Theft prevention tips when touring SA?
 

Hey everyone, hope you're keeping well and riding safe!

In 3 weeks time I'll be flying to Bogota, where, I'm excited to say, I'll be starting a trip through South America. I'm going to buy from a dealership in Bogota, and I'm currently looking at the AKT TTR 200 for around $1000.

I was wondering if people could share their strategies or tips for theft prevention when touring.

I'll be staying predominantly in hostels, so it's inevitable that I'll be leaving it out on the street some nights. I have two lightweight disc locks that I am thinking of bringing. To save weight, I'm reluctant to invest in a chain. The nature of the bike - being light, cheap and common - means it shouldn't attract too much attention.

Of course, no prevention is 100% secure, but do people think this will be sufficient? And what tips do people have when it comes to secure parking?

Many thanks :))

Actually, you will seldom—if ever—leave your bike overnight on the street. Most hotels and hostels have secure parking, and when they don’t they’ll recommend some nearby, or help you stash your bike in their lobby, dining room, hallway, or wherever.

I normally carry a chain and good lock, but seldom need to use it. A non-branded cover is nice, too, with bungies to keep it from acting like a sail.

This has been discussed at length many times, specifically in relation to South America, so you might try a site search. Hope that’s helpful.

Mark

Thanks Mark, appreciated. Sounds like I'm overthinking it a bit then, so that's eased my concerns.

I couldn't find other similar threads, but that's probably due to my site-searching skills rather than anything else.

I’ve been traveling through South America now for the past 8 months & I have not left my bike out on the street once in all that time

I always choose accommodation with secure parking & if that is not available I pay a few dollars to park up in a secure parking facility - they exist in everywhere

Just because your bike is cheap, do not assume it won’t be targeted

security
 

Actually the AKT ttr200 is not around 1000 bucks it is more like 2000 bucks New, all decked out Plated & insured, its Around 9 million+ pesos In Colombia .
That being said you have a highly desirable Dual Sport with a six speed.
Personally I would not leave sight of your AKT 200 for a second on the streets in Colombia without it being secured whether it's a chain or disk lock In high traffic areas
This is where all you will see is motos and moto repair and accessories shops, they are usually near el Centro of all Cities and there are tons of places like this
Go to a established parking lot you will be ok
Parking at shopping malls or large department stores Ok because of Moto parking places at these establishments and depending on the State/Department you are at have attendants that Ask for your moto property cards to verify the moto is yours when you are leaving they check everybody so have your card handy
Small Moto theft is very common in cites in Colombia.
Out in Country Side is a different world its safe as can be

Always - ALWAYS find accomodation with secure parking. Never park in the streets. If a place doesnt have secure parking there are almost always a commercial parking lot nearby where you pay a few bucks to park your bike safely.

Anyhow - a 200 cc bike without luggage can be parked almost anywhere, in the reception, in the back yard etc.

Or down a flight of stairs in a narrow corridor. I did this once with my KLR in Peru, and it was a LOT of work to get it back up the stairs to the street. They told me they’d done it before, no problem. :thumbup1:

Cheers everyone.

Given the advice, I'll avoid leaving it on the streets then. I was struggling to find cheap-ish hostels with secure parking, but I suppose many may have it even if it's not advertised.

Appreciate the help.

secure
 

there is always the Love hotel option You cannot go wrong Its Fort Knox like security and Privacy

I agree with the above.
Find secure parking every night. Lots of hostels will let you bring the bike inside. Booking.com and probably most other accommodation apps give you the secure parking option. I occasionally left the bike outside but only if the night guy said he’d watch it. Then I’d chain it to something immovable.

Further south, you sometimes stay at houses. They have sturdy fences.

When riding and you want to eat, park close and watch the bike.

Hard panniers are safer than soft. Take anything soft indoors at night.

Make it secure, relax and enjoy your trip. I found central and South Americans very friendly and helpful, even cops. If you’re not an American, put your country flag sticker up somewhere visible.

Stop a few hours before sunset to find a hotel/hostel and parking, and enjoy the town or village. Part of stopping early is to find lodging with parking and locate a room that is suitable. Ex. do they have wifi? Great, is it working today? Make up for stopping early, by getting up early. Not every lodging will have a garage, but they will know a place that might be a block or two away. Ensure that it is clear what the fee is for parking. Is it included with the room or an extra cost? That point got sticky two or three times. In the end, if there is an extra cost for parking, it will be very cheap in the big picture.

Sometimes the parking is not a gated lot. In those cases, there will be a night guard watching over the parking lot. Night guards are very common in Latin America. It's not required, but a nice gesture to tip the night guard. My wife flew into Mexico City to meet me and we were staying at an upscale hotel. During the day the doormen watched the bike parked on the sidewalk. At night we rolled it into the coat check room just inside the front door. Apparently, one guest complained, but the hotel management loved hosting a crazy road warrior bike. =)

If you are new to the concept, a Love Hotel is usually found at the edge of town, but I have seen them within the city limits of larger towns (Puebla, MX). Love Hotels are designed for extramarital affairs. Each room has a garage to hide your car or motorcycle from the public. Room rates are by the hour and some have special promotions. It's a simple matter of calculating the number of hours you want to stay, then you'll pay in advance. Most times the rooms are super clean, but I did stay in one that was on the thread-worn side. The prices are typically very reasonable and competitive with hostel prices, as long as your stay is 8-10 hours.

During the day be sure to put your bike in a parking lot. It's worth the little money that you'll spend for certainly your bike will be there when you return.

When stopping for lunch, park your bike where you can see it. Always.

Some say common bikes, Chinese small bore, are at a higher risk of being stolen because there are so many. Exotic and European bikes stand out and would be harder for a thief to sell or ride without attracting the attention of the police.

If traveling solo, the hardest place to secure your bike is at borders. At some point, you are going to have to enter a building to process paperwork. If there is a kid hanging around, offer a few coins for him or her to watch the bike. Chances the bike won't get stolen at a border, but something might get taken if it's easy to grab. If using a GPS, take it off the mount every time you step away from your ride.

As mentioned, a cheap non-branded bike cover will keep casual thieves at bay and hide your foreign plates and obscure that you have loaded luggage. While covers do take up some space in your luggage, they are light in weight.

On two trips to Latin America for a total of 13 months on the road, I never had anything stolen off the bike.

Thanks guys. I'm pretty new to all this, so the help is really appreciated.

I'm reassured to hear that there will (almost) always be a way, one way or another, to locate secure parking, even if it's a parking lot nearby (for some reason I hadn't considered that option). If an online search isn't giving me any viable accommodations with SP, I'm sure the turn-up-and-ask method will come in handy.

Exactly. Sometimes we get stuck on the idea that everything can be known or rendered predictable in advance, a belief which has become more pronounced with the advent of Google, overlander sites, and even proliferating guidebooks. But by definition, when everything is known in advance we’re no longer having anything resembling “adventure;” we’re merely out in the world collecting stories with which to impress ourselves and our friends. That’s a recipe for frustration (IMO).

Yesterday I took a quick tour of a famous slot canyon here in northern Arizona (USA). Access is strictly controlled by the local Native tribe, which I don’t have a problem with. However, the tour itself consisted of a bunch of us being shown exactly where and how to replicate famous photos of the site—“Here’s where the Microsoft screen-saver photo was taken, and over there is the one you saw in National Geographic….” There was little room for exploring the wondrous geological processes by which such a place came to exist, and even less for any spiritual response to the place itself. Even before the tour began, everyone seemed quite clear about what they were going to experience and how they were going to leverage it after it was over—no real surprises, only a frantic pursuit of what was already knowable based on their research.

That may be “travel,” but it’s not adventure. [/ vaguely-relevant rant]

Good advice here; Instead of a chain, which is heavy, I recommend a coiled motorcycle cable lock. Lock the moto to something solid, like a post. Forget the brake rotor lock. I also have another lighter cable that I string through my gear, if I'm at a tourist attraction. At busy tourist attractions, often a vendor can be recruited to keep an eye on your moto. As far as hotel security is concerned, all Latin American hotels are used to accommodating motos parked in a secure and off the street location. When inquiring at a hotel, always ask about parking.

Well put: Adventure, an experience where the end result is not known nor guaranteed, an experience that can be unpleasant and filled with anxiety. However, once successfully completed, instead of being defined as a nightmare, it becomes an adventure.