Locks and Alarms

I'm going on a long trip soon and was just wondering what others use, if anything, to sleep soundly at night while their bike is parked outside of that roadside motel.
This looks promising:
http://www.xenasecurity.com/home/current/lock_us/

I have read that BMW's are way down on the most stolen bike list. Do you use an extra lock, alarm, or chain?

Warning: The 'question' you ask could act as a lightning rod akin to soliciting opinions as to helmets, oil or final drives.............many, many attitudes lurking out there, from the cavalier to the paranoid.

Passing no judgement on any......the important thing is to chose the one that brings you the peace of mind you seek when traveling.


Whenever I tour, I place a brake disc lock on the front tire, with a conspicous reminder cord leading up to the left handgrip, so both I and a potential troublemaker can't help but notice it.



Enjoy your trip!

I have a xena.. the one with the big bolt that actually goes around the entire disc not through it.. they are loud and will fire off with minimal disturbance (I dont see how anyone could accidentally ride off with one on).

I also have a Liberator: http://www.cycleprotect.com/ which tracks the bike when it moves and the key is not in it...

Neither of these have been put to the test, so i like to think they are doing their job...

Keep in mind BMWs are hard to steal, and not a favored target for crooks for multiple reasons..

First they are hard to hotwire, and the keyswitch is complex and RFID'ed.
If you lock your handlebars to the side, they are a pain to move...

Finally, the probably real reason is that there isnt a market for stolen BMWs that cant be started, or for used BMW parts... if you are buying a BMW bike, odds are you are only going to buy authentic or reputable BMW parts... so the thieves dont want to chop them...

All that being said, I still believe a couple hundred bucks of precaution is better than a deductible and a lot or time and heartache. The thing most likely to be stolen in reference to your BMW is anything not bolted down, like helmets, bags, RAM attachments, etc.

I use a Xena Lock on the disc (along with the coiled reminder cord and "Remove Before Flight" flag).

http://www.casporttouring.com/thestore/prods/159.html

I also put my cover over the motorcycle and secure the cover under the motorcycle with a lock.

Cover

I always carry a cover when I travel. Out of sight is out of mind.
I met a guy at a motel one time that had a very highly customized Harley, probably $40000 or $50000 invested. His theft protection was a Yamaha cover. He said he had been in motel parking lots were other much less valuable HD's had been stolen, but they never looked under the Yamaha cover.
Also saw a loaded bike trailer once they no motorcycle stickers on it just large biohazard signs and a fake company name on it. Reported never had a theft problem.

MLS2GO said:

I always carry a cover when I travel. Out of sight is out of mind.
I met a guy at a motel one time that had a very highly customized Harley, probably $40000 or $50000 invested. His theft protection was a Yamaha cover. He said he had been in motel parking lots were other much less valuable HD's had been stolen, but they never looked under the Yamaha cover.
Also saw a loaded bike trailer once they no motorcycle stickers on it just large biohazard signs and a fake company name on it. Reported never had a theft problem.

Click to expand...

Sounds similar to the advice I'd give citizens worried about home burglary when I worked as a cop.

'Beware of Dog' sign in a window at the front of the house..........dog chain big enough to restrain a grizzly staked into the ground near the back door.

NEVER had to respond to those residences for burglary, yard theft or vandalism!

According to the reports, all the most likely bikes to be stolen are Japanese sport bikes. Having said that, if someone wants it, they will take it. I sleep soundly with full insurance coverage.

Interesting, however, that the 3rd least likely bike to be stolen was the BMW R1200C.

MLS2GO said:

I always carry a cover when I travel. Out of sight is out of mind.
I met a guy at a motel one time that had a very highly customized Harley, probably $40000 or $50000 invested. His theft protection was a Yamaha cover. He said he had been in motel parking lots were other much less valuable HD's had been stolen, but they never looked under the Yamaha cover.
Also saw a loaded bike trailer once they no motorcycle stickers on it just large biohazard signs and a fake company name on it. Reported never had a theft problem.

Click to expand...

I WAS going to use a car cover from a 1970's Comet but now I'm rethinking that.