Crate escape! Police seize stolen bike haul just hours before it was due to be shipped abroad

Several high-value motorcycles stolen from the South East have been recovered in crates in Birmingham – just hours before they were due to be shipped abroad.

• Related: Kent Police urge bikers to be vigilant after string of motorcycles stolen

The collection of four bikes, made up of three Yamahas – namely a Ténéré 700, XSR700 and MT-07 and one unidentified Honda, were found thanks to a BikeTrac tracker fitted to the Ténéré.

• Related: MCN’s complete guide to motorcycle GPS trackers

All the machines were nearly new, thought to be no more than a couple of years old. They had been taken from their rightful owners over 100 miles away near London and were destined to be sent out of the country the following day, before police were able to swoop in and recover the lot.

The intended shipping location of the bikes has not yet been confirmed, with police currently looking into the matter, although it is thought that they were taken as part of an organised ‘stolen to order’ criminal operation.

“We tracked a vehicle to the address,” BikeTrac founder and MD Bill Taylor told MCN. “When police arrived, they came across four wooden shipping crates next to a lock-up.”

• Related: How to Completely Secure your Garage by MCN

The tracker fitted to the Ténéré was enabled with both GPS and Radio Frequency (RF) functions.

It was the latter that was key here, with RF offering location accuracy down to one metre.

Without this, Taylor suggests that the police would have been unable to enter the premises, as there would have been insufficient evidence to confirm that the stolen machines were there.

“Without the RF, the police would’ve had to get a warrant, which they likely wouldn’t have got in time,” the MD said. “With the RF, we could show exactly where the bike was.”

• Related: Best motorcycle security

“Most of the time the GPS works well, but it’s those moments when we need extra – that’s what the RF gives us.

“Trackers, whether it’s ours or anyone else’s, don’t stop bikes being stolen, but they give you a chance [of recovery]. Our recovery rate is between 92–94%,” he added.

Taylor suggests that Yamaha motorcycles are now particularly targeted by thieves.

“It seems that they’re very easy to get started with devices you can get readily and cheaply online.

“The MT-07 and MT-09 are what people are after, and going off today, it appears they’re being stripped down for parts or taken out of the country completely.”