Part 6
Ignition Steering Lock (All Makes)
Engaging the ignition steering lock pushes a stainless steel pin into a boss or depression on the steering head of the frame, thus preventing the bars from turning. However, the pin usu ally does not protrude deeply into the boss or depression on the head stock, the aluminum frame material is not hardened and the fit of the pin into the steering head stock is not precise, allowing the bars to move slightly, even with the pin engaged. By standing in front of the bike, grabbing the left handlebar, placing your right foot on the left peg for leverage and yanking (pulling) the bar to the right, you can force the hardened pin to shear through the boss or depression on the steering head. Potential solution: Redesign the ignition steering lock to engage the frame at a different location, or harden the boss on the head stock where the pin is inserted.
Ignition Bypass (Honda CBR600RR And CBR1000R) These models of Honda sportbikes have a pair of wires heading into the ignition; some years the wires are on the left, others on the right. In either case, the wires (usually encased in plastic tubing) can quickly be cut, stripped and twisted together, at which point the electrical system of the motorcycle comes alive. A push on the starter button starts the engine. Potential quick solution: Re-route the wires so they are not accessible, or include an immobilizer-type device in the circuit.
Ignition Bypass (Suzuki GSX-R) Suzuki uses the same ignition lock assembly interchangeably on its GSX-R sportbikes from year to year and model to model; for example, the part number for the lock assembly is the same for the 2007 and 2008 GSX-R1000, and is the same for the 600cc, 750cc and 1000cc versions of 2008 GSX-R sportbikes. The lock is attached to the wiring harness via a plug positioned over the radiator, and it is easily accessible by hand from the outside of the bike. Thieves merely arrive at the target bike with an ignition lock assembly from another GSX-R (with the key already in the lock and set to the run position) and unplug the ignition on the bike. They plug in the pre-set ignition and the bike fires. Potential quick solution: Relocate the connecting plug elsewhere on the bike. Tucking it well up under the tank would make it significantly harder to reach and would slow down the ignition swap. Or include an immobilizer-type device in the circuit.
Ignition Bypass (Yamaha YZF-R6) The Yamaha YZF-R6 has two pairs of wires that usually run under the black bodywork panel under the left clip-on. The wires are connected via quick-disconnect plugs to the ignition lock assembly. Thieves typically take the 30 seconds or so required to remove the bodywork panel without damaging it—it’s a matter of unscrewing two Allen bolts, and an undamaged bike brings more money when sold—and disconnect the two plugs. Thieves trade among themselves a pre-bypassed set of the plugs that, stock, are wired into the ignition. By cutting a set of the plugs off an ignition lock, twisting the pairs of wires together, and plugging the bypassed plugs into the wiring harness, the ignition is bypassed. The target bike will then start. This is, incidentally, exactly what the racing harness for the R6 does, and it is commonly known among R6 racers that this method can allow the racer or track-day rider to remove the keyed ignition lock. Potential solution: Once again, re-route the wires so they are harder to access, and put the plugs someplace where they cannot be reached quickly. Or include an immobilizer-type device in the circuit. RW
If the steering lock pin tears through the head stock, the only real fix involves replacing the frame on the motorcycle. Photo courtesy San Diego County Regional Auto Theft Task Force.
Spotted at a local college parking lot: A brace of nicely customized GSX-Rs, no locks on the wheels, no alarms; hidden from sight of the main campus by a huge shipping container. Working in relative seclusion, it would take a couple of prepared thieves less than a minute to ride off with both of these. Photo by Michael Gougis.
Even easier to tear through is a raised boss for the steering lock, as shown on this Honda CBR1000RR. Photo by Brian Bourgeois.
Typical tools of the trade: Helmet law in California means the bad guys carry a helmet with them on heists. For many bikes, the wirecutters and the electrical tape are all that are necessary to get them started. Photo by Michael Gougis.
Locks deter the amateur thief. But most locks can be defeated, if through nothing other than brute force. Here a motorcycle lock’s remnants were found in a minivan used to transport a stolen motorcycle. Photo courtesy San Diego County Regional Auto Theft Task Force.
For a Yamaha YZF-R6, these two plugs are the ones that need to be short-circuited. It can take a moment or two, so the bad guys come to the crime scene armed with a set of short-circuited connectors. If they’re in a real hurry, the bad guys will just rip off the bodywork piece that covers these plugs; most of the time, though, the better the shape the bodywork is in, the more the bike will fetch on the stolen goods market.
