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Stolen - 2019 KTM 790 Adventure

richardault

richardault

Teacher, adventure rider
Joined
Aug 18, 2014
Location
San Francisco, California
Moto(s)
2019 KTM 790 ADV, 2016 BMW F800 GS, 1987 Honda Interceptor 500, 1985 Yamaha RZ350
Name
Richard
Hi BARF'ers.

Friday evening at 1881 Post street in San Francisco my 2019 KTM 790 Adventure was stolen from directly in front of the Kabuki cinema in Japantown. Amazingly there were no witnesses on a Friday night between 7pm and 10pm. Not sure if they rolled it away or brute force tossed it in a van/flatbed. Regardless I'm posting as it was found today and I'm seeking advice from those who have been down this road before.

There is cosmetic damage, windscreen, side mirror, scratches on pegs (both sides), bobbins, swingarm and hand guards. The ignition may have been messed with as when I rode it home from the tow lot today I could pull the key out of the ignition with the bike still running. I filed a claim with my insurance as I wasn't sure if I woumesld see it again. I'm still waiting to hear from them. I will take it to the local KTM shop tomorrow morning first thing and ask them to do a once over. There were items stolen from the topbox, which I will likely claim as I have a rider on my policy for accessories and kit.

What else should I be doing in the meantime. And thanks in advance for any assistance offered.
 

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That's weird as this bike uses an immobilizer chip key and you shouldn't just be able to jimmy the lock and get it started.

Yes you can break the steering wheel lock, but getting one of these bikes running shouldn't be possible for a thief without some advanced tools..

Heck there's a lot of stories on the ADV forms about people not even being able to get them started WITH their chip keys!
 
Also, I assume you're going to scudderia.

When they write up the damage estimate for your insurance, make it clear to scudderia in advance whether or not you care if the bike gets totaled or not.

A true theft damage estimate will include everything that is less than perfect on the bike and that can add up to totaling the bike.

That little scratch on the front rim or frame? That can be part of the damage estimate or it cannot depending on how you want to play it.

Rough swag in my experience is if the repair estimate is over 80% of the KBB on the vehicle, it will get totaled.

Have a good long conversation with the service writer about how you want to play this.
 
Personally if I had good insurance on a bike that got stolen, I would take the cash out and run If it could make me whole.
I could just never trust what some scumbag tweaker low-life theiving asshole did to my bike.
You can only see what you can see, there's a lot more that matters that may not be immediately obvious

it being a 790 adventure, I would Especially take the money and run given the sketchy history of the early 790 cams and followers.

Unfortunately the resale on them is pretty low right now.
 
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I was going to suggest the same thing Augustiron just did. If you’re set on keeping it have the oil samples at the very least.
I did not go through the photos or crack if you mentioned tire condition.tires can tell a pretty good story after a theft.
 
richardault said:
The ignition may have been messed with as when I rode it home from the tow lot today I could pull the key out of the ignition with the bike still running
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Not sure about the key removal, but if the bike is running and you turn off they key and take it out at speed it will continue running (normal behavior). The removal of the key from the run position might not be though....
 
I am so sorry. I also have a 2019 790 and I flippin' love that thing. you have probably already address the cam and follower issue so it boils down to how much you trust the bike after that.

If you have progressive insurance, they will treat you fairly. That has been my experience with them.
 
two wheel tramp said:
I am so sorry. I also have a 2019 790 and I flippin' love that thing. you have probably already address the cam and follower issue so it boils down to how much you trust the bike after that.

If you have progressive insurance, they will treat you fairly. That has been my experience with them.
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Ty for this, so far Progressive has been reasonable. It's looking like I won't file a claim at this point, replacing the ignition is the main concern and that's less than my deductible so...
 
richardault said:
Ty for this, so far Progressive has been reasonable. It's looking like I won't file a claim at this point, replacing the ignition is the main concern and that's less than my deductible so...
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I'm glad to hear Progressive has been reasonable. I hope the bike is in decent shape overall and you get this resolved to your satisfaction. Happy riding.
 
two wheel tramp said:
I'm glad to hear Progressive has been reasonable. I hope the bike is in decent shape overall and you get this resolved to your satisfaction. Happy riding.
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I have nothing but good things to say about Progressive....when I wasn't at fault and even when I was.
However, your mileage may vary
 
I'm with Progressive too. Never filed a claim but good to know I'll likely be treated fairly.

Not surprised passersby didn't get involved. People are too busy/uncaring to notice a theft in progress. It sucks though to come out and the bike is gone, and your nice evening is ruined.

Perhaps the businesses have surveillance footage you could obtain if you want to go that route, but it sounds like replacing the ignition is all you need to be made whole (or satisfied at least).
 
greenmonster said:
Not surprised passersby didn't get involved. People are too busy/uncaring to notice a theft in progress. It sucks though to come out and the bike is gone, and your nice evening is ruined.
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If I was standing there and some crackhead was stealing my bike in front me, I wouldn't do much to stop them. See, the uncaring part is on the part of the thief because the material item they want holds more value to them than my health and well-being. Also, if I we're to injure or kill the thief, then now I'm the one facing waaaay more serious criminal charges than the bike thief. We live in different times and it's important to completely rethink how we respond to crime, particularly when we are a uninvolved 3rd party.
 
I agree ^^^ with where we have drifted and I'm absolutely not endorsing or supporting it. I'm simply pointing out the reality of our criminal justice system in 2026 and how your actions can result in criminal or civil charges. Even without those liability concerns, I'm not interested in getting injured or killed over a property crime that I involved myself in. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
 
jbawden said:
I agree ^^^ with where we have drifted and I'm absolutely not endorsing or supporting it. I'm simply pointing out the reality of our criminal justice system in 2026 and how your actions can result in criminal or civil charges. Even without those liability concerns, I'm not interested in getting injured or killed over a property crime that I involved myself in. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
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I mean.....at the end of the day....this is precisely what insurance is for.
 
jbawden said:
If I was standing there and some crackhead was stealing my bike in front me, I wouldn't do much to stop them. See, the uncaring part is on the part of the thief because the material item they want holds more value to them than my health and well-being. Also, if I we're to injure or kill the thief, then now I'm the one facing waaaay more serious criminal charges than the bike thief. We live in different times and it's important to completely rethink how we respond to crime, particularly when we are a uninvolved 3rd party.
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Sage advice here. Many have asked me if I have obtained footage, and I did inquire, but I have asked myself repeatedly what will I do with it? Only thing I can think of is adapt my parking strategies to better prevent this outcome. Sadly I agree with you @jbawden, this person may be in greater need than I. Then again, they could be some lowlife teen joyriding at anothers expense, then that may be karma for me. We'll see.
 
Of course personal safety is paramount over a property crime. And maybe it wasn't that obvious to passersby what was happening. Some guy sitting on a bike getting it started is probably all anyone saw. Probably took seconds to break the ignition, then away he went.

As far as footage, a lot of crimes are perpetrated by the same group of people who are on an endless loop of offend, arrest, release and repeat.
The cops might recognize the guy and with the footage they could bust him again.
Maybe this time he can be put away for a long stretch, maybe not.
If you stop him now, maybe someone else doesn't get ripped off later.
 
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