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Stolen 2021 BMW Rallye GSA - South Florida

gregrice56

New member
My 4 week old 2021 BMW GSA was stolen Thursday night ( March 25, 2021 ) from the 6th floor of a secure parking garage in my high rise building. We have video of them coming in the parking garage gate at 11:36 PM following another car in. They was in the parking garage until 11:48 PM where we have video of them leaving the parking garage through the gate. There are no cameras on the 6th floor of the parking garage.

I was watching the security video looking for a van or something that they could load the GSA into since I have the key and was told that with out the key the motorcycle can not be started. To my surprise I saw someone riding my GSA out the gate.

They arrived in a white Ford SUV and waited for someone to open the gate and followed them in.

It had to be an inside job for them to go up 6 floors of an enclosed parking garage with now view from the outside and drive up 6 parking levels passing Porsche’s, Lamborghini’s , Bentley’s and at least 10 other motorcycles to go to the 6th floor to steal my BMW. They knew it was there as hardly no one but employees of the building and some valet drivers ever go that high in the garage. I assume they had been watching it for the 4 weeks I have owned it.

I think I have identified how my BMW GSA was stolen and ridden off with out the key.

A friend of mine ( Joe Green ) did some research at his local BMW dealer and now I may have an idea as to how they stole the motorcycle and rode it off with out having the key.

Joe found out from the service manager that you can buy a replacement key antenna ring or take off from another BMW that you can just unplug the one on the motorcycle and just plug in a new one that has a key fob matched to it and start the bike as normal. It looks like if you are in a hurry you just have to break off the existing plug that is in the steering neck below the area where the button is to start the bike and plug in your own.

When I first went to the motorcycle and saw it was gone I saw some small black plastic parts on the floor and looked at them but did not make much of it but I should have. I know they was not from me doing work on the bike as I police the area after every time to be sure I do not leave a mess in the parking garage. I left them there thinking the police was going to come up and take some photos of where the motorcycle was stolen from.

It looks like the same plastic plug on a GSA that they broke getting to the plug to plug in their own key ring antenna.

IMG_8345.jpgBMW-GSA-KeyLess-Plug1.jpg
 
More information about my stolen 2021 BMW GSA.

My 2021 BMW GSA was very unique do to all of the farkles I added over the last 4 weeks. Here is a list. If you see a new 2021 BMW GSA ( only two Rallye sold in south Florida so far ) with any of these farkles let me know. There is a reward for the identification of the thief.

BMW Top Box
BMW Side Cases
Moto Equip Black X pattern Reflective Sticker Kit
Side Case Toolbox
MachineartMoto Avant 12 Front Fender Extender
MachineartMoto Rear Fender Extender
BeadRider Seat Cover
Wireless heat troller.
Highway Pegs
Wunderlich Ergo II Windscreen
Saeng QuickScan Mirrors
Boyd Welding 3.5 Gallon AUX Tank
Ram Mounts ( 6 )
Moto Equip X-Pattern Side Case Reflective Tape
Wunderlich Windscreen Reinforcement
TFT Screen Instrument Protection Film
TFT Screen Sun Visor
Clearwater Sevina AUX Lights
HEX EzCan Controller
Hyper-Lites Brake / Tail Lights
Touratech Bull Bar XL, BMW R1250GS Adventure
AeroFlow HandFlare Extensions
Rox Pivoting Bar Risers
Headlight Guard Kit
SW-MOTECH Seat-Rack
Garauld TechWorks Hydration System
Nelson-Rigg Black Holds 12.39/16.52 Liters RG-1045 Trails End Adventure Motorcycle Tank Bag
TankSlapper XPEL Protective Film
Excel Cycle Werkes Exhaust Extension
Kathy's Inner Saddlebag Liners
Grip Puppies
Side Stand Foot Englarger
Handguard Extensions
Radiator Guards
Gas Tank Pad Protector
BMW Frame Hole Caps
Engine Crash Bar Protector Bumper Guard
Side Case Top Sharkskin Protection
Top Case and Side case Inside Lid Organizers
AltRider Engine Guard Supports

IMG_8228.jpgHyperLites-Back.jpg
 
Sorry for the loss of your bike. Hope you get it back/insurance. People these days.

And "those people", just may be individual(s) YOU have stood beside and talked about the bike with. At your shop, the building, ect.

They know motorcycles, waited until you had it farkled... and knew where you lived.

12 or 13 minutes and six floors of travel each direction; they knew where it was parked it seems...
unless someone(s) was already standing there with the modification done. Hmmm
 
You say "secured" parking garage and you know it was a white Ford SUV, didn't the security camera catch its plate number? Seems management has some responsibility here...at least to the fact they allow more than one vehicle to enter on one security pass.
 
Beautiful bike and so much unique work done to it. Heartbreaking. Hope justice prevails.

Checked out your web site and now I understand your passion for long distance riding was driving your farkle decisions. Sure hope you get it back so it can help you reach some future goals.
 
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I hope you get your bike back, undamaged.

Do i understand correctly that the fob is coded for the antenna ring and NOT the bike’s computer?
If so, that seems a very poor security implementation.

I thought most car’s fobs and keys were coded to the main computer, and that the antenna rings were generic.
 
Very sad to hear this happening. It sounds like pros that watch for vehicles like this. Its probably on its way to a shipping container right now.
Good luck, I hope you get it back untouched. That is one sharp looking bike.
 
You say "secured" parking garage and you know it was a white Ford SUV, didn't the security camera catch its plate number? Seems management has some responsibility here...at least to the fact they allow more than one vehicle to enter on one security pass.

Yes, I think the police have a video that shows the license plate of the white SUV. There are 4 camera angles. We saw the white SUV wait for a car to open the gate and follow it in and then we saw the videos of it leaving with my GSA following it.

So far the police think the SUV was stolen or rented. I am waiting to talk to them on Monday.
 
Yes, I think the police have a video that shows the license plate of the white SUV. There are 4 camera angles. We saw the white SUV wait for a car to open the gate and follow it in and then we saw the videos of it leaving with my GSA following it.

So far the police think the SUV was stolen or rented. I am waiting to talk to them on Monday.

Well, you have pictures, police report and documentation of what adorned that machine (and receipts I assume) to provide your insurance company. I wish you an easy non damaged recovery or an excellent claims adjuster and liberal carrier. Plus, that those culprits are brought to swift justice.
 
Very sad to hear this happening. It sounds like pros that watch for vehicles like this. Its probably on its way to a shipping container right now.
Good luck, I hope you get it back untouched. That is one sharp looking bike.

I second the shipping container with the other vehicles stolen the same night. You weren't alone. Sorry.
 
Ouch! Sorry for your loss! Here's hoping you get it back but I'm with the others guessing it's been shipped out already.
 
Sorry. Hoping you are made whole and thieves are made into little pieces... The iron butt rally is in a month or so? were you hoping to ride this year? Damn.
 
Would you mind if I shared your story on another forum? The K bikes also have the keyless ride and the same thing could occur I think.
 
No doubt the bad guys are learning how to steal a “keyless ride” BMW but i wonder what the solution is? Is this vulnerability unique to BMW’s implementation? I have heard the red key on a Ducati is critical and is almost impossible to replace.
 
No doubt the bad guys are learning how to steal a “keyless ride” BMW but i wonder what the solution is? Is this vulnerability unique to BMW’s implementation? I have heard the red key on a Ducati is critical and is almost impossible to replace.

The red key IS impossible to replace. Lose both black and red keys and you're looking at a new ECU.
 
It happens with high-end vehicles all the time. I recently looked into a Hell Cat Challenger that was seized in a raid of shipping containers and went to auction.
 
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And I'll say it again here: Just changing the antenna shouldn't allow a bike to be stolen. The code has to match one stored in the computer of the bike. I think there's more to the story on how it was done. If you do a google search on theft and FOBs/RFID keys, it's more involved. In 2021, BMW wouldn't engineer/produce a vehicle that could be stolen so easily by changing the ring. I have to wonder if the put a device on the OBD2 port and used it to hack when you were riding it. There are also devices that can intercept radio frequencies and hack the fob.
 
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