Bike security when parked up
 

Hi folks bike security is a major worry for me when off the bike and sightseeing, the only option that i can see is one of the very heavy oxford chains thro the frame and around something immoveable. At present it is on the centre stand and the steering lock is on. What do you use / recommend?

Chain is good but also fit a cheap alarm or alarm disk lock

Noise will often send them running :-)

Use an old bike cover with the chain, lock and alarm. Most thieves will not fool with an old cover that is locked down to see what is under it to steal. If they do the motion alarm will go off.

Most chains can be cropped, the more secure are those over 16mm link thickness as bolt croppers to snip these are very expensive.

I find a decent disk lock at either end and an old cover is pretty good

Almax Immobiliser chains are uncropable but they're quite big and heavy.

Use a disc lock and cover it up... if it's out of sight it's out of mind!

For the last 10 years around Europe I have always used a heavy duty Abus lock and chain (through bike frame and a piece of heavy street furniture) as well as a good disc lock and steering lock.

Awkward to carry and a pain to keep on locking/unlocking the bike - but then I've never had a trip ruined by a bike going missing mid journey ..................

Cheap $30 alarm installed & a disc lock :thumbup1:

Bike security
 

Thanks for the info folks, just got a xx10 Xena disk lock alarm, it seems a quality bit of kit. I will fit it to the back disc, it makes it a bit harder for the thieves to wheel the bike into a van.:innocent:

Are you worried about your bike being nicked in the UK? Or EU? or where? Bike theft in the UK is endemic. Why that is, I have no idea. :(

As an American I was stunned by stories I constantly heard from local Brit bikers down the Pub about bike theft. London is pretty rough I guess.

In California I only lock bike if leaving it for hours on a City street. Many times, no lock at all. I live in San Francisco Bay area. At home, no worries. Too many GUNS here for thieves to risk breaking into a private home. Riders here don't even know what a "Ground Anchor" is for or why you'd need one.

Once I went from UK to France all that bike theft nonsense went away.
I'm sure there is bike theft in France too (Paris has some WILD neighborhoods!) ... I used a simple disc lock and sometimes left it in the street at night if Hotel could not squeeze it in. But usually they had a bodega or garage of some kind, or I would wheel it into inner courtyard. Be creative.
Find a safe place for your bike. Cover it up.

Spain and Portugal also safe in most places I went. Never felt threatened in Morocco either. In Germany I think you could leave your bike running in the street all night long and no one would steal it. In Italy, inside hotel garage or courtyard.

In cities, when seeing sites, I would park up in a private guarded lot (park by Kiosk if possible). In the 3rd world, I hire kids to look after it.

I like your idea of Zena Disc lock ... add an old cover and you're set. A cover (cable locked on) does work, IMO.

If you are unlucky enough to have pro thieves target your bike (or be in UK) ... you are done. They'll get it. But outside the UK, there does not seem to be so many bike thieves. In Mexico I never locked my bike. Locals didn't either.

Helps to ride an old, funky beater bike no one wants! bier

The trick in the UK is layers. Your cockney scumbag, pikey **** or valleys chav is no locksmith. He wants to stick a screwdriver in your ignition , ride back to his estate, do a few wheelies and set it on fire. Faced with a disc lock with a forged body or better still a lock through a city councils anchor he'll go mug an old lady instead. So long as your bike is most work he'll take another.

The plumbers nitrogen and blokes to lift it into a van brigade want the sort of sports bikes and cruisers their clients in Russia and the Gulf want. Ten year old Africa Twins aren't on the shopping list. You won't stop this lot but you can hide under a cover (not the one with a logo matching your bike ) and use a marking system that will help the prosecution if plod ever takes a break from loading film into the speed cameras.

One tip. Bin the keyring the dealer gave you and file the stupid makers logo off the key. When Dwayne the Chav finds dropped keys, he does have the brains to go to the local bike parking and start looking for matching dealers advertising on the numberplate tag line.

Andy

Hi mollydog around here the current trend is to pinch Aluminium road signs and manhole/grid covers along with live electric cables. I have been paranoid about my bikes being pinched since my mates 1000 suzuki disapeared from the gym car park in 10 minutes it had a cable on it to immobilise the front wheel. A few years ago I caught a guy walking around my bike with a spanner in his hand, he had just arrived on the same bike as me! I was fishing behind the wall were my bike was parked and heard him, he tried to talk his way out of it but we both knew what he was about to do.

Bikes get stolen in the USA, too. It's not all rainbows and unicorns, and not everyone is afraid of guns (which, in any case, not everyone owns or carries). AN SV was taken from my neighborhood a few weeks ago--parked in a visible spot day after day so that the thieves could size the situation up and wait for their opportunity.

I park nearby, similarly visible, but unpredictably. Part of what works is to never follow a routine. If I was doing what my neighbor did (same parking spot for months on end), I'd certainly use the heaviest chain and probably a tracking device as well....but I'd be prepared to lose the bike to anyone who wanted it badly enough. That's life.

I sometimes parked on the street in Eastern Europe, Africa, parts of Asia, and throughout North, Central and South America. Mostly, luck (and people's good nature) win out, but I try to stack the odds by not riding anything with a lot of chrome. I also don't care for sport bikes, and I rely heavily on a ratty old cover. When I use a chain, I use a good one. When I've used a disc lock, I've always ended up forgetting it's in place--sometimes embarrassing, sometimes causing damage. YMMV.

Mark

Cover/replace the numberplate tag line with something else? A HU sticker .. or cops are tops ?

http://www.bse.com.au/wp-content/upl...Deniliquin.jpg

Some park their cars with the Police Gazette on view on their car dashboard. I'd not recommend a 'Hells Angles' sticker or similar

The gist of all this is try to makw your bike the least easy target. Layers and differing type of security eg disk lock + cable + alarm + cover + etc make the average opportunist scumbag go to the next easiest target. Most importantly don't let the thought of theft spoil your day. Do what you can reasonably & have insurance, then just get on with it. Alternatively just keep riding 24hrs a day !

So ... I guess you're mainly concerned about keeping your bike safe in the UK? I can't really help ... I've been a few times, even bought a bike there, but never lived there ... don't really know the ropes like other natives who have already offered advice.

If you ever leave the UK on your bike .. post up, or re-read my first post.

Thieves here now go into new construction (big projects) and steal Copper pipe and Copper wire. Worth a fortune apparently. They also steal a fair number of Dozers, Diggers, Skip loaders and such ... run them down to Mexico and make a HUGE killing. Believe it or not ... in many places they are not locked or guarded.

Compared to a $200,000 Dozer or Digger, a bike is chump change, not worth the trouble. Of course, these types are pros. Most bike thieves are amateurs.
I agree with others ... GOOD INSURANCE a must. Don't let them ruin your life. One thing to add ... I rig up a hidden ignition switch on my bikes. If they jack ignition ... no go. Will stop a kid but only slow down a Pro ... who will have your bike in "Less Than 60 Seconds". :thumbdown:

Boron steel chain and a lock with a shield will help

An old torn worn out cover is a simple but effective way to make a nutcase to move to another bike to steal. Apart from locks n chains. Tie the cover with a few broken strings. It works. On my ride from India to UK, Germany is one of the only countries where one does not touch anothers bike. I forgot my Garmin 660 Zumo GPS on my Enfield for a full day at a public parking and when I came back in the evening it was still there. I could not believe it.

Well there's touch and touch. I've not had anything stolen from a bike in Germany but several times I've gone to pay for fuel in a service station only to come back and find the bike's been pushed some distance away so someone in a (usually) 4x4 can get to the pump. Sadly my German isn't good enough to express my annoyance and streams of invective in English just gets a shrug of the shoulders.

Some what bucking the trrend , I recently bought a bike in the UK and rode it back to France. First job was to remove the B$$$$D datatool alarm. Now I know that means the bike will get stolen next time I visit Germany but even so, it will mean that, I at least got to enjoy the bike for some of the time. Wouldn't ride it with the alarm, too much hassle.

Alarms are pointless. Totally agree with cutting it out.

In London even the police ignore wailing alarms, they are just too frequent. If you do hear your own alarm what will you do? Pull out your six shooter, leg go a couple of shots and spend the next fifty years in prison while poor old kevin-the-chav- thief gets free counselling for having his freedom of expression interrupted? Electronic alarms are the single most common reason to call out recovery services. On our glass and nail covered streets tyre technology is doing better than alarms.


Andy

I hate disc locks, only tried once to ride off with it still fitted, will not use them again.

I hate alarms for the reasons already mentioned, plus I'm sure more riders have been left stranded by them than have stopped them being stolen.

If they want your bike they're going to have it, and usually I'll guess they'll be on the look out for bikes that get parked in the same place for a couple of days, with less security than others. All that more security does is make it take a little longer for them to get your bike and / or make another bike look more desireable.

Been to Europe loads of times and have the bike in the UK and follow some simple steps:
If there's secure parking, use it.
Park it next to another bike that is more desireable / valuable.
Don't park it in the rough looking areas.
Always put on the steering lock, and, leave it in gear.
Always remove anything that looks valuable eg tank bags / GPS etc.
Use hard luggage, it might only delay someone in the know by a few seconds, but the casual thief won't know.

You could also add a couple of stickers with the logo "Satan's Slaves - Mannheim chapter" :eek3: Just don't visit Mannheim with them on :rofl:

You DO have to get accustom to them ... I've ridden off a few times myself after coming out the Pub. doh But you know what? For travel especially ... there is nothing I know that is as handy or as effective. Ask a pro thief. A good disc lock will put off nearly ALL amateurs and will at least slow down a pro. Good disc locks are small, easy to carry and to use ... but you need a reminder that it is there ...

I use a round red tab stuck on my ignition key mechanism. Good reminder.
The little Tab Velcro's onto disc lock when not on ignition. Works!

Agreed, most drain your battery at some point or once corrosion sets in, no longer work properly.

:thumbup1:
Here's a couple more I use:
1. Leave it TOP GEAR. (5th or 6th)
2. Use a well worn cover.
3. Add ignition cut out switch. (hidden)
4. Use Disc lock with LOUD alarm (Zena) as part of it. No guarantee, but can't hurt, just don't use in quiet Hotel inner court yard! doh