With the e-commerce boom in full effect, we’re now seeing more motorcycles on our roads—and thieves love stealing them. When it comes to theft, thieves normally steal the entire motorcycle. Depending on the type of motorcycle, they’ll either dismantle it and take the parts or sell the whole bike on the black market.
Bike thieves are always looking to make a quick buck, so what they do with the motorcycle after they steal it depends on what’s more profitable. In today’s article, we discuss this in detail, giving you tips on how to protect your motorcycle.
The motives are different. Some thieves are only after the parts, while others want to resell the whole motorcycle. But unlike regular vehicles, motorcycles aren’t so heavy. They’re easy to lift and conceal, so even if the thieves are only looking for the parts, they’ll still take the whole motorcycle, put it in a getaway vehicle, and take it from there.
It all depends on the type of motorcycle it is. The standard motorcycles that people use for daily commutes or delivery services are usually taken to a chop shop (in most cases, it’s literally someone's backyard). This is where the parts are stripped and sold separately on the black market.
The high-end motorcycles, like the adventure and sporty ones, are usually stolen by syndicates, briefly stored in a hiding place, and then sold on the black market. In some instances, those motorcycles go over our borders.
You know how you have your job title and duties at work? Well, so do the members of syndicates. Every thief has an “important” role to play. There are spotters, takers, and transporters. It’s all very well calculated, making it difficult to catch on if you don’t know how they do it.
Here’s how this organised crime works:
The spotters are on the ground, usually walking or driving slowly around specific neighbourhoods to see if they’ll spot their targeted motorcycle either moving on the road or parked in your garage. If you’re driving, they’ll follow you to see where you’re headed. They pay attention to everything. Where you stay, how often you leave the house and at what time, the area you usually park your bike, and if there’s security. After careful “research”, they strike!
This is where the takers and transporters come in. In most cases, they break into the victim's home at night. Two or three men come on foot while a driver (usually a van, taxi, or any other vehicle big enough to carry the motorbike) follows them. They then break into the yard, go straight to the motorcycle, lift it, and place it into the getaway vehicle. Everything happens so quickly that by the time you realise it, they’ll be gone.
Some of the motorcycles stolen in South Africa are smuggled into our neighbouring countries. In June 2025, The Citizen reported that the Gauteng police discovered a motorcycle theft syndicate operating between South Africa and Mozambique.
Three suspects were caught in Kingsway, Springs, in possession of dismantled parts of two motorcycles. The parts were wrapped in black refuse bags and ready for transportation to Mozambique. This goes to show that there are indeed bike theft syndicates who target the parts.
According to SAPS crime statistics, 29 649 cases of theft of vehicles & motorcycles were reported between April 2025 and March 2026. In the latest quarter, 6945 cases were recorded. This amounts to about 77 vehicles stolen every day in South Africa, with Gauteng accounting for over 50% of all reported cases.
This is a 10.2% decrease compared to the results from the previous years, which shows that tracking services and police crime intelligence are making it harder for thieves to steal vehicles. But the number, on average, is still alarming, which is why you need to secure your motorcycle.
Protecting a motorcycle against theft and hijackings requires a multi-layered approach, which involves practising vigilance, using physical anti-theft devices, and investing in GPS technology. Each layer is important because it makes it harder for thieves to take your bike.
Whenever you’re in public spaces, ensure that you park your motorcycle where there’s a lot of lighting so it's clearly visible. Busy parking areas work better than an empty one because it makes it difficult for thieves to make their move; they don’t want any witnesses or possible mob justice.
You must also choose parking bays that have security personnel and cameras, so there are at least people who might notice the theft in action and try to stop it. The cameras will help the police and security companies identify the criminals and see how they do it, so they can warn the public and be on the lookout for similar operations.
When it comes to stealing motorcycles, time is crucial. Having one or more anti-theft devices on your bike will delay thieves and might lead to them giving up before getting caught. There are different anti-theft devices available on the market depending on your budget. You should look into:
A motorcycle cover is fabric that’s designed to protect your motorcycle from dust and rain. But by simply covering your motorcycle, you can chase away the scouters who are targeting specific motorcycles. Choose a cover that doesn’t have branding because that can give away the motorbike brand.
If you use your motorcycle for daily commuting, you should change your routes frequently so thieves don't learn your patterns. The same goes for delivery guys. If you run a fleet of delivery motorcycles where most of your drivers always go to the same place, ensure they change routes sometimes to avoid being too predictable to criminals.
If possible, get motion sensor lights for your property so they go on whenever someone steps into your property at night. This might help chase the thieves away because they’ll think you switched on and are on to them.
Physical anti-theft deterrents don’t completely remove the chances of theft, so you need to take it a step further and get a GPS tracking unit. This ensures that you always know where your bike is and have a recovery service that can come to the rescue if it ever goes missing.
As difficult as it sounds, you should always be aware of your surroundings. Pay attention to the taxis and bakkies doing the rounds in your neighbourhood and see if their movements are suspicious. Look out for vehicles that might be following you while you’re driving.
The best theft device for motorcycles is a GPS tracking unit. Although GPS trackers don’t necessarily stop thieves from stealing your motorcycle, they’ll make it easier to find. At Cartrack, we have GPS trackers for all sorts of vehicles, including bikes. Whether you have a personal motorcycle that needs protection or you have a fleet of them and need to protect your business, we’ve got you!
Here are some of our top solutions for motorcycle security:
At Cartrack we’re known to have one of the best vehicle recovery services in South Africa. We’ve got a team of stolen vehicle recovery experts spread across the country, ensuring we leave no stone unturned. We also have a 24hr control room service, meaning you can call us for help at any time.
You can have map or satellite views of the location of your motorcycle so you can ensure it’s always safe. If you share your motorcycle with someone, this comes in handy because you’ll always know their whereabouts. Our app also gives you a trip history of each route so you can always go back as you please.
If you’re a fleet manager, you can increase safety by ensuring your drivers avoid high-risk areas using geofences. A geofence is a virtual boundary that you can create on our app or website. It’s so simple; you'll go to your map and just draw lines or put circles around your chosen areas. If a driver goes into or out of your boundaries, you’ll get an alert and can call for help if there’s a need.
Over the past decade, we’ve recovered more than 100 000 vehicles, which includes motorcycles. Although every incident is different, we’ve gathered a lot of insight into the patterns of motorcycle thieves, helping us conduct faster recoveries.
Here are some of our recent story reports:
On August 14th 2025, Cartrack’s Recovery Team was dispatched for a hijacked motorcycle. The IoT device indicated that the vehicle was in Protea South, and our recovery team proceeded to the location. They found the fully intact motorcycle inside one of the back rooms on the property.
But wait, there’s more! They also found different motorcycle parts (belonging to other unidentified motorcycles) wrapped in bedding and plastic. In the other rooms were three other motorcycles that never had tracking units and plenty of vehicle parts.
The suspect was found hiding behind the door in one of the rooms and was apprehended. All four motorcycles and other evidence were handed over to the Gauteng traffic wardens.
On January 8th 2024, Cartrack’s Recovery Team was dispatched for a hijacked delivery motorcycle. Information from our tracking unit device indicated that the motorcycle was at the Casa Blanca Flats in Goodwood. The recovery team proceeded to the location and found the motorcycle on the back of a bakkie. One suspect was apprehended.
The bakkie, motorcycle, and suspect were handed over to the Cape Town Flying Squad for further investigation.
On April 6th 2024, Cartrack’s Recovery Team went looking for a stolen motorcycle. According to the location updates from the GPS tracking device, the motorcycle was moving towards Diepsloot. Our recovery team proceeded to the location, accompanied by the JMPD. It was safely recovered at a petrol station, and two suspects were apprehended. The suspects and motorcycle were handed over to the JMPD.
Motorcycle theft inconveniences fleet businesses in many ways other than the act of theft itself. It affects:
Here’s how:
A missing motorcycle can affect your entire fleet’s productivity because the workload will still be the same, giving your drivers more trips to cover, with fewer vehicles available. This can result in missed deadlines or the need for overtime, which costs more.
If you don’t invest in a stolen vehicle recovery service, you’ll always have to buy more motorcycles to keep your fleet running. This will increase your fleet budget, making the business less profitable.
The fear of theft makes drivers anxious during their trips, and if it keeps on happening, they won't be happy working for a company that isn’t trying to protect them. Something as small as live location updates will bring them relief because they know you might be able to notice unusual situations, which might be signs of theft or hijacking.
One of the things that can dent your fleet’s risk profile is not having GPS trackers. Another thing is making multiple claims. The more you lose your motorcycles, the more you’ll have to claim. This will increase your monthly premiums, and you’ll also have to keep on paying for extra charges like the excess fee.
We’ve got different packages depending on your needs. If you want to learn more about them, you can reach out to us so a consultant can explain how they work.
Want to know what thieves are looking for in your motorcycle? Read along to find out and get tips on how to improve the safety of your motorcycle.
