Motorcycle security

[Essayons]

Good day all,


I've recently read several post regarding theft of bikes and the likes. The thought of loosing my TT250 does not sit well with me.
I've been considering buying an alarm someone here recommended from Amazon.

I'm also looking at buying a GPS tracker for bikes. What do you guys recommend? Any good or bad experiences with them? Will they drain the battery too quickly?


Thanks in advance.

[BlackBike]

https://www.jpcycles.com/product/930...RoC7zwQAvD_BwE

May be prone to false alarm due to wind. Can't reset like you can with a key fob style like the more expensive gorilla security .

Best still is chain down will slow them way down. Light bikes can be picked up and thrown in the pick up and gone in 60. Big bikes, not so much.

It just sucks, period... that we have to worry about this issue in the first place. Perhaps a blast of bear spray ?

[Essayons]

Originally Posted by BlackBike

https://www.jpcycles.com/product/930...RoC7zwQAvD_BwE

May be prone to false alarm due to wind. Can't reset like you can with a key fob style like the more expensive gorilla security .

Best still is chain down will slow them way down. Light bikes can be picked up and thrown in the pick up and gone in 60. Big bikes, not so much.

It just sucks, period... that we have to worry about this issue in the first place. Perhaps a blast of bear spray ?

It indeed sucks. I think slowing them down and making it a challenge goes a long way. It's pretty secure at home; out and about is another story. Might start with buying the bear spray!

[pete]

just make your bike look harder to steal that the bike next to it...



pete.

.

[dh]

Essayons the way I see it is that a determined thief will find a way to steal a bike if they really want it. I have full coverage on my bike so if someone steals it I'm paying a $250 deductible and ordering a brand new xf250.

I am right up the road from you in Apple Valley so I am betting insurance rates are somewhat comparable to Fontana. For my xf250 the difference between basic liability and full coverage is about $20 per year.

I like to go riding in your area pretty regularly so let me know if you ever want to meet up for a ride. Lately I have been exploring the power line roads around the Glen Helen/Sierra area.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by BlackBike

Best still is chain down will slow them way down. Light bikes can be picked up and thrown in the pick up and gone in 60.

How recently familiar I am with that one...

I agree with the chain remark if you are going to park it anywhere for any extended length of time (work, school, etc). Just be aware that you will want/need a longer chain than you think you do.

The chain and lock setup a friend gave me recently is this setup in the 2 meter long version. https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/...e1c2f1e5eef4b4

After doing some digging of my own, this seems to offer the best balance in terms of cost, protection, versatility, and portability. Portability being a relative term here - it still weighs 10lbs lol.

What is nice is that the lock that comes with it is just large enough to function as a basic disc lock. Good for more temporary short term parking.

I highly recommend at least a 6foot chain. That might sound like a lot, but once you wrap it around something, you will be amazed at how little room you have to work with.

If you want the best chains and locks on the market then you can spring for Abus, but be prepared to spend a lot.

Another option is a Noose style chain with a disc lock. Kryptonite, Abus, and Oxford all offer something in this category that are worth a look. The noose chain offers some flexibility, and by being combined with a disc lock it makes it hard to roll and hard to carry away. They are also a bit lighter than the Oxford I linked.

If you do use a disc lock, make sure you use it on the rear wheel, not the front. Front wheels are easy to remove quickly. Also not a bad idea to get a "reminder loop" to go with it so you don't accidentally try to ride off with your disc lock still in place.

The Alarm on Amazon is a good little noise maker, and it is loud enough and high pitched enough to hurt your ears. I wouldn't count on it stopping a thief, but it will at least annoy them and hurt their ears, and be rather conspicuous if they are trying to roll away with it.

I am still looking into trackers for my bikes and trying to decide what route to go with each.

No matter what you do, understand that a thief that is determined to have your property will put in the work to ensure he has the best chance to get it. I know I feel a little more secure knowing my bike is anchored to the ground now while I am at work, and it will always be. Carrying a 10lb chain to and from work is worth it to me if it means I don't have to go through that nightmare again.

[JerryHawk250]

The Amazon alarm is ear piercing loud. It must be use minimal power because during the winter my bike may stay parked for 2-3 weeks with no noticeable battery power loss. It does use a 9volt back up battery.
Luckily we don't have a problem with motorcycle theft in our area. Lock and chain will be your best option. I like the idea of the GPS tracker. I'd find the slim ball and beat him with a baseball bat then call the cops and an ambulance.
" I don't officer, I was chasing the thief down and he ran into a baseball bat. Good thing I was here so I could call 911 to get him help."

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by JerryHawk250

The Amazon alarm is ear piercing loud. It must be use minimal power because during the winter my bike may stay parked for 2-3 weeks with no noticeable battery power loss. It does use a 9volt back up battery.
Luckily we don't have a problem with motorcycle theft in our area. Lock and chain will be your best option. I like the idea of the GPS tracker. I'd find the slim ball and beat him with a baseball bat then call the cops and an ambulance.
" I don't officer, I was chasing the thief down and he ran into a baseball bat. Good thing I was here so I could call 911 to get him help."

Lock and chain is the best, but it never hurts to layer some stuff on. Chain it down, and toss a disc lock on it - or do a chain with rear disc lock and then a front disc lock on top of it. If you are feeling really froggy, put a good quality lever lock on there too, and make sure to engage the steering lock. Then top it off with that alarm.

Sure, you might get a little tired of hauling around 20lbs of security measures and going through a 10 minute lockdown routine, but imagine how not interested the next jack wagon will be looking at all of that crap.

At the very least, he might think you are some kind of nut job that is hiding in the bushes nearby with a baseball bat waiting for you to let him run into it really hard...

[JerryHawk250]

Originally Posted by Megadan

At the very least, he might think you are some kind of nut job that is hiding in the bushes nearby with a baseball bat waiting for you to let him run into it really hard...

I can hear the sound of the aluminum bat now. PINK!!!

[Essayons]

Originally Posted by dh

Essayons the way I see it is that a determined thief will find a way to steal a bike if they really want it. I have full coverage on my bike so if someone steals it I'm paying a $250 deductible and ordering a brand new xf250.

I am right up the road from you in Apple Valley so I am betting insurance rates are somewhat comparable to Fontana. For my xf250 the difference between basic liability and full coverage is about $20 per year.

I like to go riding in your area pretty regularly so let me know if you ever want to meet up for a ride. Lately I have been exploring the power line roads around the Glen Helen/Sierra area.

dh, I will definitely take you up on that offer. I was exploring the part of Route 66 that runs along the Cajon pass last time I was out. I'll pm you in the future to coordinate something. Thanks again.

[Essayons]

Thanks for all the input guys. I like the general consensus of chain, disc lock, and alarm. Although I haven't ruled out the bear spray and Louisville!


Fortnine has a great video on bike security but it's all pricey.

[Megadan]

It can get very pricey very quickly. That's why I tried to find items that struck a good balance between cost/protection/useability/portability

The disc lock and chain combo's tend to offer that balance. Many of them can use the disc lock separately, or in combination with the chain. Kind of a 2 in one.

The cheapie little Alarm that Jerry linked me to is super simple to setup for just the alarm function, literally 2 wires to hook up if you want - power and ground. You don't have to hook up any of the others if you just want a good noise maker. It's a better and much cheaper alternative than an alarmed disc lock, because it's much harder to defeat something you can't find. Disc lock alarms can be defeated with a t-shirt or chewing gum. It has 4 levels of sensitivity, and they work pretty well. The 4th level triggers with just the slightest wiggle or bump and the third requires a little more movement like trying to move the bike a little bit. It's not high tech, but I am pleased with it.

[timcosby]

i vote for the hidden gps tracker so you can get some satisfaction out of it when you find it.

[Essayons]

Originally Posted by timcosby

i vote for the hidden gps tracker so you can get some satisfaction out of it when you find it.

I'll most likely get one but will do some research and check out the reviews.

[Megadan]

Understand that trackers are far from fool proof. Usually very easy for a halfway competent thief to find and disable, unless you get really creative with your hiding spot, which there aren't too many places to hide one on a Hawk/TT250.