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It has been mentioned to me that I should write a thread on how to safely lock up your scooter. I am pretty busy as I am a part time locksmith trying to start my own business and also have a full time job as an envelope machine mechanic.So this may take me some time and could be a lengthy thread and will add to it as time permits.


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 thieves 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 etc. 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, etc. 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 immovable 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. I would like to read your responses on how you lock up your scooters at home and away. I will be adding to this thread as time permits and will try to keep you informed of various locking devices on the market.


Roy

It's ok MC. I should have gave a description in my earlier post. Basically it is a digital dash with tachometer,speedometer,fuel gauge, temp. sensors and various other functions.



Roy

hey, wolfhound. I have had this for some time on another scooter. I got it from Enviromoto and if I remember right it was $289 dollars.I also got the spark plug temp. sensor for about $14 dollars.
The install is fairly simple. I bent an L bracket then drilled new holes to match the meter. I secured the bracket to scooter with two screws. I also used 1/8" foam behind bracket for anti-vibration. It still vibrates considerably an will modify the mount later. Here is a photo of the mount.




Roy

Weather here is:
Temp. 18 deg.
wind N 17 mph
snow 2 inches hour
Think this is a blizzard. no scootin today.


Roy

Finally built a spring expander out of two pieces of 1/4inch x 1/2inch x 2 feet long bars. I then ground a small hook on the end of each. Then I drilled a 1/4 inch hole 7 inches from end on wide side of each. Bolted the two together. If I would have done that earlier would have saved me a half hour of cussing and 10 minutes looking for the flying spring.


Roy

I snipped of a short piece of each. figured out how many feet of each size and went to auto zone. They sell it by the foot.




Roy