Security of the 125

[SneakyDingo]

Thats because those alarms go off so often nobody give them a second glance. Chain her up with a Kryptonite lock and there will be little doubt that "something ain't right" as they do what is needed to get the bike free from the metal post its secured to. Nobody expects someone to physically stop them but most people have cell phones and most trucks have licence plates.

Thieves will ignore going after the lock and will instead go after the metal post if it's an easier target.

I don't know why we'd expect license plates to stop thieves. Only honest people don't steal other people's license plates when they're about to commit a crime. I know zero people who secure their license plates with security bolts; I could easily find another car similar to the one I own, steal their plates, commit a crime, and return the plates without them even knowing, and I'm certain with 100% certainty that doing so would not trip the car alarm either. My electric screwdriver makes stealing the plates almost as fast as the act of stealing the motorcycle.

I hate to say it but every legal, cost effective mechanism in place is pretty useless against basic thief techniques to get around them. That is to say that creating high risk, low reward opportunities for thieves (high chance of getting caught or hurt, or low chance of opportunity) is our best bet for these little bikes.

 

[oldskool]

Thieves will ignore going after the lock and will instead go after the metal post if it's an easier target.

Absolutely, the whole point of the chain and lock is to make it an undesirable target. Leave it chained long enough in a sketchy area it will be gone as the punks will come back later better prepared.

 

[TrailSnot]

It's a shame we even have to think about this kinda stuff. There are some places I will simply never go to and certainly not park up in out of concern for my stuff going for a walk. For every measure we could take there's a countermeasure that someone is willing to employ. With the brazen nature of the criminal element nobody would step in for fear of what would happen to them. I don't blame them. There's only so far as I'm willing to go for my own shit knowing I'd prefer to make my insurance company payout than lose my life over it.
There are no real answers, only preventive measures to ease our minds a little. Airtags to track if it goes walkies combined with disc lock is what I do. Lugging around a huge lock and chain just isn't feasible for me most of the time.

I had a Xena alarmed disc lock years back. Parked up outside a hotel lobby. Thing was apparently squawking all night. The staff knew what room the owner was in. Nobody said or did anything. Eventually the batteries died and that was that. They told me the following morning.

 

[SneakyDingo]

Absolutely, the whole point of the chain and lock is to make it an undesirable target. Leave it chained long enough in a sketchy area it will be gone as the punks will come back later better prepared.

I saw this three times in Seattle with one bonus time for bicycles.

The first was in the International District, which to be fair - I wouldn't leave much chained up there for long and expect it to still be there when I got back, and property crime statistics back me up with that.

However the second time it was in Belltown outside a high end highrise apartment that had a security guard. Thieves come in and cut the rack, then duct tape it back together during the night, and come in at their leisure later to recover the bike. A similar tactic is used with adding a lock to a bike that's not yours, which is why I always go to the effort of getting a lock cut if they've "accidentally" locked my bike to theirs as was the case most recently at the Microsoft visitor center in Redmond.

The third time was outside Gregg's Greenlake, which is another high end area but an extremely heavily trafficked one, and Gregg's is a bicycle shop that specializes in the big 4 brand names (Cannondale, Specialized, etc.) that regularly exceed $3k MSRP, before customizations like expensive wheels are added.

The bonus time was that the thieves got into my old apartment complex building and used a vehicle to ram the secured door of the bike storage room. Once they got in, they closed the door so they could work in peace, cut the racks, and bulk threw the bikes into the van used in the ram raid. I was fortunate in that I was only storing a bike pump and a repair stand down there, so I didn't have my stuff stolen, but the most valuable bike there was about the same as the MSRP of a CT125 (high end Lynskey). This was behind a secure access gate so in many cases it was easier to go after the lock, but that one had a Kryptonite chain and lock on it.

The level of chutzpah on the thieves is ridiculous. It doesn't matter if it's a sketchy area or not.

I had a Xena alarmed disc lock years back. Parked up outside a hotel lobby. Thing was apparently squawking all night. The staff knew what room the owner was in. Nobody said or did anything. Eventually the batteries died and that was that. They told me the following morning.

I had one as well, same deal - any time the wind blew on it, it'd go off. Same deal, until I got hit by a car and it went flying into some train tracks, never to be seen again. I have an alarmed one now but it's far less sensitive. It's also a fairly cheap lock that could probably be picked fairly easily, but again - it's just to stop people walking off with the bike, not a dedicated thief.

 

[SneakyDingo]

I'm not saying it's a lost cause, but this is the sort of BS you're up against:

And angle grinding through most locks, chains or poles is usually only about 15s. Throw on a safety vest and coveralls if you want to take longer.

 

[TrailSnot]

I had one as well, same deal - any time the wind blew on it, it'd go off. Same deal, until I got hit by a car and it went flying into some train tracks, never to be seen again. I have an alarmed one now but it's far less sensitive. It's also a fairly cheap lock that could probably be picked fairly easily, but again - it's just to stop people walking off with the bike, not a dedicated thief.

I remember when it was learned a Bic pen could be used to open a good many disc locks, I tossed a few out at that point.
The Xena was best option at the time even without the squawking because it was properly keyed.
I forget which brand I'm using now.

 

[oldskool]

I saw this three times in Seattle with one bonus time for bicycles.

The first was in the International District, which to be fair - I wouldn't leave much chained up there for long and expect it to still be there when I got back, and property crime statistics back me up with that.

However the second time it was in Belltown outside a high end highrise apartment that had a security guard. Thieves come in and cut the rack, then duct tape it back together during the night, and come in at their leisure later to recover the bike. A similar tactic is used with adding a lock to a bike that's not yours, which is why I always go to the effort of getting a lock cut if they've "accidentally" locked my bike to theirs as was the case most recently at the Microsoft visitor center in Redmond.

The third time was outside Gregg's Greenlake, which is another high end area but an extremely heavily trafficked one, and Gregg's is a bicycle shop that specializes in the big 4 brand names (Cannondale, Specialized, etc.) that regularly exceed $3k MSRP, before customizations like expensive wheels are added.

The bonus time was that the thieves got into my old apartment complex building and used a vehicle to ram the secured door of the bike storage room. Once they got in, they closed the door so they could work in peace, cut the racks, and bulk threw the bikes into the van used in the ram raid. I was fortunate in that I was only storing a bike pump and a repair stand down there, so I didn't have my stuff stolen, but the most valuable bike there was about the same as the MSRP of a CT125 (high end Lynskey). This was behind a secure access gate so in many cases it was easier to go after the lock, but that one had a Kryptonite chain and lock on it.

The level of chutzpah on the thieves is ridiculous. It doesn't matter if it's a sketchy area or not.



I had one as well, same deal - any time the wind blew on it, it'd go off. Same deal, until I got hit by a car and it went flying into some train tracks, never to be seen again. I have an alarmed one now but it's far less sensitive. It's also a fairly cheap lock that could probably be picked fairly easily, but again - it's just to stop people walking off with the bike, not a dedicated thief.

It grieves me to see how far Seattle has sunk. I lived there 40 years ago and there were very few areas that I would have given a second thought about going to or leaving my bike night or day

 

[Kev250R]

It grieves me to see how far Seattle has sunk. I lived there 40 years ago and there were very few areas that I would have given a second thought about going to or leaving my bike night or day

I think at this point it's just about every major metropolitan area. I live ~45 minutes East of Los Angeles and haven't been to the city as a tourist in almost six years and even then I went with someone who knew the city very well and worked in law enforcement. At this point I don't even like to drive through LA on my way to someplace else; I'll generally take one of the freeways which skirt the edge of the city. There is something to be said for living in the suburbs, though we have issues with crime here too, at least in the city where I live the Police are very responsive and the Meth Heads who live down the street from me are reportedly afraid of 'that guy who lives on corner the with all the cars who the Cops hang-out with'

 

[Kev250R]

Thats because those alarms go off so often nobody give them a second glance. Chain her up with a Kryptonite lock and there will be little doubt that "something ain't right" as they do what is needed to get the bike free from the metal post its secured to. Nobody expects someone to physically stop them but most people have cell phones and most trucks have licence plates.

The speed at which a cordless Grinder will cut even the best chain or lock would likely shock you. Recently I removed a chain and a high-quality, heavy-duty lock which someone left secured to a pole at work. High-quality chain, cordless Milwaukee Grinder, El Cheap-O Grinding Disc from Amazon and ten seconds later I had new section of high-quality chain I can use for rigging. I left the cut lock to remind the owner of it that signal poles aren't great places to secure things.

Sneaky Dingo nailed it with the License Plate thing. Quick and easy to steal, though in my area it's getting more common to see license plate readers at the entrance to neighborhoods and most Police cars in my area are now equipped with Plate readers which can alert an Officer that the plate doesn't match the vehicle. That's how the Police found one of our trucks which got stolen at work. Plates on the truck when it was found belonged to a Nissan Maxima and not a Ford F550.

 

[m in sc]

hes right, a battery angle grinder will blast thru the best of chains and locks like butter. phrase i once heard 'locks are for honest thieves'.

if they want it, they are going to take it. Don't make it easy, bring them inside

 

[Kev250R]

Corollary: If you make it harder to steal than the return on investment they are willing to do to steal it, they won't steal it. So even a cheap bicycle lock or disk lock, combined with the steering lock that forces them to lift the bike instead of wheeling it will stop the purely opportunistic thieves.

For opportunistic thieves, I agree. For a dedicated Thief who is intent on getting what they're after, then maybe not so much. One of my cars which I travel with frequently is a '60's VW. Maybe the easiest car in the world to steal. In order to keep the casual joyriders at bay it's common for me to block that car in at night with my truck or if that's not possible I'll re-load it onto it's trailer. Even then they could just steal the truck and get at it. I spend more time looking for secure places to stay the night then I do worrying about things getting stolen.

 

[dmonkey]

Depending on the lock design, blowing out the lock cylinder with a .22 nail gun can be even quicker and less conspicuous than an angle grinder. I've read that many bicycle thieves use that method. It's my go-to method for destructive lock removal.




Layered security appropriate for your setting and theft insurance (and the appropriate value of coverage) are the way to go IMO. If your motorcycle does get stolen and you're not able to retrieve it immediately, there's a good chance it's not something you'll want back. You'd only want it found to help the insurance process go smoothly. Stolen bikes are often damaged, hacked up, or have VINs ground off where they'd be a PITA to deal with after. Not always the case, there are successful recovery stories, just don't count on it.

 

[ROGER4314]

Park it where it is very visible, lock the front fork, don't leave it in sketchy areas, have full coverage insurance and invest in a Kyptonite lock and chain if you must leave it unattended for long periods of time.

Very good advice! I was born and raised in Chicago, and the saying goes that if you chain your wheels to a pole, the thugs will steal the bike, the chain and the pole! I have my Texas concealed carry license, so I'll add that to the security mix.

Flash

 

[Low-gear]

People complain about the cost of the CT125 but it’s nothing compared to the cost of bicycles. $4k will get you a mid level road bike from the top manufacturers. Bicycles are a much more lucrative target.

 

[AZ7000']

People complain about the cost of the CT125 but it’s nothing compared to the cost of bicycles. $4k will get you a mid level road bike from the top manufacturers. Bicycles are a much more lucrative target.

And not registered with the DMV

 

[Plotus]

Full coverage costed me $200 and change... a year.

 

[mcmd]

Nobody I Know would get involved in a theft or ask "Are you tying to steal that motorcycle?" I carry all the time here in Newer Mexico but I'm not getting involved unless it's me or my family being in harms way, I damn sure wouldn't shoot somebody for stealing someone else's motorcycle, probably wouldn't shoot them if they were stealing mine unless I felt threatened. If you have taken a quality Concealed Carry Class they will instruct you in the cost and consequences of shooting somebody, even if you think it is justified. I'm not going to be the Sheriff unless it involves me. Just Sayin!

I don't carry at all. I'm not opposed to responsible gun owners carrying, it's just not right for me. I agree, the majority of bystanders will not get involved if your bike is being stolen. It's human nature. Best you can do is not parking in sketchy areas, use your steering lock and get yourself a big ass chain and lock and lock the bike to a stationary object. Oh, and carry theft insurance.
I don't worry so much about a quick run to the store while employing the above. A bigger concern for me would be if the bike breaks down on some backroad out in the boonies and for some reason I need to leave it somewhere temporarily. Even if chained to a stationary object, some well equipped thieves could come along with an angle grinder and because it's out on some deserted backroad they have all the time and privacy they need to cut the lock and/or chain and make off with the bike. I'd like to hear what other members have to say about this scenario.

 

[BaldRider]

Thieves aren't looking for things to steal in the 'boonies.' At least they aren't likely carrying around equipment to cut chains and whatnot just in case they happen to come across something. People who target motorcycles or bicycles go to where there are likely things to steal with equipment and means to do it. Cruising back roads isn't worth their time. Sure, it could happen. So could winning the lottery.

 

[oldskool]

Thieves aren't looking for things to steal in the 'boonies.' At least they aren't likely carrying around equipment to cut chains and whatnot just in case they happen to come across something. People who target motorcycles or bicycles go to where there are likely things to steal with equipment and means to do it. Cruising back roads isn't worth their time. Sure, it could happen. So could winning the lottery.

I think you are correct in thieves are not going out in the sticks looking for stuff.....BUT..a country crack head is more likely to have what is needed in his truck to cut chains, load a bike up and be gone. If you have to leave her in the sticks best to hide the little bugger.

 

[BaldRider]

You certainly can't discount the creativity and drive of meth connoisseurs. I guess it all depends on the vibe of the area. If it's that bad, just push it to where you are going to walk to anyway