fooschnickens Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 While I don't live in a sketchy area and my bike lives in a garage, that doesn't mean I don't have to leave it in parking lots or other places for an extended amount of time every now and again. Even with the lo-jack on it, I still worry at times, and I'm sure everyone else does. I'm leaving out alarms/trackers of this list simply because people already know how they work. If there's something else I left out, put a comment below and I'll add it to the list. Note that these are ONLY bike-related. No helmet locks, etc. I began researching the various options and found that these were the most common: [ul type=disc][*]Brake rotor lock[*]Wheel chain/U-Lock[*]Grip/brake lever lock [/ul]Rotor Locks Brake rotor locks come in several shapes and sizes, but they all do the same thing. They immobilize the brake rotor or prevent it from making a full revolution by attaching to the rotor itself. These can be had for both front and rear brake setups and some companies even make bike-specific models that mount to the caliper or front fork tube. Prices are between $50 and $150 depending on how fancy you want to get. Some people even use these on their rear sprocket. The main downside I see to these is that they are easily overlooked, both by thieves and the bike's owner. It would be very easy to just hop on the bike and try to ride off, forgetting that the lock is attached, and now you have a busted rotor at the very least or a busted rotor and caliper at worst. That could be a very costly mistake if the owner forgets to remove it, and extra sting to recovering from a potential theft when you have to make the same repairs after a thief attempts to ride off. You also have to deal with accumulated brake dust/road grime when taking it on and off, so if you don't keep up with cleaning the bike you'll have very dirty hands or gloves after fiddling with it. These also do nothing to prevent a bike from being lifted and put in a vehicle. The upsides to these is that they are relatively inexpensive, small, and easily stowed when not in use. Example: http://www.revzilla.com/product/kryptonite-kryptolok-disc-lock Wheel Chains/U-Locks These are, by far, the most common solution, and seem to be very popular with people forced to park their bikes in a lot overnight at an apartment or parking deck. They work in a similar fashion to the rotor lock, but instead use the bike wheel's spokes, frame, or other solid crossmember to prevent the bike from being able to roll off. Chains can vary in length, thickness and type (braided steel cord or chain link) depending on how much you want to spend. Some even come with the capability to be mounted to a pole or other surface to make the chain permanently fixed in one location, making it more difficult to just hoist the bike into the back of a truck or van. Chains can either go around one wheel, or both wheels depending on the length of it. U-Locks work the same way as chains, but only deal with one wheel and are a solid hoop of steel. Some models come with an integrated rotor lock, adding an additional level of security. Prices for either type are between $50 and $500 (yes, you read that right). The downsides to chains and locks are many, not least of which is that the cheaper ones are easily defeated by a set of bolt cutters in seconds. Unless you get the more robust locks, you're just wasting your money. That leads into the next problem of size and weight. The more robust the chain material, the heavier and bulkier it is. Even if you have saddlebags, it's highly unlikely that you'll want to lug around upwards of 20lbs of hardened steel in them, let alone in a backpack. Chains also have the similar issue of causing damage to the bike if it is rolled away with the chain still attached, causing damage to brake components, wheels, forks or drive chains. The upside is that these address the main issue with thieves intent on stealing a bike: It can't simply be lifted into another vehicle and taken away. With the heavy-duty chains they will have to take a significant amount of time to cut through them and make a lot of noise in the process. You can wrap a chain around a pole or other permanent structure and lock it down. If you live at an apartment or have a parking deck, this seems like the best choice for you. Examples: http://www.revzilla.com/product/kryptonite-new-york-legend-chain-with-padlock [span] [/span][span] [/span][span] [/span][span] http://www.revzilla.com/product/kryptonite-new-york-u-lock[/span] Grip/Lever Lock These locks attach around your grips, and immobilize the throttle and brake lever. They can also be used on the other grip to immobilize rear brake on a scooter. They operate by wrapping around the grip and then grabbing the lever after it is pulled back so that the brakes are applied. The throttle tube cannot be twisted, and the front brakes are now on at full-force unless the lock is removed. Prices range between $50 and $90. The major downside these is that, like the rotor lock, there is nothing to prevent a thief from putting your bike into another vehicle with this device in place. Apart from that, I can't see any other major downside as there is no accidental damage caused to the bike since you can't drive off with this thing on there. The upsides are that this is small, lightweight, inexpensive and won't damage your bike. It also immobilizes two points of use on the bike (throttle and brake) instead of just one like most other options, so it's nice having an additional layer of security there. Example: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA565A6/ Conclusion All in all, it seems like there is no one device that will totally protect your bike. A combination, however, will give you the best bet of seeing your bike still in your parking spot when you return, even if it's not 100%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan4130 Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 I would argue that the disc lock is the best option for being small, lightweight and doesn't damage your bike with normal use. The problem of setting and forgetting can be solved by using a common $8 neon colored coil brake lock reminder cable which you attach to your handle grip. Chains also have the very probable risk of damaging your bike with normal use since they scratch and rub against whatever parts you route it through. Looks like all of these solutions allow a bike to be carried away. One exception is the chains if you route them through a nearby object, if one is near. '15 FZ-09 Cadmium Yellow '15 White Fz-07 - Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cndnmax Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 In my mind, someone that picks up a bike to steal it doesn't know what they are doing. The ignitions are easily overcome (why did they remove the imobilizer keys for the US??) . Anything that prevents the bike from being ridden and a visible will work just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member so1102 Posted June 6, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted June 6, 2015 As I have grown older, I realize I have paid a lot of money over the years to State Farm for their coverage, and it allows me to worry less and less about this sort of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fooschnickens Posted June 7, 2015 Author Share Posted June 7, 2015 Chains also have the very probable risk of damaging your bike with normal use since they scratch and rub against whatever parts you route it through. Pretty much all chains have either a rubber or canvas covering around the chain itself. I don't know of a quality (or even cheap) chain that doesn't have something like that on it. In my mind, someone that picks up a bike to steal it doesn't know what they are doing. The ignitions are easily overcome (why did they remove the imobilizer keys for the US??) . Anything that prevents the bike from being ridden and a visible will work just fine. Quite the opposite, really. The pros will just toss a bike in a truck/van and drive off. In and out in 10 seconds and then they can take their time picking the bike apart when they get back to their base of operations. Those who don't know what they are doing are the ones hammering at an ignition lock in broad daylight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeisan Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Quite the opposite, really. The pros will just toss a bike in a truck/van and drive off. In and out in 10 seconds and then they can take their time picking the bike apart when they get back to their base of operations. Those who don't know what they are doing are the ones hammering at an ignition lock in broad daylight.This. I've learned over the years nothing you do can stop the pros that are going to take your bike if they want it. That said, I thill think there is some merit in having some type of visible security as a deterrent. Again, if they want YOUR bike, they will take YOUR bike, but if you can deter them from wanting it or also deter the lesser crooks then you win. Also, it must be easy for you to use, else you will probably never use it as much as you should. Life is good on 2 wheels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cndnmax Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 If that were the case, every car thief would be driving around in a tow truck steeling cars. It takes only a few seconds to punch an ignition, I've seen it done. No struggling around lifting up a bike bringing attention to you. Sure people do it but it's definitely not the most common way https://rideapart.com/articles/ask-a-motorcycle-thief Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fooschnickens Posted June 8, 2015 Author Share Posted June 8, 2015 If that were the case, every car thief would be driving around in a tow truck steeling cars. It takes only a few seconds to punch an ignition, I've seen it done. No struggling around lifting up a bike bringing attention to you. Sure people do it but it's definitely not the most common way https://rideapart.com/articles/ask-a-motorcycle-thief Umm... Solid hasty generalization, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cndnmax Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 If that were the case, every car thief would be driving around in a tow truck steeling cars. It takes only a few seconds to punch an ignition, I've seen it done. No struggling around lifting up a bike bringing attention to you. Sure people do it but it's definitely not the most common way https://rideapart.com/articles/ask-a-motorcycle-thief Umm... Solid hasty generalization, though. You just read half of the article. The first part is what A cop thinks. Second part is from a career bike thief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomascrown Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 You have to look at the economics of bike theft. Why are they stealing the bikes? Because people put in orders. Why do they put in orders? Because there is a demand for parts, or whole bikes altogether. Why is there such an unnaturally high demand for parts? Because would be Valentino Rossis are smashing their bikes left and right on track, and need cheap parts, or new race bikes altogether. The best theft deterrent is to not have the latest and greatest crotch rocket. There was a guy that parked 3 bikes in the designated parking spot of his apartment. 2 S1000RRs, and 1 S1000R. They stole the RRs, and left the R alone. For the most part, the FZ07 is not bike theft material. You're not gonna have an organized crew hunting for it in a van. You might have a crime of opportunity, where somebody will try and fuark the ignition and ride off, but a disc lock solves that for the most part. Nothing is guaranteed, but one of the reasons I bought the 7 is because it doesn't appeal to thieves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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