Bike security

[Disco Dan]

Bike Theft - The Facts;

• Only 26% of stolen bikes are recovered with the majority having suffered major damage.
• 50% of riders don't lock their bike.
• 80% of stolen bikes are taken from the owners home.
• 60% of bikes stolen are broken-up for parts.
• The theft rate is twice that of cars.
• The professional can steal your bike in as little as 15 seconds, even with a lock.

[Squiggles]

left outside hotels

Whada Rich guy! When i go away i end up in tents with the bike parked next to them, kinda hard to get away with it if you're a light sleeper

[Disco Dan]

Motorcycle Security Guide

Motor cycles are easy targets for professional and opportunistic thieves alike. They can be wheeled away or bundled into a van in seconds. The crime figures speak for themselves.

Even though motorbikes are harder to protect than other vehicles, the following advice and devices can make all the difference.

If you park your bike in public whilst out, park it in the busiest public place possible.
If you have a daily routine, try to vary your parking place.
When available, always use purpose built motorcycle areas (i.e. with fixed parking stands or other ground anchors).
Use an engraving kit or a security marker pen to mark your motorcycle with identifying details (vehicle ID code, number plate or your postcode).
Don’t leave your keys in an easy to find place, this is becoming a popular way to steal motorbikes and cars.
Things to consider whilst parking, locking and storing your bike:

Always engage the steering lock.
Don’t just put the chain though the wheel. Wherever possible, attach the motorcycle to an immovable object or another motorcycle, using high-tension steel cable and a high quality padlock, or a U-lock through the rear wheel or frame.
Don’t leave possessions (crash helmet etc) with the motorcycle or in pannier bags.
When choosing security devices, c onsider purchasing those ‘gold’ rated by www.soldsecure.com. Sold Secure do not make or sell anything, they test and grade them independently.
Try not to leave your garage open and make sure you machine is covered, even when you at home. M ore and more thieves are stealing bikes to order, so a motorbike spotted today may be stolen tomorrow.
You could also consider getting an additional chain and lock for places you visit regularly (work, friends etc) and just leave it outside so you don’t have to carry it around.

Putting your car in front of the garage can be a deterrent for an opportunist thief. The problem is that a determined thief will find a way to get in and out that could cause more damage to your garage door and car, as well as the loss of your bike. This technique is a calculated risk.

Motorcycle Security Devices

This is a list of measures that will reduce the chances of having your bike stolen.

It is worth investing in good security devices as in the event of a theft, the cost of your possible insurance excess, loss of no claims bonus and general expenses whilst you are without a bike will more than match the cost of some of the items below:

Ground Anchor - Don't position it in the middle of the garage. If placed in a corner or along one side, a thief has less space to work around your bike with an angle grinder or other tools.

Garage Alarm – If installing a motion sensitive garage alarm, you should station the sensor and alarm unit at the far end of the garage. This will give a thief less time to disable it.

Alternatively you could fit an alarm to the light switch. This can be set to go off if the light is turned on during the hours you’re normally in bed. This is not a large job for an electrician, can be wired to the mains and needs little maintenance once installed.

Garage Lock - Use a lock like the Garage Defender. This should be fitted to the middle of the door to prevent the corner being forced.

Bike alarm - Alarms are not always the cure-all they are sold as. If nobody hears it, it is pointless. Even if someone does hear it, they are often ignored. Either social embarrassment, in case it is a false alarm, or fear of getting involved with a potentially violent thief usually stop people responding properly.

Two types of alarms worth considering are paging alarms, as you are more sure of responding than strangers on the street or talking alarms as people tend to respond better to a human voice than an anonymous siren.

Disc/U-Lock - Disc locks are only useful for stopping an opportunist thief from pushing your bike away. An organised thief with a van is just going to pick the bike up and load it in.

Long shackle "U" locks are effective if you buy a good quality one. Remember to lock the bike to something however.

Lock your U-lock to an immoveable object or ideally fit through the rear wheel and over the swingarm, use as well as a disc lock. Fit a disc lock snugly to the calliper.

Tagging devices – Micro-Tag and other companies offer a range of ways to tag your motorcycle. Some apply a microdot to your bike so the police can identify the owner. Others etch a code on your bike's panels makes it harder for a thief to sell on. A police scanner can find and read transponders in the petrol tank and wheels.

Brake lever lock - A very portable security device that acts as a good supplement to more robust measures. It locks the front brake lever fully on to avoid a bike being quickly rolled away.

Kill Switch - Fit a kill switch after purchase, so the thief doesn’t know where it is positioned.

Neighbours – If your neighbours don’t know who you are, they’ll never be sure who is a thief and who is the property owner.

Join, or even start, a neighbourhood watch scheme.

Routine - If possible, avoid parking your bike in the same place every day. Organised bike gangs will note any bikes that they can predict the location of on the day they are active.

Guard dog – It’s not a good idea to get a Doberman if you know you’re not a doggy person. If you are choosing a dog, however, it wouldn’t hurt to choose a breed that is known to be sensitive to strangers and that makes a noise to raise the alarm. Put up signs to warn of the dog and you may just deter a thief before he begins.

Having a killer dog on the premises however, is more likely to get you into trouble than anything else.

CCTV - If you can’t afford your own CCTV to watch over your motorbike, buy a fake camera. These are a useful preventative measure.

Spare Parts - If you buy 2 nd hand parts for your bike, make sure you are dealing with a reputable breaker. Firstly, if you end up buying parts that came from a stolen bike, you are helping to prove the trade in stolen parts is profitable. It’s not a good idea to boost this trade as sooner or later they may get round to your bike. Secondly, there are some criminally minded breakers who, if your bike parts are in demand, will pass your details onto a thief.

Police - Ask their advice. They will have experience of dealing with the people and problems that you are trying to avoid.

[Disco Dan]

Those of you wanting camera systems:

http://www.dse.co.nz/cgi-bin/dse.sto...uct/View/L5863

[Squiggles]

Wouldnt the best one be to have the cctv cam clearly viewable, and wire a sensor (like those used for alarms) to the lights, as well as the alarm... someone goes for the steal -> Lots of noise + Light + Better quality footage

Thats only for home though,
Away, alarms? Locks (disk/brak lever, if Disk make sure you get the bungy cord or leave a sticker so you dont ride off with it on), and wire cables are good, lots of wire cables, they're a bitch to cut by comparison to solid locks with usually take under 30sec to lop through

[Tank]

Whada Rich guy! When i go away i end up in tents with the bike parked next to them, kinda hard to get away with it if you're a light sleeper

pppfft not rich. In summer (only summer because Im soft) Id camp, but this particular trip is an organised ride, thus we are simply staying at the same place as everyone else.

[YellowDog]

I have a new bike arriving in 3 weeks and I have already bought myself a paging alarm. The remote control goes off when the alarm goes off. So if I am out, I will know if the bike has been rocked or moved or started. I can also activate a cut out from the remote control if someone manages to by pass the stadard immobilser, plus manually set off the Alarm from upto 300m away.

I will do all of the other stuff also however for me the biggest benefit is that if someone breaks into my garage and the house alarm does not sound, or I am at a friend's house and out of sight; my alarm remote will page me in the event of a problem.

[Disco Dan]

Wouldnt the best one be to have the cctv cam clearly viewable, and wire a sensor (like those used for alarms) to the lights, as well as the alarm... someone goes for the steal -> Lots of noise + Light + Better quality footage

Thats only for home though,
Away, alarms? Locks (disk/brak lever, if Disk make sure you get the bungy cord or leave a sticker so you dont ride off with it on), and wire cables are good, lots of wire cables, they're a bitch to cut by comparison to solid locks with usually take under 30sec to lop through

You mean like this?

'uther uckers' think they can nick my stuff now....

[Hitcher]

Don't buy a Harley or something so small that it can be picked up and carried away.

Always park next to a bike that is 5% more attractive and 3% easier to knick off with than yours.

[HungusMaximist]

This is mentioned before but one of the best things you can do, which I always do, is park the bike in a place where it's nearly impossible for a van.

Since getting my Canadian 929 (it's got no HONDA HISS), I always carry a disc lock and a 2 inch cable lock.

At the moment I am saving up for a alarm of some sort.

[madbikeboy]

This shit gives me the screaming shits. This is mostly fucked because it's likely the person stealing your bike is a biker as well (stands to reason right?), and the parts have to end up someone (other bikers).

So, don't buy parts unless you're sure of where they came from.

My house got ripped off about 2 years ago, I lost just about everything of value - I haven't bothered replacing most of it because the insurance company paid out very little (and it took them months). Why work hard to buy stuff when someone can rip it off?

Now the house has a monitor alarm, and the alarm company arrives within 3 minutes (their base is just up the road, hence the company selection).

Scumbags.

[scumdog]

My wife and I take a chain and lock to lock both bikes together.
Best thing is a cover to keep prying eyes from your bike and parts.

Yup, out of sight - out of mind.

Cover it, hide it,- just get it out of sight.

[The Stranger:Me]

Hey Tank. I,ve got myself a lock (cant remember its brand-name) that fits over the throttle/brake lever.

In what way does this hinder or deter a bike thief?

[vifferman]

I'm heading away for a 4 day ride, meaning that the bike will be left outside hotels overnight etc (out the back wherever possible).
It must be something that is portable, quick to get on and off (with a key), and most importantly protect as much as possible my bike.

Sounds like a Xena disklock/alarm would be the go then.
I'm thinking of getting one myself, with the money I save from changing insurers. The bike lives in an alarmed gargre when I'm at home, but isn't safe at work or elsewhere. I thought about getting an alarm, but I've heard too many tales of woe about electrical problems resulting from the alarm playing up.

[scumdog]

In what way does this hinder or deter a bike thief?

I guess it clamps the front brake on (the ones I've seen do) and stops the throttle being used.
Stops the hot-wire theft and also helps prevent the 'spur-of-the-moment' theft by somebody that would otherwise wheel it away.

Of course a knife through the brake hose gets around that problem - but hey, we're not talking about rocket scientists here.