Having had a well locked up TDM900 stolen in 2008 I gave a lot of thought to security....
There are two sorts of thieves; 1. Joy riders, who have limited means, are opportunists and will nick anything. 2. Pros who go equipped and have a network for disposal of the bike - whole for export or as parts through breakers and Evilbay etc. The first sort are local and often stupidly persistent. The pros are well equipped, well organised and efficient (don't I know it).
Who ever you are up against whatever you do should buy time, preferable away from the bike. We've all heard the horror stories of bikes being vandalised because the thieves failed to bust the locks. One poster on here got his house broken into for the chipped key and they took his lid and leathers into the bargain. So keeping them way is the first best defence. So with all this in mind and my own sorry experience I figured on this:
Keep the scum away from the bike as long as possible. So I really beefed up the shed, with a lining and bracing and built a serious t-bar lock across the doors. I also do without windows, to frustrate nosey scrotes. Yes it could be opened but it will take time, make a deal of noise and they'll be visible while doing it. Thing is once they are in the garage/shed they are out of sight and the noise won't attract attention.
2nd line of defence are the ground anchors and three Almax chains with quality padlocks as well as disc locks. I also take the seats off the bikes and keep them in the house. So even if they get the bikes, riding them won't be comfortable. All chain manufacturers make lots of claims but after a look at Almax's website I went for them. They can all be cut..... eventually but if you watch the Almax video some are clearly made of cheese.
Alarms are great as long as YOU are within earshot - you can't count on anyone else taking any notice - even friendly neighbours might not twig its yours, especially if you live somewhere like me where car and house alarms go off all the time. I have an alarm and for me its primary function is to deafen intruders, if it attracts the neighbours attention that's a bonus.
Trackers/immobilisers are all well and good but the bike has already gone, similarly datatag and smartwater - unless you'd really like to count on the thieves leaving your bike because it has smartwater etc. CCTV is useful - it may alert you to someone checking the lie of the land - but ultimately all only come into play once the bike has gone.
And my keys and the spares and bike paperwork are kept in a small safe that will take some finding, and looking for that means getting into the house - more time and more noise. And of course they don't know they looking for a safe.
Sure it's a bit of a pain to get a bike out - I don't commute on mine so it's not the end of the world and any security only works if you always use it, so always always always lock it up.
It's also worth bearing in mind if the scum really want it they will take it - the best you can do is try make it not worth the effort. I think I was unlucky with the TDM - it was a pro job but I have a suspicion they were anticipating something more tasty to be away with - not that they'd leave it having gone to the trouble of breaking in.
Be Lucky
Slarty
There are two sorts of thieves; 1. Joy riders, who have limited means, are opportunists and will nick anything. 2. Pros who go equipped and have a network for disposal of the bike - whole for export or as parts through breakers and Evilbay etc. The first sort are local and often stupidly persistent. The pros are well equipped, well organised and efficient (don't I know it).
Who ever you are up against whatever you do should buy time, preferable away from the bike. We've all heard the horror stories of bikes being vandalised because the thieves failed to bust the locks. One poster on here got his house broken into for the chipped key and they took his lid and leathers into the bargain. So keeping them way is the first best defence. So with all this in mind and my own sorry experience I figured on this:
Keep the scum away from the bike as long as possible. So I really beefed up the shed, with a lining and bracing and built a serious t-bar lock across the doors. I also do without windows, to frustrate nosey scrotes. Yes it could be opened but it will take time, make a deal of noise and they'll be visible while doing it. Thing is once they are in the garage/shed they are out of sight and the noise won't attract attention.
2nd line of defence are the ground anchors and three Almax chains with quality padlocks as well as disc locks. I also take the seats off the bikes and keep them in the house. So even if they get the bikes, riding them won't be comfortable. All chain manufacturers make lots of claims but after a look at Almax's website I went for them. They can all be cut..... eventually but if you watch the Almax video some are clearly made of cheese.
Alarms are great as long as YOU are within earshot - you can't count on anyone else taking any notice - even friendly neighbours might not twig its yours, especially if you live somewhere like me where car and house alarms go off all the time. I have an alarm and for me its primary function is to deafen intruders, if it attracts the neighbours attention that's a bonus.
Trackers/immobilisers are all well and good but the bike has already gone, similarly datatag and smartwater - unless you'd really like to count on the thieves leaving your bike because it has smartwater etc. CCTV is useful - it may alert you to someone checking the lie of the land - but ultimately all only come into play once the bike has gone.
And my keys and the spares and bike paperwork are kept in a small safe that will take some finding, and looking for that means getting into the house - more time and more noise. And of course they don't know they looking for a safe.
Sure it's a bit of a pain to get a bike out - I don't commute on mine so it's not the end of the world and any security only works if you always use it, so always always always lock it up.
It's also worth bearing in mind if the scum really want it they will take it - the best you can do is try make it not worth the effort. I think I was unlucky with the TDM - it was a pro job but I have a suspicion they were anticipating something more tasty to be away with - not that they'd leave it having gone to the trouble of breaking in.
Be Lucky
Slarty
Honda CB100N, <!--coloro:#FF0000--><!--/coloro-->BSA C15G<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc-->, Honda 400/4, Kawka Z250, BSA A65 Firebird Scrambler, Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mk1, Suzuki GP100, <!--coloro:#FF0000--><!--/coloro-->BSA B44 Special<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc-->, <!--coloro:#FF0000--><!--/coloro-->Ducati Pantah 500<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc-->, <!--coloro:#FF0000--><!--/coloro-->Yamaha XS 650 Flat tracker, TDM 900.<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc-->
<!--/colorc-->, Honda 400/4, Kawka Z250, BSA A65 Firebird Scrambler, Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mk1, Suzuki GP100, <!--coloro:#FF0000--><!--/coloro-->BSA B44 Special<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc-->, <!--coloro:#FF0000--><!--/coloro-->Ducati Pantah 500<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc-->, <!--coloro:#FF0000--><!--/coloro-->Yamaha XS 650 Flat tracker, TDM 900.<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc-->