Lock up the bikes!

[bob393]

I just had the strangest thing happen to me.

Two guys stopped by the house and said they saw my Katana sitting out front last week with no plastics on it. Than asked me if I needed any parts for my bike because his brother had just blown the engine on his bike and he had all the parts I might need. Then not two minuets later the State Police stop by and told me there is a ring of motorcycle thief's in my area and I need to lock up my bikes. I told the investigator the first part of the story and they assured me that my house had already been cased and I need to lock my bikes up better than they are.

My question is any ideas short of drilling a hole in the foundation to run a chain through?

[icemachines007]

Bob393, Yeah that's a sticky one. I can share what I have done, a while ago the bad people were using large snipe bars to lift the garage door and have a buddy reach on the top with a wire hook to pull the rope release of the door. The one you pull when the power goes out. So us bikers have bolted that release now since power problems mean stay at home and drink....lol. I have a steel bar that holds metal brackets which my front step sits on. I took the bolt off and built a metal plate with a huge hole to run a massive chain through. I lock this through the rear frame and rear wheel and then run a cable lock through my front wheel and centre stand. The bad people would have to work very hard to steel my iron. If you have any windows in your garage I would suggest putting a blind or a frost window film to prevent easy pepping in. Other suggestion is a big mean dog. I feel your stress man....it sucks. Good luck.

[JoshBMW]

If they want it they will get it.

The idea is just to make it that little bit harder so they pass and go after the guy down the street

I run a cable around a foundation pillar in my parking garage. Cable around the fram of a parked truck, big tree ect may help.

[trc.rhubarb]

Cheap video surveillance, good insurance, tie the rope around the bar, no need to bolt the release.

Anything you can do to attach it, there are probably tools in your garage to defeat it so why bother too much.

Make friends with all your neighbors and have the best outdoor lighting on your street.

If I know I'm going away for a while, I'll block my driveway with my truck to make things more difficult to sneak in and out quietly.

Lastly, change your habits some if you can. If you work regular hours, try to work from home once in a while or take a different vehicle to confuse people on when you are and aren't home.

[ka5ysy]

Lots of sodium flood lamps. Crooks hate those. And 12 Ga shotguns being racked. And big bad dogs.

[nanotech9]

leave the bike where it is. Take a few days off work. Hide in the shadows with a 12ga. Theft problem solved.

[DarthJ]

Our neighborhood has the best deterrent, a LOT of LEOs in the area. Always a few trucks that have POLICE, Border Patrol or Sheriff on them. Plus, a military town so plenty of DOD stickers on cars. We tend to watch out for one another here, too. If we leave for somewhere and take my fiancee's car, I'll put my truck dead center of the garage door (one-car, sucks, I know) and have it as close as I can (without hitting it of course.)

[manfromthestix]

Originally Posted by JoshBMW

If they want it they will get it.

The idea is just to make it that little bit harder so they pass and go after the guy down the street

Back when I lived in Wyoming I met a guy who had just moved from Fort Collins, Colorado to Lander, Wyoming. The last straw for him in Ft. Collins was when he rode up to his house at 4:00 in the afternoon, got off his 12GSA, went into the house for about 5 minutes to grab something, and popped right back out. When he got back outside his GSA was gone. His neighbors were all outside, kids were being dropped off the school bus, cars were driving around, etc. When he and the cops started asking around for witnesses, they had quite a few. The witnesses said that they had seen him ride up and go inside, then a minute later a big 4-door pickup truck rolled up, four large guys got out with two metal bars, ran them through the wheels, picked the bike up and loaded it into the truck without ever even rolling it, and were gone in less than a minute. They all said it happened so fast they never even had a chance to think about what was happening and note the vehicle license or get more than a generic description of the men or the truck. A 650 pound motorcycle gone in 60 seconds in full daylight with dozens of people all around.

How do you combat that kind of shite? I have no valid suggestions.

Good luck, you guys.

Doug

[Future ten]

Panzer the wonder dawg. He doesn't care for kawasakis but he's pretty good at making a first impression.

[TN3Sport]

Chain or cable it to something that can't be moved.
A few years back, in Tampa, an organized team came in with a couple trucks. One was a big pickup with a boom wench mounted on it. The team drove up, swung the boom over the bike, lifted it, swung the bike into another truck and were gone in about 90 seconds. Cops said they had reports of 9 bikes taken that night using that method. Don't know if they ever got caught.
But, they didn't get mine as I ran a cheap locking cable through my wheel and around a light post.

I didn't have a high dollar security solution, but it was just enough that the bad guys moved on to the next bike...

[WindSailor]

A buddy of mine has an alarm system. The real main problem with his that when activated it tends to drag down the main battery. He has also said in south Cal; perps drive around with a 'low bed' trailer - look for the bike they want - drive up next to it - tip it over onto and into the bed of the trailer - tarp it - and move on. Quick and easy, no lifting.

I was thinking of buying a cover to put over the bike when I stay at motel rooms on a trip, that way the perp wont know what kind of bike it is (should buy a cover that says "Kawasaki" on it or something similar - maybe even "KTM" - that ought to sour them).

Personally I foresee an alarm and a cover for me in the near future. AND a big chain.

[mattjw916]

buy insurance and not worry is my method...

[nanotech9]

Originally Posted by DarthJ

Our neighborhood has the best deterrent, a LOT of LEOs in the area. Always a few trucks that have POLICE, Border Patrol or Sheriff on them. Plus, a military town so plenty of DOD stickers on cars. We tend to watch out for one another here, too. If we leave for somewhere and take my fiancee's car, I'll put my truck dead center of the garage door (one-car, sucks, I know) and have it as close as I can (without hitting it of course.)

yeah - thats the worst deterrent. My G/F routinely parks her patrol car in the driveway and yet I've had a smittybilt winch stolen out the back of the XJ, and had my truck rifled through. We keep odd hours, someone is almost always home, etc. two houses down, Sheriff. a dozen other cops in the neighborhood (fairly decent one at that).

[JPSpen]

Wireless remote alarm... Somebody messes with the bike.. Alarm pages you... You go and shoot the sucker...(Crap, I spelled that wrong, Should have been sucker with an "F"...)
Put it on a battery tender to make sure the battery doesn't go down...

John

[t6pilot]

Best to remove keys from bike when in garage amazing how many leave keys in bike
Park bikes in forward part of garage with cars behind, don't forget to lock cars
Make it time consuming to steal bikes
Freekin thrives hate it