picard@h-sc1.UUCP (martin picard) (03/04/86)
Now that I've invested in a second bike (honda XL600R), after 4 months of
mouring over the theft of my last bike (same type), I'm wondering how to
make sure this one doesn't get ripped off too. I'd appreciate any comments
regarding the best types of locks (eg. kryptonite is good but you can't tie the
bike to something with it). What do people think about alarms for bikes?
thanks.tjsmedley@watmum.UUCP (Trevor J. Smedley) (03/05/86)
> What do people think about alarms for bikes?
I've always been a firm believer in the James Bond/Mad Max type of
alarm... You touch it and it blows up. Doesn't really help much, but
it sure makes you feel good :-)
Trevor J. Smedley University of Waterloo
{decvax,allegra,ihnp4,utzoo}!watmum!tjsmedleyanimal@ihlpa.UUCP (D. Starr) (03/06/86)
> > Now that I've invested in a second bike (honda XL600R), after 4 months of > mouring over the theft of my last bike (same type), I'm wondering how to > make sure this one doesn't get ripped off too. I'd appreciate any comments > regarding the best types of locks (eg. kryptonite is good but you can't tie the > bike to something with it). What do people think about alarms for bikes? > > thanks. I've been using the "Maxim 75" cable lock for just about ten years now, and am very happy with it. This thing is a 7 foot length of 3/4" stainless steel cable, rubber covered, and equipped with one of those round-key locks like you see on vending machines. It is *very* tough; the stainless cable resists most solvents (acids, etc.) and you'd need an oxyacetylene torch and some time to cut it, and the recessed lock is just about impervious to harm. In the ten years I've used it, my bikes (including some expensive Harleys) have never been messed with. Disadvantages are weight (close to 10 pounds) and bulk (about the best you can do is loop it into a 15" circle and bungee it on the back seat). I think they also sell a storage case that you can hang on one side of the bike. I'd skip a chain-and-padlock setup because chains are cut rather easily (consider that a very heavy chain only has about 3/8" thick links). I'd also stay away from the "cobra-link" style lock because I've heard of people who know the trick being able to take one apart in a couple minutes (though they do look great). Finally, I'd stay away from the gizmos that lock on to the brake disk to keep the bike from rolling because they can be broken if you're willing to damage the bike a little. On related topics, the XL600R is a dual-purpose bike, right? That's both good and bad. On the good side, it means that you're probably not the target of professional thieves; they tend to attack bikes that can be taken apart and sold at swap meets, like (unfortunately) Harleys, so the most important job of your lock is to prevent roll-away, "joyride" theft. This means that it should immobilize the rear wheel and be nice and conspicuous. On the bad side, you should know that your ignition switch may be beatable with nothing more than a pair of wire snippers. On many off-road machines with kick starters, the ignition system is powered by a crankshaft magneto, and the "off" position of the switch simply *grounds* its output, so cutting the wire permits starting without the key. Check your wiring diagram on this, not all bikes are the same. If you do have a grounding-type switch, you may want to rig a concealed toggle switch to cut power at the ignition module. Dan Starr
bl@hplabsb.UUCP (Bruce T. Lowerre) (03/08/86)
> > Now that I've invested in a second bike (honda XL600R), after 4 months of > mouring over the theft of my last bike (same type), I'm wondering how to > make sure this one doesn't get ripped off too. I'd appreciate any comments > regarding the best types of locks (eg. kryptonite is good but you can't tie the > bike to something with it). What do people think about alarms for bikes? > > thanks. I've owned four motorcycles starting from my college days. I had one bike stolen along with my room mate. Being pissed off, we devised the following alarm system. Buy a 12V relay (DPST), another horn (loudest one you can find), a mercury switch (household SPST item), and an in-line fuse holder. Remove the center stand from your bike and mount the mercury switch to it. You will have to dismantle the switch and make a cover for the inner part of it (you don't need the handle). The idea is to rig it so that the switch will be on when the stand is up and off when the stand is down. Ground one side of the switch. Wire the in-line fuse to the hot side of your battery (to protect your bikes battery and wireing). Hide an on-off switch (slide switch will do) under your seat and connect to hot lead from the fuse to it. Also hide the second horn on the bike (preferably under the seat) along with the relay. The idea is to wire the mercury switch to the coil of the relay along with the first contact so that the relay will "lock" in when activated by the mercury switch (i.e., when the bike is taken off the center stand). The second contact is wired to the second horn. Thus, when the bike is taken off its center stand, the second horn is activated and will remain on even if the bike is placed back on its center stand. No one will roll a screaming hot bike down the street. The least damage done is to end up with a dead battery if you don't hear the horn in time. The worst that could happen is that the thief may just drop the bike and run. However, this is better than ending up with no bike. Since I've used this scheme, I've saved two bikes from being stolen.
mojo@kepler.UUCP (Morris Jones) (03/11/86)
Reading about stolen motorcycles is very sobering.
Does the fork lock provide any deterent?
--
Mojo
... Morris Jones, MicroPro Product Development
{lll-crg,ptsfa,dual,well,pyramid}!micropro!kepler!mojojoe@dual.UUCP (Joe Weinstein) (03/12/86)
Most fork locks are there to keep the honest people from temptation, but I"ve had a bike stolen that was only fork-locked. The amount of play that these fork lock mechanisms have is enough so that the pin can be sheared right off by grabbing the handle bars and wrenching them violently to bang the pin on the side of its hole. If the pin doesn't break the pot-metal that holds the lock mechanism to the rest of the bike will break. I've since known people who lost the keys to *their* bikes do it themselves so that they could wheel the bike to a safer place while they went home for the spare!
felcher@reed.UUCP (William Abernathy) (03/13/86)
In article <530@kepler.UUCP> mojo@kepler.UUCP (Morris Jones) writes: >Reading about stolen motorcycles is very sobering. > >Does the fork lock provide any deterent? > >-- >Mojo >... Morris Jones, MicroPro Product Development >{lll-crg,ptsfa,dual,well,pyramid}!micropro!kepler!mojo The only thing a fork lock will do for you is to prevent frisky adolescents with no tools/mechanical aptitude from swiping your wheels. A screwdriver, a hammer, and a healthy set of vise-grips is all it takes to crush the lock pins, rendering your fork lock and ignition switch utterly ineffectual lumps of shattered steel. The best way to prevent theft is to keep your bike off the street; "out of sight, out of mind", and all that. If you can't keep your bike off the street at night, the first item on your shopping list should be one of those bigass Krypto-4's, specially designed for motorcycles. The most cost-effective method for preventing total bike loss is to hook this puppy through your frame to a solid steel pole. DO NOT HOOK THE LOCK THROUGH YOUR CASE SAVERS OR CRASH- BARS, as another user has reccomended, as such attachments can be unbolted in mere seconds. This method will prevent non-professionals from removing your bike from the scene. Now to worry you a bit more, I will suggest that *in addition* to a Kryptonite, you get an alarm, for the following reasons: 1) No lock (or number of locks, for that matter) is invincible 2) Even if you had a perfectly infallible lock, it would not be capable of protecting your scooter from the twin terrors of stripping and vandalism, as does a good motion detecting alarm. 3) Like policemen, solid steel poles are seldom there when you need them. 4) Each additional system, though vulnerable, (yes,even alarms can be neutralized.) taxes the intellect and talent of the thief one more power. Given the choice of a Krypto'd, fork-locked, and alarmed bike or a bike with only a fork lock, the choice becomes obvious... Before you cut your wrists, realize that a hefty quantity of vehicular theft occurs to vehicles which have been left *with the keys in the ignition*. Use your head and, once you have bought a good security system, USE THE SUCKER! Happy riding! bike from the scene. Kryptonites, alas, can be destroyed or picked by serious thieves.
mazlack@ernie.berkeley.edu (Lawrence J. Mazlack) (03/13/86)
> >Does the fork lock provide any deterent? > Only marginally. Most of them can be broken by a strong person who snaps the bars. Even if not, many thefts occur by the means of picking up the bike and throwing it in the back of a pickup truck. Larry Mazlack UUCP {tektronix,dual,sun,ihnp4,decvax}!ucbvax!ucbernie!mazlack New style mazlack@ernie.berkeley.edu ARPA | CSNET mazlack%ernie@berkeley.ARPA BITNET mazlack@ucbernie.BITNET telephone (415) 528-0496 snail CS Dept, 571 Evans, U. California, Berkeley, CA 94720
hedden@atux01.UUCP (D. Hedden) (03/13/86)
In article <530@kepler.UUCP>, mojo@kepler.UUCP (Morris Jones) writes: > Reading about stolen motorcycles is very sobering. > > Does the fork lock provide any deterent? > The fork lock may deter the absolutely honest person who accidentally attempts to roll your bike away. I assume you're asking about the little factory installed cylinder lock that locks the handlebars and fork at full turn. I once bumped my parked bike just after locking the fork and it started to fall over (it was on the center stand on a sideways slope), I grabbed the handlebars to keep the bike up, and in applying enough torque to stop the fall, I bent the little pin that extends out of the cylinder to lock it. The lock no longer locked anything!! I took the lock out of the bike to get a replacement, but changed my mind when I found this pin (about 3/8 inch diameter) was made of a fairly soft metal. Anyone wrenching the handlebar firmly would cut or bend this pin so as to make it non-functional. If you're concerned, buy a good lock, and consider the high price as insurance. Incidentally, I've been using bikes as my primary means of transportation for 28 years and haven't had one stolen yet. "The moving hand writes ..." Don
jon@msunix.UUCP (Otto) (03/15/86)
I keep my Honda VF500F Interceptor in the underground parking structure
where I live. I purchased a ten foot length of the heaviest chain I
could find at the hardware store and a large pin-tumbler padlock. I
lock the frame and front wheel to a 1-1/2 foot square concrete pillar
which is located conveniently next to my parking stall. I'm sure a large
pair of bolt cutters or a hacksaw would have no trouble cutting through
the chain, but it looks impressive.
This did not prevent a thief from removing my Interceptor's half-fairing.
I was even more upset when the dealer told me a replacement fairing without
windscreen was $252 plus tax. As I do not have access to a locked garage,
I was wondering what I could have done to prevent this. I often thought
that a cover would have been a good deterrent. Does anyone have ideas on
how you can prevent the theft of accessories? I would like to hear them.
Keep an eye on those easily removed fairings!
All I wanted was a Pepsi! Jonathan Hue
And she wouldn't get it for me! LMSC-Mechanisms & Servos
(c) Suicidal Tendencies, 1984 {amdcad!cae780,sun!sunncal}!leadsv!msunix!jonkwh@bentley.UUCP (KW Heuer) (03/17/86)
In article <3331@hplabsb.UUCP> hplabsb!bl (Bruce T. Lowerre) writes: >I've owned four motorcycles starting from my college days. I had one bike stolen >along with my room mate.... Did you report this to the Bureau of Missing Persons? :-)
bl@hplabsb.UUCP (Bruce T. Lowerre) (03/19/86)
> In article <3331@hplabsb.UUCP> hplabsb!bl (Bruce T. Lowerre) writes: > >I've owned four motorcycles starting from my college days. I had one bike stolen > >along with my room mate.... > > Did you report this to the Bureau of Missing Persons? :-) Very good! I started to write about another alarm device but I'm not sure it made it to the net. I'll do it again; apologies if this is a repeat. Before we invented the center stand alarm, I built an alarm in a metal box (small chasis box) that contained a MC battery, loud horn, two relays, and two key switches. The alarm worked by threading a 15 foot shielded cable through both tires and pluging in back into the box. The alarm itself was an active device in that a current was flowing through the cable. If the cable were unpluged or cut then the horn would go off. The active circut was achieved by one of the relays being locked down by an alarm set switch (one of the key switches). If this relay popped up (normally closed switch), it closed the circut on the second relay, locking it down and activating the horn. The second key switch was the on-off switch. Both polarities of the active relay circut went through the shielded cable, the positive through the center conductor and the negative through the shielding. This circut had a low amp fuse in series with it. If an attempt were made to push a pin through the cable (trying to bypass the length of cable), the fuse would blow and set off the alarm. This device really worked!! I never had the alarm go off, probably because is was very intimidating. A would be thief wouldn't know what was in the box. Could be an alarm, 1,000,000 volts, stick of dynamite, or neutron bomb. The problems with it are that it wasn't very portable and the battery would wear down eventually. However, it was very good for keeping one's bike in place overnight.