Recommend some more security?

satanicguardian

satanicguardian

satanicguardian

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Solihull
Hi guys,

I'm moving house soon and my bike will now have to be left on the street instead of a garage, I currently have a big, fat mammoth chain and lock which will have to be doubled round my rear wheel since there will be nothing to lock it to.

I'm looking into further security, I'm thinking perhaps an alarm and a front disc lock, thoughts please? :)

Cheers,

Jamie
 
A big, fat mammoth Rotweiler/bull mastif/doberman? :D

Alarms can be irratating if they constantly go off in the wind or if a fox farts etc, if I had an alarm I'd get a silent one.

No matter how much security you have, if they come with a van and a few strong blokes, your bike will be gone in a matter of seconds. A big lock should deter the casual theives though.
 
TallPaul_S said:
A big, fat mammoth Rotweiler/bull mastif/doberman? :D

Alarms can be irratating if they constantly go off in the wind or if a fox farts etc, if I had an alarm I'd get a silent one.

No matter how much security you have, if they come with a van and a few strong blokes, your bike will be gone in a matter of seconds. A big lock should deter the casual theives though.
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It's only chinese.. should deter anyone that could be bothered to use a van and a few blokes! :P I still love it though!

I need to get a dog/gun combo (courtesy of reddit if anyone gets the joke).
 
Bikes are often stolen to order, for parts or to meet demand.
125s and Sports bikes are most popular, in all three categories. Tatty or heavily customised bikes are harder to sell.

You also get joyriders, but they tend to be kids so are restricted to whatever they can handle - Typically 125s and below, rather than big, heavy fast things.

If a thief really wants it and has the tools (such as a plasma torch), they will get it... but that's what your insurance is for. Your job is to make it harder and more hassle than it's worth for the average/casual thief.

Cover - More useful when parked on the street, but if they can't see what's under there it means they can't just drive past and case it/clock it. Having to stop and take the cover off takes time and could set off alarms.

Disclock - Additional security, especially if you get one with a disc detainer lock. Actually pretty hard to cut, impossible to pick or jimmy with a screwdriver.
You can also get alarmed disclocks from companies like Xena.

Immobiliser - Stops someone from screwdriver-ing your lock and riding off. May also be set up to limit hot-wiring. Some can be problematic though and fail even when you're riding.

Bike alarm - Makes a loud noise if someone messes with your bike. No-one else will care, but it's most useful if you are nearby and can get out there with a cricket bat, or something!!

Chain - Put this through a part of the bike that isn't easily removable, ie the frame rather than just a wheel. Keep the chain well off the ground so they can't use the floor to brace bolt cutters. Again, try and get a lock that has a shrouded bolt and a lock that is hard to pick/force. Chaining it to something not easily movable like a lamp post is a good idea.

Again, it won't stop a determined thief, but you will be insured (I hope) and this is more about making sure you don't find yourself stranded or generally inconvenienced.
 
Hmmm, thanks for the info mate!

What I'm thinking is (providing there's nothing to lock it to):

Big heavy mammoth chain with shrouded lock round rear wheel and frame tying them together.

Oxford disc lock on front wheel

Alphadot kit + warning stickers

Smaller but tough bicycle lock around back wheel and frame on the other side

Bike cover which swamps it totally

I was curious about the immobiliser, how do they work/get fitted?

Cheers!
 
they can still pick it up and be off with it

cant you chain it to anywhere?? all you need is a good quality lock n chain and a disc lock
 
Hmm potentially, but it would be further from the front door/window range.

Frustratingly the place has side gate access to the garden, there's some steep steps at the front, a long way out of the question to get it up and down safely.

There's also a ramp for wheel chair access around the back (path leads up to the garden from the back, but there's an almost hairpin bend in the path (which has a 3ft wall on both sides with railings, I don't think I'd have the room to turn the bike around halfway up :( it would be so much easier if I could just stick it in the back garden. Essentially because the bedroom is ground floor looking into the garden, me and the missus would have the bike in plain view most of the time.. bah!
 
no lamp posts or telegraph poles to chain it round? metal street name signs?

if back garden concrete a ground anchor in the ground and chain to that
 
I'll need to go and look again to be honest, I've only seen the property once and fell in love with it (it was too good to not go for, even at the risk of nowhere to safely park my bike).

How do the anchors work? Would the council really notice if I stuck one into the pavement by the garden wall? :D
 
No driveway? Anywhere where its out of sight is 100x better than being on the street, less worry about chavs kicking it over/being sick on it/dogs ****ing on it etc etc...
 
satanicguardian said:
How do the anchors work? Would the council really notice if I stuck one into the pavement by the garden wall? :D
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The council WILL notice if you put one in on public land, yes!!

Generally, you sink these into your own patio or driveway. It's an open box with a bar or loop inside, which you concrete into solid ground. You then run a chain through it and through your bike, thus securing it.
My issue with these is that the chain sits too close to the ground, allowing someone to brace bolt croppers on the floor and just cut the chain.


satanicguardian said:
Big heavy mammoth chain with shrouded lock round rear wheel and frame tying them together.
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Good start, yes.
Almax chains are pretty much the best, IIRC.

satanicguardian said:
Oxford disc lock on front wheel
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Oxford are pretty good.
Others are better, but more expensive.

satanicguardian said:
Alphadot kit + warning stickers
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Never heard of these making any difference myself, but feel free.
It generally guards against parts being nicked and resold, but most people don't even check this on eBay.

satanicguardian said:
Smaller but tough bicycle lock around back wheel and frame on the other side
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Starting to get a bit overkill now...

satanicguardian said:
Bike cover which swamps it totally
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Good idea.

satanicguardian said:
I was curious about the immobiliser, how do they work/get fitted?
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Generally you will take it and the bike to a professional fitter.
Essentially, it stops the bike from being started without the ignition being properly turned, ie using the correct key.
Many also stop the bike from being hotwired, due to how the immobiliser is wired up.

However:
If you want one, get one *with* an alarm!
You will need to keep spare batteries for the remote, else you can't start the bike.
You will need to make sure your battery is up to the task, else you'll come out one morning and find it drained. This can also be problematic with some immob models, as you then cannot bump-start (and sometimes not even jump-start) the bike!!
Get it fitted properly by an approved and, ideally, well-recommended fitter or mechanic - I've known several immobs malfunction and cut the bike out mid-ride, including once when the guy was cornering on a sharp roundabout!!

Conversely, alarms are much cheaper and you can even fit some of them yourself.
It does nothing more than make an annoying racket, but it lets YOU know someone is messing with the bike. Make sure you adjust the sensitivity so it doesn't trigger every time a sparrow farts, but still goes off if someone so much as kicks the bike!
 
Updates:

My alphadot kit has arrived, gonna apply it tonight - the big shiny stickers should help as a deterrent..

Also I went back and scouted out the property, this picture shows the mini car park to the left of my property, I'm trying to find out who owns it.. there's a little triangular gap between yellow hatchings and a car parking space that I'm trying to get permission to get an anchor installed into - the path in the picture leads up and turns right at a hairpin bend angle (too tight to turn bike around) which is frustrating because it leads to my rear garden gate!

10965263_10153325063222345_849112264_o.jpg


I'm now deciding if I should go immobiliser or alarm; I've heard alarms can be annoying and go off really easily, but the idea of my engine cutting whilst riding isn't nice - it happened once whilst I was going round a corner (I knocked my killswitch) that was pretty hairy!
 
what bike is it and how much is it worth?

Some bikes just don't seem to get pinched, one of my neighbours has left his xj600 parked outside with no locks/alarms/covers for 2 years and it's not been touched. My bike a triumph street triple has been tampered with 3 times in the same time but luckily they where unsuccessful. I've gone for very thick bike cover with lock holes on the front and back, then a cheapo lock on the front wheel to a ground anchor and thick almax chain through the back to a thick post. All you can really do is just make it a lot of hassle for them to pinch if it's a desirable bike.
 
Haha.. don't laugh!!!

Lexmoto XTRS 125.. YES I KNOW IT'S CHINESE, I COULDN'T AFFORD ANYTHING NICER.

It's hardly a super desirable bike but to a casual thief it looks sporty and attractive.

10945538_10153294489677345_1784131657971175517_n.jpg
 
It would however, be a MASSIVE inconvenience if it was stolen, as my office is about 15 miles away across bham city centre, public transport would be a nightmare..

I'd also like to add, for a chinese bike, it has 8700 on the clock (from brand new last year) and has been pretty damn reliable, never broken down on me.. only issue is the brake discs tend to warp easily, although probably using a better branded disc would probably avoid that in the future..
 
satanicguardian said:
I've heard alarms can be annoying and go off really easily,
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Yes, they can... which is why you take the time to adjust the sensitivity, as I explained above.
You want it so a light kick to the tyre does not set it off, but a notable one does and lifting it upright certainly does. This will ensure the wind doesn't trigger it, but a theft attempt will.
 
ttaskmaster said:
Yes, they can... which is why you take the time to adjust the sensitivity, as I explained above.
You want it so a light kick to the tyre does not set it off, but a notable one does and lifting it upright certainly does. This will ensure the wind doesn't trigger it, but a theft attempt will.
Click to expand...

So you did! Apologies! :)

Can you recommend anything in particular?

Hearing that immobilisers/alarms can be hard on batteries would be a worry normally but I ride at least 20 miles every day sometimes a lot more, meaning my battery is always being topped up :o should be ok?
 
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