Post by triker on Apr 9, 2013 17:59:49 GMT -5
How to safely lock up your scooter
the best method of locking up a scooter has been argued many times over. Many people I talk to about it are usually in a hurry and don't want to be inconvenienced by multiple locks.
People have been using locks for thousands of years to secure their homes and valuables. The oldest Known lock was found in the ruins of a 4000 year old palace in Egypt.Just a little history of the lock.Of course they didn't have scooters back then. They had camels,horses,donkeys and such. So how did they secure their ride? They would tie it up and have someone to keep an eye and ear out. This is not practical today so we must come up with other ways of securing our ride at home or destination.
Their is not a 100% way to thief proof something. If you got it somebody else is going to want it more, and thief's can be pretty ingenious. So really the best we can do is to deter them from stealing. Now how do we deter a thief? You can use various locks,alarms and surveillance.
The best method is don't let them see what you have. If they don't know what you have they might not want it. but not always practical. what good is a scooter if you keep it in a garage and never ride it. I keep my scooters locked in my garage when I am at home. If a thief gets into my garage the scooters will be the least of my worries as I have many other valuables in there also. but many people don't have a garage. The next best thing is some sort of cover but will not stop a determined thief. Some people might not be able to use a cover due to living in an apartment or various other reasons.
Lighting is a good deterrent. Most thieves prefer to work in the dark. If you must lock your scooter outside you should use a well lit area. Security cameras are also a good deterrent, again will not stop a determined thief and may not help identify the perpetrator. Many scooters come with alarms but a lot of people I talk to say the are annoying. They also malfunction quit often. They also are set off quit often by many other sources other than a thief such as wind,vibrations from large trucks ect. the one in my truck occasionally goes of when a vehicle with a loud stereo drives by. To many false alarms and people just don't pay attention to them any more and just get annoyed when they go off.
Most scooters are equipped with a steering lock and are simple to use. there are several kinds of various locking devices such as disk locks, wheel locks, hand grip locks, ect. These methods alone will not stop a determined thief. It has been reported that the average time it takes to steal a scooter is between 15 and 30 seconds. This is how they operate. Usually 3 or more people cruse around in a truck or van looking for a potential target. When they find one they wait till the time is right, swiftly pull up two of them jump out pick up the scooter throw it in the vehicle jump in and quickly drive away.
There is also a variety of chain and cable locks. Chain locks are good but can be cut or broken fairly quick and easily with little effort. It is my personal opinion that a quality cable lock is probably the best deterrent. A good cable is hard to cut even with a large pair of bolt cutters. but still possible. If you use a chain or cable you need to fasten it to a sturdy immoveable object. If you use a post it needs to be high enough so that if the scooter is lifted up the chain or cable can't be slipped over it.
Again there is not a 100% way to stop a theft the best you can do is make it harder to steal than the next persons. Not wishing anything bad for the other person but realistically better theirs than mine. So this is how I do it. When at home they are parked in garage. When at destination I use the steering lock a disk lock with alarm and a cable lock. park in a high traffic area usually close to the door.
Roy
the best method of locking up a scooter has been argued many times over. Many people I talk to about it are usually in a hurry and don't want to be inconvenienced by multiple locks.
People have been using locks for thousands of years to secure their homes and valuables. The oldest Known lock was found in the ruins of a 4000 year old palace in Egypt.Just a little history of the lock.Of course they didn't have scooters back then. They had camels,horses,donkeys and such. So how did they secure their ride? They would tie it up and have someone to keep an eye and ear out. This is not practical today so we must come up with other ways of securing our ride at home or destination.
Their is not a 100% way to thief proof something. If you got it somebody else is going to want it more, and thief's can be pretty ingenious. So really the best we can do is to deter them from stealing. Now how do we deter a thief? You can use various locks,alarms and surveillance.
The best method is don't let them see what you have. If they don't know what you have they might not want it. but not always practical. what good is a scooter if you keep it in a garage and never ride it. I keep my scooters locked in my garage when I am at home. If a thief gets into my garage the scooters will be the least of my worries as I have many other valuables in there also. but many people don't have a garage. The next best thing is some sort of cover but will not stop a determined thief. Some people might not be able to use a cover due to living in an apartment or various other reasons.
Lighting is a good deterrent. Most thieves prefer to work in the dark. If you must lock your scooter outside you should use a well lit area. Security cameras are also a good deterrent, again will not stop a determined thief and may not help identify the perpetrator. Many scooters come with alarms but a lot of people I talk to say the are annoying. They also malfunction quit often. They also are set off quit often by many other sources other than a thief such as wind,vibrations from large trucks ect. the one in my truck occasionally goes of when a vehicle with a loud stereo drives by. To many false alarms and people just don't pay attention to them any more and just get annoyed when they go off.
Most scooters are equipped with a steering lock and are simple to use. there are several kinds of various locking devices such as disk locks, wheel locks, hand grip locks, ect. These methods alone will not stop a determined thief. It has been reported that the average time it takes to steal a scooter is between 15 and 30 seconds. This is how they operate. Usually 3 or more people cruse around in a truck or van looking for a potential target. When they find one they wait till the time is right, swiftly pull up two of them jump out pick up the scooter throw it in the vehicle jump in and quickly drive away.
There is also a variety of chain and cable locks. Chain locks are good but can be cut or broken fairly quick and easily with little effort. It is my personal opinion that a quality cable lock is probably the best deterrent. A good cable is hard to cut even with a large pair of bolt cutters. but still possible. If you use a chain or cable you need to fasten it to a sturdy immoveable object. If you use a post it needs to be high enough so that if the scooter is lifted up the chain or cable can't be slipped over it.
Again there is not a 100% way to stop a theft the best you can do is make it harder to steal than the next persons. Not wishing anything bad for the other person but realistically better theirs than mine. So this is how I do it. When at home they are parked in garage. When at destination I use the steering lock a disk lock with alarm and a cable lock. park in a high traffic area usually close to the door.
Roy
As I said I respect the Police and their job protecting us..but being forced from above them to find ways to get revenue out of us is bothersome. I was picked up for a Warrant. The Officer picking me up is a very fair and honest man. Everyone in town has deep respect for him....the rest of them we could care less about. Anyway the Warrant was only partially filled out...no reason for arrest was even on it. He even said to me in the car he knows it was a court error and showed them the error. Yet they sent him out anyway and that he did not want to get me..but he was ordered to and it is his job. He then said btw everything we say in here is being recorded. I said so then what you said was recorded...he said Yes it was. 
So 3 days waiting in Jail I bond out and get an Attorney...she showed them the error and I was let go. I was FREE as the Judge said. Free?..Cost me $1,585 to be FREE. I was already free. Law and order yes...justice no. Show me the justice in my above story. 
Blew me away! So I asked to be sure..."ok...so you don't look for them because it costs money, but you can issue a citation because it makes money"...His reply to me was.."Well sir, that's pretty much how it is. If they happen to be stopped when the plate number or VIN comes back, we arrest them. Or if they try to register it your VIN is in the Secretary of States(DMV) database and will red flag. They call and we go get them".. Ok so they do a tiny bit...but I was surprised he put the truth out there to me as he did about making money..
