Modern Buddy

Can I get some recommendations on theft deterrents and tracking devices?

We've got a rash of theft and crime happening in our parking garage at work. It's supposed to be a secure garage but they only close the gates at nights and weekends. Seems even that isn't doing enough to stop the crime spree now though. Bikes have been getting lifted at night lately and this weekend I had to leave my scooter in the garage over the weekend (long story) and my helmet got stolen. I know I should have brought the helmet up to my office or something but that's neither here nor there. I no longer feel secure about my scooter being parked down in the garage despite the fact that it's technically a locked garage.

Theres no tethers or any structures in the motorcycle parking area to chain to. I've heard of disc brake locks. Are they really any more effective than just locking the handlebars? Is it worth the hassle and/or money? What about trackers. Whats out there and what's decent? I figure my best bet at this point is just making sure I can get the thing back if it does get lifted. *sigh* I am really blown about this whole situation. I am hoping my insurance will cover the helmet that was stolen. It was brand new. ugh.

Is there someone else who works the same schedule as you? You could chain the two bikes together. It would be harder to steal two bikes.

A disc lock with an alarm might be a good investment.

There are 3 of us who park in the motorcycle parking daily but we all arrive and leave at different times, so not really feasible to chain them together. I really wish they would put in some tethers in the cement that we could run a chain into. They have all kinds of nice racks with fancy locking mechanisms for the bicycles and a separate room for the more expensive bicycles if you wanna pay for an indoor space as well... but for motorcycles they dont offer anything in the way of security, even though you dont have to pay for a parking permit for your Bicycle but you do have to pay monthly for a motorcycle. Makes NO sense.

I didn't know any of the disc locks had alarms on them. That might be a good option then as it would scare them off if they tried to move the scooter. Hopefully would be loud enough for me to hear it at my desk too if they messed with it during the workday.

Xena has disc locks with alarm. I have one I use on my Blackjack and Burgman. It's pretty loud.

Here's their Genuine Scooters fitment page:

https://www.xenasecurity.com/customer-c ... -scooters/

Its a great world we live in! The handle bar lock is not enough, and almost any thief worth their craft can break it in a second. Xena alarmed disc locks are a good option. There are also some u-locks that have alarms built in now. You could always add a alarm to the scoot (Gorilla Alarms are nice) and get a cool little key fob like a car, arm/dis-arm/panic. Again, overseas has it bad also for theft, and they have a Lock-It-To-Me program where you lock thru each others locks. Makes lift off thefts harder. Afraid to ask how they got your helmet. Either I have been lucky or my methods work. Let us know what you try next.

You could buy a chain and give combination to your fellow riders. When you park, chain your bike to theirs. When they leave, they unlock the chain and then relock it around your rear wheel alone. This way, the bikes are locked to each other MOST of the day.

You could also try locking your scooter to a BICYCLE rack and see if you can get away with it.

Nothing beats a large hardened chain and security lock. It is not that difficult to place pad eyes in a concrete floor. Time to have a discussion with the management.

I have a XENA disc lock and comprehensive insurance.

I also put a Tile under the seat. Tile doesn't have a GPS tracker and is dependent on people's phones running the Tile app but it may be useful to pinging the scooter's location.

for tracking, put a 'tile' under the seat.
https://www.thetileapp.com/

The Tile looks interesting.

I've got the Gorilla alarm on the Voodoo Blackjack. It's loud, convenient and pretty easy it install. I have the LED hidden. There are times that I don't set the alarm and a non-flashing LED would advertise that it's not set.

I own a Xena disc look with alarm but haven't used it since installing the gorilla alarm. Solid, well built. Great for what it is but was prone to false alarms and the gorilla is louder.

This one seems to get good reviews, but the subscription costs $25 per month.

https://www.amazon.com/Spy-Tec-STI_GL30 ... merReviews

The Tile is only useful when in Bluetooth range (+/- 100ft). Good idea but not so good for theft recovery..... unless you know where the thief lives.