makeshift alarm booby trap?

[gmanxiii]

well im moving next week and theres no garage, so im going to be chaining the bike to a tree and putting a cover over it. So if someone wants to nick it then they'll need to bring bolt cutters or a chainsaw....

although the parking area is fenced off and has a lock on the gate, i live not too far from chavsville and the parking area is visible as its at the bottom of a hill. So i was thinking of getting a cheap panic alarm off ebay and hook it up under the cover so that unless you take the cover off carefully (not something i'd imagine would cross a thief/vandals mind when messing with a bikecover) they would get hit by 130db of pain....

what would you reckon? worth it? or just really piss off the neighbours if it goes off in the middle of the night?
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I kills hondas

VFR400NC30 > ZZR600 > CBR600FX > CBR1000rr

[AbiJ]

I foresee you being able to tell when it's windy outside, every time the wind manages to get under the cover it will probably start screeching.

Why not buy a cheap 'n cheerful bike alarm?

Or if you want so get fancy/clever and like the idea of doing something with the cover, run a wire around or through the cover, connect one end (through a connector plug) to the battery, the other end though a switch/relay setup so unless the switch is off when the cover us pulled off it disconnects the connector and sounds the horn.

My current alarm is one of those motion sensors that you can buy at travel places (for hotel door knobs), modified it so it locks onto the bike frame, if someone moves the bike, the alarm sounds.

There's plenty of wierd and wonderful ways of making noise when someone tampers with the bike, whether they work very well is another matter though.

Abi.
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'81 Yammi XJ750 Seca, oldie but a goodie.

[Barker-CBR 600]

Could you hear the alarm yourself if it went off?

If not can almost guarantee even if you hook the alarm up all that'll happen if it goes off is people around would close the windows and complain bout the noise.

Least if your within earshot (especially at night) you can run down have a look.

If you cant an if your some ways away might do better to spend the money/effort on physical defences like stick on a disc lock as well as your chain or something. Least might discourage the chavs from trying to cut the chain.
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Previous - Gilera DNA50 / XVS125 Dragstar/Honda CBR 600F/GSF 650 Bandit
Current - 2013 Suzuki VZ800 Intruder
'Is this a rhetorical question?'

[map]

I know the expensive alarms can have a pager fitted. So at least you know the bike's been tampered with. I think Acumen do one (that's universal so can be used by other alarms? - about £100).

However, if you trawl through eBay I'm sure the cheap and cheerful alarms may have a similar feature.

FWIW IMO there's nothing wrong with the cheap and cheerful eBay alarms. Mate has one fitted. Did the job when 2 'youths' tried moving the bike 'to get a better look' I have one in its box waiting for me to get off my arse and look at a bike wiring diagram (I hate automotive electrics).

A trick I have is to use 2 disc locks, each side of the fork. Stops bike being wheeled and any damage to brakes if moved (broke a calliper once by leaving a disc lock on).

Using a cover is also a good idea however not foolproof. If you get a tatty one then the impression may be tatty bike under it so not worth the effort (however, as said not foolproof, if a chav is looking for a field bike then they'll have a go).

Another option would be to have some of the blank firing tripwires (like these) but not if it's a communal parking area.

HTH
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...and the whirlwind is in the thorn trees, it's hard for thee to kick against the pricks...
Gibbs, what did Duckie look like when he was younger?

[athelstan]

I use an alarm mine:-

https://www.bikesecure.co.uk/pages/alarm_mine.html

A real "brown trousers" item, but prepare for the old bill to turn up if it is set off.