How are Harleys stolen? I've been thinking about adding theft deterrents. It's pretty easy to rig some simple but effective locks, alarms, and cut-offs. But first you need to know how the xxxx do their deed. If you've had a bike stolen, did they ride or haul it away?

 

how..... 4 dudes, 2 bats or pipes and a van, if they want it bad enough they'll get it, seen it.

 

exactly. unless you plan on guarding it night and day, do the best you can and don't lose sleep over it.

 

Hadda bagger swiped once..
Easy with center dash ignitions, Pair of Channel locks, One quick turn breaks it past the lock.. Bike is then on.. start er up and vrooooom..

 

Cop buddy told me the most common is 3 or 4 guys grab the bike and bounce it up onto a truck or into a trailer and they're gone in seconds. Alarms or fork/disc locks don't do squat. A big heavy-duty chain and lock might slow them down if it's chained down to something.

 

You already used the key word, deterrent. If they want it, they will get it. In addition to the ignition lock and fork lock, some feel safe with the security system. Beyond that, I recommend common sense. If you park around the corner, down a dark alley, your bike alone, duh! If you park in an area with a lot of bikes, as long as yours is more secure than others, you have a good chance of keeping yours. Over the years, I only lost one and that was in the '70s. I've known a lot of guys who have lost out, but they were mixed, some rode away, some hauled away, one was dragged behind a pickup down an alley until they stopped by a car full of guys who all just picked it up and tossed it into the truck. Keep in mind, most bikes are not stolen to keep them looking like new, they fill parts boxes.

 

Shed broken into, hauled away in a van.
78 Low Rider
This was a bike I put a $500 down payment on, and the next day
when I went to pick it up, it was gonzo.
The guy I was buying it from had it on his front lawn for sale.
He was a super nice guy, never knew me, and let me and the old lady
take the bike out for the afternoon! The day before I tried it out, a bunch
of bikers came to see it, and 2 days later it was gone.
You should have seen the guys face when we went to open up the shed.
His swearing fit went on for almost 20 minutes. It seems that since he had a deposit, he cancelled the insurance the day before! Major DUH.
The worst part was that he needed the money to finish paying for a new truck
that he was waiting to pick up. Now he had NO harley, and no insurance, and had to cancell that new truck he just ordered.
He even heard his dog barking at 3AM, and went to the door, and told
him to shutup...another major DUH! They cut the lock, and probably
pushed it right into the van they showed up in the day they looked at it.
I was as pissed as he was, I lost my 78 Low Rider with only 2800 miles.
He did give me my deposit back right away though.
I would be extememly careful putting a bike for sale on the side of the road!
I think most of them are halued away in vans or pickup trucks.
They cut the locks, and away they go! Probably 2 minutes or less.

Rags

 

Shouldn't this be "stickied" as a HOW-TO?

 

Not if you have an immobilizer alarm

 

Yep, as was said, if they want it, they will get it. I had a buddy of mine thought he was pretty safe using LoJack on his bike. The Thieves hauled his bike away in a trailor with a lift, by the time the cops located the bike with the LoJack Signal, they had pretty much stripped it.

Just use common sense, lock it up to keep honest people honest, because the pro's will get it no matter what you use.