Where do you guys carry your security chain when on a long trip? Too heavy to have in panniers presumably, from a weight balance point of view. So where does it go? Bag strapped to pillion seat?

What gives you the idea it's too heavy to carry in a pannier? I put mine at the bottom of a pannier if I'm not expecting to use it anytime soon--low and toward the front, as befits anything dense and heavy. When I want it handy for immediate use I drape it over the rear of my seat, with other stuff piled on top if needed.

I've got several heavy duty chains, cables and locks, but my current default weighs in at about 10 kilos/22 lbs. One of the others is substantially heavier, and I carried it for at least two solid years of international riding. Of course, it's easy to make the case that the whole thing was unnecessary, but it gained me a lot of peace of mind in a lot of dodgy situations.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Carrying a proper chain is a bit daft..

They're heavy, noisy and awkward.

However, a Cable lock is a good solution.

Something like this but perhaps a more heavy duty version.

Kryptonite Keeper Armoured Cable Lock| Leisure Lakes Bikes

If you're really stuck for space, something like this is better than nothing. It will stop the opportunist.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LONG-HEAVY...Ihdq5-lyCQ6feg

If someone really wants to steal your bike, they will..... Only a 16mm Almax will stop bolt croppers and you won't be carrying one of those.


I usually wrap mine under my rear luggage rack.

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

I have carried a 16mm chain, but in a sidecar the weight can be useful.

Think about the risks:

Gangs who want to ship your bike to Russia can break anything, but they want new Harleys and Ducatis not your half million mile Cagiva Elefant.

Joy riding chav scum don't have the brains to break more than a Chinese disc lock, so your machined body one makes the next blokes bike a nicer target.

Light fingered lads in the souk in down town Dodgystan have no use for the bike, they want the tool kit and maybe the battery.

If some mafia warlord decides he really must have that Cagiva, face facts, helping him load it into the van will be your best bet.

I'd go with the best disc lock you can afford, one that can double as a padlock and maybe the cable Ted suggested. The disc lock stops them riding it, the cable slows down lifting or pushing.

Andy

Interesting... range of views there (including typically amusing one from Andy)

Instinct tells me that a security cable can be cut through in about 5 seconds, whereas a chain may take closer to a minute. That's a potential additional 55 seconds of my alarmed disc lock screaming at the thief as he's going at the chain with bolt cutters. Could that be the difference between him getting the bike or giving up?

I agree that lowlife chavs are easily defeated with basic security, and professional bike thieves probably can't be stopped with any security. But there's a middle ground of dodgy bloke spotting my bike parked outside the hotel, and coming back later that night with his mates, his van and a pair of bolt cutters... right?

I used a U-ring if I take something on ride ( tests are made each year by the "mutuelle des motards " and one registered lasts more than a minute - a very very long time for crooks - but it is heavy, space consumer and so ) . mine had 22 years now
The rest is a joke :lasts less than 15 seconds .
worde ; a disc stuff might be forgotten : seen it badaboum !!

Anyway if a "pro" team wants your bike /car/whatever they will have it , anywhere , anyhow .

the cable bla bla the panniers bla bla ; useless.

sof bags : you take them, secure your bike as much as possible ...different ways .
One solution might be to ask a local biker . Used it both in Scandinavia and Africa .
with regular ordinary bikes OF COURSE

__________________
"In a car you're always in a compartment, and because you're used to it you don't realize that through that car window everything you see is just more TV." R. Pirsig

I carryed chain and tools in my paniers but its true: on bumpy roads they start to destroy everything else in the box so after 25.000 km i used the spare chain and did not buy a new one for the way back: Adventure experience - motorcycle trip riding across Africa

I used something similar to this all over South America and Africa.

Oxford OF145 Barrier Armoured Cable Bike Lock 1.5 Metre x 25mm SMOKE | eBay

It's a thick steel cable but it's surrounded by a vertebrae of steel hoops which prevents it fitting in most croppers jaws.

Now, the BEST thing about these are is that you NEVER see them in the third world and many times when I've put it on in busy places the local kids folk who are usually surrounding me by then are in awe at the size of the lock.

"EEEEYYYY MUY FUERTE Senor"

It just looks like it's a monster which makes most lazy crooks not even bother to try.

I've no doubt it could be beaten by anyone with the correct skills or tools but I think it's a good compromise for bike travel. If you're weight conscious (any who isn't on a bike), then I think they are a good choice.

I'll be taking one of these Oxford ones to Russia year. It wraps around my rear rack, doesn't rattle and weighs half than you'd expect it to.

At that price maybe I'll take it to my workshop and beat it with hammers, saws and crowbars and see how it stands up.

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

That cable lock looks like a nice compromise... plenty of reviews around saying that it can be cut, but what chain/cable can't be cut? I think anyone who is expecting something like this to be impossible to cut is being unrealistic to begin with.

Another advantage of it is that it would probably be easy to loop through the sleeve of your jacket, keeping that safe while you're away from the bike too.

But thinking about security has made me realize what the answer is:

SPOT Trace

When you think about it, you've broadly got two types of thieves:

1) Kids who just want to joy ride and will leave it on fire in a ditch.
2) People who genuinely want your bike to make money from it somehow.

Type 1 are generally defeated by a cable lock, disc lock etc. So the bike is relatively safe from them if you use these things.

Type 2 probably won't destroy your bike right away (until they strip it down for parts), so as long as you're quick, once you've tracked it to where it is using this tracking device, law enforcement could probably get it back in one piece. Now of course, there are places in the world where you couldn't trust law enforcement to help you I'm sure... but hey, can't plan for every eventuality or there'd be no 'adventure' left in adventure travel!

Same here ...
Disc lock only ... (W/ light, strong small cable to lock helmet and misc. to bike) No big heavy chains, no thick cables.

Setting up safe parking can buy some peace of mind. Thinking outside the box can help to ensure safety for the bike ... you might have to pay.

In Thailand I rarely even locked my rental bikes. But did bring them into guest house lobby when possible (almost always).

If a pro wants your bike it's hard to defend against latest Makita cordless Disc Grinders (Carbide wheel). Cuts through most chains in under a minute.
Adios Moto! Disc locks are actually harder to cut or break. (if good quality).

Oh no doubt.... Any lock can be though.

What I like about the Cable locks is that they're quiet and fairly light.

And you can lock 2-3 bikes together through their wheels. You can also put your helmet and jacket through it too.

Can't do that with a Disc lock..


Coming from Liverpool. I have more than my fair share of experience with motorcycle theft..

I've seen quite a number of bent and cracked discs and broken spokes on bikes that crooks have attempted to remove the disc lock.

If you have a disc lock and some idiot has a go and fails, it's possible they will leave behind a bike that you can no longer ride.

Worth a consideration perhaps.

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

And idiots come in all shapes and sizes. I gave up with disc locks the second time I forgot I'd put it on and not only went over the handlebars but cracked the disc as well.

The three heavyweight chains I have in the garage at the moment tend to stay there because they are exactly that - heavyweight. I suppose there might be circumstances where a thief couldn't break one of those chains but could have a go at a cable + padlock but most of the time you're looking at stopping opportunistic chancers. Usually if the cable doesn't stop them the chain won't either - professional gangs for example.

The other reason I tend to favour a long(ish) cable is that you can fasten the bike to something. That stops something that happens frequently if you ride a small bike - people just moving it somewhere so they can park their car, get access to a fuel pump etc.

Listen to Ted

After the Great Train Robbery, only the Liverpool police were asking round the pubs to see if anyone was selling a 1951 Battle of Britain class 2-8-4 and 12 carriages



Andy

I can sell you it

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

I use a disc lock and a fairly solid (but quite light) bicycle chain that I also to 'secure' the bike (through the disc lock) to something immovable, as well as using it to lock my roll bag to the bike for times when I just go for a wander. These, coupled with a ratty bike cover, I'm sure puts off more opportunist thieves. In Europe, I try to use underground parking where possible.

I think the best thing is to make stealing the bike look as unappealing as possible, in whatever way you can. Parking it inside the hotel (outside Europe!), garage / car park, some form of security, cover (people don't really give it a second look), etc. As has already been said, if someone really wants it, there's not much you can do. Making it far less visible is the way forward.