Motorcycle Safety
21. Oct, 2008 
2 Comments
No we’re not talking about riding safety, we’re talking about security for your motorcycle when you’re not on it. It’s not to cool to find out that one of your most precious possessions (after your spouse and kids, well maybe just the kids) isn’t where you left it. You might not be the only one who prizes your bike. Believe me there are a lot of lowlifes out there just waiting to pounce on an unprotected machine.
So how do you protect it. Most touring bikes come with alarm systems as standard or optional equipment. They can flash the lights, blow the horn, page you or not let the bike run. The newer factory installed systems work fine. I had an aftermarket model put on one of my bikes and after a while it would sometimes not let me start the bike or shut the bike down as I was riding it.
Going low tech quite a few bikes have fork locks installed on them. These will slow down the amateurs. The old style with loops on the frame and forks that you put a pad lock through would keep a thief at bay for about two seconds. Now there are disc locks where you put a pin in the front disc brakes and into holes in the brake rotor. You have to remember to take it out before you take off. And of course there’s the old padlock and chain but make sure the chain has some sort of cover so you don’t scratch paint or chrome.
Now if you’re out on the road and you have a first floor room and the desk clerk isn’t looking you can push your bike into the room, if it will fit though the door. If you’re camping you can tie a string to your bike and one of your appendages which hopefully just alerts instead of maims you. Actually no security system is totally thief proof so carry lots of insurance.
Do you have any tips let us know.
I’ve never even considered it, which is crazy now that you bring it up because in 1993 I had my wife’s car broke into and they stole her radio along with her check book and cell phone. No problems with the bike.
I never worry. Nobody, but nobody, wants any of my bikes. Although, my fav bike of long ago was stolen. That will teach me to ever have nice paint on my bike. A nice dent in the fuel tank and a bit of rust here and there with some scrapes on the mufflers and a torn seat cover usually is enough to ward off evil. Riding along a freshly tarred and sanded street for a few miles will give a bike a delightfull ‘hands off’ patina. Roping a plastic milk crate in a contrasting garish color to the passenger seat will deter interest if a few salvaged aluminum cans are visible. One can tell when the ‘look’ has been optimised on such a bike when nobody will even park near it nor walk past it without giving it some room.