Basic alarm

[mthee]

The local guy who bought my VX warned of a recent spate of bike thefts locally, which got me googling about my bike's security. I've had 2 bikes pinched (a 400/4 in this area) and would hate to see this XBR going, especially as they will only get more difficult to replace.
My home is in a low crime area where it's securely anchored in a garage, but it's what I can do to afford as much piece of mind on trips out I'm thinking about.
Not wanting to have to carry a cover and core-hardened 16mm steel chain, I have to accept that it can easily get lifted into a van. Given that, I'd like to establish a balance between making it as unattractive to thieves as possible and ease of use.
I'm thinking alarm and disc lock.
Having owned one of the first Xena disc lock alarms many years ago, current reviews suggest little has changed, with random false alarms being common (especially rain and gusts of wind) before eventual demise, so that all that was left was a disc lock. Mine used to regularly go off as I unlocked it, making me look like a thief!
Moving on to fitted alarms, it struck me that a simple one could be used with a disc lock. Avoiding the Chinese units, I came across this British company and would be grateful for those more competent with electrickery (that's everyone!) and/or experience to provide insight.
http://www.motorbikealarm.co.uk/shop/ncs-compact-motorbike-alarm-and-immobiliser-system/

[iansoady]

You have to ask yourself: "What do I do when I hear an alarm going off?". Most of us curse the annoying person who's fitted it, roll over and go back to sleep.....

OTOH the Datatool I had fitted to my Tiger was notorious for immobilising itself in far-off places so I (with some difficulty) disabled it.

[Moto63]

Yes the data tool I had fitted to my speed triple (factory done from new) was the same. Pain in the a.......e to be honest, ended up taking it off, then when I bought my 1050 speed triple (again new) I asked for one NOT to be fitted
Cheers, Michael

[mthee]

OK, forget enabling the immobiliser function, how about simply installing it on the battery to provide the same movement alarm as a disc lock alarm whilst parked in the town centre (only possibly more reliable?)

[Andy M]

Datafool will ruin your day but only mildly inconvenience a thief.

I've just ordered a tracker from China for 6 quid. Once fitted with a ten quid sim it should text me with its location when either moved or sent a text request. I will report back when I've got it.

For now, go with the basic noisy disk lock, you can bin them when they fail.

Smart water or datatag puts off the steal to break scrotes. More chance of a successful prosecution.

Andy

[johnr]

you can also buy vehicle trackers that run on a 2g sim card for under a tenner each. i always use a long cable lock, theyrre pretty tough and will resist bolt croppers because the cable crushes ather than being cut and it will deter the opportunist who is by far and away the most likely to lift you bike. the really determined pro is going to have it whatever you use, so lock it to something solid, and fit a tracker.

[SteveC#222]

You won't stop the professional thief or stop them from lifting it into a van, so what you are really trying to stop is the opportunist scumbags.  If  you can slow them down they'll probably leave it if they can't hotwire it or push it away so why not wire in a hidden on/off 'kill' switch wired into the kill switch circuit - simple and hard to find. Maybe a disc lock a good padlock through the rear sprocket & chain but don't forget it!!  ( the sim card sounds good too)

[mthee]

Like the ideas, especially the cheap tracker which I'll definitely follow up. If we know where they are, at least we can send Michael round to terminate them   
An interesting read on security chain composition here;

http://lockitt.com/chaininfo.htm

[Moto63]

    My arm might be a bit like arni,s in the terminator Mthee but I think they'd out run me in the first two yards mate, my foot is still not right and takes a while to "get going" so I think it would be wiser to just hire a couple of heavy,s to go n sort the scumbags out. 

[CrazyFrog]

Back in the early 80's at a bike show, I can remember seeing a very large and heavily customised Harley, which isn't really my thing. However this one caught my eye as it was very well executed. As I looked I noticed that beautifully engraved into the crankcase in flowery script was the legend 'Is there life after death?'.

On the other side was engraved 'Fuck with this bike and find out.' 

[mthee]

Random snippets (geddit?! ) from google.
Just read a review in which a punter had installed a garage defender which bolts to the ground in front of your up and over door and locks a bar to obstruct opening. Only trouble was, this device merely flagged him up to the thieves who levered it out the ground to see what was so desirable inside!
Discretion being required, for those with a side access to their garage, a good solution seemed to be beefing up security of the up and over door from the inside. Cheap as you like (I like!) was obstructing the 2 wheels in their tacks by drilling a hole in the track and adding a padlock or slotting a length of wood in there.
I saw a YouTube video showing a decent cable lock being cut in around 2 mins. Apparently, thieves like them because they only need snips to cut each individual strand, rather than hulking great croppers.
The quality 16&19mm chains which can't be cropped are too heavy to be portable, but the 13mm version takes some cropping and is considered portable. Best buy a noose chain if you're locking your pride and joy to an immovable object, because you won't need such a long length.
How desirable are bikes like the XBR to thieves? Surely they'd target the newer, more expensive machines? I know my 400/4 must have gone for spares because, although shiney, it had a rough paint job with mural and home-made CR seat.

[SteveC#222]

I have a couple of those battery powered rape alarms cunningly rigged to the door so if you open it too far without disabling them it pulls out the pins and all hell breaks loose!....it's a bugger to get the pins back in too especially if you don't know where the alarms are and you are being deafened!

I think any XBR's that are nicked would probably get broken for spares - there are too few of them now to sell off easily and they are worth more as spare parts to thieves than as a whole bike,  easier to get rid of and mostly untraceable.

I always try and park up somewhere really obvious to the public  preferably near a shop or CCTV camera and fit more than one anti theft device to make life difficult but in the end you can only do so much, if they really want it they'll get it.  Also I don't park it on the drive, it goes straight in the garage when I get home.

[mthee]

Love the home-brew solutions! That'd wreak havoc with my tinnitus, Steve (thanks AC/DC, Motley Crew et al +  ill-fitting, 2nd hand Bell helmet used throughout my teens) which is why I need an alarm which I can disarm by remote 🙉

[Moto63]

Yes, both myself and our kid both had a plunger type switch connected to inside of our shed doors, once door was opened switch was released and as it was connected to 12volt bike battery and a bike horn. The bike horn would just continually blast out in yes lug ole. Could be disabled by flicking little very discreetly placed rocker switch. Fortunately it was never needed. I now am lucky enough to have a very decent garage/workshop.
Cheers, Michael

[Moto63]

Oh...I remember being told a story (by a very reliable source) that some scumbags broke into a garage of someone he knew by first cutting handbrake cable of a van which was parked touching the garage door, they then rolled the van away from front of garage. They then broke in to the up n over door, went in to garage and lifted, yes lifted a Kwak zzr1100 (when they'd just come out) over the top of the MGB sports car which again was parked fairly tight up to the Kwak. When they'd got bike out they then closed garage door and pushed the van back up against the garage door so as not to arouse any suspicion. Poor bloke only realised what had happened when he went to move the van only to find it no longer had an handbrake. The give away as to how they'd got the bike out were two full length scratches down the MGB roof where the bike had rubbed against it. So like Steve said before if they really want it they'll get it no matter what we mere mortal types do to try and stop em.