LoJack lists top five motorcycle recoveries of 2011

[Kevin]

LoJack lists top five motorcycle recoveries of 2011

LoJack Corp. has listed its top five motorcycle recoveries of 2011, and they include everything from busting chop shops to recovering a bike stolen from a soldier just back from Afghanistan.

Taking the top spot: returning a Harley-Davidson to a soldier just back from Afghanistan. A Sergeant First Class in the Army National Guard who had just returned from deployment in Afghanistan went to retrieve his 2009 Harley Davidson Softail motorcycle from a storage facility in Everett, Mass.; however, it was nowhere to be found. The Sergeant reported the theft to the Everett Police Department, which activated the LoJack. Shortly afterward, officers with the Manchester, N.H., Police Department Auto Theft Unit began picking up the silent signal from the bike and tracked it to a garage at a residence in Manchester. The bike was recovered intact, and the investigation is ongoing, according to the company.

LoJack systems also played a role in busting a motorcycle chop shop in 2011.  "The owner of a 2008 Honda CBR 600 motorcycle parked and locked his bike on the street outside his apartment in the Columbia Heights section of Manhattan" the company stated. "When he returned, it was missing and he immediately reported the theft to the NYPD. Within a short while, police at the Brooklyn North Auto Larceny Unit picked up the signal and tracked it to a residential area in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. The signal was emanating from the basement of a multiple dwelling building.

"As the police approached the door of the basement, they noticed it was ajar," LoJack continued. "Peeking through the opening, they observed a motorcycle and they smelled a strong odor of gasoline. They called for Emergency Service Police to gain entry to the basement. A search of the basement revealed a treasure trove of stolen motorcycles and motorcycle parts. All together, 23 intact motorcycles were recovered, as well as parts from nearly 50 different motorcycle makes and models. They also found a carton loaded with all the parts from a completely disassembled motorcycle. The LoJack-equipped Honda CBR was recovered with minor damage."

This reportedly was the second time the CBR had been stolen and recovered, the company noted.

Other recoveries on the list include the finding of a 2008 Yamaha YZF 1000 when the LoJack signal was picked up by an overhead police helicopter; the recovery of a 2009 Suzuki GSX 1300 along with a stolen truck, trailer and ATV that the police didn't even know about initially;  and the retrieval of a 2006 Suzuki GSX-R1000 that had been hidden in an apartment bedroom.