I agree. I just looked at it tonight and thought, how the hell are they getting these off! It seems like an awfull lot of work to remove the windshield, then the cover bracket, then unplug it, then it looks like there are several more screews to remove inside the head unit. And then what the hell would anyone use if for? It just seems like a really stupid thing to do unless you are reselling them. And yet there are several people in the UK saying someone has stollen theirs. Is there something I am missing?
I don't think this is much of a threat to me. My scooter is kept in the garage 90% of the time. If while riding I stop to eat it is usually close by and I can see it from a window or I am outside eating. The only time it sits over night is when I go on one of my trips to TN, AK, FL, and SD. And I don't think those are much of a threat.
Yeah, very weird, huh? Maybe the perps sell them to shady parts suppliers/resellers in Europe, or something. Max lists the TFT at USD 2,340.88 (
https://shop.maxbmw.com/fiche/DiagramsMain.aspx?vid=60292&rnd=09082020 ("INSTRUMENT CLUSTER / TFT DISPLAY" diagram), which is a significant chunk o' change (about 30% of the cost of a new bike!).
Me, on both of my GTs, I sprang for the protective plastic overlay from Wunderlich, so at least it won't get scratched. Ya know, so it won't get damaged if it gets stolen.
When I overnight somewhere -- and I haven't done this with a bike I own in a few years now, what with the pandemic, but I have a trip coming up later this month or next -- I generally ask hotels if I can park underneath their overhangs in front; that area has a lot of activity, is lit up, visible from the front desk, etc. Those are only one night, and the long stays (typically about four days) I make are when I visit my daughter in Asheville, NC, and the hotel I use, a nearby Sleep Inn (I have a lot of Choice Hotel points from these travels) always lets me do this.
And, with the upcoming trip in mind, I recently bought a lock for a front disc rotor for the GT (
https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/oxford-boss-disc-lock?sku_id=954764 -- I had a bunch of ZillaCash burning a hole in my pocket, too). Of course, this won't lock up the TFT, but my main anti-theft system has always been the insurance I pay for, anyway, because nothing will really stop a team of guys just lifting a bike into a waiting van.