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Hot-wiring a motorcycle?

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I'm trying to flesh out an idea for a story I might try to write... and was wondering if it's possible to very quickly hot-wire a motorcycle to steal?

How quick could one be hot-wired and made off with, if you knew what you were doing? Could it be done in seconds? ie. if you were possibly being chased out of a bar?

Not asking how it's done per se, just whether or not it's possible to do very quickly if you know what you're doing. And just how fast it could be done.
 
Short answer yes some don't even require you to hot wire them


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Depends on the bike, but try this:

Interview with a motorcycle thief.

Thanks. That actually helped a lot. Looks like it could be done in seconds if the situation was right.

Good to know that simply locking your steering is a bit of a deterrent. I almost never lock mine unless it's overnight at a hotel, or anywhere in Mexico. ;) Might get into the habit of doing it every time.

Thanks for the link!
 
Cough, cough, uh hmmm. Crickets in the background,,, in 15 seconds your bike is gone from the carport, in under 1 minute I'm riding away with your pride and joy. Need more info? Google
I'm stealing your bike tonite
Better yet; it's been a while and the season is upon us so here you go originally posted?... I don't even know when I wrote this but it was years ago
I'? STEALING YOUR BIKE TONITE

And there's NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!
That got your attention did'nt it!
OK This is reply to the "Security"post I'm moving this info over from another website where I posted it last year.
My wife and I own a Repossession/Bail Enforcement company(Fugitive Recovery Service) and some times what we do is Very similar to what bike/car thieves do. We will stalk you looking for a good time/location that makes it convienent for us to take your vehicle. Here is My advice for what little it is worth to hinder bike thieves.
#1 Out of sight out of mind! Hide you bike! Buy a bike cover AND USE IT! If I can't see it I may not notice it!
#2 Park "inside" that may mean a garage, a storage building, or even a carport in the very front with a car in the back same effect as #1
#3 Use a lock! A disc lock OK, 2 disk locks Better, Heavy rotary Lock and square link chain EVEN BETTER. Motion sensor alarm, rotary lock, square link chain to immovable object,,,BEST! (Chain through thickest part of frame)
#4 DO NOT park UP on raised areas! It makes for a easier lift into a truck/van.
#5 At Work, Shopping, Vacation etc... Park in HIGH traffic areas near front doors main parking area etc.. this is the oposite of #1 now you want EVERYONE to see it.
#6 Don't tell people where you live,,, Paranoid yet?
#7 Use a secondary ignition kill switch. This is as simple as cutting the IGN hotwire or removing the IGN fuse and wiring a switch that will kill the circut, then installing the switch in a hidden position.(ask me for simple diagram)
#8 Don't leave your keys ANYWHERE this includes IN YOUR IGNITION!
#9 Use the steering lock!
OK here's the deal. If I want it,I'll get it! Simple matter of fact, and a matter of time. YOU WON"T WIN! The difference between ME and a Thief,,,Is I want YOURS he wants ANYBODYS HE CAN GET.
You can't stop him if he wants it bad enough he'll get it! YOUR ONLY DEFENSE is to make yours UNNOTICABLE or so hard to get he will go look for easier prey!
Remember Noise (motion alarms/Dogs) is the #1 enemy (GET OUT of bed go look!)
Motion sensor lights are #2 (GET OUT OF bed,,,)
There IS NOT A LOCK THAT I CAN"T BEAT!! Believe me! ITS A FACT!(most in under 3 minutes!)
Steering locks? 1 guy pulls on 1 bar the other guy sits on the bike and kicks the other bar, WALLAAAH! its just a small pin against a tab!
IGNITION locks? Most can be defeated by simply Driving a large screwdrive in there and turning with a wrench.
Why bother most bikes hotwire in under 5 minutes!
Yes the pick up and carry scenario beats disk locks!
Use the MASTERLOCK brand rotary lock its the hardest one I have found so far to pick!
Use a HARDENED SQUARE (Krytonite brand)link chain because they beat bolt cutters.

http://www.onguardlock.com/beastchain.html
http://www.kryptonitelock.com/inetis...s_item&pgrp=20

In my opinion the Ongard Chains are so close to the Kryptonite that it would make very little difference. Once you reach this level of security Anyone that is this determined to get this particular bike is going to attempt to defeat both of these locks in the same manner and they both offer about the same level of defense(They will defeat 99% of all attacks! And NO! I will NOT tell you what these three attacks are!. Buy what you want they are both great.

Wedge the bike between a car/truck and a wall where the vehicle has to be moved to get the bike.
At the Mall/traveling use ign lock, steering lock, 2 disk locks, 1 with motion sensor
Like I said just make it so its easier to get someone elses bike.
I said this earlier, if a PRO wants your specific bike, he'll get it. Alot of theft is joy rides or specific models for parts. By making your bike less obvious and harder to get they will probably move on to easier pickings. OH! Also I forgot to point out on the chain thing Make sure that it goes AROUND the LARGEST frame rail you can get it around, An aluminum seat stay can be hacksawed in under a minute, NOT THROUGH the swingarm or forks they can be removed Or a wheel removed
OH and no fair using all of these against the repoman or I'll have to play really dirty pool!hahahahah
OK Hope this info covers most of the bases

this was written years ago as a warning to help protect against thieves, believe me when I say this almost every single bike built in the last 15 years can be stolen simply easily in under 1 minute!
Be careful out there guys! Protect your Bikes!

SRAD
PS I'm retired from the industry!
 
I'm trying to flesh out an idea for a story I might try to write... and was wondering if it's possible to very quickly hot-wire a motorcycle to steal?

How quick could one be hot-wired and made off with, if you knew what you were doing? Could it be done in seconds? ie. if you were possibly being chased out of a bar?

Not asking how it's done per se, just whether or not it's possible to do very quickly if you know what you're doing. And just how fast it could be done.

I'm not sure what the story is (obviously) but it may be more expedient (and simple) to have the character take a bike that is, for whatever reason, unsecured. Perhaps the owner has just pulled up, and is chatting with friends with his back turned, perhaps he is in the process of getting on it to leave, perhaps our guy simply knocks someone off a running bike he's sitting on.

Or, perhaps our mystery character is an expert, much like the above post. The actual process probably doesn't have to be explained in detail. Even a simple passage like:

Roger went to work on the ignition. Despite the ten long years since he'd done this last, the bike was his in under a minute.
"Security lock my ***", he muttered to nobody in particular as he threw a spray of gravel off the rear tire, accelerating out of the lot and onto the road.
 
My DT100 only required you disconnect the the easily accessible molex connector to the ignition switch.
 
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I'm not sure what the story is (obviously) but it may be more expedient (and simple) to have the character take a bike that is, for whatever reason, unsecured. Perhaps the owner has just pulled up, and is chatting with friends with his back turned, perhaps he is in the process of getting on it to leave, perhaps our guy simply knocks someone off a running bike he's sitting on.

Or, perhaps our mystery character is an expert, much like the above post. The actual process probably doesn't have to be explained in detail. Even a simple passage like:

Roger went to work on the ignition. Despite the ten long years since he'd done this last, the bike was his in under a minute.
"Security lock my ***", he muttered to nobody in particular as he threw a spray of gravel off the rear tire, accelerating out of the lot and onto the road.

The character is in a bar and shoots someone dead. Then runs. There are a dozen or so supersport bikes and I want him to steal one in his escape, even though he's almost immediately being pursued.

Just wanted to know if that would be possible.
 
My Bultacos had no keys what so ever. Just give em a kick and let er rip. :rider:

My BMW has a ring antenna which may someday even keep me from ridding it. :doh:
 
Depends on the bike, but try this:

Interview with a motorcycle thief.

Along the same lines as this, but many more questions is the Reddit AMA(Ask Me Anything) posted by a former motorcycle thief and chop-shop operator.

http://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/comments/t5shp/ex_thief_chopshop_operator_ama/

It's been a while since I read it, but I remember it being very informative. It gives insight into the mind of the bad-guy. Might help your story, but will definitely provide good information to riders about ways to prevent theft.
 
The character is in a bar and shoots someone dead. Then runs. There are a dozen or so supersport bikes and I want him to steal one in his escape, even though he's almost immediately being pursued.

Just wanted to know if that would be possible.

Literally on the run, the most expedient way would be for him to take a bike that's already running. The lines that would have been used to describe the hotwiring now become lines about taking the bike. Right after the shooting, you can have internal monologue while he's exiting the bar about his concern over his escape, which will help build tension, and then use a couple of sentences to describe how he pulls a guy off a bike, grabbing the helmet by the open face shield hole (use better words than that, lol) or something. A guy standing next to a running bike putting on a jacket might be an easy target.
 
Literally on the run, the most expedient way would be for him to take a bike that's already running. The lines that would have been used to describe the hotwiring now become lines about taking the bike. Right after the shooting, you can have internal monologue while he's exiting the bar about his concern over his escape, which will help build tension, and then use a couple of sentences to describe how he pulls a guy off a bike, grabbing the helmet by the open face shield hole (use better words than that, lol) or something. A guy standing next to a running bike putting on a jacket might be an easy target.

Was thinking the same thing at this point, but was wondering if some bikes were as easy to take, on the run, with the simple rip of a cable or two. And a possible brief struggle with the dude's bike he's taking could be more dramatic, and I'd have a convenient witness to tell the others which way he took off.
 
Chuck Norris would just clothesline the rider and then hop on the moving bike before it even slowed and fell over.
 
I saw a police video of a guy stealing a Honda sport bike. It literally took him less than 60 seconds, but that is a long time if someone is chasing you. He hopped on, kicked the bars twice then fiddled with the wiring and was gone.
 
"When you want to start a Motorcycle without a key first find the ignition wiring coming out of the handlebar area. Trace along the wiring sleeve up to when you find the point where the three colored wires end with a plastic wiring cap along the body. Jerk the caps apart and let the ignition wiring hang down. Push one end of the speaker wire into one of the eyes of cap socket. Bend the wire and insert the other end into another eye. Press the ignition button on the throttle to start the motorcycle engine. "
 
Was thinking the same thing at this point, but was wondering if some bikes were as easy to take, on the run, with the simple rip of a cable or two. And a possible brief struggle with the dude's bike he's taking could be more dramatic, and I'd have a convenient witness to tell the others which way he took off.

With the way all the hotwiring advice seems to go, it's not something that could be done as quickly as the story needs it to be done.

I think you should play with a few scenarios for a running bike, or one with the keys still in it, and see how that feels. The odds of it happening in real life are probably kind of slim, but hey, that's why we have "dramatic license", yeah?

:)
 
Was thinking the same thing at this point, but was wondering if some bikes were as easy to take, on the run, with the simple rip of a cable or two. And a possible brief struggle with the dude's bike he's taking could be more dramatic, and I'd have a convenient witness to tell the others which way he took off.

I too have repo history in the past. Once upon a time a screw driver opened doors and turned ignitions. My screw driver of choice was a Snap on with the the wrench head. Newer bikes would be tougher but doable. I recently popped a Honda VFR for a frriend that had lost his keys. I replaced his ignition when he got the new one. Ordered off the internet with no questions. Plug and play:ponder: BMW is tougher due to the computer being matched with EWS ring. Someone would have to defeat the computer or order precoded transponder key from dealer.:chug:
 
Dirt bike converted to dual sport with no keyed ignition. Kick start and go.
 
what if the proximity keyfob on a Harley is kept in the windshield/fork bag and the shooter gets lucky? Long shot I know, but worth mentioning I think.
 
Based on the story I have in mind, there wouldn't be any Harley's at this bar. Only super-sports. There could be a random dirt bike or rat bike there though. Are many of them keyless?
 
Based on the story I have in mind, there wouldn't be any Harley's at this bar. Only super-sports. There could be a random dirt bike or rat bike there though. Are many of them keyless?

I know of several dirt bikes that have been converted to street legal, but did not have a key added (most dirt bikes don't have keys unless they were built as street legal).

So it is plausible that somebody would have a CRF450 or something that was converted to supermoto, and didn't have a key on it. I don't know if a non-motorcycle reader would understand that or not though.
 
Good to know. It would be for a film. Just didn't want to do the usual, "push a guy off his running motorcycle" thing. Maybe I could have him quickly try to start a rat/dirt bike, some guy arrives and tries to stop him, quick struggle, then he takes off of the still running sport bike that just arrived.
 
Maybe the bar is a seedy place, and many of the bikes are stolen anyway, no key required?
 
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