Quote Originally Posted by hclayjones View Post
Double chained , one to a wall in a Hutong near Guilu...narrow streets so it appears they shattered the lock and carried the bike out of the narrow streets to a waiting van...been parking there for some time with no problems .....fairly populated area and close to inhabited dwellings.... not sure of any alarm...
Shit. Looks like pros. If they want it, they will get it. Worse, if it was pros, the bike likely already had a far-away destination planned.

A very long time ago, I did several years "time" in a maximum security prison (heh, heh ... as an employee). I was also a criminology student. Some researchers came through and surveyed >100 thieves doing time. Most of them were B&E artists - I remember one guy proudly admitted to several hundred B&Es over the years - but some were also big-time car thieves - and several were involved in organized gangs.

Anyways, they were asked about deterrents. The ONLY item which demonstrated more than a meager 20% deterrence was a big dog. A big dog acted as a major deterrent to a whopping two thirds of respondents.

They also asked about "best time of day." The majority said the middle of the day, when things are busy. Witnesses are too busy to get involved and most people think "nah, nobody would do it in the middle of the day, out in the open - they must have a legitimate reason for busting locks". Worst time was in the dead-quiet of night when people (and barking dogs) would hear, and arouse suspicion (after all, crooks work at night, right?).

So sorry about your friend.

I wish theft insurance for motorcycles was available in China.