Bicycle Security! Ideas, options, thoughts...

I've had my http://motorbicycling.com/f42/2010-hardrock-27538.html stolen during this past summer.

I went to my GF house to pick up my wallet I forgot and only left my bike by the front door for not even 3 minutes. I felt so stupid when i walked out and it was gone because I know better.

Luckily with a little detective work and help from a neighbor and staking out a house I was able to spot my bike and call the police to retrieve my bike.

But I learned my lesson, never, never leave your bike unlocked for even a minute cause that's all it takes.

I register all my bikes with National Bike Registry - Prevent Theft: Register your bike in the NBR Database!. Almost all law enforcement will use this to return any bikes they have to the owner. If not, it goes up for auction and you will never get it back.

Plus you receive a registration slip for your wallet and you can fill it out. For my bike it says "48cc Motor Assisted Specilized HardRock" Not only does having the 48cc help, it is a great way to prove ownership if you have police like Tucson that will impound your bike if they want to give you a hard time if you cannot prove ownership. It also helps retrieving your bike from impound if it ever ends up there.

The bottom line is LOCK YOUR BIKE with whatever type of lock you choose. From my experience no matter what type of lock or alarm you use, if they want it..they will take it. But most thefts are usually opportunity, if you can slow them down, they usually just walk away and look for something easier.

I've had 2 bikes stolen, right out of my garage. And 1 motorcycle helmet.

Snatch and run.

Now I keep the door shut unless I'm out there.

Zero bikes stolen after that.

I don't care what you have, if you leave a bike locked outside in plain view in the same place forever, it will not be there forever.

Good topic, here's the short list off the top of my head..

--

Whenever possible, lock your bike up inside. Could be in the garage, shed, porch, house, back of the van, back of the warehouse. If you have to keep it outside, find somewhere out of sight of the main approaches to your house or apartment if you can for 'home' storage, and very visible when you're out, like in front of the store you're at, not half a block away.

Always lock your bike to something that is solidly secured to the ground or building, and make sure it's a closed loop. I've watched someone lock a bike to one of those three foot tall yellow-painted barrier poles before.

Always lock both wheels, and through the frame in front of and behind the seat post.

Remove any objects on quick-mount systems when locked in public. (lights, trip comps, etc).

Use multiple locks. Anyone who really wants your bike will have it, but if you have three cable locks and a U-lock, and the next bike over has a straight chain and combo lock, yours is a bigger pain in the @$$ to steal. And you get what you pay for here as well. A cheap lock and chain is a walk in the park, if they have to work for it they may just move on.

Make sure you have the serial number off your frame and any other info you can provide, and good, clear pics of the bike (including one of the serial number if you can) in it's most basic form, and with all your mods and accessories on. (Keep a list of those, you might be surprised how many things that are on there that your bike didn't come with, if you stop to think about it).

-
Not a bad start, I think.

My bikes are locked in the garage when they're home. The overhead door has a pin in the track on each side that has to be pulled from the inside before it will open (the opener shuts off the instant it detects resistance and reverses).

In addition to a spaghetti monster of chains and cable locks through the bikes that disappear into the stuff in the garage I also have a Uniden security camera system. (Long story short, we got robbed two years ago and I got cameras). They are wireless, the receiver unit is hooked up to the house server computer. When they sense motion, they record video to the hard drive. One covers the area around the side door and my car, the other is inside and can see the doors, the bikes and the work area. The night vision on them can see bats on summer nights.

my 1996 gt timberline with shimano double wall heat treat super expensive rims and flex stem was stolen from my back yard when i left it out in the open. i found my shed door open in the morning too, so they looked in there. but it was in an even easier place- right outside the shed, leaning against the wall! it was really my dads old bike and he was pissed. man, that thing rode nice. the rear derailleur (spelling?) was so strong that in a crash, the frame mount was bent but not the derailleur. damn that was a nice bike! i want to beat the sheet out of the punk that stole it

to prevent that from happening, all i had to do was put it in the garage and lock the door. geez

other ideas specific to motor bikes: welded tabs on the gas tank so you can put a pad lock on the gas cap, to prevent punks from putting-god-knows what in your gas.

Don't use barrel locks. Don't use standard tumbler locks(like Master locks). Don't use combo-locks. Don't use chains. All of these are easily picked or cut with bolt cutters and won't make a sound. Your bike will be gone in seconds.

DO use a heavy U-lock with a proprietary tumbler mechanism. These are near impossible to pick and the bolt cutters required to cut these are too large to conceal. DO use a heavy cable along with your U-lock. Though not impossible with standard bolt cutters, they are incredibly difficult and time-consuming to cut.

I use a heavy-duty hardened steel U lock in combination with the eBay bicycle alarm. The alarm is more of a detouring device (plenty loud) and the U-lock is for security. I do recommend the alarm for the money: it's cheap, easy to use, works well, not too noticeable on the bike.

I use a New York FUGGETABOUTIT motorcycle chain. It weighs 14lbs, so I leave it on the bike rack at work. I also have another one at home.

I use a section of 3/8s logging chain. I had to use my cut off saw to cut it to length. My bolt cutters couldn't handle it. I also use disc padlock to lock it together. You cant get a bolt cutter into the bar to cut it and it uses a circular style key. Im sure if some one really wanted my bike they would cut it, but its safe enough for me.

When I'm out riding I have the thickest Kryptonite cable you can get. Got it at the Harley shop. When at home I usually keep it in the house. You can only do that if there's no woman around

two chains two locks at a minum when at home their locked in the garage other wise i use one lock to lock both the frame and the front wheel and the other to lock the frame and back wheel and i lock my seat up to anyone who wants it will take it just a matter of how much effort they have to put into it .

i have seen bikes in downtown denver with handle grips brake cables pedals everything missing just the front wheel and the frame left locked up with one of those big u locks .

my little brother whos 15 decided who would take his new bike and bike lock on a bike ride with his freind to a waly mart well he thought it would be okay to just leave it laying up against the wall inside needless to say the bike was stolen along with the new shiny lock i have no pity for him at all .

i do like that little bike alarm should keep anyone alway from it if everyone is starring at them .

eventually i will need to come up with and idea for a gas tank lock for my custom gas tank .

i saw this once some hooked a small engine ignition up to the kill switch on a bike the kind with keys . one thing that alot of guys like to do on the Toyota forum i get on is put dummy defroster switches in that go the fuel pump we should be able to use the same idea and hook up a dummy kill switch so even if they get it they will at least not be able to start it .

I've been thinking this:
Scooter, Moped and Motorcycle Locks - Hi Visibility Colors - Grip Lock
but not by itself.
This + a good U Bolt, plus a heavy chain. I've also been eyeing one of those cheap realtime GPS tracking devices, you can use with a sim card. They make them specifically for motorcycles, but they make cheaper ones for confused elderly and pets. I was thinking of hiding it in the space in my headlight the batterys used to go since I wired it up to run from a central battery for all my lights and horn etc. check lightinthebox.com
anyone done anything like this? Wouldnt that be something? your bike gets stolen, you simply activate it with a laptop or sms from your phone and go get it! It would be worth it getting stolen! well, not really...

LOL to the GPS
In my area while bike theft is rather large, if you know where to park it then there is no problem. In fact I left my regular bike unlocked completely on accident ripe for the picking next to the side walk and no one took it. The key factor there is that it is right next to my dorm. If it had a motor on it I'm sure someone may have tried somethin but nothing like cutting any lock.

What I worry about is someone wanting to steal it but maybe taking the motor off instead and trying to pawn that? Probably not very likely. Do you think someone would do that?

I need a heavier duty lock anyway, anybody have any personal recommendations on a specific lock? I wish I could use a garage, but being a dorm I must leave it outside. Toons of bikes though, frequent traffic. Not that apparently anyone notices if someone is blatantly cutting a lock. Most people assume its somebody who lost their key and has to cut it..