Attenshun! A little over a week after Sticky’s feature on how to deter scooter theft, our own SLUK reporting recruit, Nick Prince offers some guidance on the same matter. I guess you can never have enough tips when it comes to protecting your pride and joy and should you have poo bags a plenty, read on!
Lee
Dad’s Army
The article on scooter crime last week got me thinking about what I find useful to help keep my scooter safe by delaying a potential thief. If they are going to take it then I am going to make it as troublesome for them as possible. Most of us don’t have our own private army to keep our scooters safe at home or away, but I am sure I’m going make it as difficult as possible for the thieves.
Strategic positioning
We all know the easy way for thieves is to pick up a scooter and sling it in the back of a van. Personally I prefer to chain the scoot to mother earth or a large fixed object. If I am out and about I find that drain covers found in the gutters of roads and in lots of car parks etc. are very useful, although I realize that you can just drop the wheel out and slip the chain off. You would, however, need tools to do it and this takes time and could warrant unwanted attention to any thief. Lamp posts, railings, trees and pushbike racks are all good fixed points as well.
Doggie doo
I find making your scoot unattractive helps, even though you don’t have to follow my idea of the dog poo bags method, although I can’t really think of a better visual deterrent, short of smearing your bike with canine faeces, which isn’t really sensible, or advisable.
Mates
If parking at hotels or other hostelries, I look for the security camera and park in plain sight of them, chaining my scoot to something immovable like a fence or bench. When I am with the usual crew of friends and we can’t find an immovable object we chain/lock all the scooters together.
Tip: If you’re on your own, or parking in a parking bay loop your chain around the chain of an adjacent bike/scooter.
Beware
Disc locks, be careful to take them off, living where I do (The Isle of Man) I have seen many a biker ride off with them on and they find out very quickly with disastrous consequences. A good trick is to put something around the ignition lock to remind yourself that your disc lock is on.
Sleeping like a baby
When at the old homestead I use a baby monitor in my garage, they are fairly cheap and very easy to use. I place one in the garage with the scooters and the other in the house where I can easily hear it, so if anyone enters the garage I’ll hear them and can spring into action. I have other anti-theft devices that I won’t declare, but the baby monitor is one that worries thieves as I am aware before they are that they have been rumbled. Also obvious but I park an obstruction in front of my garage door, my car, as close as it will go. I also keep the garage/shed door closed so passers by can’t see what’s inside.
If you’ve a ten dollar bike buy a ten dollar deterent
Buy the best quality lock/chain/disc lock you can afford. The better the quality the harder it is for a battery operated disc cutter to cut through. Simple really!
Words and Pics: Nick Prince
Great article, to add another tip, don’t put pics of your scooter in garage, surrounded by your countless other scooters!!! Your local criminal is going to want 5 scooters, rather than one. LOCK THEM TOGETHER IN GARAGE.