There was a sportster here in town for sale next to a run down strip club just out side of town... The third day I past it on my way to work I saw that the parts-stripping had already begun. Seat and bars missing. The bike was gone a few days later. The owner probably just started taking better caution.

 

The best you can do is to make the bike less appealing as a target in the hope that they will steal somebody elses bike. And keep the insurance up to date.

 

Personally, I like the idea of covering it with a Gold Wing cover with the Honda logo on it.

 

Yep buddy had one parked in a small garage in front of the car. They lifted it up and over the car. Amazing what a little crank will do for your strength! Fork locks are no good put a skate board under the wheel and see ya!

 

I read an article about this and they were stealing bikes in the middle of the day in a major parking lot with people all around. They staged the theft just to see how easy it was. They notified the local police what they were about to do in case someone called it in. They put a nice Harley in the lot, then drove up next to it in a van and swiped it in under 90 seconds. They said if they were real thieves they could have done it faster as they wouldn't have worried about scratching the paint. They did this right in front of people and nobody called the cops or got their license number down. They did this like once an hour for an entire day and then came to the conclusion that it was pretty easy to do. They even had pictures of the guys loading it into the back of the van, alarm going and people just walking past them and not even looking......... That tells me the best thing to do is have it insured for what it's worth.

 

Locks, alarms, etc will probably take care of 99% of the thieves. The other 1% are covered by insurance.

I use a Roadlok disc lock which will deter the push away and drive away thefts. It's permanently mounted to the front caliber so it only takes 5 seconds to lock.

When I'm staying at a hotel I also chain it to a fixed object or other bike. I use a Kryptonite Forgetaboutit chain lock which will deter all but the most determined thieves. I also cover the bike.

I then try to relax and remember I pay good money for insurance.

 

Yeah...it's like anything else...most gadgets are just gonna stop the lazy thiefs. I read 'bout one crew that had some kinda panel van rigged with a gantry hoist. They'd just back up to a bike...even in a line of bikes...extend the hoist out the back doors, lift the scoot right up into the van, and drive away. The article said the whole deal took just a few seconds.

I like to stay in ground floor rooms where I can park the bike right outside the door. I lock out the center dash switch, and arm the factory security system...which disables the electrical system to some extent...but I dunno how well that works. But, that'll just stop the individual that might just jump on and try to ride it away. Hell, I know they'll get it if they want it bad enuf...so, I've never even locked my forks. Had a car stolen one time...but been lucky so far with my bikes.

Oh yeah...just remembered this...a buddy of mine rigged up some kinda motion detector that he would place somewhere on his bike...and then some kinda gadget that would receive an RF signal from the detector if his bike moved...all homemade stuff he put together. It didn't have much range so it only worked if he could park right outside the door. All that did is let him know someone was possibly messin with his bike...but, he had one other "piece" of equipment to compliment that setup. hehe I think he played with that on just one trip...mostly 'cause he just likes to tinker with stuff, and is always lookin to come up with that million $$ idea.

 

Do like me, ride a plain lookin' bike that no one would want to steal. Oh and park next to a really fancy one.

 

Yup...If they want it...they are gonna get it....try not to worry about it too much...just try not to be the "easy target"!!

 

I know 4 guys that stopped over night at a motel during a road trip. They got up the next morning and all 4 bikes were swiped. Probably trailered away.