Bike Security
 

As my trip draws close the little things start to bother me...
There are going to be times when I leave my bike unattended, my question is a simple one... Do i need to take a bike chain and lock?

I carry a bloody big one, it goes through my back wheel and ties up around my pannier racks if there's nothing else to anchor it to. I tend to use street lights trees etc but it’s only for show as it’s just to stop the opportunist thieves, the real ones will take your bike if they want it or not.

With a can of computer screen cleaner, and a hammer I can have pretty much have any padlock off your bike in about a minute, I don’t care what padlocks on there be it a £5 one or an £80 quid one. And chains can be cut with bolt cutters just as quickly how do you think the AA deals with lost padlock keys?

A packsafe is great for stuff that’s on the back of your bike, but only again as a deterrent to the opportunists.

This is a interesting site for those into locks and chains
Almax Security Chains Limited



Trophymick

Im using a thick wire lock about 1,5 m long, which I normally route from the backwheel and luggage racks to something solid like a lamppost. Plus a sturdy brake disk lock in the front. They dont weight too much or take up too much space.....

And they probably wont stop a professional thief, but then I usually always try to put the bike away in such a place that the thieves wont see or wont dare enter. I think the place you'll park the bike for the night will be the most important shield against thieves. If your on a long trip, the hotel and guesthouse owners normally understand quite well, that you want protection for your vehicle, so they allow you to put it away from the street.

My bike was locked and chained in my locked garage, my car was locked in front of my bike inside the garage. The B:censored:S broke in, shunted my car out of the way, broke the bike locks and were pushing the bike up the drive when my wife let our dogs out and they still got away. The Police had the attitude " your insured arn't you " err no, my wife pointed out that I was away in Saudi and wasn't using the bike.
So if they want your bike they will get it,you can only guard against the opportunist.
The Police even warned my wife that if the scumbags reported us for setting our dogs on them we would be in trouble.:stormy:
Cheers
Ian:thumbup1:

In South Africa the police advise that if you catch a burglar in the act it's better to kill them than injure them in case they try to make a claim against you or try to extract revenge against you once they are released.

I agree that if a theif wants it bad enough they will get it. However, if you make it hard for the theif they will likely pass your bike up and go for the easy one. I brought a lock for my bike. It is the thickest cable combination lock that I could find at HD. I opted for lighter weight than heavy security. I have seen guys with gigantic locks down here, but your talking about an extra 15 lbs of weight. I think your better off going light weight and doing common sense things like not leaving your bike overnight on a dark unprotected street.

If you are really paranoid I would say lock your rotors through the holes with pad locks. I am too forgetful to remember to always unlock something like that. (a cracked rotor makes your bike non usable.)

Depending on the colour...
 

Haai meneer, as die einbreeker swart is en die polisie ook, en jy nie, dan is jy in die k@k, ek sê ;-)

Hans

hans is it like

"if the police shot them it is ok, but if you shot them, you are in big sh..t??"

:):) i think it is a combination of German, Dutch and English:)

I use one of those steel cables with a magnetic lock all the time here in Brazil.

Otherwise known as Afrikaans...

I have bought a few Almax chains for my bikes. With a groundanchor, I think a good chain is the best deterrent. Alarms are too easily ignored, or silenced, if you know how.

Only downside to the Almax: weight. About 10kg or over per metre.... A big minus, when trying to pack light...

Almax and Youtube..
 

I bought a couple of Almax chains and they are great. Maxime at Almax (UK) is a lovely lady and will help you pick the right chain for the right bike/job..

And if you want to see what they are like in action;

YouTube - Almax Series 4 and Series 3 getting jiggy with the croppers.

The only problem i can see for the travelling person is, they do weigh a lot and are pretty bulky. But if your going to be leaving the bike the well, they are certainly a decent chain..

Oh people might wish to view this vid as well;
YouTube - Various Sold Secure and Thatcham chains chopped. shows you the real strength of some popular chains..

bike security
 

I'm lucky my harley has security alarm plus if moved they cant start it. of course they can put it on triler and sell it for parts but its a good deterant. i also use a disclock and chain it to something. but if they want it they will get it!!!!



2 GEEZERS 2 GO

Just remove the wheel axles :)

I have a brake disc lock and 10mm chain with armoured lock and yes, I do take both with me when I travel. As a general rule of thumb, I always park it next to a better/easier target.

A mate of mine had a Yamaha YZF750 taken from his garage. They broke through the garage door then carried the bike over the top of two cars, severely denting the roof's and bonnets of both. The bike was never seen again.

A lad I knew from school whose Dad was a self made millionaire decided to buy himself a brand new Ferrari 328 (in 1988 I think). It was garaged, with his Dad's other car, a Mercedes E300, on the driveway and his Mam's car, a Merc 190 Cosworth blocking the entrance to the driveway. The 190 was rolled down the street into a tree and they were into the process of rolling the E300 off the driveway when they were disturbed.

Basically, if someone wants what you've got bad enough, they'll have it or at least have a go, no matter what you do.

AS you can see there are mostly two kinds of theft
Opportunist.. so if you leave a camera on teh asaddle some one might be tempted to pick it up and run off with it..
Preplanned... they cart you bike off in teh bucket of a JCB.

for teh first, just dont leave anything tempting, and for many countries that will be enough.
for teh second, well if you are travelling your arrival and departure will be unexpected.

in my view just dont make it easy.... keep low key.... and dont worry.
it might happen, but then you might get struck by lightning...

A good disc lock (I use a Kryponite) with a chain or heavy wire is a good enough deterrent. But the two most important things I've found are parking it in a well traveled, well lit area with other bikes, and to use a cover. I only use a half cover, but it keeps onlookers from seeing anything of interest, thinking I am local and to cover up my NY tags (what a great souvenir that would be).

Squire do an excellent 1.8 m chain for around £120 - it can only be cut thru using a metal grinder . It got Rides best buy for several years but it weighs big time :thumbdown: Still if it means your bike is there when you get back then its worth it .
If you want to go cheap , then a padlock thru your drive chain will do the business , difficult to remove and will pull chain off if moved :thumbup1:

As I had my BMW stolen in Brazil, half way through my 1 year trip around south america...

never leave your bike out at night. Hotels etc...will normally go to great length to let you park in the lobby or help you find secure parking for your bike...
Always ALWAYS chain your bike, even inside said "safe parking". Mainly it will be little scumbags who will take the opportunity to steal your bike, despite the fact it cannot be sold, no market for spares or what ever... Dont make it easy for tem. Look after your property. Your bike is the most valuable thing you have, on a trip like that, a chain does not take too much space ...

We had our bikes parked one the side street next to the hotel in Almaty for a week. Not issues what so ever. We try to have them as close to our windows as we can because we've got the Gorilla alarms. Tie the bikes to each other, put a disk lock on and a poncho over them. As soon as they fiddle with the bikes to figure out how to remove the security the alarms start howling. I goes for 60 seconds and re-arms when finished. Annoyed people waken up by it are the fourth level of security.

Best thing is, Gorilla is dirt cheap and lasted 25k km across asia, and was about the only thing not damaged after crossing Kazakhstan.

Big chain vs big cable
 

After reading through all the posts I can find I am still not sure.

I have a 2.2 10mm cable for clothing, helmets and panniers. I can't decide between a 9 meter version of what I have, to tie up the whole lot when leaving the bike and bits. Or a Almax chain which seems to be the best, real heavy but the best. I will have a bike cover too.

Phases like: Spend 100 quid now and maybe stop the bike being stolen mid way through the trip. I also understand that bike theft is more of a problem in the UK than other European countries ?? What Countries are most likely to be a problem ??

I will be travelling through Western and Eastern Europe. Not staying anywhere for longer than a couple of days in a mix of camping (as much as possible to save cash) and hotels/motels. Will be in large cities but not much.

I guess, I am asking big chain vs big cable both with bike cover.

Cheers

I had an attempt at lifting two of my bikes. They were side by side, one end locked and chained, the other cabled, both to a ground anchor in between. The vermin scum managed to bolt-crop the chain but only squashed the 16mm cable; not quite cutting through it.

I often chuck all my gear in a kit bag and bundle it up with a long 10mm cable ( a bit like tying a parcel ) it takes me a few minutes of faffing to get it undone so I hope it would be sufficiant deterent. I lock my helmet to the bike with another cable. It's a good idea to put locks where they are difficult to get to. For instance, the bike against a wall with the locks between the bike and the wall.

I have seen a vid of someone cutting a selection of the best "Gold Rated" locks and chains with a bloody great set of bolt croppers so whatever you do, if someone wants your stuff bad enough, they'll take it. I know a gentle way to cut cable locks that wouldn't draw attention. Luckilly the bastards who went for my bikes didn't.

I know the Almax chain is pretty tough, reading reviews watching videos on their site, youtube and other places. They cut lots of other chains and try to cut the Almax immobiliser to prove it. It's more the weight and cost if I am honest. Most thieves have bolt cutters but not cable equivalent ??? maybe ??

The (my) problem is I can think of ways around most of the security measures that I can come up with. I suppose its about peace of mind because as you say if they really want it they will take it.

:(:(

A thought
 

I just had an idea.

What if I was to thread 8-10mm cable through a good chain ? It would make it a bit of a handful in terms of storage size and being quite stiff. But surely that would add an extra deterrent ??

Cheap solution, modify side or centre stand so that you can lock it in place.
Get a front brake lever lock and disk lock.

If weight is an issue go for a long cable that can lock bike and luggage.

If you want to be really safe take a good chain too.

Make your bike less desirable, lots of gaffa tape etc dust/dirt to tone down any shine.:scooter:

Thanks stuxtttr. Good advice. Good advice from everybody.

I think I am thinking about this too much...:confused1:

That's a bloody good idea

The simplest ideas are often the best!!!:clap:

I have one of these.. They weigh about 20 kilos and are total overkill for overlanding !!

AND they cost a fortune ! Good though :)

What you need is a thick but hollow motorcycle lock..

Big chains are SOOOO heavy and rattle about furiously. I cant think of anything worse to carry on an Overland trip.

I used a motrax Kabul lock.

Motrax Kaybul Stainless - 1.2M (Motorcycle Cable Lock))

It looks HARDCORE but infact its hollow and doesnt rattle about at all. Its not even that heavy. It fitted nicely around my rear rack.

I think its more than enough to deter all but the most determined thief. And rememeber, if they want it, they will have it.. No matter what lock you use.

Your link is dead

http://www.sounddistribution.co.uk/images/KBSS12.jpg
Motrax Kaybul Stainless 1.2M

Hmmm.