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Locking the Navigator V on an RT
- Thread starter bobs_one
- Start date
Thanks for the thread???
Now, every 1 who reads this thread on the net KNOWS were to get a FREE Nav 5 UNLOCKED. What were U thinking???
Locked? it is mounted in PLASTIC. If they want it they will have it. Local trips I don't use. Out of state only use it when getting close to a location I don't know.
Removed, it is with me in my Camelback Mule pack.
Now, every 1 who reads this thread on the net KNOWS were to get a FREE Nav 5 UNLOCKED. What were U thinking???
Locked? it is mounted in PLASTIC. If they want it they will have it. Local trips I don't use. Out of state only use it when getting close to a location I don't know.
Removed, it is with me in my Camelback Mule pack.
RYD1WD
New member
Let them read. I agree with Paul. I leave my GPS (and SPOT, and Radar Detector) on pretty much everywhere, all of the time, only take bits off overnight when parked uncovered in cheap hotel/motel lots in seedy parts. Has anyone here had, or know someone who has had, a NAV stolen off a current generation RT? I have yet to encounter it, and I'm pretty submersed in the community...
YES I have friends who have GPS stolen from their bikes, funny never at motorcycle friendly places.
Paul is right, PARK IN BETTER PLACES
BMARC153920
New member
Some of you guys make it sound like parking in better places is an option. More often than not when on a road trip you stop when your body, nature or fuel tank requires. That area you stop food or fuel is more often than not unknown to you, so finding a "better" place is relative to the known. So what do you do when leaving your bike for a few minutes is unavoidable?
Take the stuff off or risk theft those are the only options. Me, far from home on a trip I would prefer not to risk having my GPS stolen so I take it off and lock it in the case.
And even if you park in "better" places, thieves come in all shapes, sizes and travel, you can park in the best area in the world and it only takes one person passing through to seize the opportunity to steal your crap.
Face it, you can't trust people anywhere at any time. It is true, chances are very high nothing will happen 99% of the time, but man, I'd sure hate to be that 1% that is out $800 due to my own negligence in removing and locking things up.
Fact is, the GS has a GPS lock, The GT and GTL do too, it's penny pinching over why be RT doesn't. It should have a lock, period.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Take the stuff off or risk theft those are the only options. Me, far from home on a trip I would prefer not to risk having my GPS stolen so I take it off and lock it in the case.
And even if you park in "better" places, thieves come in all shapes, sizes and travel, you can park in the best area in the world and it only takes one person passing through to seize the opportunity to steal your crap.
Face it, you can't trust people anywhere at any time. It is true, chances are very high nothing will happen 99% of the time, but man, I'd sure hate to be that 1% that is out $800 due to my own negligence in removing and locking things up.
Fact is, the GS has a GPS lock, The GT and GTL do too, it's penny pinching over why be RT doesn't. It should have a lock, period.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
RYD1WD
New member
As do the R and RS... Totally agree... And the XR should too.
Agree 100%
My GPS is locked in place, helmet in hotel room, alarm set and bike covered
Stayed at a few places where I would have felt better if bike was in room with me!!
Anybody have access to a 3-D printer that "prints" metal? Why not print and overlay cap w/set screw that would fit nicely over the release button, then lock with a theft-proof screw against the release button, preventing anyone from pushing the release? If priced right, I'd be very interested in purchasing a locking cap like I envision.
alancoles
Dress for fall & avoid it
Excellent idea. It is even possible we might be able to re-purpose an existing metal "cap" into duty.
I agree with the difficulty in being able to identify which places are relatively safe compared to others in areas that are new to me. Won't find that information on the Nav-V and just like Halloween, people tend to figure out where the good/easy pickings are and go there. This notion that thieves only operate in their own backyard is extremely naive. In many cities the statistics show that you will find higher physical assault rates in the "seedier" parts of town, but typically vehicle break-ins are most frequent outside those areas. Thieves typically look for the best and easiest feeding grounds. Even acting on that information only provides you with a "statistical" advantage. It is still a crap-shoot even parking next to a police station.
Like others I use a bike cover (locked) when parking outside overnight, and as close to a well lit and high visibility area as possible. I feel that is the very best one can do that is practical. Yes, a determined thief can get past all of that, but they can also just pull up with a trailer and take the whole bike.
My biggest concern is short to mid-length stops where I'm not going to be covering the bike. At least a lock of some sort, however flimsy, will keep honest people honest.
I agree with the difficulty in being able to identify which places are relatively safe compared to others in areas that are new to me. Won't find that information on the Nav-V and just like Halloween, people tend to figure out where the good/easy pickings are and go there. This notion that thieves only operate in their own backyard is extremely naive. In many cities the statistics show that you will find higher physical assault rates in the "seedier" parts of town, but typically vehicle break-ins are most frequent outside those areas. Thieves typically look for the best and easiest feeding grounds. Even acting on that information only provides you with a "statistical" advantage. It is still a crap-shoot even parking next to a police station.
Like others I use a bike cover (locked) when parking outside overnight, and as close to a well lit and high visibility area as possible. I feel that is the very best one can do that is practical. Yes, a determined thief can get past all of that, but they can also just pull up with a trailer and take the whole bike.
My biggest concern is short to mid-length stops where I'm not going to be covering the bike. At least a lock of some sort, however flimsy, will keep honest people honest.
BMW Triumphant
Ed Kilner #176066
I needed to go to the garage, so I thought I would have a close look. The button is oval in an oval opening, not round, so cleverly, you can't unscrew it, which is a good thing. The clearance at the bottom of the oval is quite small so an overcap is unlikely to fit.
Popped the unit out, saw the shaft from the button goes behind a mounting plate, and operates an unknown mechanism that releases the unit. Further investigation would require more disassembly.
I'll leave it to others to figure out something clever. Or not...
pglaves
#13338
I have posted that I don't pull my stuff except for overnights at some motels. I have said "park at better places". So I will elaborate. When local I know what is as safe as possible. When on the road I have certain tactics. I gas and stop for food in small towns or outside or at the outskirts of urban areas. I worked as a city planner in urban America for 30 years. I know what those bars on the windows mean.
I don't stop for the night in blighted areas even if the motels are cheaper. And I do strip the electronics at motels at night. At restaurants I try to park wheree I can see the bike from the restaurant windows. And I pick seating at such windows.
And I buy my gadgets - at least one generation old - usually off eBay, so if one did get ripped off it would be no huge loss. And then I don't worry about it.
The end result is that Voni and I riding a combined 1.9 million miles - at least a million as on-the-road traveling -the only thing that has ever been stolen was a $1.19 water bottle swiped from my tank bag in a Walmart lot in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Lucky? Maybe. But I prefer to think not.
I don't stop for the night in blighted areas even if the motels are cheaper. And I do strip the electronics at motels at night. At restaurants I try to park wheree I can see the bike from the restaurant windows. And I pick seating at such windows.
And I buy my gadgets - at least one generation old - usually off eBay, so if one did get ripped off it would be no huge loss. And then I don't worry about it.
The end result is that Voni and I riding a combined 1.9 million miles - at least a million as on-the-road traveling -the only thing that has ever been stolen was a $1.19 water bottle swiped from my tank bag in a Walmart lot in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Lucky? Maybe. But I prefer to think not.
BMW Triumphant
Ed Kilner #176066
As a person who has travelled the world for decades and never been subject to theft or assault, I agree with you that if you don't go looking for trouble, you will have an excellent chance of avoiding it.
I confess that at times I have been tired enough, stupid enough, or both to have left the bike for hours with the key in the ignition. Key and bike were always there. And, I usually take the GPS off the bike at the hotel to do trip planning for the next day.
I don't usually put a cover on the bike and never had a problem with tampering. The idea of a locking cover has me scratching my head as a fabric cover can be cut off if locked.
I worked in South Africa in 2008 and 2009. Never got as much as a dirty look in that time. The only place in the world that I ever felt uncomfortable was Lagos, Nigeria back in 1976 or so.
So please forgive me if I would like a locking holder for my $800 Nav V. I'm retired now and don't have the likelihood of earning the money to replace it. I probably would though, after kicking myself enough.
I have to stop about every two hours, three at the most. I would like to not have to take the GPS off the bike when I do a quick rest stop. In truth, last fall, I did not take it off every stop.
Still, I'd like a lock.
I do find that the world is populated mostly with honest people who generally treat travellers very well, and I am very glad of that.
RYD1WD
New member
Like Paul, I take the park in better places route - avoid urbana, and find smaller, quieter areas where folks are more curious than nefarious. Park it where I can see it, and make it look like I haven't gone far for long - key in with gloves covering, helmet on top of that between the bars and tank bag, and my jacket on my seat to keep it from becoming a wok while I enjoy my lunch. 35 years and 700K miles of calculated luck, trouble free.
Besides... if you have ever taken a Garmin or Motorrad GPS cradle apart, you probably noticed there isn't much to them. A decent grip on the GPS and a real good tug will win that battle in pretty short order... the screw will probably still be there though
On the RT, it's going to be the next thing they try after the button, if they even find the button.
Besides... if you have ever taken a Garmin or Motorrad GPS cradle apart, you probably noticed there isn't much to them. A decent grip on the GPS and a real good tug will win that battle in pretty short order... the screw will probably still be there though
On the RT, it's going to be the next thing they try after the button, if they even find the button.
rockbottom
Steve
Like Paul, I take the park in better places route - avoid urbana, and find smaller, quieter areas where folks are more curious than nefarious. Park it where I can see it, and make it look like I haven't gone far for long - key in with gloves covering, helmet on top of that between the bars and tank bag, and my jacket on my seat to keep it from becoming a wok while I enjoy my lunch. 35 years and 700K miles of calculated luck, trouble free.
Besides... if you have ever taken a Garmin or Motorrad GPS cradle apart, you probably noticed there isn't much to them. A decent grip on the GPS and a real good tug will win that battle in pretty short order... the screw will probably still be there though
My preference would be for a shaped explosive that blows a thief's face off rather than a screw to deter them.
Statistically, though, many non urban areas have crime rates as high as many urban areas these days, much of it the result of the painpill/heroin addiction epidemic.
alancoles
Dress for fall & avoid it
Agreed, I too feel that's quite true for well over 90% of the time. Like you Ed, my only truly unsafe situations (from people I didn't know) were far away and due to significant unrest (Serbia back when Milosevic and his crew were running amuck). However, it is those very few situations (just like with safe riding practices) that I'm concerned about and I firmly believe in not putting temptation in others way and helping honest people stay honest. As my little slogan says "Dress for fall & avoid it", I have only had two "offs" on public roads, but I wouldn't consider riding without a helmet or without protective gear, but that's what I do, that's all.
I've also been guilty of this, however, much more frequently when I was younger and in semi-altered states, now it's from senior's moments, not from having too much fun. :-(
Definitely, a lock is no protection from a thief who wants to get at whatever is under a cover, just as it isn't for a convertible car. However, a lock will keep most overly active, slightly wayward, youth from taking that leap from pulling off an unsecured cover - to the bigger step of cutting one open/off. Again, locks mostly keep honest people honest. I use a vinyl covered cable lock that not only goes through the grommets but also the frame and rear wheel. Simple and quick to put on and take off but somewhat of a PITA for a thief to remove if they want the bike or what is under the cover.
These measures should all just be considered impediments, and nothing more. As has been said, if someone wants the GPS, even if it is locked it is easy to get, but a lock will likely give me more piece of mind when I've filled up with gas, realized that I wanted to also use the washroom or get a quick bite and forgotten to remove the GPS. I spent many wears just leaving my gloves, jacket and helmet lying on the dash of my bikes when I was doing such things without ever having an issue, but the simple little cable lock works for those things as well if I don't want to lug my helmet and jacket into the restaurant but don't have my top or side cases mounted. Just my way of not tempting people who are on the fence.
crustybeemer
Member
So maybe this question should be asked at the start of another thread but has anyone had any experience with the immobilizer /bike alarm?
patm
Member
I'd love to have a locking mechanism a la k16, on my RT. I wouldn't have to do what I've been doing all those years I've had one, just grab my gps and shove in a pocket.
Having a way to lock the gps without removing it wouldn't prevent a determined thief from stealing it. Yes it does keep honest people honest. But that is not the only point. The lock is there to prove to your insurance ajuster that there was a theft and that you took reasonable steps to prevent it.
Having a way to lock the gps without removing it wouldn't prevent a determined thief from stealing it. Yes it does keep honest people honest. But that is not the only point. The lock is there to prove to your insurance ajuster that there was a theft and that you took reasonable steps to prevent it.
It is plastic.
Take it with U. Remove & place in a secured area, on U or your lock cases. Out of site.
Here in Pa. cars are broken in to for just loose change. There was just 14 on the news at a apartment complex=nice area, per victim never had a problem before.
This is my first BMW & motorcycle with GPS.
Take it with U. Remove & place in a secured area, on U or your lock cases. Out of site.
Here in Pa. cars are broken in to for just loose change. There was just 14 on the news at a apartment complex=nice area, per victim never had a problem before.
This is my first BMW & motorcycle with GPS.
ncpbmw1953
Member
One option to help make the temptation a little less conspicuous is to throw a towel or something over the dash to at least make it appear you're just keeping the dash out of the sun or what have you, while the real intention is to hide your Nav V. As someone said, if someone really wants it they can pry it out w/ something.
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