What do you do with your bike?

[TomSawyerDigitalMan]

Ok, guys. I'm not a rider. . . yet, but I was wondering what do you do with your bike when you camp? :confused: Do you worry about theft? Do Strom's have anti-theft alarms? Maybe I have the wrong idea. If I am going to go camping to hike, don't bring the bike. Is that it?

I'd just like to know your thoughts.

Thanks! :D

TSDM

[chris swann]

ask some other campers too keep an eye on it for you , you could lock it to a tree , lock it too a gate post , ride it of into the bush and hide it .

[Brian Patterstrom]

Installing a suitable alarm system just makes sense to me. I intend to pu the Scorpio i500 or i600 system on mine this year for perimeter protection, movement alarm, ignition disconnect and an RF alert 'fob' that tells me what's up with my Strom to a distance of 1/4 mile. For $350 it's the best investment you can make to keep that bike you love.

And then there's insurance....

[Rider_of_the_Strom]

I do the same thing I do when parking it on the street or in a parking garage. Lock the forks, lock the bags and leave. I try not to actively worry about theft of anything because no matter what you do, if someone wants your stuff bad enough, they'll find a way to steal it. They'll pay for it another time. :D

[greywolf]

Karma baby!

[Masked1]

Installing a suitable alarm system just makes sense to me. I intend to pu the Scorpio i500 or i600 system on mine this year for perimeter protection, movement alarm, ignition disconnect and an RF alert 'fob' that tells me what's up with my Strom to a distance of 1/4 mile. For $350 it's the best investment you can make to keep that bike you love.

And then there's insurance....

+1
Going on my Vee soon as I get it...:D

[O-9]

I do the same thing I do when parking it on the street or in a parking garage. Lock the forks, lock the bags and leave. I try not to actively worry about theft of anything because no matter what you do, if someone wants your stuff bad enough, they'll find a way to steal it. They'll pay for it another time. :D

+1 good luck helps.

[CMDEFO]

locks only keep honest people honest. That's why I have theft coverage on my bike. Lojack is an option also.

[jomawan]

No worries. I go hunting and fishing on my V. leave it parked in some of the darndest places sometimes.

[jacob]

I always get a kick when riding with my friends who ride Harleys cause they are usually so worried about where they parked their bikes that they don`t enjoy whatever we are doing out of sight of the bikes.Take resonable pecautions and enjoy yourself,that`s what insurance is for.

[GrayWolf]

Just remember to take the key out of the ignition and you're set.

-GW

[NoahDL88]

Just remember to take the key out of the ignition and you're set.

-GW


I can't tell you how many times i've been late to work because i was searching for my keys, only to find them in the ignition with the bike on the street.


I now have a system, and that doesn't happen anymore

[UNDERWNG]

I just place a half dozen or so poisonous snakes around the bike before I leave it. That's why I have to get those pelican hardbags done before spring to transport the snakes easier. Or yeah I have used a rabid badger b4 as well.

[chris swann]

honestly who would want to steal such an ugly bike anyway

[strom lurker]

I just take the keys and park the bike. I've never been gone from the bike for more than 4 or 5 hours though. I do have theft on it.

[Tollster]

Ok, guys. I'm not a rider. . . yet, but I was wondering what do you do with your bike when you camp? :confused: Do you worry about theft? Do Strom's have anti-theft alarms? Maybe I have the wrong idea. If I am going to go camping to hike, don't bring the bike. Is that it?

I'd just like to know your thoughts.

Thanks! :D

TSDM

Dude, you have lived in town too long. If your real nervous about it, just booby trap the F%cker!

[JGL351]

honestly who would want to steal such an ugly bike anyway

If I will be away from the bike for a few hours I try to park it in plane sight, if possible near other bikes of greater value..(ie. HD)...cover it with a bike cover, and make sure you have your keys and easily removed items .. such as the tank bag. If I am going in to a restaurant in the summer I have often draped my aerostich suit over the front of the bike to dry it out. When I have parked the bike where I can watch it from the restaurant I notice most people will approch the bike and look but keep thier hands in their pockets or behind their back... a conscious posture of hands off. From what I have seen of insurance lists the Vstrom and Weestrom are not on the hit list for bike theives.. they are not in the mainstream market. You need to be more concerned with theft of opportunity. Keep your stuff out of sight or locked or both.

[XLonDL650]

I am not sure if this is true, but I've heard that motorcycles really aren't that much of a high theft item.

Perhaps security cables, disc locks & fork locks might be sufficient.

[randyo]

I am not sure if this is true, but I've heard that motorcycles really aren't that much of a high theft item.

Perhaps security cables, disc locks & fork locks might be sufficient.

that's not what the guys that own gixxers & r6's say

back to topic

like somebody already posted, the original poster has lived in town too long

campgrounds in general are safe even though seemingly vulnerable, when tenting, how do you lock a tent?

every time I've camped, my bike is rarely parked more than 10 feet from my tent, I usually leave the keys right in the ignition so that I won't loose them

[dheehd]

I got both Xena disk lock http://www.xenasecurity.com/home/current/lock/ and U-Lock.
I always set, at least, the Xena.

[jeffV]

Park next to an HD or BMW. No thief worth a salt is going to boost your $5000 motorcycle when 10K plus ones are near.

[Sly]

I generally don't lock my bike, camping or otherwise. I take my keys and make sure the luggage is locked, that's about it.

When camping I have been known to tie a length of fishing line to my bike and the other to my tent. My theory is that either the movement of the tent will scare off a would-be thief, and/or I'll wake up and sick my wife on 'em!:lol:

If all else fails, get what this person has... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee3L9BQQ4Gs&feature=related.

L8r ~ Sly

[chevytruckdude]

I tried locking the front disc once. I got on it the next morning, started it up, put it in gear and released the clutch. And promptly dumped it on the ground because I forgot to take the #@^% lock off!:oops: Now I just take out the key after I turn it to "lock". If someone steals it, I have an excuse to get an ABS model:cool:

[SittingDuck]

I can't tell you how many times i've been late to work because i was searching for my keys, only to find them in the ignition with the bike on the street.


I now have a system, and that doesn't happen anymore

what's the system?

[SittingDuck]

i use a big padlock through my brake disc. cheaper than a disklock, and beefier.

to avoid embarassment, i tie a rope from the padlock to my clutch handle. this way i never forget it's on there. can't pull the clutch in without noticing that string.

in downtown montreal, i'd also shove a lock through the rear brake. it's too easy for someone to take the front wheel off (don't forget to tie that one too, or you're looking at some major damage)
nothing guarantees your bike will be safe, ppl can just lift it into a pickup truck and drive away then torch the locks in the privacy of their own garage. with a lock on the rear wheel as well as the front, it's a lot harder to do. i think you need 4 people to lift the thing up into a truck without being able to roll it.

you dont have to theftproof it all that much, as long as there's something easier to steal nearby, it'll stay there.
only reason i kept my bike locked is people kept trying to steal it for the engine damn those mini-legend racers.

stroms shouldnt be too high on the theft list. i think most bikes are stolen for spare parts because people blow their engines or drop their bike at the track.
unless you have a sportsbike, you don't need to worry too much.

[msy88]

Camping in a campground should'nt be a problem. Every body is there for the same reason and trust among thieves is pretty high. If I were camping off the beaten path I'd probably just lock the forks, take the key and hike on. They would find it much easier to take your other gear, tent, stove, food, chair anyway. A real thief wanting you bike WILL take your bike. An opportunist will leave anything locked alone. Those big u-locks for bicycles should work as an added deterent, just don't forget its there. I've left my bicycles and kayaks just sitting next to my cage and been gone for hours with nothing bothered.

[eckej]

No worries. I go hunting and fishing on my V. leave it parked in some of the darndest places sometimes.

Hunting? Do you use a handgun or shotgun? How do you carry a shotgun?

[roger123]

That's why I ride a 650, what self respecting thief would steal such a girly bike????

Just take the key out (something I'm terrible about) and don't worry about it. It'll be fine wherever you leave it.

[badtux]

If both the bike and myself are in a campground, I just turn the key to 'lock', put the key in my pocket, and that's that. I've left my tent set up for days in a campground, all my stuff scattered about, and nobody touched anything.

If at a trailhead, it depends on the trailhead. I try to avoid trailheads that are close to metropolitan areas and easy to access from the pavement. That said, I've left my bike sitting in the parking lot at Coe State Park (just 40 miles from one of the larger metropolitan areas) and nobody has ever touched it, other than the one time that a park volunteer helpfully tucked a parking pass onto my dashboard while I was off camping in the back-country. Well, and the time that a bear knocked my bike over and ripped open the luggage looking for food, and guzzled down my spare quart of engine oil and my can of WD-40 (that was a bear with a well-lubed gullet at the end!). Yes, I have a photograph (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29775813@N00/sets/612132/) of the crushed can of WD-40 with the bear tooth marks in it :eek6:.

Note that I ride my KLR to do back-country camping, not my DL, because my KLR is set up with knobby tires and is indestructible, unlike the Wee which has various fragile bits hanging out in the wind. When the bear knocked over my KLR I just got a hand getting it back upright, bungied the luggage back together, and rode home. I would have had broken plastics flapping in the wind with the Wee. One thing about the DL650 is that it is not going to get the attention from back-country thieves that my KLR might get. My KLR looks like a dirt bike, albeit a very large, battered, and ugly dirt bike, and there's a lot of good ole' boys with 4x4 pickup trucks puttering around in the back-country who might get a hankerin' to just pick my KLR up bodily and toss it in the back of their truck so they can haul it home and strip all the lights and stuff off of it and make it into a woods basher. Nobody ever makes that mistake about the DL650, it doesn't look like a dirt bike, or anything else for that matter :mod_lol:.

[Shooter]

Yeah, folks are too paranoid about theft and attack.

It's really not a problem out in the middle.

TV news has everybody running scared, the world isn't that bad out there and especially in campgrounds where everybody there is there for the same reason. The thieves are in the run-down cities, not in Arches National Park or the local KOA.

If you do lock up your bike, the advice about a cable lock to a fixed structure is best. Like the poster above said, if you just slap a disc lock on the front wheel, the thief can remove the wheel. Also, the thief can just pick up the bike and load it into a truck. A chain or cable to a tree helps to deter this.

But, all the same, don't worry, just ride. Karma, Baby.

Cheers.

[rhbell]

I use a Xena lock when I'm going to be away from the bike - 110 db and obnoxious sound that carries. I fish a lot and leave the bike in out of way places just off the roads. Other than that, just lock the GIVIs.

Camping - never an issue - there's usually always someone around in the provincial parks I tend to stay at.
I dont use a tether from the Xena to remind me - if you set it off, you'll remember to check the second time.

A friend of mine has a little sign on his 650GS - "warning - dog is friendly but in heat - owner packs it" . Usually draws a laugh or two.

Safe rides
Bob

[pisces619]

I love the remote that comes with it. The alarm will keep goofs away. It's no different from having a car alarm & why wouldn't it be? Protect your assets.

[BlueRidgeWee]

Just don't wash it. :rolleyes:

[sawguard]

The only time I worry about my bike is when I part it a hotel, and usually can't see it.

I saw a video tape of 3 guys stealing a bike parked with the front wheel locked. One guy drive the van, two guys jumped out, each grabbed a handlebar, lifted the front wheel and rolled the back wheel, then they hefted it into the van. Took about 10 seconds and they were gone.

I use a rotor lock on the front wheel, and I attached a strip to velcro to the rotor lock. I got a 1" fender washer and epoxied a small rare earth magnet to it on the front side, and a strip of velcro on the back. When I rotor lock the front wheel, I take the washer/magnet and "stick" it over my ignition switch, covering the key hole. Then every time I am ready to start the
engine, the washer/magnet reminds me to unlock the rotor lock.

I also got a lock with an extended hasp, about 3 inches, and that one I use to lock the back wheel rotor. ON my bike, neither wheel will roll more than about 6 inches, so if anyone wants it they'll have to pick it up.

[Toto]

Do what I did...put a National Cycle V Stream windshield on it and no self respecting thief would be seen on it!

In all seriousness, as others have said...take reasonable precautions and enjoy life...that IS what insurance is for.
Also, I find most campers to be an honest bunch...or just to drunk to be bothered.

[Allan]

If I know I'm going to be away from the bike I bring my "security kit" with me. It consists of a Xena disk lock, bike cover with grommets to lock on the bottom, and security cable to lock my gear to.

In addition to having a motion alarm the Xena lock is one of the strongest I have seen.

The security cable keeps someone from grabbing your gear and taking off.

The cover gives you a bit of that out of sight out of mind as most people probably don't know what is under it and if its worth stealing. It would also make it harder to get a good grip on the bike to lift it in a truck with a bunch of guys. Also has the added benefit of keeping your gear dry if it rains while you are gone.

My best protection is full insurance to replace a stolen bike and VISA to procure alternate transportation back home.

[Genocache]

[QUOTE=Allan;334255]If I know I'm going to be away from the bike I bring my "security kit" with me. It consists of a Xena disk lock, bike cover with grommets to lock on the bottom, and security cable to lock my gear to.

Allan,

What model Xena do you have? The website only lists one for the 1K, Do you have the Vee?

Thanks in advance.

[Fozzyber]

Or yeah I have used a rabid badger b4 as well.

+1 on the rabid badger... all though, you could step down to a PO'd Ferret.

I'd be more worried about vandals, than thieves, and that is harder to deal with. You could always park it by the guards station if one is there...

[speedsix]

"I always get a kick when riding with my friends who ride Harleys cause they are usually so worried about where they parked their bikes that they don`t enjoy whatever we are doing out of sight of the bikes.Take resonable pecautions and enjoy yourself,that`s what insurance is for."

I don't blaim Harley riders for worrying. A lot of Harely owners need parts for their bikes and some of them are not model citzens. I think a Harley is FAR more likely to be taken or stripped of some parts than a Wee. Most Wee owners wouldn't do that to another person's bike. There are so many Harley owners out there that by nature it makes it more apt to be stolen for parts. Just like a Honda Accord is one of the most popular cars every year and hence one of the most stolen cars as well.

[scrminbanshee]

What about Low Jack i know it cost a bit but if you are that worried??????

[swingset]

Good insurance & AAA. I'd rather worry about having fun.

[wetherman]

Maybe we could adapt this concept to our wees and vees.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvgBHNhR3qg&feature=channel

I guess the question is: Which motorcycle would you have on the cover?