Leaving for my first major 5 month south america trip in January and worried about gear and bike security.

Curious if people on here have opinions on the best way to lock up.

For the bike do you try to chain it up while in cities, use a disc lock, or just let it be?

Do people with hard cases leave them on their bike overnight out in a city or do you always detach them and take them indoors.

What about people with soft bags? What do you do?

To start with I look around and see what the locals do, for instance in Eastern Canada I noticed people leave their bikes with helmets on the mirror and key in the ignition while paying for petrol or in Tim Horton's, other places people would never do that so neither would I. If in a large town or city I prefer to find a hotel with off road or guarded parking and always take my luggage into the hotel or guesthouse, if I have a good feeling about a place or security set up I might only take what is needed and leave the rest on the bike over night, the same goes if leaving the bike for a few hours.
For bike security I use a steel cable or U lock and try to lock it to something solid, I have no hard and fast rules but make a judgement on each place I stay.

I've got a few bits and pieces of security kit that I use as I feel the situation demands it.

Most of the time in the rural parts of Germany I live in I just pop the disc lock on, I don't worry about the luggage. At the other extreme I put on the disc lock, chain through the back wheel and use the secure tie downs I usually put through the arm of my jacket to attach the bike to something.

Mostly I'll only empty the boxes for overnights, even then that only involves taking the two inner bags from the panniers - the tools, spares etc stay in the bike. In extremis I'll empty the boxes completely and leave them unlocked and open, so any curious thief sees there is no point wrecking them to get inside.

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[ Tim | History - NW Italy/French Rivera, Swiss Alps, Morocco | 2016 - Greece > Albania > Macedonia > Kosovo > Montenegro > Bosnia > Slovenia > Austria ]

Put a cover over the bike and gear. The dirtier and nondescript the cover the better.

Your bike and gear will probably be very different from the locals .. they will want to look and touch .. cover it and they don't notice the difference.

Indoors? Citys? Are you talking about adventure motorbike travel??? Just pitch your tent 50km bevor or after a city, sleep beside your bike and you and your stuff will be save.

If i have to visit an embassy in Africa etc i pay someone to watch my bike and/or lock my jacked and helmed etc with a bicycle lock trough the arms. Cash, Passport and Credit Card and Camera with the photos i financy my trip with i allways carry with me. If i leave my bike for a longer time to go hiking etc i also carry my laptop.
The dayly backup of the photos is well hidden in my bike or uploadet to my server if internet can be found:

Offroad Motorrad Weltreisen - das letzte Abenteuer

It depends on where i park my bike.

I usually pop a Abus disc lock with alarm on the front wheel. If the parking is secure, ie. just outside a manned hotel reception, i leave my soft luggage on. Anywhere else, i bring it inside.

as warin said put a cover over the bike and it is as if it has disaperd hand one made up in india they broke my mate light switch on his tenaria they just keep messing cover up and they just never botherd Dave

There is an App:
I-overlander.
Helps a lot to find Hostels/Hotels with secure parking and there you obviously can leave your stuff on (Garage, Patios). I would never leave the bike overnight on the street.
In Bolivia and Peru you can find Parqueos with Watchmen. About Ecuador and Colombia I can tell you in 2 months

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What actions you take (or don't take) to ensure adequate security of your motorcycle and anything attached to it depends very much on what kind of motorcycle it is, what country you are in (or, more exactly, what part of what country you are in), and where you are parking it (at a hotel, at a lot in the middle of the city, momentarily at a gas station, etc.)

The first question you need to ask yourself is whether your moto would be attractive to thieves in the community you are in. For example, I have a 2001 Honda ST 1100. That is not a particularly interesting bike for thieves to steal. If, on the other hand, I had a flashy new Harley-Davidson or flashy new Japanese crotch rocket, or a BMW GS all kitted out with Touratech crap like it was owned by a German dentist, I might be a little more concerned about theft.

What country you are in - and where in the country you are - also makes a difference. If I am in rural Switzerland, I don't even bother to remove the keys from the ignition. If I was downtown in a big city in England, I might consider putting a brake disc lock on it.

Finally, where you park and where you sleep at night makes a big difference. If you are staying at small hotels or B&Bs and they have a secure area behind the building, or a garage to park in, you don't have to worry too much. If you are parking downtown in a public lot that is not supervised, the risks are higher.

The most important influences on bike security are "what kind of bike is it" and "where are you parking it".

Michael

FYI, the reason we don't worry about bike theft in Canada (I live in Eastern Canada) is because so few people in the country know how to ride motorcycles.

Heck, I could leave the motorcycle outside a gas station or a donut shop with the engine running, and I doubt that even 1 in 100 people passing by would be capable of riding it off the lot.

But, if I was parking it at a motorcycle rally, or on the street in front of a motorcycle dealership, I would certainly remove the keys from it.

Michael

This discussion pops up all the time. Search around on this board a bit and you may find no answer you'll like. That's because security is an illusion. It's different to everyone too.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

unless it is the only bike, the best method is to make your bike harder to take than the next one.

Depending on where I am, I grade my security.

The bottom line is to go for a heavy boron steel chain and a good padlock.

Sold Secure Approved & Police Approved Ground Anchors, Security Chains and more

Also, have a look at Abloy 350 or 362 padlocks....
Not cheap but the bike will be there when you get back!

The addition of hiding the bike away under a really scruffy naff cover is an excellent idea too!

I'm in Ecuador right now, returning to Peru. Also traveled in Mexico and Guatemala:

Inside parking with a locked gate is very preferable. Not sure what size moto you are traveling with, but bigger will be harder to find more creative secure parking for the night. Last night I rolled my 250cc moto across the entry of a motel and in to a dead end hallway. I've had creative places for parking now and then that would not be possible with bigger moto. Just ask at your lodging for parking. There are also gated and manned public parking lots in some towns. Inside a secure area is what you want for the night. After that, don't worry about it and enjoy your evening.

I have a 250cc local moto, vs an exotic that is not seen in SA. Less of a target. If you have an exotic moto, you'll have to learn as you go. I will guess that the exotic moto moreso identifies you as a richer gringo vs a moto to steal. What is a thief going to do with an exotic moto to part out or sell?

I always bring all my soft luggage in to my room for the night. I don't have any cases or hard luggage. I like the lighter weight of soft luggage. Light weight moto is very preferable for my travels.

During the day I keep an eye on the moto, and lock the fork with the ignition lock. When eating some where, I try and have a view of the moto. Sometimes I cable the moto to a secure post. Soft luggage; I just trust in hope and luck and park in a secure place. Stopped to see something, I often ask about safe parking. I have my bag wrapped with a cable so it is more difficult to remove. I have a backpack instead of a tank bag, so I carry the important stuff there and it comes with me. Never had troubles with my soft luggage. I tend to cross borders less busy, so haven't had border troubles.

I had a fellow looking at my sheepskin one time while I was eating at a road side stand. I just went over there and asked him what he was doing. He said he was trying to figure out if it was sheep or lama... Who knows his intention? No other issues experienced other than that one minor incident.

Just be prudent, but don't sweat the security.

It doesn't matter what you have or where you park it. Always carry a complete cover that ties under your bike. One the cover is over your bike it becomes invisible to thieves. Buy a cover.

Covers are large. You can also just plan the trip in more detail. Contrary to popular belief planning doesn't take away from adventure. I don't find dealing with urban logistics adventurous anyway.
The internet provides so much detail now. It's almost putting your head in the sand not to use it.

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