[Guest]

Just wondering how bad bike theft really is here in the US... I know I had a line of worry (or two) cross my forehead after my insurance guy told me his bike theft stpries (then he promptly tried to sell me a $300 bike alarm ).

I think most of it is over blown and exaggerated... but at the same time, it's not hard to imagine 3 football players jumping out of a van and tossing your bike into the back, all in less than a minute! :-/ What d'yall think?

BTW: I have an ABUS magnum chain and disc lock... where would be the best place to wrap the chain on my Monster? I'm running it through the front wheel and the front-part of the exhaust system (where the pipe connects to the engine), but it looks funny and not that secure... any suggestions?

 

[CRASH!]

I guess it depends on what you use your bike for.

I park in a barn at home. Out of sight and locked up.

At work, I park right in front of the building in a small industrial park. There's very little extraneous traffic there and there are a lot of windows facing the parking lot. A thief would have to have very large cohones to go after the bike.

On joy rides, I'm usually very near my bike when it's parked.

I had a scare a couple of months ago when I rode it to a meeting at Mass General Hospital. I was directed to the (free) motorcycle parking and I saw that all the bikes were seriously chained and locked. I had nothing with me! I worried through my whole 2-hour meetting. Fortunately it was still there when I returned!

 

[tmronin]

heh, i live in brooklyn and work in manhattan:

brooklyn: front disk lock, u-lock thru back rotor, lock the forks, cover with lock, parked in gated, lighted private parking lot.

manhattan: front disk lock, u-lock thru back rotor, lock the forks, make sure to park by other bikes and walk by it at least once during the day.

i consider myself a bit lax in my security - there are bikes that have everything i have and a big ole kryptonite chain to a lampost as well!

cheers!
steve

 

[Hanjin]

I can tell you that IN CA where I bought my salvage bike it seems to be quite bad. The salvage yard only deals in theft recovery. They had almost every Duc you could want, 996, 916, 748 etc. missing ignition or plastic parts.

 

[Bloodshot]

Here in San Francisco there are lots of bikes and most don't seem to be locked up.

 

[MonsterHooligan]

you forgot the BEST theft deterrent: GARAGE
i had 3 bikes stolen and numerous attempts despite covers, locks and alarms.
no problems in 8 years since i got a garage.
(when im traveling i use krypto cables/locks)

 

[Duc_N_Har]

Always more than 1 lock no matter where. At work always 2 locks and a cover( and I still worry) At home 2 locks on all bikes and in the locked garage right outside our bedroom window with a motion sensor light. we always take our covers and cable locks on vacation, and we try to lock them together with the cable lock.

 

[midwest]

At home I park in my locked garage. Work is gaited with security gaurds, zero chance of it being stolen there. The rest of the time I lock the fork and hope for the best. I think I live in a pretty low crime (semi-rural) area. If I had to park it in the "big city" I would take more precautions, I think.

 

[Guest]

We had a bike stolen in broad daylight in our work parking lot.
It's a large company and there is a specail cemet bike pad.
Usually a dozen or so bikes on any given day.

I was walking around the building after lunch and saw a big flatbed truck in the parking lot loading an R1. Lots of people around and no one was paying much attention to this.

Later I found out they actually stole that bike!!!
I didn't know who it belonged to (big company) so I didn't think much of it since they were out in broad daylight with lots of people out and about and they were acting very confident in what they were doing. I think that's why no one questined them.....scary!!
The bike had three locks on it too!!! They just picked it up and put it on the truck and drove away, Just like that!\
Next time I will at least tell security and get the license plate...just in case...

 

[Guest]

even in your own garage in the middle of the day your monster is not safe.
before i had mine, my garage was broke into in the middle of the day. the basterds took my 23 horse garden tractor, snowthrower attachment, dump cart, countless handtools, and they uncovered XS650 street-tracker.
i got worried and installed a radio shack alarm.
the tractor got replaced ,and was getting everything else replaced through the insrance company, it was 2 months later when they came back to get the new tractor.
my alarm called me when i was at work 100mi away, and my neighbor (the police officer) was on his roof shoveling snow.
we were on the phone with police at the same time.
my neighbor took part in the arrest.
the two basterds are in prison.

 

[Duc_N_Har]

I don't know what I'd do if I went for my bike (or truck) and it wasn't where I put it!! I think I'd faint!!!

 

[ericmonstro]

I bought a master lock cable thing. It's pretty thick and coated in plastic. I would rather have one of those kryptonite "fahghetaboutit" things. In Dallas I had it parked in a garage where lots of stuff was stolen. I had it chained with that master lock cable to a plastic sewer pipe comming from the appartments above it. I figured cutting the pipe would be the easiest way to get the bike on a lift, but that would result (in my mind at least) a bunch of crap and piss water covering the thief.

In LA I park a car bhind my bike so nobody can get it out, and I have it chained with that same master lock to a concrete post in the ground. I'm not so worried about someone riding it off (hence no disk brake lock) but more of someone loading it in a truck.

 

[Guest]

I heard somewhere that thieves in NY had sets of Krypto keys and were ripping off bikes with them... I personally am a security freak so I went with an ABUS chain and lock system - I also now eat only 2 of 3 meals a day

 

[chaf]

I honestly have no idea about theft statistics generally or in my area. I'm more worried about coming back to find the bike lying on its side, for some reason, and the same insurance takes care of both. *shrug*

Life's too short to worry about EVERYTHING; one must pick and choose carefully

M.

 

[Skier]

Disc locks,
one with alarm (Xena).

Skier

 

[MATTinMN]

You dont have "motion light, rifle w/scope" & "fat lazy dog that barks". I live in the boonies where people dont lock their doors & guns are for hunting.

 

[memonstro]

I keep my Monster in my locked garage when I'm not riding.I live in the country and have 3 doga so they would have to want it pretty bad. I should still get some kind of lock or chain though.

 

[maxpower]

Actually 2 chains with locks, 1 disk lock and a filthy cover.

After someone stole my abus chain and lock (bastages) about a month ago from a gated, surveilled, 3 floors underground parking garage - I moved the bike back home. And back home being the same apartment complex that saw my [email protected] stolen 2 1/2 years ago - and another [email protected] attempted stolen (they removed the ignition and were cutting through the chain when someone spotted them) a year and a half ago.

I have a nice hiding place for it now - no passerby traffic. Plus, I don't think there are more than 5 S4s in Ireland - so I don't think there is a big market for them. At least nowheres near the desire for those [email protected] (go figure).

 

[Guest]

I usually have my bike in my garage and locked up to my squat rack with a Kryptonite chain/lock.

 

[Guest]

When I go out, I usually don't lock my bike up. There aren't a lot of Ducs here so I lie and tell people that the blinking light is a REAL alarm. Generally, people stay away from it when I park it at the store, mall, etc. Most people know (or think) that Ducs are expensive so they assume it probably does have an alarm. I think that the blinking light is a great deterant for those who aren't familiar with Ducs.