will will recieve a crime reference number which must be given to your insurance company as well location of theft, time and date.

5. Monitor facebook groups: This has become a useful resource as increasingly stolen vehicle groups allow the public to report and bring awareness to a missing motorbike.

6. Keep records of time of theft and crime reference: it’s highly likely that while your scooter or motorcycle is stolen it could incur speeding fines or penalty charge notices (PCN’s). For this reason it is important to keep times of theft and crime reference number recorded as you can contest any fines you recieve or PCN’s.

How might i spot if a scooter is stolen?

• A good indicator that a bike is stolen is the paneling may have been broken around the ignition. This is typically to allow the thief to hot wire the scooter or motorcycle.
• If a scooter has been stolen and the steering lock was engaged, this will have been broken to allow movement of the scooter or motorcycle. When this happens the force used to disengage the steering lock may also break the steering column. This will mean the handlebar may move independently to the front wheel.
• The registration plate will likely have been removed. This prevents the scooter from being identified by an ANPR camera, a system used by the police to identify vehicles.

How can I prevent theft of my scooter or motorcycle?

Here is a few simple pieces of advise to help prevent your scooter or motorcycle from being stolen:

Disk Lock: This secures the front wheel and is positioned through the brake disk, and can help to prevent your motorbike from being pushed away. Disk Locks are also now available with an alarm which is activated on movement, adding an extra element of theft prevention.

Chain lock: Locking the back wheel to a lamp post with a chain lock adds another piece of security to your vehicle. If possible, having the lock off the ground makes it harder to be cut or hit with a hammer. You may want to read our post on the best Kryptonite Locks.

Cover: sounds simple but covering the scooter makes it less appealing to thieves.

Alarm: fitting an a alarm or even using a lock which has an alarm fitted into it is a good deterrent.

I hope my Tips For Stolen Scooter/Motorcycle Recovery And Theft Prevention helps, you might like to read my 3 Tips to Prevent Your Scooter or Motorcycle From Being Stolen.

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Concerned about motorcycle theft?  Learn how you can prevent your Scooter or Motorcycle from being stolen.

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