Motorbike Security

Even though motorbikes are harder to protect than other vehicles, the following advice and devices can make all the difference.

• If you park your bike in public whilst out, park it in the busiest public place possible.

• If you have a daily routine, try to vary your parking place.

• When available, always use purpose built motorcycle areas (i.e. with fixed parking stands or other ground anchors).

• Use an engraving kit or a security marker pen to mark your motorcycle with identifying details (vehicle ID code, number plate or your postcode).

• Don’t leave your keys in an easy to find place, this is becoming a popular way to steal motorbikes and cars.

Things to consider whilst parking, locking and storing your bike:

• Always engage the steering lock.

• Don’t just put the chain though the wheel. Wherever possible, attach the motorcycle to an immovable object or another motorcycle, using high-tension steel cable and a high quality padlock, or a U-lock through the rear wheel or frame.

• Don’t leave possessions (crash helmet etc) with the motorcycle or in pannier bags.

• When choosing security devices, consider purchasing those ‘gold’ rated by www.soldsecure.com. Sold Secure do not make or sell anything, they test and grade them independently.

• Try not to leave your garage open and make sure you machine is covered, even when you at home. More and more thieves are stealing bikes to order, so a motorbike moped locked up against ground anchor in text imagespotted today may be stolen tomorrow.

Ground Anchor

Don’t position it in the middle of the garage. If placed in a corner or along one side, a thief has less space to work around your bike with an angle grinder or other tools.

Garage Alarm

If installing a motion sensitive garage alarm, you should station the sensor and alarm unit at the far end of the garage. This will give a thief less time to disable it.

Alternatively you could fit an alarm to the light switch. This can be set to go off if the light is turned on during the hours you’re normally in bed. This is not a large job for an electrician, can be wired to the mains and needs little maintenance once installed.

Garage Lock

Use a lock like the Garage Defender. This should be fitted to the middle of the door to prevent the corner being forced.

Bike alarm

Alarms are not always the cure-all they are sold as. If nobody hears it, it is pointless. Even if someone does hear it, they are often ignored. Either social embarrassment, in case it is a false alarm, or fear of getting involved with a potentially violent thief usually stop people responding properly.

Two types of alarms worth considering are paging alarms, as you are more sure of responding than strangers on the street or talking alarms as people tend to respond better to a human voice than an anonymous siren.

Disc/U-Lock

Disc locks are only useful for stopping an opportunist thief from pushing your bike away. An organised thief with a van is just going to pick the bike up and load it in.

Long shackle “U” locks

These are effective if you buy a good quality one. Remember to lock the bike to something however.

Lock your U-lock to an immoveable object or ideally fit through the rear wheel and over the swingarm, use as well as a disc lock. Fit a disc lock snugly to the calliper.

Kill Switch

Fit a kill switch after purchase, so the thief doesn’t know where it is positioned.

Neighbours

If your neighbours don’t know who you are, they’ll never be sure who is a thief and who is the property owner. Join, or even start, a neighbourhood watch scheme.

Routine

If possible, avoid parking your bike in the same place every day. Organised bike gangs will note any bikes that they can predict the location of on the day they are active.

Guard dog

It’s not a good idea to get a Doberman if you know you’re not a doggy person. If you are choosing a dog, however, it wouldn’t hurt to choose a breed that is known to be sensitive to strangers and that makes a noise to raise the alarm.

Put up signs to warn of the dog and you may just deter a thief before they begin. Having a killer dog on the premises however, is more likely to get you into trouble than anything else, so be sensible.

CCTV

If you can’t afford your own CCTV to watch over your motorbike, buy a fake camera. These are a useful preventative measure.

Police

Ask their advice. They will have experience of dealing with the people and problems that you are trying to avoid.