Security

[Guest ThomasNielsen]

Hi all.

As you know everybody wants to steal a VFR :fing02:

I have looked at this video

, but is that secure? You could just break the brake handle or cut the brake hose - and roll it into a van.

Any thoughts?

[Knife]

On the rare occasion that I secure my bike, I use a disk lock and, if really concerned, also a cable lock to a pole. These only discourage opportunists, though, not the pros who will get your bike if they want it, no matter what.

[Guest]

Only sure fire way not to have your VFR stolen is not to have one. Every device has its good and bad points. AntiTheft stuff is just to deter people. this one looks decent since it is out in the open people will see it and normally look for a easier bike. Disc locks are good but hard to be seen and people will still try to take it, normally damaging your caliper and rotor.

[gll429]

thats been around for a while...and it works..and is a good visual clue for thief to move on.. they dont want to hang around very long.

i park my bike next to a duc.. guess which one got nicked.. twice..(hint.. it was bigger that 750)

[Knife]

Disc locks are good but hard to be seen and people will still try to take it, normally damaging your caliper and rotor.

Not hard to see if you use an orange dayglo coiled tether with the disc lock at one end and the handlebar grip at the other. Also reminds you to remove it before you forget and dump the bike over.

[Terminex]

thats been around for a while...and it works..and is a good visual clue for thief to move on.. they dont want to hang around very long.

i park my bike next to a duc.. guess which one got nicked.. twice..(hint.. it was bigger that 750)

I really do NOT want to read that kind of comment right before this TMAC trip.

[bryan217]

I'm going to start looking into some kind of security. I have a disc lock, but I've heard they're easy to break.

Last night, someone stole the license plate off my VFR. I don't have a garage so it's kept outside, covered. I found the cover slightly raised in the back, just enough to show that the plate was no longer there. :comp13: Makes for a great start of the day. Thankfully due to other commitments, I didn't have plans to ride today. But now I have to wait until Tues. to get a new plate because Motor Vehicles is closed on Monday.

[The mailman]

If they really want it, they will take it no matter what you have on it. A coworker and two friends rode their super sized HDs downtown to the People's Fair and locked all the front wheels together with a MONSTER chain. That thing looked like an anchor chain from an aircraft carrier. When they came back - all three bikes were gone. No wheels, no broken links, no filings, no nothing. Just a big pile of gone.

I'm fortunate enough to have a garage at home and a fenced enclosure on site at work. The U.S.P.S. even painted motorcycle sized parking spaces and put up a mesh curtain to help stop prying eyes. I guess it helps to have a rider as one of the head maintenance guys. I don't think I would ride to work so often if I had to park it on the street.

[Knife]

If they really want it, they will take it no matter what you have on it. A coworker and two friends rode their super sized HDs downtown to the People's Fair and locked all the front wheels together with a MONSTER chain. That thing looked like an anchor chain from an aircraft carrier. When they came back - all three bikes were gone. No wheels, no broken links, no filings, no nothing. Just a big pile of gone.

Sounds like someone had a key who shouldn't have?

[Terminex]

I am now thinking the best security is either Lojack or good insurance with a low deductable.

[Guest]

Often what theives will do (at least in the Bay Area) is have four guys and a van. Put a 2x4 between each of the wheels and pick up the entire bike and stuff it in the van. No disk, wheel, or brake locks are going to do any good in that scenario and they can all be defeated at leisure when the thieves are home with a jack, freon, prybar, picks, or a cutting torch. I use a disk lock when I'm parking my bike briefly while out during the day, but it doesn't give you much protection for longer periods IMO.

I have a Kryptonite New York Noose chain (about 4') that I loop around a fixed object (e.g. a sturdy pipe on my girlfriend's apartment building) and then lock to the frame bottom bracket, centerstand, or passenger peg bracket using a small New York disk lock. Not insurmountable, but you'd have to be pretty motivated to pick that or detach the brackets and there's no way to take the bike away without defeating it. A gorilla alarm doesn't hurt in helping to draw attention to attempted thefts. The main downside is the size and weight, but for peace of mind parking your bike near home it's great and it's not too bad to stuff in hard luggage.

... rjs

[vanion2]

Back before I had a garage I would disc lock the front wheel, chain lock the rear to the window bars at my apartment, put a full cover over the bike (which was parked near a motion sensor light), and installed a full Scorpio alarm system with motion sensor so that if anyone even got near the bike it would start chirping. If they stayed more than 3 seconds the alarm would sound off with blinking lights and had a kill start.

Now I have a garage and work on an air force base so I only use the locks and cover when on road trips and have since completely removed the alarm system as I got tired of the FOB battery always dying on me. It sucks that you have to go through so much trouble to keep your bike safe but in the end if you have a determined thief there is little you can do to stop them. :mellow:

[Guest]

Lojack if not disabled right away will call your cell if the bike moves more then 15ft. had a buddy get his bike back cause he had lojack they found it about 2 hours away at a chop shop. His cell was dead and did not know it had been stolen till the morning when he woke up.

[Guest]

I have a scorpio alarm on my bike, and installed myself in about 30 min. for about 200 bucks i am sure you can find one for less. If you take it off axis ,roll or try to start it the blinkers flash and a loud siren sound screams.

[bryan217]

After having my plate stolen over the weekend, I started to re-asses my security. I live in a decent town, and the VFR's aren't all that popular with the type of people that steal bikes, so I wasn't too concerned. I live in a condo with no garage. For two years, I've kept the bike outside with a full cover. That didn't stop the plate thief. I considered a heavy duty chain, but there's really not a whole lot to lock it to in the parking lot. Last night I ordered a Gorilla alarm with remote. It's got tilt, shock and current sensors. Here's the link http://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Automotive-7017-Motorcycle-Paging/dp/B000GZXAEC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1274190877&sr=8-1.

My next step is to move to a place with a garage. I'm not sure when that's going to be possible due to my current economic conditions. But there's still hope.

[Conedodger]

I used to keep my Nighthawk S under a cover in the parking lot back when I lived in an apartment. The only issue I ever had was the friggin' thieves stole the cover! :beatdeadhorse:

[The mailman]

Back before I had a garage I would disc lock the front wheel, chain lock the rear to the window bars at my apartment, put a full cover over the bike (which was parked near a motion sensor light), and installed a full Scorpio alarm system with motion sensor so that if anyone even got near the bike it would start chirping. If they stayed more than 3 seconds the alarm would sound off with blinking lights and had a kill start.

That sounds like the most effective system I've ever heard of. Maybe even better than my locked garage. Introducing the new MATRIX ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM. The Secret Service couldn't get that bike.

[alwaysaware]

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Locks dont work. HK does. :biggrin:

[Guest]

lg_usp.jpg

Locks dont work. HK does. :biggrin:

Being in the Danish Army I would prefer a Neuhausen. Very effective and combat proven in Afghanistan.

[Rice]

thats been around for a while...and it works..and is a good visual clue for thief to move on.. they dont want to hang around very long.

i park my bike next to a duc.. guess which one got nicked.. twice..(hint.. it was bigger that 750)

I really do NOT want to read that kind of comment right before this TMAC trip.

Guess where I'm parking my VFR :biggrin:

[bryan217]

I just got a call earlier today from a riding buddy of mine. He's new to riding and bought a brand new 09 CBR600RR w/ABS (at least it's a Honda) in the fall. He only lives about a mile or so from me. Turns out his CBR got stolen this past weekend. He had come back from a ride at about 11:00PM and parked it outside the garage at his condo because he wanted to let it cool off before pulling it in next to his BMW 3 series ( :fing02: ). When he went back outside about an hour later, it was gone. He said the cops told him they had about 4 bikes stolen in town within a short time period. We live in a pretty good town, so it's discouraging to hear, but the city that borders us to the east is one of the state's worst. I'm not sure exactly what day it was, but I would be surprised if it wasn't Saturday night, the same night that my plate was taken. I think this is an indication that it's good to have a bike that not a lot of people want, or at least not the type of people that steal. I bet if I still had my R6 instead of the VFR, it would have been taken also.

One more good reason to own a VFR, it's less likely to be stolen. (Disclaimer: YMMV)

[VFRSuperfreak]

I use one of these "presence" inmobilizer alarms. No motion detection so there's no annoying false alarms, it screams 120db if the ignition is tampered or switched on with a key.

Just the ticket for around here, if the engine is running it shuts off in 10meters if someone takes it away and does not have the transponder unit on them.

[Guest]

That sounds like the most effective system I've ever heard of. Maybe even better than my locked garage. Every device has its positive and Negative points.

[TimC]

If a thief wants something badly enough he'll get it, especially if it's a pro. However, simple anti-theft devices serve a good purpose by discouraging amateur/opportunistic crooks.

IMO, the higher the percentage of thefts (like for GSX-Rs for example), the more extensive your theft prevention measures should be. VFRs are obviously not usual targets for pros, so a simple disc lock is enough for me. If I had a modern supersport I'd buy LoJack or a similar product to protect it.

I actually worry more about some asshat pushing my bike over for his twisted amusement than I do someone stealing it.

Disc locks are good but hard to be seen and people will still try to take it, normally damaging your caliper and rotor.

Not hard to see if you use an orange dayglo coiled tether with the disc lock at one end and the handlebar grip at the other. Also reminds you to remove it before you forget and dump the bike over.

+1. I use a bright orange cable like Knife described above with my bright yellow disc lock every time the lock goes on.