The professional can steal your bike in
as little as 15 seconds, even with a lock.
Datatag - an indelible code etched on your
bike's panels makes it difficult for a thief
to sell on. Transponders in the petrol tank
and wheels can be picked up by a police
scanner.
Garage Alarm - Buy a motion sensative
garage alarm and fix it at the far end of
the garage, this gives the thief less time
to attack it. Check the location, don't
block the sensor, test it, when does it
go off?
Ground Anchor - Don't place it in the
middle of the garage so the thief has more
space to use their disc cutter, crowbar
etc.
Garage Lock - Use a lock simiar to the
Garage Defender, fit in the middle of the
door to prevent the corner being forced.
Brake lever lock - Often overlooked but
very portable and a good supplement to other
security devices, it clamps the front brake
lever fully on.
Disc lock/U-Lock - Lock your U-lock to
an immoveable object or ideally fit through
the rear wheel and over swingarm, use as
well as a disc lock. Fit a disc lock snugly
to the caliper.
Bike alarm - A opportunist bike theif
will think twice if the alarm starts screaming
Disc/U-Lock - Very transportable if you're
on the move but not a deterant on their
own.
Kill Switch - Fit an alternative well-hidden
kill switch.
Side door - Don't ignore the side-door
to your garage, make sure it's properly
secured, it's no good securing the garage
door if you have a side- door made out of
balsa wood!
Block the exit - If you own a car, use
it to block the entry to your bike, into
a corner, against a wall or to prevent the
garage door being opened.
Neighbours - The more people that know
you and the fact that you own a bike, the
more pairs of eyes you have to report suspicious
activity. Join the local neighbourhood watch
scheme, twitching curtains may be enough
to make a bike thief think twice
Routine - Wherever possible, avoid parking
your bike and the same place, if your regular
movements are being watch by an organised
bike gang they will know exactly when best
to steal your bike. The less opportunities
they have the better.
Helmet - Don't lock your helmet to the
bike, you will make the theft more desirable
and increase the likelehood of theft.
Guard dog - No-one is likely to argue
with a rotweiler, not even a bike thief.
Give the impression you own one by erecting
a sign 'Beware of Rotweiler'.
Ultraviolet Pen - Cheap and effective
way of marking various parts of your bike
and only visible under an ultraviolet light.
Padlock - Use a tiny padlock of the chain,
they are unlikely to notice it and if they
do attempt to ride it away, it will throw
them off.
Spare Parts - If you order secondhand
spares for your bike, make sure you are
dealing with a reputable breaker, an unscrupulous
breaker will be aware of their next potential
bike for breaking.
Fit an alarm to the light switch in your
garage, set to off between midnight and
7am. A small job for an electrician.
CCTV - If you cannot afford a camera to
monitor your bike 24-7, fit a false CCTV
camera, they are readily available and a
good preventative measure. Alternatively, there are lots of quality CCTV installers around. We recommend Impact Fire and Security if you are looking for CCTV installation in the East Midlands.
Police - Ask the advice of your local
constabulary (remove your race can before
you go down there!). They will have experience
of dealing with the scum that want to nick
your bike.
Safety - don't try to carry your locks
in a rucksack, many bikes have U-lock compartments
under the seat or even behind the number
plate, use a disac lock bag, specially for
transporting your locks.
If you wish to be extreme, then you can
also try the following methods;
Buy a house next to a police station that's
open 24 hours
Park your bike in the living room, we've
yet to hear of a thief that's prepared to
nick it from there.
