Stolen bike - recovered

My 2011 X was stolen about 2 weeks ago.  I got a call from the NYPD earlier this week saying that they had my bike -

When the NYPD gave me the bike, they opened an envelope and handed me a key.  Anybody know how the thieves would have gotten a key?  Its the right key and works on the ignition, gas cap and helmet lock.

Overall, not too much damage, wheeling cycle supply and a couple other vendors will be happy though.

They removed the stock graphics, so now I need to figure out how to dress it up a bit and wish I had MotoKid's or some of you other guys' skills with graphics.

Other than the key, the thieves also left a dollar bill attached to the front brake line near the brake reservoir     and added some extra bling to the bike - see below.

Note rocker switch for the LEDs attached to the back of the side panel

Stylin'!
At least you'll never lose your engine in the dark.  :)

They got a copy of your key...

Unless,.they used yamaha's seriel number to get one...

Maybe someone with dealer experience could chime in...

...If your key still works...someone had the inside scoop on your ignition...

...you know who did it...maybe?

Last I knew, Yamaha Motor Corp., USA did not keep track of what Yamaha motorcycle VIN took what key number.
They say it's the owner's responsibility to keep that key number on their own records and use that key number if a duplicate key is ever needed to be made.
This key number comes on a little metal dog tag on the key ring when the bike is new.
This is why your dealer is encouraged to write this key number down on your sales contract (there's usually a line on the form for the key number), and the Owner's Manual has a spot within it's pages for somebody to jot the key number down.

Back in the olden daze (1970s, 1980s, part of the 1990s), the ignition switch, itself, would have the key number stamped right into it.

It is possible to have a key made by dissecting the switch, at least in some cases.
I'd have a look at the bolts holding the switch to the underside of the triple clamp to see if the switch was removed.

Mucker - If somebody had a copy of my key, it didn't come from me.  The previous owner lived near where the bike was recovered, but if they got the key from him, they wouldn't have had to break the fork lock.  Previous owner didn't even know where I live - we did the transaction at a location several miles from where I park the bike ( mostly because I didn't want him to know where the bike would be parked ).

YZEtc - I mailed all of my keys to GEICO so I haven't yet checked to see if my original keys still fit the bike, but from a quick visual inspection it doesn't look like they changed the gas cap or helmet lock.  Reverse engineering the existing key switch seems like something above the intelligence level of the average bike thief.

But I guess these weren't average bike thieves since they got through my chain that was attached to an immovable object.
Chain:
http://lockitt.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=Lockitt&Screen=PROD&Category_Code=SPCH&Product_Code=CHAB1463780

Since I don't carry it around, I'm going to check out the 19mm chains:
http://lockitt.com/Lockitt/product/SPCH19/CHPS1925.html

i would not feel right riding my bike after it was stolen and modded outside of my control.

I<3Mountains wrote:

i would not feel right riding my bike after it was stolen and modded outside of my control.

It's like someone slept with your girlfriend... It's just never the same again.

I have lost keys to all of my bikes (my R6, R1, and 250x). Every time I have taken the bike up to my local locksmith and had a new key made. They never needed to contact Yamaha and they keep Yamaha keys in stock. Once I asked if I could just bring the gas cap in to avoid having to transport the whole bike, but they said the key had to be made using the ignition switch. It only takes them an hour or less to do the job. They never asked for any kind of proof that I owned the bike, so it's reasonable to assume that the people who stole yours may have just taken it to a locksmith, told the smith they lost the key, and had a new one made.

That's awesome news - I've had a previous race bike stolen and it sucks. You're very lucky it was'nt in 1000 pieces the first day.
As for the key there is nothing special about the ignitions - like outlaw said, you just have to have a yamaha blank and a locksmith. The little key tag that comes with the original key set allows the dealer to simply order you new keys and saves a step + some money but its not needed.

nyc_bob wrote:

When the NYPD gave me the bike, they opened an envelope and handed me a key.  Anybody know how the thieves would have gotten a key?  Its the right key and works on the ignition, gas cap and helmet lock.

I used to work at a dealership and we were able to cut new keys on site, but this could only be done with a key code and proof of ownership (probably varies per dealership). I agree that they most likely just had a locksmith (maybe a personal friend of the thief?) create a new key.

The question is: did they nail the bastards who stole your bike?

In some jurisdictions you can go after these scumbags in small claims court or it's local equivalent for damages: loss of use, damage, etc.  No lawyers required, different legal requirement (balance of probabilities versus beyond a reasonable doubt), etc.

If you can't shoot them, at least make sure you get a few pounds of flesh out of their ass if you can.  IMO, the reason vehicle theft is so prevalent is that it pays and the possible penalties are generally not that bad.