Bike security

[Foot]

Currently I'm kidding myself thinking my bike is safe enough in Manchester over the summer, in a garage, with an alarm. The
more I've read through posts on here and seen people's signatures with bikes marked as stolen the more I'm starting to worry.

Because I'm a young rider, I can't afford anything other than third party only insurance for this year, nor could I replace
the bike if it was stolen - so it's all or nothing.
So could people detail their own security measures? Or even their experience with having a bike stolen?

I need to buy a chain too. So any advice would be useful. Since a chain shouldn't be something which needs replacing,
I might as well get a good quality one. Anyone had experience with Almax?
http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/index.asp?pg=1
They state their chains are simply the best. Any good alternatives?

And on a very slight side note, soon I finish my degree and I'll be joining the real world of work, and I will eventually
need to get my car licence - and a car. Not a nice thought. Anyway, what are your thoughts on having things like
"Think Bike, Think Biker" bumper stickers? I appreciate seeing them on cars when I'm out, but do you think it's unnecessarily
advertising the fact you (probably) own a bike to potential thieves?

Thanks for replies!

[timwilky]

Never had a bike nicked. But seen what happens when 30 plus angry boozed up bikers bust a bike thief, find 4 nicked bikes in his garage and inflict summary justice.

My advice is not to go overboard. My bike has disk lock and steering lock in place in my garage. Anything else would be a waste of time as there are angle grinders, oxyacetylene already in the garage. for others perhaps a ground anchor is useful.

I have the think bike stickers in my cars. It says nothing to a rider except the car owner has been given a sticker. To other drivers it may say open your eyes and look for a change.

[jambo]

Some thoughts:

You cannot stop your bike being stolen. I know that sounds defeatist, but I know of bikes that have been stolen that were secured to a tree with an Almax chain & lock. God alone knows what they used to get through it, but nothing is impervious.

What you can do is not leave it unlocked in plain sight. Make it awkward. Out of sight out of mind, if people cant see it they don't get ideas about nicking it. Something that stops it being moved is worth more than something that beeps as it is being moved. A decent chain and ground anchor are a good shout. Some of the alarmed disc locks are quite good.

Jambo

[Red Herring]

The best possible prevention is the thieves not knowing it is there.... so anything you can do to stop it becoming a target is good. If you live in a slightly marginal area, or even next to a main road with passing traffic, try and avoid leaving the garage door up to long or spending to much time polishing it outside the house......I know we all like to show off our pride and joy, but sometimes the wrong people might take an interest.

If you keep it in a remote garage, for example a council block or similar, then just try to make it as difficult as possible for them to either get at it, or if they do get in to get it out. Lock it to something they can't move, or failing that another bike or similar to make it as difficult as possible, and as has been said don't leave a plentiful supply of appropriate tools conveniently in the garage with it.

There are some really good alarms on the market these days that can either make a lot of noise if they open the door, or notify you on your mobile if there isn't likely to be anybody near enough to hear it (or that bothered if they did).

[Littlepeahead]

Good point Nigel, I knew there was a good reason for not cleaning my bike on the driveway.

When we go on holiday in the car I ask a neighbour to park their car in front of our garage door. Makes the house look occupied but also if thieves do get into the garage they then can't get the bikes out.

[Red ones]

I used to keep my bikes in a remote garage. One day u got suspicious if someone who seemed a little too interested, so I parked the car against the door that night.


My tip is to consider the excess on the bike and the excess on the car if you do this. It would have been cheaper to lose the bike than it was to get the front end put back on the car following the damage that was done that night.

[Tomor]

Hook your garage door up to the mains to be activated when it is over a certain amount opened. Obviously you would have a remote deactivation.

[Red Herring]

Hook your garage door up to the mains to be activated when it is over a certain amount opened. Obviously you would have a remote deactivation.

That's shocking advice......:smt026

[The Idle Biker]

Hook your garage door up to the mains to be activated when it is over a certain amount opened. Obviously you would have a remote deactivation.

Is that still working Tom? When we did it we worried about current flow in the rain and the potential for death of thief. Did you put that step down transforner in line or left it risky?

[Tomor]

Left it risky. Wouldn't advise attempting to break into my garage :) I don't like going in there either!!

[timwilky]

Hook your garage door up to the mains to be activated when it is over a certain amount opened. Obviously you would have a remote deactivation.

In the early 70s, little brother, got fed up of his shed being broken into. Wired the grill over the window to the mains.

Strange that the first person to complain was the local copper. My dad had to come to an arrangement with him that the electricity would go and we would say nothing about the "attempted illegal access"

[Biker Biggles]

Currently I'm kidding myself thinking my bike is safe enough in Manchester over the summer, in a garage, with an alarm. The
more I've read through posts on here and seen people's signatures with bikes marked as stolen the more I'm starting to worry.

Because I'm a young rider, I can't afford anything other than third party only insurance for this year, nor could I replace
the bike if it was stolen - so it's all or nothing.
So could people detail their own security measures? Or even their experience with having a bike stolen?

I need to buy a chain too. So any advice would be useful. Since a chain shouldn't be something which needs replacing,
I might as well get a good quality one. Anyone had experience with Almax?
http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/index.asp?pg=1
They state their chains are simply the best. Any good alternatives?

And on a very slight side note, soon I finish my degree and I'll be joining the real world of work, and I will eventually
need to get my car licence - and a car. Not a nice thought. Anyway, what are your thoughts on having things like
"Think Bike, Think Biker" bumper stickers? I appreciate seeing them on cars when I'm out, but do you think it's unnecessarily
advertising the fact you (probably) own a bike to potential thieves?

Thanks for replies!

Is the bike a ten year old sv as per your sig?
If so its not worth a lot of money,and is not a desirable target for serious bike thieves.If insurance is expensive for you the bike is probably not worth insuring against theft.So you need to take all the sensible precautions outlined in this thread and get on with living.Sh!t can happen but usually doesnt.Stop worrying.

[PyroUK]

Park the fecker right up against the wall so it's harder to move with steering lock on. Whack on a disc lock as well.

Not much point in an alarm apart from the immobiliser function but then again that won't matter.

If someone really wants it, they'll have it no matter what you do.

Disc lock, chain, alarm all dealt with and into the back of a padded panel van.

Take sensible precautions and enjoy it, no point in the fun being sapped out of what it really a pleasure vehicle because of worry and stress.

[Littlepeahead]

Put a sign on the garage door saying 'my neighbour's bike is nicer than mine'.

Although if I did that he might not help me with my bike anyone.

[Foot]

Put a sign on the garage door saying 'my neighbour's bike is nicer than mine'.

Although if I did that he might not help me with my bike anyone.

But the problem is I store my bike in my neighbours garage, with his bike! So if I put that sign on his garage..
well.. would they then assume mine is the nicer one?!

Is the bike a ten year old sv as per your sig?
If so its not worth a lot of money,and is not a desirable target for serious bike thieves.If insurance is expensive for you the bike is probably not worth insuring against theft.So you need to take all the sensible precautions outlined in this thread and get on with living.Sh!t can happen but usually doesnt.Stop worrying.

Yeah ten years old. I was thinking 2004 is really new, but I guess it's not.. can tell I'm getting older.
I won't bother with insuring against theft, it almost doubles my premium. Let alone the excess which I could
just spend on a new bike.
But would a good chain not be a good investment? Those who have chains (I guess almost everyone) do
they wear at all? I feel like it should be a life investment.

[PyroUK]

I got a chain with my abus alarmed disc lock. It's meant to attach to a ground anchor but I am yet to be able to fit it. Or find it again after moving.

The only part of the chain that has worn is the fabric covering where it hits the floor.

[yokohama]

But would a good chain not be a good investment? Those who have chains (I guess almost everyone) do
they wear at all? I feel like it should be a life investment.

If you are going to buy an expensive chain, then buy a ground anchor or make sure you have something solid to attach the chain to.
Otherwise, its easy enough for a couple of people to pick the bike up and walk away with it - you lose bike and chain.

Almax or other good quality chains cost though.
I use a pragmasis chain with their anchor and an alarmed disc lock

[missyburd]

Is the bike a ten year old sv as per your sig?
If so its not worth a lot of money,and is not a desirable target for serious bike thieves.

That's true and anyone who knows owt about bikes wouldn't be bothered with an old bike.

Saying that, last week my 13 year old SV was parked up at a fairly rough site for work about 7 at night and some scrap of pondlife had tried to kick my steering lock in making my lock barrel jam (bent pin) so I couldn't start the bike...cue me being marooned for an hour and a half while YC came to fetch me in the van. Trying to get a bike in a van on half steering lock on is hard bleddy work! There's a fair few pikeys and chavs about that area who like quads and motocross types so it will no doubt have been someone looking for a different sort of joyride for half an hour before chucking it in a bush.

I suppose at the end of the day most bikes are going to fetch a few hundred smackers on Ebay just in bits so looking at any bike and assuming it's worthless because of it's age wouldn't be strictly true. Then again, there's plenty to be said for keeping a mucky oily bike to further dissuade folk from having a go.

I now park my bike up the road in a place with plenty more footfall, bit more of a walk to site but far better that than leaving it exposed to cretins fancying a toy upgrade at my massive expense.

Disc lock is going to put off a few thieving eejits as it's far harder to wheel it off anywhere and with an additional heavy chain on the back wheel that's about as much as you can do. As has been mentioned, if anyone really wants a bike they're going to have it regardless of what lengthy measures you go to, it's a sad fact of having two wheels :(

[Red Herring]

...cue me being marooned for an hour and a half while YC came to fetch me in the van. Trying to get a bike in a van on half steering lock on is hard bleddy work!

And just to prove a point whilst you were busy doing so just how many people came up and challenged what you were doing....?

[missyburd]

And just to prove a point whilst you were busy doing so just how many people came up and challenged what you were doing....?
Not one, the site is a brownfield area where pikeys dump stuff, ride quads and folk walk their dogs, surprisingly it was very quiet! YC had rung the police to report it and to let them know I was going to be there on my own for a while so I guess if anyone had reported it...and I was in full bike gear with a key, bit of a giveaway :-P