Do you think that if your motorcycle is in a garage or closed area, it is safe? Most motorcycles around the world are stolen from these places. Our tips on how to protect yourself from thieves.
Although motorcycle thefts are less common than car thefts worldwide, they are certainly just as painful a loss. It is even more painful because if you become a victim of theft, the chances of your motorcycle being returned to you are very low.
Most likely, he will become a donor of spare parts after it is disassembled in some “hole”. Or he will go abroad, and his trace will disappear. It is unknown whether the reason for the low detection rate of stolen motorcycles is because the police have other, more important things to do, or because stolen motorcycles cease to exist, becoming an integral part of other cars.
Locks, shackles, cables and chains
A popular topic among motorcyclists, but for some reason most people only use them at an overnight stay. They say I’ll wrap a chain around my house at night and my hands. They don’t always take it with them, but they do carry it.
All sorts of locks and brackets, with fastenings to the steering wheel and wheel, seem like a trifle, but at least some kind of primary protection against inexperienced thieves or people who simply cannot pass by. Pads for the front and rear wheels are a more powerful argument.
There are individuals who hang carabiners, chaining the nearest wheel spokes with the front fork leg or a chain or pendulum on the rear wheel.
A real-life incident: when an acquaintance at a tourist camp put a carbine on the rear wheel for the night, and in the morning after a sleepless night he simply forgot about it... He started the motorcycle and tried to leave. Actually, he pulled out the spokes and toppled over himself. Happens. Be careful, friends.
High class brake disc locks
Such locks have an even stronger body, more burglar-resistant locking cylinders, a special body shape to make burglary more difficult, and are often equipped with an alarm. Some models can be additionally equipped with a chain.
Some interesting examples:
Victory 68 - thanks to its rounded shape and rotating elements, it is almost impossible to pick this lock! Can be equipped with a chain
Detecto 7000 RS1 - has an alarm with a position sensor. When the lock position is shifted, the siren will turn on at 110 dB!
Granit Sledg 77 - the strongest monolithic body and a thick 13 mm locking bolt will provide reliable protection!
All disc locks are of high security class
Alarm and beacon
The age of technology, why go too far? Many people make do with only an alarm system, considering a beacon an expensive gadget. But I’ll be honest, if the motorcycle is stolen, nothing but a lighthouse will give the last hope of catching the thieves’ tail.
Of course, you can bypass the alarm and throw off the beacon or even use “jammers” for it, but this is already the level of professional hijackers. Such efforts pay off when really expensive motorcycles are stolen.
Mid-level brake disc locks
These locks have a more durable housing and some models have an alarm that will go off if something hits the lock or if it hits when the wheel rotates.
Examples of locks for mid-level brake discs
Case
-And this is protection against theft? Seriously? - someone will say.
Firstly, the fewer people see your motorcycle, the fewer passersby will cling to it. Not all pilots, when in your absence passersby try to sit on a motorcycle, take a selfie “look, I’m driving!” or anything like that.
Secondly, a person who crawls under the cover and does not look like a motorcyclist attracts attention. You can unscrew something under the cover, but it doesn’t always work the first time. If you take off the cover, this also attracts attention. What if the case has an alarm? There are such things too.
Either way, it's a bit of a hassle for someone who wants to steal a motorcycle quietly.
How to protect a motorcycle
Paranoia post.
While it’s morning and I’m in a good mood, I’m posting for your viewing pleasure a post on the cornerstone topic of protecting your iron horse. Classifications, I love classifications. So let’s divide all types of protection into 3 types: mechanical, electronic, man-made.
MECHANICAL PROTECTION
The whole point of mechanical protection comes down to the same thing - to prevent the motorcycle from being mechanically removed from a certain point. The function of notifying the owner / others has a right to exist, but still for this species it is an addition.
CABLE
Well, if your favorite technique is not so favorite. Or you are sure that it is not valuable, you can use this option. No, I’m not against cables, but at a reasonable price I haven’t yet come across a cable that is at least massive enough to look like. In addition, any cable is usually an interweaving of strands. And as in the ancient wisdom with a broom, no one bothers you to bite them a little bit, one or two at a time. As for cables with a combination lock, they should not be left in place for more than a couple of minutes. At one time, I personally selected a combination for such a cable using blunt force in 7 minutes. This does not mean that I am a thief, but in the sense that a friend had an old bike at his dacha, there was a cable around the frame and nothing was holding it, but no one knows the code.
CHAIN
The chain is the main protection against theft “on the ball”. If your motorcycle is not fastened with anything, loading it into an approaching minibus is a matter of minutes. And no sophisticated signaling will help you - a banal jammer is on the required range and all the electrics will not be able to communicate anything. Well, then let’s get into the analysis. However, let’s not be alarmed ahead of time; many models have their own specifics. Chain recommendations?
Read reviews, look for options, compare them. This is an overview post, so don’t expect me to go into all that detail here. At the same time, you can watch this video (which, of course, advertises its chain, but still) about what 1 person with a good bolt cutter can do with a chain:
In addition, there is also a U-shaped lock, which basically performs the same functions. It is supposed to be more reliable, but obviously less convenient. But on indiegogo they have already collected more than 2 times more than what was required for such a lock with one small difference - when sawed, a cloud will burst out of it, causing vomiting. An interesting surprise for a thief.
DISC LOCK
Oddly enough, the disc lock often hinders the pilot himself more than the hijacker. Relying only on the lock on the disk means waiting for thieves with a “skate”. Yes, it’s more difficult to drive away on such a motorcycle, but driving away from a crowded place is quite possible, especially with a sufficient supply of impudence. In addition, the weakest (albeit the most externally protected) point of this lock is the pin itself. I've already seen messages where people wrote that they started moving and the caliper cut off this lock itself. I don't think you want to check this, but attackers don't care.
Total? A disc lock is a useful thing, but firstly, you need to take a pin of the correct thickness, secondly, you definitely need a cable-rope-spring for the steering wheel so that you don’t forget about it, and thirdly, I would also supplement this kit with a version of the lock with an acoustic siren . This is not electronics, but electrics, so it doesn’t care about jammers or power supply to the on-board network - it will just scream when you shake it.
Recently, several times I have come across another type of lock - the shackle is threaded not into the disk itself, but behind it - then the pin is comparable in thickness to a regular padlock and much stronger. You just need to somehow make sure that you can deliver it.
STEERING LOCK
It’s no secret that the steering wheel lock can be broken if desired, and can be easily removed. But this is not a reason not to use it.
GARAGE
The garage itself not only does not protect against theft, but quite the opposite . Metal walls not only hide the motorcycle from prying eyes, but also from thieves, providing enough time for any action. And hardly anyone will pay attention to the noise in the garage. So the garage will only be a good means of protection in addition to the other two types (that is, electronics and people). And for those who are still skeptical about this text, I have a question - here you have a garage in a cooperative, a common entrance under lock and key, your “metal awning” is locked with two locks... and where do the walls point? Wouldn't it be easier to just open the box from behind? And how often do you fasten your motorcycle in the garage with a chain/signal/disc lock? Or are 2 simple locks on the collar that's all?
CASE
Paradoxical as it may seem, the case is also a means of protection. The case makes it difficult to determine:
- make and model of the motorcycle (which means how in demand or unique it may be)
- its age and condition (that is, at least an approximate price)
- availability and volume of protective equipment (how difficult it is to steal it)
- the presence or absence of uniqueness (such as airbrushing or alterations, that is, visibility in case of sale)
At the very least, this can slow down the thief or force him to find easier loot. And it also helps against school vandals and those who like to sit on other people’s equipment.
SPECIAL PRODUCTS
I am more than sure that I have not gone through all the means of protection. For example, relatively recently I saw at a bike post a review of a hemisphere that is screwed into the asphalt, and a motorcycle clings to it by the front wheel. I can’t immediately assess the usefulness of this design, but at least it exists.
ELECTRONICS
The tasks and capabilities of electronics are very wide. With the help of various devices powered by electricity, we can scare away, stun, slow down, fix, even stop a potential thief (well, if, for example, you connect a phase to a garage door... just kidding).
SIGNALING
Electronic protection of any vehicle begins with an alarm system. The range of options depends on the owner’s finances and the level of confidence in the alarm. For example, there are people who are not ready to use the tag only on the basis that the alarm may lose it, which means the engine may be turned off, for example, when turning. You might think there can be no breakdown other than the alarm... but you get the idea.
There is one problem with alarms - the more famous company produces a more expensive module, the cooler it is... but the more famous it is, which means thieves will look for their own methods against it. If you manage to stun the enemy, the thief will most likely refuse the risk. So, recently I met a person on the Internet who implemented the initial alarm functionality on... Arduino (these are weak boards like a minicomputer for which you can write programs).
I’ll tell you more about my struggles with choosing an alarm system)
IMMOBILIZER
Some have a regular one, some have it in the signal system, some don’t. I also know that an immobilizer with a mark or tied to a certain set of actions (for example, clutch-brake-clutch) can be bought from a certain company and built into the wiring. You won’t be able to find it right away; in rest mode it doesn’t consume (or barely consumes), but you won’t be able to start such a motorcycle. If there is interest, I will provide the link in the comments. So as not to advertise. I'm sure this company is not the only one that produces this.
GPS-GSM BEACON
A lighthouse is not a panacea, but sometimes it helps out. In my opinion, the ideal beacon should not be equipped with any tags and should generally obey its own schedule and SMS. This is a thing that a thief shouldn’t even know exists, and in the meantime it will lead you to a motorcycle. The power supply is autonomous; charging from the on-board network is excluded. It’s better to change the batteries once a year than to let thieves know that you have it. Of course, if this is an organized group that has a “sump” where a motorcycle can sit for months under GPS and GSM jamming, then you won’t do anything, but IMHO it’s a necessary thing.
HUMAN
It is common to think that security guards in garages or parking lots are uninitiative creatures and can sleep through everything in the world. Well, some of them really are like that, but many are forced to work there due to the inability to get a job anywhere, their salary leaves much to be desired and their attitude towards clients is nonexistent. However, oddly enough, these same people are quite kind and sociable if you show that you are a friend. What’s so difficult about treating a person to candy/tea/crosswords/a bottle, finally having a heart-to-heart talk once again, leaving a contact number and hinting at a reward if they promptly report oddities with your box? Maintaining relationships with those who monitor your technology (monitoring does not mean responding) is important, even if you don’t like these people.
PASSERBY
Here we are talking more about temporary parking. Choose places where there are shop windows and bored sellers. People love to stare at motorcycles and will at least get worried when, instead of you (a person in a helmet and gear), some left-wing guy comes up to the motorcycle and starts tinkering with it. The ideal would be to leave such a person’s number and ask them to contact them... but we are not in an ideal world.
To summarize, good defense comes from prudence and an effective combination of repulsion, stealth and informing you (or those who can inform you) about an attack on your equipment. In general, that's all. Good luck and no hijackings.
Removing parts
If you are technically savvy and your motorcycle allows you to perform minor manipulations, then why not?
Someone unscrews the spark plugs, someone takes out the battery. One of my electrician friends managed to open the electrical circuit from the generator; he simply made additional terminals, which he disconnected when he left. And then he came up with a secret by analogy.
This will not help when they decide to steal your motorcycle by simply throwing it into the back of a van, but it will prevent self-made craftsmen who want to ride off on your iron friend on their own.
Tuning
The more bells and whistles your equipment has, the more difficult it is to sell it entirely. Technical tuning, of course, will be more likely to benefit thieves, because by selling the motorcycle for parts, they will be able to get more money for your newfangled gadgets.
But as for external tuning... Good old airbrushing makes the motorcycle unique. The drawing is often an acquired taste and this appearance is etched into the memory, just like unusual headlights or lighting. Any cosmetic tuning makes the motorcycle one of a kind, which means it will be difficult to sell it entirely quickly, but to find it at first, to recognize it among the masses of stolen ones, is easier.
I had a friend who dreamed with all his heart about a Yamaha supersport, like a brand new, fresh motorcycle. He saved for a very long time. And by great luck, a successful motorcycle turned up for good money; the first thing he spent on was tuning. Externally, the motorcycle became just a piece of candy.
And then, in the second season, the motorcycle was stolen. They took it to a neighboring region, but the locals had never seen such motorcycles there. They didn’t have the kind of roads for city dwellers to cross on sportbikes, so yes, enduro. Rumors spread across the region among motorcyclists, saying that suddenly such a motorcycle appeared there... like that... where did SUCH a motorcycle come from?
- WHICH?! — we immediately asked and recognized our dear Erochka in the description.
And so it turned out that simple word of mouth helped to find the unit, based on the increased attention of passers-by and a simple description.
Conclusion
The general conclusion is that there is nothing better than a combination of ways to protect your motorcycle. As with equipment, which is never superfluous, protecting a motorcycle will not make it worse. Yes, you will spend more time preparing it for parking...while you put on a chain or cable with a lock, while you cover it with a cover, install an alarm. But all this dancing with a tambourine will give your motorcycle a chance to stay in place until the morning.
And finally, no one is insured against theft, just like against an accident or fall, so it is better to be prepared for this than to rely on the great “maybe”.
Important note!
Don’t think that buying an ABUS lock with a low security class is a waste of money. Even simple ABUS locks are often of much higher quality than similar locks from unknown manufacturers. The main criterion here is the strength of the metal. ABUS uses high-quality hardened steel with high resistance to impacts, torsion, and cuts. Whereas a cheap lock from other manufacturers may be made of low-quality metal that can easily be broken.
For example, here is a video where they are trying to break an ABUS 300 lock for only 2000 rubles! Look how well the lock resists burglary!
