Thiefs! Vans! Alarms! Insurance!

[woo]

Honest opinion is that alarms on sports bikes are useless!

I took my datatool alarm&immobilser off my R1 cos it caused more trouble than it was worth!

In terms of insurance you will probably only get about £50 off your insurance whilst the dam alarm costs £200-£300, some saving that is!

An alarm wont deter a thief with a van cos the reality is by the time you have heard the alarm and give chase the bike is in the van and gone!
It only takes two men with poles to lift the bike and this can be done in less than a minute even if you have a chain round both wheels if it is not locked to something solid.

Then will come out the bolt croppers and all these so called sold secure, thatcham approved locks have been proven to be bolt cropped in less than 1 minute!

Its really easy to silence an alarm cos most alarms on sports bikes are either under the pillion seat compartment or under the left or right side of the rear fairing which can easily be silenced with expanding foam!

I have pushed my R1 and previous bikes down busy london roads even with police going past me with the alarm blaring and not had anyone bat an eye lid or even care, if i was a thief i would be laughing !

Some of the best and easiest steals are in front of people in busy places!

Okay the alarm may give you piece of mind but thats just an illusion to make you sleep better at night!

And dont say i have a dog cos when the dog gets hit on the head with spanner or bolt croppers by the thief your dog will feel soft green grass beneath his feet and be so happy cos he will be in dog heaven cos he is already dead!

Best security is to get a good quality chain (Almax) and ground anchor!

An opportunist thief cant nick a bike that has a chain round the wheel unless you are smart and leave the keys in the locks!

As for locks going through the front or back wheel for us sports bike riders it only takes a few seconds to undo the nuts on the front & back wheels of our sports bikes then the bike can be lifted away leaving the wheels and chain!

The worst thing is thats the only practical way we sports bike riders can lock our bikes cos its virtually impossible to get a chain through the frame and any thief with the know how knows this!

So either way we are screwed but thats the best we can do!

Im no thief but its good to sometimes know reformed thiefs for advice

What do you think?
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Elen sila lummen omentielvo!

[G]

I don't think expensive alarms are good value for money.

However a cheap ebay one (ie £20) I'm happy enough with, as it may mean the difference between someone going for my bike or the one next to it.

May not discourage pro-thieves so much, but I reckon does help a bit - even that people see it flashing / beeping when it arms as you walk off may deter any chavs looking on.

[Itchy]

that sounds almost like that WTO poster G,

Please do not break my windows

Starbucks is to the left , McDonalds is to the right .


but anyway , I think one of those rape alarms placed strategically £5 (electronic ones not the anti rape gas horns) , which need to be disabled before starting on a v simple circuit, are a good choice!.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[G]

<shrugs>, that's essentially what you are doing with any kind of bike security - making it more hassle for them to go for your bike.

Rape alarm that goes on hotwiring will be no use for a van-job I expect.
Plenty of the ebay alarms are far louder than is allowed by UK rules I believe.

[Bendy]

My bike wasn't stolen because the alarm scared them off. Worth the money, in my experience.

Of course you're an idiot if you think an alarm is a magic device that means your bike cannot be stolen, but anything that alerts you (you, sod everyone else) to the fact that someone's touching it is worth its weight in gold.

[kkhalil76]

I was thinking of getting one, just as a deterrent for the lazy or less competent thief, so not looking to spend much, is this any good?

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MOTORBIKE-MOTORCYCLE-ALARM-IMMOBOLISER-2007-UK_W0QQitemZ230086814430QQihZ013QQcategoryZ25643QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[MattEMulsion]

I have a Meta cat1 alarm/immobiliser on my bike and I think that using as much security as possible is the best option. Okay an alarm won't stop your bike getting nicked but it all helps.

Its not always possible when you are out and about to a: carry a chain with you, & b: find something to anchor it to.

So when I am out and about I stick my disc lock on the wheel, set the alarm and thats about as good as security as it gets without being impractical about it.
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Yamaha YZF-R6

[Project9928]

The best thing to keep your bike from getting stolen, is to keep it out of sight. At work my bike is quite well hidden and at home its hidden out of sight.

I have an alarm on bike just for the immobilizer bit because the barrel can be easily drilled. Also the noise from the alarm does help, if it goes off I can get out the office and to the gates of the carpark quickly.

But if someone really wants your bike, they'll get it no matter what its locked up with.