How do you prevent your bike from getting stolen or messed with?

R

River

New Member
My brothers bike got stolen, but out of his open garage while he was inside, so it wasn't locked. I was riding my bike today and saw a cut lock laying right next to a bike rack. The guy who sold me my bike kit (haven't got it yet) is giving me some loctite, so I'm not really worried about the engine itself getting stolen, but I was going to rid it to school and I'm worried someone is going to mess with it while I'm not there, like pour something on it to screw it up or something. I was going to use several locks, put a lock on the back tire so its unrideable if it is stolen, lock the front tire to the rack, and lock the frame to the rack, maybe via the handlebars. I was thinking I would put a really heavy duty lock (maybe one that claims its "indestructable") for locking the frame to the rack, and cheaper locks on the tires. Maybe taking the gas tank off and put it in my backpack? Any ideas for either locking the bike, or preventing someone from messing with it, would be greatly appreciated.
 
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River said:
My brothers bike got stolen...
...Maybe taking the gas tank off and put it in my backpack?
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Taking the gas tank off and trying to carry it around? heheh, Naw, not a good idea bud ;-}

A good lock and ignition switch are the easiest for you and hardest for a would be thief.

I didn't do the lock yesterday afternoon and one of mine was stolen because my ditsy roommate left the garage door open.
I do however have the satisfaction of knowing they won't be able make it run until put a new CDI on it because I epoxy my unique ignition keyswitch module on the CDI and it was turned off.

The jerk that stole it may be able to force the keyswitch but unlikely. The 4 tumbler switches I use are for things like cash registers and servers, and trying to force the module off is likely to rip the cdi wires out rendering it useless.

3 other easy things are turn both gas valves off, and disengage the the clutch lock so it won't roll unless they engage it.
 
Great tips KC, awesome ignition btw.

River, they make motion sensor alarms for bicycles. I got a chinese one on ebay for $6, it goes off loud as **** if the bike moves at all, and you have to punch in a code to disarm. They also make alarmed locks. Do a Google search for "bicycle alarm locks", there's a ton. That would help dissuade any would be thief. Especially when your bike starts screaming at 120db! dance1

I wouldn't take your gas can with you either. No matter how tight you seal it, it'll still stink like gas.
 
Yeah I figured if I could seal it up really well, it wouldn't smell or leak, but if it did, that would suck.

That keylock ignition sounds cool, so does the motion sensor, I'll have to read up on both of those.

I'd like to know if anyone else has ahd their bikes stolen, and what preventative measures were taken, where was it locked, what was it locked too, what time of day, etc.

Thanks for all the info!
 
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well, the first thing to do to keep your bike from getting stolen is to lock the garage. if you're gonna be lazy and leave it open, you might as well just leave it on the sidewalk with a "FREE BIKE" sign.

get yourself a good combination U-lock, like a Kryptonite. don't buy a cheap chinese one, get the real thing. cables and padlocks can be cut easy enough, but about the only way to open a u-lock is with a car jack (unless it's an old one cylindrical keyed one that you could open with a bic pen, but those have all been recalled.)

lock your bike to something secure. not a post that can be pulled out of the ground or unbolted.

if you can't lock it somewhere that you can keep an eye on it, make sure someone else can, in a high traffic area. it's less likely to get snagged if there's people walking by all the time.

unless you can find a locking gas cap, there's not much you can do about someone messing with it. vandals suck, and no matter what you do, if someone wants to mess it up, they could.

if you can legally register your bike and get a plate, do it. that way if it does get ripped, you can report it and it's in a database.

bottom line, if someone wants it, they'll get it.
 
Well where I live, I could keep my garage open all day, and nothing would be gone. I live in a pretty populated city, but my house is down a dirt road, with tons of trees, it is at least 100 yards from any main road,, I'm not worried about it getting stolen at home, and I know all my neighbors really well, they wouldn't steal anything from me. My main concern is when I'm out riding, and have to lock it up at a rack where there isn't a lot of people, target for instance, there are always people there, coming in, going out, but the bike rack is not on the same side as the intrance, the only thing next to the rack is the bench where every once in a while, there is an employee on break.

I forgot about Ulocks, thats what I need! So I'm thinking at least 1 ulock, to lock the frame to the rack, maybe another to lock the wheel to the rack. And I looked at that keylock ignition, I think I will be getting one of those for sure.



Where can I get a locking gas cap? Are these tank's caps generally the same size as motorcycles? If they are, auto zone would probably have one. I guess I will jsut do all of those things, try and park in busy places, and hope for the best. If I did get it registered, wouldn't I need to insure it, get a driver's license, etc?
 
i dunno what you'd have to do in florida to register it. in california, it's just 19 bucks and send in the paperwork. no insurance or anything is required. check with your DMV website.

gas cap, i dunno either. you'd just have to match one up.

i wouldn't worry about locking up a back wheel, because with the two chains it's such a pain to get it off, it'd take awhile for somone to try to steal it. also, most Ulocks you can put it through the wheel and the frame at the same time.

same with the motor. it would take so long to pull the chain, cut the wires, etc, it just wouldn't be worth it.

most thefts are "thefts of opportunity." leaving it unlocked or an open garage where they can just ride it away. if thieves have to work at it, they're more likely to leave it alone.
 
bairdco said:
i dunno what you'd have to do in florida to register it. in california, it's just 19 bucks and send in the paperwork. no insurance or anything is required. check with your DMV website.

gas cap, i dunno either. you'd just have to match one up.

i wouldn't worry about locking up a back wheel, because with the two chains it's such a pain to get it off, it'd take awhile for somone to try to steal it. also, most Ulocks you can put it through the wheel and the frame at the same time.

same with the motor. it would take so long to pull the chain, cut the wires, etc, it just wouldn't be worth it.

most thefts are "thefts of opportunity." leaving it unlocked or an open garage where they can just ride it away. if thieves have to work at it, they're more likely to leave it alone.
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Wow, I'll definetely look into that. Just went for a ride (on my soon to be motorized bike, don't have my engine kit yet) and I passed walmart, and saw another cut lock laying on the ground, and a bike locked to the rack with a missing back wheel. Definitely getting some Ulocks.
 
In Gainesville, a U-lock does the job just fine. If you lock it around the frame (maybe through a wheel also) to something metal, it should be able to prevent theft. Never had my bike messed with and I've had it here for a year now. The loctite will hold the engine in place, as long as noone steals the bicycle.

-Chris
 
I left my bike outside of 7-11 the other day and left it right outside without locking it and while I was in line some punk kid thought he could ride away but didnt know you had to pull the clutch. I ran outside and chased him away but couldnt follow him all the way because I didnt want anyone else to jack my bike. That kid better hope he doesnt ever see me again. I dont care if he is in high school I will still beat the crap out of him.There are so many shady F=ers out there It really sucks. I try to never leave my bike locked up for too long.
 
if u get real fancy u could put ur gas tank in and old ammo can lock that up but ur best bet it is make sure u turn the fuel line off and these two things
1 always look inside the tank before starting up
2 put little sharpie lines on the cap and tank and when u park line those lines up if some1 puts in back on their not gona take time to line it up (did this in 4 yrs ago in high school)

3 u should be able to pop off the front wheel and put it up against the back whell their by locking the frame and whells and always pop ur seat off and take it with u had to ride home with no seat some a!! stole mine

for locks go u lock or cable u cant cut a cable with bolt cutters i used to use a cable and a u lock other than the seat nothing got stolen

good luck if u find a locking gas cap let me know .flg..flg..flg.
 
Don't know if this would work, or if there is enough juice, but how about hooking up the white wire to the seat with a switch, to make a "hot seat".... if some unknowing dirt-bag would try to take it for an unauthorized spin it could give the family jewels a little zap, if there is enough juice anyways. Just a thought.
Cheers
Chainmaker
 
Wow, you guys have it rough. Maybe you don't make enough noise with your firearms to keep the thieves alert.
 
Reading these kinds of threads makes me paranoid! I've never had anyone mess with my bike, but when I go to a gas station I always park it next to the window so that I can see it when I'm inside, none of the gas stations around here have a good place to lock it up. And I always chain it up at the grocery store. Those are the only two places I go where I would have to leave my bike unattended. But still, I'm starting to wonder if my cable lock is enough.

P.S. love the hot-seat idea. :D
 
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River said:
My brothers bike got stolen, but out of his open garage while he was inside, so it wasn't locked. I was riding my bike today and saw a cut lock laying right next to a bike rack. The guy who sold me my bike kit (haven't got it yet) is giving me some loctite, so I'm not really worried about the engine itself getting stolen, but I was going to rid it to school and I'm worried someone is going to mess with it while I'm not there, like pour something on it to screw it up or something. I was going to use several locks, put a lock on the back tire so its unrideable if it is stolen, lock the front tire to the rack, and lock the frame to the rack, maybe via the handlebars. I was thinking I would put a really heavy duty lock (maybe one that claims its "indestructable") for locking the frame to the rack, and cheaper locks on the tires. Maybe taking the gas tank off and put it in my backpack? Any ideas for either locking the bike, or preventing someone from messing with it, would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

They do make a heavy duty lock. We had truble with people cutting chaine and lock at a privet camp site. Untill I got some heavy temperd chaine and a heavy lock. That has been 6years ago. The lock has marks on it were they tried to cut but couldn't.
 
sucks my bike was stolen 4 days ago to. i miss her sooo freaking much. i even seen the guy rip past me 2 days later at night, i tryed to stop him he was going fast i built it good. i would suggest only using u lock, put it in the open place where u can see it along with everybody else, i only wish i did that very late a timmys when i got a coffee :(
 
Holy crap, I got it.

What about, something like, a pull pin for the clutch handle. When you finishing riding the bike, you take the pin out where the clutch handle would normally connect to the handle bars. So the handle and the handlebar part are 2 seperate parts. This way they can't pull in the clutch without using their hand on the cable.
 
demac said:
sucks my bike was stolen 4 days ago to. i miss her sooo freaking much. i even seen the guy rip past me 2 days later at night, i tryed to stop him he was going fast i built it good. i would suggest only using u lock, put it in the open place where u can see it along with everybody else, i only wish i did that very late a timmys when i got a coffee :(
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carry a rod or small pipe If you see him again get it in the spokes?
 
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