What security do you use?

I have now had my SV650S for a couple of weeks and I must say I'm pretty paranoid about having it nicked. I sold my Vespa today which hads been working as an anchor as well as a parking space reserver outside my house in North London. I use an alarmed disk lock on the front and an Oxford chain on the rear wheel. I guess I will have to find a tree to secure my bike now. I assume when a bike is chucked in the back of a van that the bike was not attached to anything. Surely my bike should be safe chained to a tree with a good quality chain in a residential street. Any experiences or advice???
Mitch

If it's not in a garage and the scumbags want it, they'll take it.

Even heavy duty chains only stop the oportunist thief, as the professionals can get through them in seconds, pick up bikes, alarms wailing, and stick them in a van.

If anybody challenges them the line I have heared is "Should have paid the HP then we wouldn't have to reposses (sp?) it". That's normally enough to convince most bystanders...

Even in a garage it's not as safe as you think.....

.

i lock my garage door but thats about it? at work its got security cameras watching it. london is prob worse for bike theft< i dont know is it?

Originally Posted by Jelster

If anybody challenges them the line I have heared is "Should have paid the HP then we wouldn't have to reposses (sp?) it". That's normally enough to convince most bystanders...

Suddenly they appear to be even bigger scumbags than I thought they were... not only nicking bikes but having the front to lie to people when caught and then just carry on nicking it

I always make sure mine is chained to something - ground anchor, another bike, a post... makes it harder to get, though if they want it they'll always make the effort. Get the bike off the road if you can - the more out of the way it is, and the more difficult it is to get at, the less chance they'll go for it. They might be cunning but they're also lazy, and they'll give up if it looks too hard. Which is why none of them have jobs and are out nicking bikes in the first place...

Originally Posted by Jelster

If anybody challenges them the line I have heared is "Should have paid the HP then we wouldn't have to reposses (sp?) it". That's normally enough to convince most bystanders...
.

Yep. Sadly very few people are comfortable challenging people who appear to be stealing cars/bikes. One show (I forget what it was, may of been top gear) did a test, whereby one of their guys broke into a car (that they'd planted earlier) on a busy street. The one woman who asked what they were doing as he started slim-jimming it left them alone when he said it was his and he had locked the keys in the boot! No one called the police etc.

i used to know a car theif the once and he told me that if they were caught by the owner they would just say "go back to bed were avin it anyway" he said most ppl would just phone the police and let them get on with it! < scum bag i know! aint seen the guy for years i think he went for a spell of her magestys service!

Originally Posted by Jelster

Even heavy duty chains only stop the oportunist thief, as the professionals can get through them in seconds, pick up bikes, alarms wailing, and stick them in a van.

Not sure I would agree with the 'seconds' bit. I've got an almax imobilizer chain around a tree and the only way anyone can get through that is with an angle grinder which would take a bit longer and make quite a bit of noise.

I've got an almax as well cos it came top in a ride mag test. Chained right around the bike and ground anchored to the floor of my garage. Which is double padlocked.... not that I'm paranoid.

Rig the bike with explosives. If you cant have it neither can they Then you'll kill some f***ers and claim back on fire and theft

Originally Posted by falc

Rig the bike with explosives. If you cant have it neither can they Then you'll kill some f***ers and claim back on fire and theft

You been watching the Lotus in 'For Your Eyes Only' recently?

Mine just a heavy lock on the fron, is in a locked garden that has virtually no access. When out and about it just has the front wheels locked. Apparently picking bikes up is uncommon in Holland as there isn;t a market for it over here.

However, the amount of front and rear scooter wheels I've seen around is scary