/ Featured Article
5 tips to keep thieves away from your motorcycle
It pays to be vigilant, especially when it comes to making sure our beloved steeds are safe and sound.
For most of us who own motorcycles, our beloved two-wheelers are our prized possession. It doesn’t matter how nice your bike is, or how many bikes you have—your bike is your bike, and it goes without saying that it’s in our best interest to keep it safe and secure no matter what. Unfortunately, it’s a fact of life that there are folks who, for whatever reason, are up to no good and want to take what simply isn’t theirs. This is especially true when it comes to motorcycles, as they’re much lighter and easier to steal than heavy cars.
That being said, being vigilant and taking a few extra precautionary steps can go a long way in making sure that your motorcycle is kept safe, secure, and away from prying eyes. Here are five examples you can apply to your riding lifestyle today.
Simply lock your bars
If you ever find yourself parking in a public establishment, it’s always a good idea to lock your bike’s handlebars via the built in locking mechanism when you turn the key. Doing so means that would-be thieves, or anyone looking to mess around with your bike while you're away, won’t be able to easily move your bike around. Of course, determined thieves who work in packs will still be able to load your bike into a van, but hey, seeing that it’s locked and not willing to move anywhere is a good first-line deterrent. Kicking your bike into first gear is a good idea, too.
Make use of technology
There are tons of gadgets and tech-products that aren’t exactly motorcycle related, but can be used to ensure the safety of your beloved two-wheeler. Take for example, Apple AirTags. Keeping an AirTag under your saddle effectively means you know where your bike is at all times. You can even have a warning sticker made that indicates that the bike has been fitted with a tracking device. This could be enough to deter would-be thieves, and in the unlikely incident that your bike does get stolen, you’ll be able to track it, and hopefully, alert the authorities regarding its whereabouts. A tracking device is also useful for folks like me who have a tendency of forgetting where we last parked.
If it's sketchy, get out
Common sense would dictate that, when parking our two-wheelers, we opt for a safe and secure location. This is where your judgment or diskarte comes into play. If you absolutely need to go to a sketchy place, then it may be a good idea to plan ahead. Leave home earlier so you can park your motorcycle in a safer place, then either take public transpo or walk to your final destination. A rule of thumb I like to follow when it comes to running errands on my bike is that if it’s sketchy, get out. It’s not worth risking having my bike stolen or sideswiped, or me getting a ticket for illegal parking, simply because I had nowhere else to stop. That being said, when parking in commercial areas such as malls, make sure you park your bike in a place that you’ll easily remember. As mentioned earlier, lock the bars. Check to see if there are any security personnel in the area, as well as for CCTV cameras.
Use a motorcycle cover
A motorcycle cover is useful not only for keeping the rain, sun, and other elements away from your bike when it’s in storage, but also for keeping prying eyes looking elsewhere. This is especially true if you have a nicer motorbike and have the tendency of leaving it parked outside overnight. As some of you have probably found out recently, not even gated subdivisions are safe from thieves, so taking that one extra step of covering your bike could just be enough to keep it safe.
Aftermarket security accessories
Last but not least, there are tons of aftermarket security accessories available in the market. Everything from disc locks, to motion-activated alarms, to wheel locks can go a long way in deterring would-be thieves from accessing your precious two-wheeler. On top of that, most modern day motorcycles are equipped with an immobilizer. That said, it’s always a good idea to err on the side of safety.
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