Motorcycle Locks and Chains

[nipsip]

JMHO.

After a lot of research, the Viro Monolith Hardened Straight Shackle Padlock is the one I will be purchasing. It is a 7 pin lock with a rotating shackle (cannot cut it if it moves- good luck holding it with pliers) and a rotating hardened keyway (it spins if drilled) which makes it almost impossible to drill. As far as picking, not going to happen without special tools for this lock alone and a lot of time by an expert.

As far as the chain, the Pewag 3012 7/16" Square Security Chain cannot be cut with bolt cutters (the Rockwell hardness is greater than the blade of the best bolt cutters) and with a 18v angle grinder, it will take at least 4 min, if the chain is in a vice, and good luck with it on the ground or suspended in air. Have not figured out the ground anchor but will probably be a double loop.

[Motofool]

Learn how the enemy thinks and operates:
https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles..._operator_ama/

[VaFish]

Buying that lock and chain would be more expensive than one of my Ninjettes.

[verboten1]

I leave the keys in quite often. I don't want to lose them.

[CaliGrrl]

A wheel lock is a good idea. Mine isn't that buff, but I do use it. Mine goes through the brake disc and makes the bike non-rollable. Someone said a thief will just put the wheel up on a skateboard and wheel it away, but let's not make it any easier for them than we have to.

[InvisiBill]

Originally Posted by Motofool

Learn how the enemy thinks and operates:
https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles..._operator_ama/

According to that guy, the only decent way to steal a bike was to ride away on it.

For standard "leaving your bike in a parking lot when you go somewhere" security, his advice was a good disc lock. Based on my research, Xena seemed to be ranked pretty well. Their XX models with alarms have some nice features, like being rounded to make it harder to get a saw started on them, but the electronics of the alarm can run into issues. You still have a nice lock even without the alarm, but a lot of people reported problems (frequently after moisture was involved). Their plain locks have the benefit of being V-shaped, so you'd have to cut through it twice to get it off. I went with the X2 to avoid electronic issues and save some money. It's literally over 2lb. They have a paper template you can print out and see which sizes match up with your bike's disc.

Just as important is how you lock your bike up. Put the disc lock on the rear wheel. It's much harder/slower to take the rear wheel off than it is the front wheel. If you have to put it on the front, he suggested purposely stripping out your rotor bolts. It makes it much harder to remove the disc, which is very annoying for a thief, but should only be mildly inconvenient for you when/if you need to change the rotor someday. If you're using a chain, make sure you go through the frame, not just the wheel or swingarm. The strength of your adamantium chain is irrelevant if they can remove a couple bolts and slide it off the bike.

A free pseudo-lock is to simply carry a small screwdriver and take your clutch lever with you when you leave the bike. It won't stop someone who scopes out your bike and is determined to take it, but it will keep a casual thief from being able to ride it away. The Grip Lock is similar to this concept.

If you do use a disc lock, a warning tether is a good idea to make sure you don't forget it's there. Trying to ride away with a disc lock installed will ruin your day.


We have the benefit of having fairly cheap bikes, so there's less incentive to steal them. However, they are quite common, which means more demand for parts, which translates into incentive for chop shops. But back to the first point, being "cheap starter bikes" also means that they're not expected to be flawless and people tend to avoid spending much to fix them.

The chop shop guy above said that his ideal target was the most common example of that model. Customized bikes are easier to identify, and custom parts are less likely to be in demand by buyers. A bone stock bike is full of OEM parts that are in use by every single bike of that model.

[NevadaWolf]

I have a disc lock on my rear wheel that I put on whenever I plan to be in a place for too long. And I was really really glad I had it on when I woke up one morning in Albuquerque to find someone had tried cutting my ignition. That is a super ugly scar that I see every time I put my key in.

The next night I not only put the lock back on, but also wrapped a heavy duty Harley cable through the frame and front wheel, then around a substantial post anchored to the parking lot.

Fricken thieves...

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by Motofool

Learn how the enemy thinks and operates:
https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles..._operator_ama/

Very good read, thanks for linking!

Originally Posted by CaliGrrl

Someone said a thief will just put the wheel up on a skateboard and wheel it away, but let's not make it any easier for them than we have to.

Exactly! Well put! I agree with this completely. That is why I lock my steering, and use a disc lock. I personally use the kryptonite disc lock (https://www.amazon.com/Kryptonite-Di...nite+disc+lock) and I really like it. It comes with 3 extra keys and the keys even have a little light on them to help find the keyhole which I've used a few times. I never knew to put it on the rear brake, I always thought the front was better, learn something new every day.

Also one thing that I think is very important is motorcycle covers. I always stuff one in my backpack if I know I am going to be parking my bike for a while. It deters thieves (out of sight, out of mind). Also it has other benefits as well, keeps sun off your paint which prevents fading, and it will help prevent people from sitting on your bike (which happens often) or random vandalism. (again out of sight, out of mind)