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Easy-X |
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Easy-X Super Spammer
Joined: 08 Mar 2019 Karma :
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Posted: 04:15 - 16 Mar 2019 Post subject: Bike Security |
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On a more serious note, compared to my previous posts, there have been a series of break ins, burglaries and bike thefts in my area.
At the moment I have the back wheel chained to a post (that would only be removable with serious demolition tools) and the chain has 8mm thick links. I take it that would keep a noisy angle grinder busy for a few minutes? On top of that I'm going to add a disc lock to the front when the reminder cable turns up.
My bike has an unused factory immobiliser/alarm socket and I've got an NCS unit to plug in there.
Finally, a friend got me a GPS tracker as a gift. And this is where it all goes down hill...
It's a cheap and cheerful thing with a horrendous Chinglish manual. I have, more by luck than anything else, got it to text me a Google maps location on demand and ring me in the event of power failure (i.e. the thing has been discovered, torn out and lying in a ditch somewhere.)
So I had a thought: would there be any interest in repackaging such devices with a) a useful manual and b) web services based in the UK rather than relying on the quaint Chinese websites and apps which may disappear in a puff of smoke at any moment.
Also, any other security suggestion would be most welcome. ____________________ Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter |
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ThatDippyTwat |
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ThatDippyTwat World Chat Champion
Joined: 07 Aug 2016 Karma :
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Posted: 07:05 - 16 Mar 2019 Post subject: |
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8mm is easily in the range bolt croppers can chop open. Forget it as primary security, it just deters opportunists from pushing it away. Use it *in addition* to somethign decent, another layer of security, if you want.
Have a search for Almax or Pragmasis chains on here. Get a *decent* lock to go with it. It won't be cheap, but it'll likely be cheaper than the insurance hike, not to mention the excess when making a theft claim. The bigger the better. Bear in mind they're heavy, especially when carting these things around. Some people take a smaller 13mm out and about with them, and have a chunky 19 or 22mm where the bike lives at home.
Add a disc lock. Doesn't have to be expensive.
Angle grinders go through anything. Seconds rather than minutes. The more items/layers you add, the longer you get, but the bigger the faff of getting the bike out in the morning/locking it up at night.
Don't declare any security to insurance unless you have to.
Anything else is window dressing. Forget cheap, dubious quality trackers, if I have a bike worth using a tracker on, I'll pay for the service. I'm not chucking a tracker on a hack or a cheap bike. ____________________ '98 VFR800 (touring) - '12 VFR800 Crosrunner (Commuting) - '01 KDX220 (Big Green Antisocial Machine) |
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Sister Sledge |
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Sister Sledge World Chat Champion
Joined: 17 Aug 2018 Karma :
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SDFarsight |
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SDFarsight Nova Slayer
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Nobby the Bastard |
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Nobby the Bastard Harley Gaydar
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SDFarsight |
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SDFarsight Nova Slayer
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Robby |
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Robby Dirty Old Man
Joined: 16 May 2002 Karma :
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Posted: 17:02 - 16 Mar 2019 Post subject: |
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Multiple security devices, of different kinds, will be more effective than a single one - even if the single one is really good. Your bike is sat where thieves can get a good look at it, and attack when they want to.
At a minimum I would go for chain and disk lock. Chain can be cropped, disc lock can also be defeated, but that means your thief having the skills and tools to do both. You've already eliminated the scrotes that just have a set of bolt croppers. They can still cut the chain, but they can't wheel it away.
A cover is a good idea, but a faff if you don't have somewhere to keep it.
There are cheap trackers that use a better interface, I had one for a while that used GPSlive.co.uk, and it only cost £30 on ebay. Pain in the arse to keep it working though. If I was serious about having a tracker, I'd spend the tenner a month to have a biketrac.
Your bike is a Chinese 125. It isn't being stolen to order, it's being stolen by scum for no good reason.
Have enough security to be a deterrent and always use it. Don't have so much that you can't be bothered to use it. Also remember that all you can do is reduce the risk, not eliminate it. Vandalism can also still happen even if they can't make off with the bike. |
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Easy-X |
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Easy-X Super Spammer
Joined: 08 Mar 2019 Karma :
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Posted: 23:58 - 16 Mar 2019 Post subject: |
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I appreciate the advice. I shall definitely invest in a tougher bike chain when I have some spare pennies. I'm not expecting to defeat someone organised enough to remember to charge their battery powered angle grinder; bolt cutters, on the other hand, any moron can work.
(I forgot to mention I already have a bike cover.)
Last bike to get nicked in my area was a 400cc Suzuki DRZ which is probably worth more second-hand than my bike cost new but hey, ppl steal whatever isn't bolted down...
I like the multi layered approach: hassle, hassle, hassle. A spotlight with PIR is a great idea which also makes it easier for me to put the cover on the bike when it's dark
Shame about the tracker. Its feature list is as breathtakingly large as its usability is small. I shall still endeavour to duplicate its Chinese backend on my own servers - purely for amusement. ____________________ Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter |
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johnsmith222 |
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johnsmith222 World Chat Champion
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ThatDippyTwat |
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ThatDippyTwat World Chat Champion
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Ste Not Work Safe
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Sister Sledge |
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Sister Sledge World Chat Champion
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Easy-X |
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Easy-X Super Spammer
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Posted: 11:38 - 17 Mar 2019 Post subject: |
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Sister Sledge wrote: | Just for fun you should do a FOI request with the local plod as to how many motorcycles were stolen in your county last year. |
Ha! I follow my local Facebook groups, probably a much better estimate than "official" figures
Nice thing with the NCS immobiliser is, although it has a specific plug for my bike, it comes with a generic fly lead to manually wire into any other bike at a later date.
And yes, I am aiming this bike as a test bench for a "real" bike's security ____________________ Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter |
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Easy-X |
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Easy-X Super Spammer
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Robby |
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Robby Dirty Old Man
Joined: 16 May 2002 Karma :
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Posted: 09:31 - 18 Mar 2019 Post subject: |
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ThatDippyTwat wrote: | Robby wrote: | Your bike is a Chinese 125. It isn't being stolen to order, it's being stolen by scum for no good reason. |
The security can be used for, hopefully, many bikes to come. It won't just be used on a Chinese 125. The chain doesn't care if it's protecting a chinese 125 or a Ducati V4. |
This is true, but you also have to consider the tradeoffs between risk, impact, cost and hassle.
With a Ducati V4 in London I would expect to have an insurance excess of £500+, and it would be worth claiming on the insurance if it got nicked. It's worth spending a similar amount to my excess on security. I would also put a decent tracker on it, because it is more likely to be stolen to order. Contrary to popular belief, RF shielding is not as easy as some make out. It's even more difficult when you're trying to shield for several different wavelengths, which is why multi-mode trackers (GPS, GPRS, radio beacon) are good.
With a Chinese 125 I'm defending against a whole different class of criminal. I may also have the bike covered by insurance, but not the security devices. So it would be a bit galling if the thieves destroyed £500 worth of security devices trying to steal a bike worth £200.
The ballache factor is still the biggest thing for me. My bike getting nicked is a rare and unlikely event. Me riding the bike is a daily event. If it takes an extra 10 minutes in the morning to unlock the bike, stash my locks and cover somewhere, I'm less inclined to bother riding. |
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EazyDuz |
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EazyDuz World Chat Champion
Joined: 12 Apr 2011 Karma :
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Posted: 16:34 - 18 Mar 2019 Post subject: |
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Motorcycle security is massively overpriced, you'd be better off with a gold rated BICYCLE lock. Such as this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kryptonite-York-Standard-Frame-U-Bracket/dp/B06XCH21YH/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=bicycle+lock+new+york&qid=1552923109&s=gateway&sr=8-3
And using it as a disc lock (assuming it will fit) or just get creative with where you lock it.
That said ive always gone for the multiple cheap options rather than the 1 tonne chain option.
E.g. if parking for a long time in a major city centre, I put the ebay disc lock with orange safety cable on, basic £20 ebay chain and padlock, and arm the incredibly loud ebay alarm.
At a glance it looks much more secure than the bike next to it with some rusty old chain no matter how big the links are. No attempts of theft thus far. ____________________ To shreds you say? Tss tss tss |
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Nobby the Bastard |
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Nobby the Bastard Harley Gaydar
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Easy-X |
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Easy-X Super Spammer
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Posted: 00:36 - 19 Mar 2019 Post subject: |
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Given the spate of thefts in my area I'm worried that whatever "spotters" the thieves use are too thick to realise mines a faux-cruiser and not at all valuable.
Yes, I didn't pay much for the bike and yes it isn't worth much more now but I did have a lot of fun making it roadworthy and it continues to amuse me.
Bonus points if it sh*ts up the postman as he brushes by it on the way to my front door ____________________ Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter |
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ThunderGuts |
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ThunderGuts World Chat Champion
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Posted: 10:34 - 19 Mar 2019 Post subject: |
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As mentioned above, it's all about making it as awkward as possible. It'll never be impossible, that's . . . err, impossible. But start simple;
- Out of sight, out of mind - can you garage it or cover it? Even though a motorcycle under a cover is clearly a motorcycle, it's an unknown motorcycle so someone has to make a positive intervention to determine what it is and what security might be lurking underneath (and risk being spotted in the process)
- A decent chain . . . I use a 16mm (14mm for the "hack" bike), but some consider that to be "lightwieght" for home security. 8mm is really very light indeed - as mentioned, bolt croppers will make easy and silent work of it. Make sure your lock/shackle is up to the task too, no good having a huge chain but an 8mm padlock on it
- Make sure whatever you chain it to is as robust as the chain. Lots of options here to make things more robust, ground anchors (good ones) are obviously decent but are pretty worthless if they're not attached to something solid
- disc locks; some will go through the rear sprocket (better as it's less easy to defeat, but the lock will get oily - have a rag that lives with it to clean it, especially if you swap it between the sprocket and an actual disc). On the front wheel it's a *thin* layer of protection as it's easy to unbolt or cut a disc, or even swap a wheel out for a generic wheel enough to get the bike away. Having one on either or both wheels is still an extra deterrent and makes the thief's job harder. Some are alarmed too, this can be useful to alert yourself (unlikely to attract attention from anyone else I'm afraid, even if parked outside the police station)
- location security; can you make your bike parking location at home less accessible? Block the path with your car? Improve the garden gate? Fit a lock to it?
Ultimately it's all about layers. The goal is to make it too much of a pain for a thief to go through, so they'll look for another target. That said, if they really want it they'll still take it. ____________________ TG. |
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leolion |
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leolion Scooby Slapper
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Easy-X Super Spammer
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ThunderGuts World Chat Champion
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 5 years, 36 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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