Preventive measures taken against bike thefts

[Constructicon]

Hi fellow riders,

 

Guess we have been seeing bike thefts threads now and then.

 

Just wondering of the unfortunate cases of bikes stolen, how many took preventive measures like disc lock, alarms, chains...etc?

Of course, these are preventive measure and don't offer 100% protection against thieves, but perhaps many of the thefts can be prevented.

 

The handlebar locks are next to useless.

I think an alarm is an essential item nowadays.

 

Ride safe.

[antartica]

i have had items stolen off my TA200 before

so when i upgraded to my Spec III the first thing i did in the first week was to install a 2-way alarm

i ought to use a disc lock but i only depend on the handle lock

i park at an open car park and it pretty well lit so *fingers crossed* should be ok still...

[xXxRatedxXx]

Alarm is the best deterrent.... but battery must be fresh... else it will drain quickly. Even a knowledgeable thief will know where to disconnect your alarm if he or she knows enough or if the alarm is installed shabbily.

[mild_slevin]

Hmmm I guess I did something real bad... previous owner of my current bike installed a 2-way alarm yet I didn't connect it... find it a hassle to have the remote control, but if something happen the price I have to pay will be huge. Prevention is better than cure...

[antartica]

oh... forget to mention

i keep my ride covered up most evenings

unless she's soaked wet on the ride home,

only then i leave it uncovered to air dry but still use my bike cover folded up over the seat ony to protect it from cats!

 

out of sight... hopefully out of mind...

[Constructicon]

i have had items stolen off my TA200 before

so when i upgraded to my Spec III the first thing i did in the first week was to install a 2-way alarm

i ought to use a disc lock but i only depend on the handle lock

i park at an open car park and it pretty well lit so *fingers crossed* should be ok still...

Perhaps the biggest 'problem' with disc lock is that the user might forgot to remove it before riding off.

 

Alarm is the best deterrent.... but battery must be fresh... else it will drain quickly. Even a knowledgeable thief will know where to disconnect your alarm if he or she knows enough or if the alarm is installed shabbily.

Heard alarm will drain off battery over time. But i suppose a daily used, well charged battery will hold up quite well?

 

Hmmm I guess I did something real bad... previous owner of my current bike installed a 2-way alarm yet I didn't connect it... find it a hassle to have the remote control, but if something happen the price I have to pay will be huge. Prevention is better than cure...

The problem with 2nd hand bikes with alarms is that the previous owner might pass the new owner only 1 of the 2 remotes. If that remote is spoiled, then really screwed.

 

oh... forget to mention

i keep my ride covered up most evenings

unless she's soaked wet on the ride home,

only then i leave it uncovered to air dry but still use my bike cover folded up over the seat ony to protect it from cats!

 

out of sight... hopefully out of mind...

I usually cover my bike also, but sometimes really troublesome as need to wait for it to cool down before cover.

Another thing is, cats like to hide under the covers.

[lutein]

I have a very primitive system that is more deterrent than preventive.

 

My view is bike thieves just walk around the carpark looking for the easiest bike to steal. Hence, my cheapo lock method is just to discourage them from targeting my bike. It won't stop them, just discourage them.

 

If they are really intent on stealing, there's no stopping them from carrying my bike up the lorry, locks and all, right?

 

I use a cheap padlock that hooks onto the brake disk. So the bike can't be wheeled away (up a lorry, for instance) unless the padlock is broken as well. Thieves may find it not worth the trouble to do that.

 

The lock is connected to a bungee that I bought in Australia. It has a stainless steel core.

 

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3297/3649708659_01811c1120.jpg

 

I normally place the lock closer to the exhaust as access to the lock using large tools would be more difficult.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3547/3649708005_d39f4c7e13.jpg

 

For the Ducati, my partner uses this big ass chain to lock the rear wheel to the carpark railings.

 

As for the MP3, it's impossible to move it once the brakes are locked. And it's too heavy to carry up the lorry.

 

He lost his GSXR750 to thieves (there was one period during which a lot of superbikes were stolen), so he had suffered the pain of bike theft before! At that time, the season parking printout still indicated where the carpark was, so he thought that the thieves just noted the carpark and went there at night to steal.

[suf]

ummm.. dude, if you're from the infantry once, you ought to know that most ppl can break a padlock using a fork and a spoon...

 

personally i still use the disc brake. Effective and keeps it stationary but there are times where we just might forget.

 

Anyway, fellow bikers - do make a commotion or beat the living toot outta these thieves when you see suspicious activities. I suspect a bike parts syndicate theft going on. I just saw 2 young guys hanging around my MSCP and i didnt hesitate to approach them, asked what they are doing just sitting around and told them to 'wait for their friends' somewhere 'cooler'. Allofasudden, another older biker arrived and started the same set of questions i had haha..

[JoJo]

Can any 1 enlighten me, y mus wait for bike to cool down first den can canvas?

[steel_headz]

I use 2 way alarm and disc brake lock....

 

Then cover with canvas....

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

Don't wash the bike. Ever.

 

Use scrapyard accessories.

 

Be sure to "personalise" with paint markers, funky decorations and oh.. fur grips.

[suf]

paint markers and fur grips? hahaha...

 

now THAT will surely deter bike thieves! Ultra preventive measure!

[gohjohan]

Using 2 bike covers with the dirtier one on top.

[Calv]

insurance cnt cover bike theft?

[gohjohan]

insurance cnt cover bike theft?

 

but not 100% coverage and any after market accessories are not covered too