Tickly McNips
New member
Hey all,
If you're anything like me you're probably borderline obsessed about the security of your motorbike in an attempt to prevent that gut wrenching morning you wake up and find that it's gone. I'm a daily commuter on my MT and I can't be without it so I take lots of steps to make sure it's still there when I wake up in the morning. I read this article yesterday where a group on Reddit managed to get an "Ask Me Anything" from a bike thief and he gave up frank answers to some questions people have about how these guys tend to operate and what they look for when they're looking for bikes to pinch. It's quite America-centric but I'd imagine the thieving buggers operate in much the same way in the UK.
Interview With a Motorcycle Thief
I was just wondering what everybody's thoughts were on the security of their bike and what novel tips they have to make stealing it as difficult as possible.
Unfortunately for me I don't have a garage I can lock it up in, I have to leave it on my driveway behind the Mrs' car, so I've had to go all out on the visible security in order to deter tea-leaves from having a go. Luckily it's parked literally right outside our living-room window which is right underneath our bedroom window so it's always within earshot when we're in the house. My setup is as follows.
- First and foremost I cemented in a ground anchor, I went for the Pragmasis TORC Ground Anchor (pictured) (Torc Ground Anchor from Pragmasis - Police-Approved and Sold Secure-Approved Security Anchor) You'd need a tank or be the incredible hulk to pull it out of the ground! You hammer ball bearings into the bolt ends so that it's basically impervious to attack without lots of time/noise/effort which Thieves are adverse to.
- I chain my bike to the ground anchor through the bike's rear wheel (nowhere on the frame to go through) I'm using the Almax Immobilizer Series IV Chain and Squire SS65CS Stronghold Padlock (Almax Immobiliser Series IV Uber + Squire SS65CS Lock | Almax Security Chains) It's (supposedly) uncroppable by virtue of the fact it's so thick, and (supposedly) invulnerable to most attacks, you'd need an angle grinder and time to get through it and the padlock is (supposedly) unpickable and "shrouded" so it's very difficult to attack with croppers. The chain/padlock combo weighs a bloody ton, it really feels serious and gives you confidence nobody is getting through it.
- I also put an 110db alarmed ABUS GRANIT Detecto X Plus 8077 disk lock on the front disk and I've got another similar model (it's predecessor I believe) on the back disk. They seem to me to be pretty much invulnerable to attack, they'd have to remove the wheels all the while the 110db alarms would be going off.
- Over all of this I've got a manky old (but well fitted) cover which I think is probably the most important part of this security setup as it effectively neutralizes the appearance of the bike by masking the shape/size/appeal.
- The bike is Datatagged (for what it's worth), and it's got the Yamaha immobilizer on it. Daft thing, but I always put the steering lock on it. I see so many bikes which havn't!
I take the disk locks with me to work and put them on the front and back when it's parked up which is fortunately right next to our reception where we have 24hr manned security so I don't worry too much when i'm at work. There's also a regular flow of people coming in/out of the building so they'd have to be really audacious/dumb to take it when it's at work, not to mention it's accompanied by several other bikes which aren't as locked down as mine.
I'm thinking about getting an IP Camera, something like this Wansview 1080P 2.0MP WiFi Wireless IP Camera, Full HD: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics trained on my driveway which will detect movement and email/text me the videos and pictures.
So yeah, a bit overkill maybe but it's a small price to pay (ish) for piece of mind. I'm always conscious in the mornings that if there was anyone who wanted to knick it and they had half a brain they'd probably wait for me to unlock it and be riding out of my estate and just jump me for it, so I'm extra vigilant when I'm riding into and out of me estate towards my house.
Are there any Motorbike thieves on here who could advice me on where i'm going wrong?
If you're anything like me you're probably borderline obsessed about the security of your motorbike in an attempt to prevent that gut wrenching morning you wake up and find that it's gone. I'm a daily commuter on my MT and I can't be without it so I take lots of steps to make sure it's still there when I wake up in the morning. I read this article yesterday where a group on Reddit managed to get an "Ask Me Anything" from a bike thief and he gave up frank answers to some questions people have about how these guys tend to operate and what they look for when they're looking for bikes to pinch. It's quite America-centric but I'd imagine the thieving buggers operate in much the same way in the UK.
Interview With a Motorcycle Thief
I was just wondering what everybody's thoughts were on the security of their bike and what novel tips they have to make stealing it as difficult as possible.
Unfortunately for me I don't have a garage I can lock it up in, I have to leave it on my driveway behind the Mrs' car, so I've had to go all out on the visible security in order to deter tea-leaves from having a go. Luckily it's parked literally right outside our living-room window which is right underneath our bedroom window so it's always within earshot when we're in the house. My setup is as follows.
- First and foremost I cemented in a ground anchor, I went for the Pragmasis TORC Ground Anchor (pictured) (Torc Ground Anchor from Pragmasis - Police-Approved and Sold Secure-Approved Security Anchor) You'd need a tank or be the incredible hulk to pull it out of the ground! You hammer ball bearings into the bolt ends so that it's basically impervious to attack without lots of time/noise/effort which Thieves are adverse to.
- I chain my bike to the ground anchor through the bike's rear wheel (nowhere on the frame to go through) I'm using the Almax Immobilizer Series IV Chain and Squire SS65CS Stronghold Padlock (Almax Immobiliser Series IV Uber + Squire SS65CS Lock | Almax Security Chains) It's (supposedly) uncroppable by virtue of the fact it's so thick, and (supposedly) invulnerable to most attacks, you'd need an angle grinder and time to get through it and the padlock is (supposedly) unpickable and "shrouded" so it's very difficult to attack with croppers. The chain/padlock combo weighs a bloody ton, it really feels serious and gives you confidence nobody is getting through it.
- I also put an 110db alarmed ABUS GRANIT Detecto X Plus 8077 disk lock on the front disk and I've got another similar model (it's predecessor I believe) on the back disk. They seem to me to be pretty much invulnerable to attack, they'd have to remove the wheels all the while the 110db alarms would be going off.
- Over all of this I've got a manky old (but well fitted) cover which I think is probably the most important part of this security setup as it effectively neutralizes the appearance of the bike by masking the shape/size/appeal.
- The bike is Datatagged (for what it's worth), and it's got the Yamaha immobilizer on it. Daft thing, but I always put the steering lock on it. I see so many bikes which havn't!
I take the disk locks with me to work and put them on the front and back when it's parked up which is fortunately right next to our reception where we have 24hr manned security so I don't worry too much when i'm at work. There's also a regular flow of people coming in/out of the building so they'd have to be really audacious/dumb to take it when it's at work, not to mention it's accompanied by several other bikes which aren't as locked down as mine.
I'm thinking about getting an IP Camera, something like this Wansview 1080P 2.0MP WiFi Wireless IP Camera, Full HD: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics trained on my driveway which will detect movement and email/text me the videos and pictures.
So yeah, a bit overkill maybe but it's a small price to pay (ish) for piece of mind. I'm always conscious in the mornings that if there was anyone who wanted to knick it and they had half a brain they'd probably wait for me to unlock it and be riding out of my estate and just jump me for it, so I'm extra vigilant when I'm riding into and out of me estate towards my house.
Are there any Motorbike thieves on here who could advice me on where i'm going wrong?
