Hello everyone, my 2 stroke bike was stolen outside the store the other day. I was only in the store for about 10 minutes and when I came out I just saw the wire lock hanging from the pole. it was a decently thick wire too, so I believe a bolt cutter was used or something of that sort. I am now working on a 4stroke bike built and would like to make sure it doesnt get stolen. I have seen 18mm thick U- bolt locks for sale, but would these even work? I heard people can still drill them loose etc. What are your ultimate anti theft set ups?
what are your best theft prevention methods?
- Thread starter jerry campo
- Start date
Sigh, unfortunately bikes are one of those things that actually are to easy to steal. The best you can do is get either a thick ubolt lock, yes they can be grinded through, however 18mm and up are very hard to get through and usually you have to have something very noisy to get through them there only weakness is the lock drum the use. Secondly a solid chain and I mean solid as in really sturdy thick rungs (12mm), when using a thick chain use a combination lock because it's almost impossible to drill through the locking mech. And I'm saying almost yes you can do it it just takes time and again noisy tools. There biggest weakness is usually the lock you choose a good master lock or dial style combo lock with a thick ubolt will generally be tough enough though.
Edit: dont use wire bike locks there just so easy to cut, even a crappy set of bolt cutters or certain low gauge wire snips will brake them easily
Edit: dont use wire bike locks there just so easy to cut, even a crappy set of bolt cutters or certain low gauge wire snips will brake them easily
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thanks for the input! as long as I have something that would be a lot of trouble to break into im ok with that, the idea is to buy as much time as possible to catch the thief in action or even make them give up in fear of being caught. ive seen 18mm ranging in price form $30 dollars to $130. would i be ok with either one
Yea you should be fine with one in the $30 to $50 range generally those have a little bit better steel and its harder to cut through.
Bolt cutters iare not something the average person just keeps in the car. Good chance someone decided to take your bike days in advance. No lock will stop a real dirt bag. Early morning is best because the type of people you want to avoid are in smaller numbers. I also locks that create problems for the common "handy man" tool set.
True, even if not planning to take his bike they probably saw many people parking up bikes and decided to wait. However defeating bolt cutters is your biggest challenge angle grinders are just to noisy and draw to much attention where bolt cutters are quick and generally silent. But yea locks are usually the biggest weakness if there easily messed with.
I once had to cut through my own U-lock in a busy downtown plaza. I used my buddy’s cordless sawzall under the watchful eyes of dozens. Only one girl asked if it was my bike; I replied it doesn’t matter what I say! It took me only about 15 seconds to cut through, and was loud as f**k. Bottom line is there is nothing you can do short of not letting it out of your sight.
One thing I read here is you can drill a small hole through the head tube and steerer, and put a nail in to lock the steering. Take a lot longer to figure that one out than to cut a lock.
One thing I read here is you can drill a small hole through the head tube and steerer, and put a nail in to lock the steering. Take a lot longer to figure that one out than to cut a lock.
The average person is somewhere between neutral and evil. Americans Will Always Do the Right Thing — After Exhausting All the Alternatives.
Hi I'm not sure how this idea of mine will work but check out this , so to safe a motorized bicycle, electric shock, so like the cattle wire around a farm are low voltage but high in amperage to shock the **** out of anything that touches it like me, I've tried it that **** gets you good, so if a battery was incorporated with a capacitor of some sort and really i don't know electricity for **** but I've read somewhere that its been done not sure where but I think it's a great idea
I use a combination lock bike chain (the thin cycle lock kind that are easy enough to bolt cut). Additionally, I always cover my bike with a rain cover, even in summer weather, and that seems to have made a major difference somehow.
Finally, and most notably, I installed an alarm under the fairing, close to the engine. This alarm goes off if the bike is nudged. They are cheap, quite sensitive, and awfully loud. Plus, just the act of pointing your keyring at your covered bike, and the bike responding with a very loud beeping, is enough to deter most bystanders.
As long as I remain within earshot of the bike, which is easy to do all of the time for me, it's generally pretty resistant to theft.
I live in a house with no garden and the bike is parked overnight on the pavement outside my house. Over the last year there have been 2 occasions where I leaned out of the window, after hearing the bike give a warning beep, and saw youths walking quickly away from the bike.
No solution is foolproof, but the alarm really has given me a lot more security, and seems an extremely effective way to deter theft. You can get one for <20 from amazon. The batteries only last a few months, but are easy to replace, and as long as the alarm is fitted somewhere that's not too easy to smash with a hammer, there's no way a thief is going to remove your lock without you knowing about it immediately.
Finally, and most notably, I installed an alarm under the fairing, close to the engine. This alarm goes off if the bike is nudged. They are cheap, quite sensitive, and awfully loud. Plus, just the act of pointing your keyring at your covered bike, and the bike responding with a very loud beeping, is enough to deter most bystanders.
As long as I remain within earshot of the bike, which is easy to do all of the time for me, it's generally pretty resistant to theft.
I live in a house with no garden and the bike is parked overnight on the pavement outside my house. Over the last year there have been 2 occasions where I leaned out of the window, after hearing the bike give a warning beep, and saw youths walking quickly away from the bike.
No solution is foolproof, but the alarm really has given me a lot more security, and seems an extremely effective way to deter theft. You can get one for <20 from amazon. The batteries only last a few months, but are easy to replace, and as long as the alarm is fitted somewhere that's not too easy to smash with a hammer, there's no way a thief is going to remove your lock without you knowing about it immediately.
I personally use 2 keyed locks. They are a 18 mm U lock and a 18 mm Kevlar sleeved stainless steel cable. Always use both locks. A good quality set of locks will cost around $70. As a complementary asset you can get alarms, cell phone notifiers and tracking chips. The complementary items aren't ment to replace locks. Even when locked don't leave your bike unattended any longer than necessary. Always store your bike in a secure structure. Never store it on your front porch.
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Very bad idea. You don't know who might come into contact with that bike. Big law suit when some curious child touches that bike.
In the USA booby traps are illegal.
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Yup. Liability is everything. I don’t let people ride or even sit on my bike anymore. If they fall on it they could take me for a lot more than the price of the bike.
I’ve thought about the seat taser myself tho, there are vids online for that, bait bike.
Heaven forbid Murphy's law happens and you're the one who gets tazzed while you're riding lol☇☇☇
All ideas above have merit but the weakest link on any MB 2 or 4 stroke is the kill switch. I yanked the recoil start and cooling shroud that the kill switch was mounted in and rewired the kill circuit to a keyed switch mounted on the neck. Follow the Rabbits Foot key chain, at present it is the best photo I have.
Tom
Tom
Dang Jerry I hate to hear this, like has been said already lock simply slow thieves down. I have a huge locking cable I bought to lock my hunting stand to a tree on public land, it 3/8 cable and very sturdy. My hope is a crook would see the size of the cable and look elsewhere.
A kill switch lock is a nice extra to have but I agree it shouldn't be the primary security system. A good set of cable and U locks should be the primary system. These can slow a thief down enough for a cell phone notifier to let you know your bike is being messed with. An alarm hopefully will discourage a thief there isn't time to defeat the locks. Last of all a tracking chip can help you locate your stolen property. Most of all limit the time to a minimum your bike is left unattended outside of a secure structure.
