Motorcycle Stolen: How to React in 6 Steps
Protect my motorcycle with GeoRide
Par ThomasHas your motorcycle just been stolen? Here is the exact order of things to do: call the police while the bike is still moving, trigger your GPS tracker's assistance service if you have one, file a report within 24 hours, then declare the theft to your insurer within 48 hours. And above all, never step in yourself: recovery happens with the police, never face to face with thieves.
Key takeaways
- Call the police immediately (17 in France, 112 elsewhere in Europe), while the motorcycle is still moving: catching the crime in progress is what triggers an intervention.
- The sentence that changes everything on the phone: "A theft is in progress, I have an active tracker, this is real time."
- Police report within 24 hours, declaration to your insurer within 48 hours (2 working days).
- Never try to recover your motorcycle yourself: Theft Assistance coordinates everything with the police.
What should you do in the first minutes after your motorcycle is stolen?
In the first minutes, three reflexes: confirm the theft, call the police, and start tracking if your motorcycle is fitted with a GPS tracker. Everything happens fast, but stay calm: every minute used well counts for more than a rushed reaction.
Start by ruling out false alarms. A motorcycle moved by the pound, by someone close to you or by a building caretaker does happen. A call to the local authority or the building manager confirms it in two minutes. Once the doubt is cleared, look around without touching anything: a cut lock on the ground, signs of forced entry on a lock-up door, debris. These clues will serve the investigation, and investigators prefer to find them untouched.
One detail that often surprises people: finding all your sets of keys does not contradict the theft. According to the Mutuelle des Motards (a French motorcycle insurer), 90 to 95% of two-wheeler thefts are carried out by lifting the bike away: it is never started, it is picked up and loaded into a van, in 2 minutes 30 seconds on average. That is also why nobody hears anything.
If your motorcycle is fitted with a tracker, open the app straight away: current position, movement history, exact time it left. That data is at the heart of everything that follows, from the call to the police to the insurance file. And if you witness the theft as it happens, keep your distance: your safety comes before the bike, without exception.
24.3%
That is the national recovery rate for stolen two-wheelers in France (2025 Barometer from GIE Argos, the French insurers' vehicle security body): without a tracker, 3 motorcycles out of 4 are lost for good. The rest of this guide is there precisely to put you on the right side of that statistic.
What exact sentence should you say to the police so they act?
On the phone, say: "A theft is in progress, I have an active tracker, this is real time." That precise wording turns your call into a report of a crime in progress, and a crime in progress completely changes what the police are able to do.
Why does it change everything? Because searches are strictly governed by law: outside of a crime in progress, French law prevents officers from forcing the door of a private place between 9pm and 6am (French code of criminal procedure). If your GPS tracker alerts you at 2am and the bike is already stored in a lock-up, they often have to wait for the morning. A theft in progress, followed live, on the other hand opens the way to an immediate intervention: units on the ground, anti-crime squads included, can follow your motorcycle's position on a simple web link, with nothing to install.
"A theft is in progress, I have an active tracker, this is real time." Thomas, GeoRide founder
| Situation | What the police can do | Your role |
|---|---|---|
| Theft in progress, motorcycle followed in real time | Crime in progress: immediate intervention possible, position followed, arrest | Call the police, tell them the tracker is active, share the tracking link |
| Motorcycle already stationary in a private place | Investigation and searches strictly governed: no forced entry at night outside a crime in progress | File a report, hand over the movement history, let the investigation work |
In the video, Thomas tells the story of a theft in Haute-Savoie: officers followed a GeoRide, with the support of the assistance team, all the way to a warehouse. They saw the thieves go in with the motorcycle. The crime was in progress, so they were legally able to force the door in the middle of the night. Another benefit, on the police side: these interventions do not just return a motorcycle to its owner, they make it possible to trace and break up networks.
How do you file a police report within 24 hours?
File a report at the police station within 24 hours, taking your ID, the vehicle registration document and your insurance policy. The faster the report, the fresher the trail the investigation starts from: according to data cross-checked by Coyote and the police, after 48 hours the chances of recovery are divided by 10.
To save time, in France you can fill in a pre-report online before going in. At the station, the police are obliged to register your report. In practice, your insurer will require the report to be filed by the owner: if the motorcycle is registered in someone else's name, they will have to do it or give you power of attorney. If your keys, your licence or other documents were with the bike, mention it in the report.
This is also the moment to let your tracker do the talking. Show the investigators the movement history since the theft: routes, times, stops. That technical data reconstructs the facts precisely and gives your file credibility. If the position is still live, give them the real-time sharing link, the very one that can trigger an intervention.
Before you leave, collect your report receipt and note the case number. That document is essential for the insurance claim, and the number will let you follow the investigation. If possible, also ask for the contact details of the investigator handling the case.
How do you declare the theft to your insurer within 48 hours?
Declare the theft to your insurer within 48 hours, that is 2 working days, with the police report receipt to back it up: that is the deadline set by most policies, and a delay can jeopardise your compensation. As soon as you have the receipt, call or declare it online, then complete the file.
Get these documents ready: the police report receipt, the registration certificate, your insurance policy and an ID document. Add the purchase invoice for the motorcycle if you have it, along with a list of accessories and gear stolen with it (top box, luggage, riding gear), backed up by proof of purchase or photos.
Your GPS tracker history has its place here too: it establishes the time and place of the theft, which speeds up processing, especially when there is no physical sign of forced entry, a common situation in lift-away thefts. At the end of the declaration, ask for your claim number: that is what will let you follow the progress of the file.
One figure from the GeoRide Motorcycle Theft Observatory in France 2026 (GeoRide's own study) is worth knowing: 40.3% of theft incidents are never declared to the insurer, most often because there is no damage or out of fear of a premium increase. For an attempt with no damage, it is a fair question to ask. For an actual theft, do not even ask it: declare, within the deadlines.
Should you try to recover your motorcycle yourself?
No, never, even if the app shows the exact position of your bike. You do not know how many people are there, or how they would react. No motorcycle is worth that risk, and the good news is that you do not need to take it: coordinated recovery works.
In practice, with GeoRide, you trigger Theft Assistance from the app: the service is available 24/7 in mainland France, included with our connected motorcycle anti-theft system, and a case handler calls you back within 5 minutes. They gather the facts, obtain your authorisation to pass the location to the police, then coordinate the follow-up with them all the way through. Your role stops there, and that is exactly as it should be.
Keep in mind, too, that the game is often played before the theft: thieves scouting a bike leave signs, and certain clues show that a motorcycle is being targeted. The 2026 GeoRide Observatory measures it: in 51.7% of attempts, the alert was enough, the motorcycle was not even moved. One motorcycle in two means a theft avoided without anyone having to put themselves at risk.
What GeoRide brings here
In a theft, GeoRide plays exactly the role described in this guide: the alert that warns you within the second, the real-time position that makes catching them in the act possible, and Theft Assistance that coordinates with the police so you never have to step in.
The GeoRide 3s sends up to 10 positions per second when cornering, with accuracy that can drop below one metre thanks to Galileo, where a conventional GPS beacon makes do with one point every 5 minutes. The web sharing link gives the police live tracking, with no app to install. And if the thieves stash the bike in an underground car park, its radar detection makes it possible to locate the motorcycle even underground, including directly by the police through the assistance service.
All of it installs in 5 minutes on the battery, with no need to visit a dealership. And on rental, if the motorcycle is never found, a new GeoRide is sent to you free of charge to fit on the next one.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to file a police report before contacting your insurer?
Yes: the police report receipt is the document your insurer requires to open the theft file. File the report within 24 hours, then declare the theft to your insurer within 48 hours (2 working days) with the receipt, the registration document and your policy.
Can the police act at night if my stolen motorcycle is in a lock-up?
Not outside a crime in progress: French law forbids forcing entry into a private place between 9pm and 6am unless the crime is in progress, so a search has to wait until morning. That is exactly why you should call the police while the motorcycle is still moving, stating that an active tracker is following it in real time: a crime in progress opens the door to immediate intervention.
Does a GPS tracker really change the chances of finding a stolen motorcycle?
Yes, radically: without a tracker, the national recovery rate for stolen two-wheelers in France is 24.3% (2025 Argos Barometer). With an immediate alert and a real-time position passed to the police, the vast majority of motorcycles that really are moved are found again, and in one attempt out of two the alert alone is enough to make the theft fail (2026 GeoRide Observatory).
What happens if my motorcycle is found after I have been compensated?
Tell your insurer straight away: what follows depends on the policy, some allow you to get the motorcycle back, others do not, and the terms vary. They are the ones who will tell you what to do in your case. If the bike is found damaged before compensation, wait for the insurer's assessment before any repair and document the damage with photos.
Who should you call first: the police or the tracker's assistance service?
Both, in this order: the police first if the theft is in progress, then Theft Assistance right after. At GeoRide, it is available 24/7 in mainland France, calls you back within 5 minutes and passes the location to the police itself, with your agreement.