phydeaux

How do you work that out?? I was beginning to think she was just a photo on the board.

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Boycott shampoo, you shouldn't settle for anything less than 100% REAL poo!

Bad-mofo

Please. It's still a [relatively] free country, so you ALWAYS have [personal transportation] options. Let me give you an example of not having an option: the glorious North Korean leader Kim Jong Il recently banned all Japanese cars (whatever 20 or 30 of them they have in the country) in response to Japan's economic sanctions. He simply ordered them confiscated from the rightful owners (as much as the term "ownership" applies to any totalitarian state). Imagine some totalitarian regime restricting what vehicle(s) you can own: let's say non [ruling] Party members are limited to Ninja 250s while the top Party officials are driving Maybachs and Lamborghinis. It also happens economically. In the most of third-world Asia (like India and China) people can barely afford a 100cc bike for personal transportation. There are also some poor people in the US: few drive old bikes worth less than $500, but those obviously don't get stolen. I'm talking about the most common vehicles on this board: late model $6+K sportbikes. Plus another couple of grand on "must have" mods. That alone can easily get you a reliable car.

We're talking about sportbikes, aren't we? They are not designed for everyday errands: movies, shopping malls, etc. Posing at coffee shops... maybe, as you'd keep an eye on the bike. Sportbikes are recreational [luxury] vehicles, plain and simple. They're treated as such by auto finance and insurance companies. If someone insists on that careless bike-only lifestyle, fine, but calling it a necessity because you're out of options... gimme a break. Anyone can afford a small (or older) car and the gas prices here are still the lowest in the civilized world. I can understand bike-only lifestyle in some European countries like UK, but the US is still very car-friendly. If an economy car doesn't fit your style, or you hate "damn cages" in general, it's your own problem. Don't bend the reality to suit your personal lifestyle and don't blame thieves for taking that opportunity... that's what they do for living.

Options are always available. They (your lifestyle options) are definitely limited, that's all. Sucks, but just like many [more important] things in life, you have to adjust. Some things just don't mix like sportbikes and hip urban lifestyle vs. securely storing your property in your private garage which happens to be attached to a private house in boring Suburbia. Don't complain when (it's not even "if") your bike gets stolen from a public parking lot, or wonder where the thieves came from, "why don't they get a job", or how you'd "kill them all". If I couldn't afford a house, I'd rent something on the first floor and rolled the bike inside. Or drove a cargo van and kept the bike inside at all times.

I've always wondered about people who come to bike nights and group rides with their immaculate typically highly modded bikes. They get upset about any stranger getting too close to their baby, yet they're OK with leaving it unattended for hours and even days: completely exposed not only to thieves, but vandals: any envious bratty kid who can key it, spit (or sprinkle another bodily fluid/substance) on it, not to mention break it by ripping off hoses and wires, etc. What if neighbors hate your "life-saving" exhaust, so they'd 9at the very least) stuff carrots into it. What if someone smears oil on your tires or messes with your brakes? It's all exposed. Do you check your bike in the morning to make sure no one has messed with it? Call me paranoid, but vandalism can get you killed. One more thought for trigger-happy people (including myself) who swear to "kill all thieves on sight": I'm not sure if you'd get away with shooting someone on a shared publicly accessible parking vs. calmly putting two in the chest and one in the head withing your private house boundaries.

I constantly rearrange my 2-car garage to find extra space for 3 (soon to be 5) bikes, a sedan, a 5000lb SUV, 4 bicycles, Moto-tote, and tons of other stuff. Because I refuse to keep any of my property on the street. Granted it was in a different country at the infamous peak of their early nineties crime wave, but I learned my lesson the hard way. Being able to afford something is not enough as you also need to protect it. Since then I always plan where and how I'd keep my property secure before buying it.

Sorry for the long rant. Just wanted to get you thinking.

Gwyneth

You can rant all you want, but I think you are way off base. What happens in other countries has absolutely nothing to do with the subject of this thread. Not everyone has the same financial situation as you. You have a false sense of security if you think your belongings are safe in your garage. If a thief wants your property badly enough they will find a way to take it from you. There is no harm in riding your motorcycle to the theater, grocery store, whatever. These are tips on how to minimize the risks of having your motorcycle stolen. There are some people on this board who sincerely can only afford a bike for transportation. I've seen them ride in all kinds of weather and when their bike was being repaired they took public transportation. My bike currently resides in the garage when I'm home, but when I commute to work it sits out in the parking lot with other bikes and cars. Is there a risk that someone will steal it? Yes. Do I worry? No. Why? Because I have insurance, and I'm not going to change my lifestyle because I'm afraid someone is going to steal from me. You want to be paranoid, go ahead be paranoid. Want to talk about the atrocities and living conditions in other countries? Please post up under the Politics and Religion forum and rant away.

Bad-mofo

Sorry, if it offended you, Gwyneth. There's nothing political about bike theft. What happens in other countries, also happens here and is indeed relevant to the subject of this thread. Theft exists everywhere. It is allegedly the oldest profession in human history. The second oldest profession is you know what. The difference between the civilized countries and the violent second- and third world is that brand new (perceived expensive) vehicles are taken at gunpoint there and it's not as common here (yet) though definitely happening. I remember the introduction post from one South American guy who said that he couldn't even dream of riding a brand new full-fairing sportbike, as it'd have been taken by force. OK, so with few precautions you can avoid armed robbery, but you still need to protect your property from "conventional" theft.

If someone can "afford" a [very conservatively speaking] $6K+ sportbike for "transportation", then he(she) can also afford a $4K bike and a $2K car. Any lower budget, like an older bike for less than $4K, and you generally don't have to worry about theft from hip high profile places like popular movie theaters. There are enough fools with brand new bikes to keep thieves occupied (as ignorant as it sounds). Every time I visit our local uber-cool Friday night entertainment area: Irvine Spectrum, I see at least three late-model sportbikes parked there without even disk locks. I'm tired of appealing to people's common sense. Without those easy targets thieves would get desperate and start breaking into houses which I definitely don't want.

Again, I'm sorry. I'm not buying that bike-only lifestyle due to financial hardship. If you're that broke, you shouldn't spend $6K+ on a luxury motor vehicle, sportbikes are. If you do have both bike and a car, then what is it so important about going to the movies on a motorcycle. I mean risk vs. reward. The risk is enormous: not only theft, but vandalism. And the reward is what: not hyperventilating by walking 100 extra yards? Impressing chicks (a myth really)? Don't forget, you'd have to change from full leathers somewhere, plus carry your helmet and gloves with you.

As far as thieves breaking into houses, I'm not kidding myself about it. Nothing is safe ever. It's just very (statistically) unlikely that all of the conditions below are met:

1. The thief (or thief's friend/cousin/etc.) spots my bike. My neighbors are very unlikely to have thief relatives or friends. There's a (distant) possibility that passing by strangers (solicitors, pizza and other delivery people, etc.) are or somehow affiliated with bike thieves. This is why I keep my garage closed and never work on bikes outside.

2. Thieves are generally hesitant to break into houses with alarms. Unfortunately I also had to learn it the hard way in 2000. There is enough houses without alarms to break into. That's what police told me after it was burglarized.

3. The house is occupied 99% of the time. If (when) it isn't, I install timers to turn on and off lights and other loud appliances, like TV.

You see, there are three levels of serious protection (unlike chains and disk locks), and if G_d forbid all three fail, both my wife and I can handle our trusty 9mm 92FS and neither of us would hesitate to kill the intruder on sight.

It's all statistics, nothing else. My bikes are statistically way safer than any bikes stored on public (or publicly accessible) parking lot. I wouldn't call it 100% safe, but safe enough to (something else to think about) save at least $1K a year on full coverage.

I don't insist on keeping the bike inside. If I wanted a sportbike bad enough when I lived in various apartments 9 years ago, I'd just think of something real to protect it. The only way I would be able to sleep at night is rolling it inside. Covered with stuff (like clothes), so no one (primarily the management who can potentially enter my apartment without me) would ever suspect anything. In the worst case I'd keep it on the patio. Is it prohibitively expensive: renting something on the first floor? I don't think so. All I said:your choices are limited (like living on the first floor) and you have to deal with it.

I don't know if you've seen the chain-cutting video from England. They tested all heavy-duty bike chains and the toughest one could be cut in 3 minutes if I'm not mistaken (using the proper tools). I do use all three at work: the alarm, chain, and disk lock, but they're secondary anti-theft devices. I did not start commuting to work on my bike until I researched the safest parking lot on campus: 5 minutes walking distance (in full leathers) from my office building. Then I talked to all security personnel asking them to watch my bike, how to recognize bike theft (white van pulling to the bike parking etc.), and what are my clothes/gear, so they know if it's me riding the bike. They also know that I don't leave campus on my bike to get lunch: another "sacrifice" if you will. I walk one mile to local restaurants instead. Riding without full racing gear even for three minutes is unacceptable for me.

It's all about limited choices and sacrifices we make to adapt. Would you really miss some sportbike activities like visiting movie theaters, restaurants, shopping malls, doctor offices, grocery stores, etc. There are still lane-splitting commute, weekend canyon carving, track days, and posing at bike nights and coffee shops if you must. All you can conveniently do in full leathers which is another survival factor, at least for me.

P.S. Slow day at work is over. Gotta change into leathers and walk 5 minutes to my bike... hopefully still there. LOL

Fred S

My bike is my only mode of transportation when I do not have my children with me. I take her to the mall, the grocery store, and even leave her parked outside at the movie theater. I pay for insurance and have GAP, that is all I need.

warsaw1776

get theft insurence and dont become to attached. its all aobut being in the wrong place at the right time. i actually left my key in my bike all day(about 5 hours) while i was at school and nobody stole it or even took it for a joyride, yet park your bike at the YMCA and it might not be there when you get back. its all about chances, cover yourslef and you'll be fine......my worst fear about motorcycles, isnt dying or getting injured, it is making payments on a bike i dont have anymore because it was stolen, i wont let that happen. thank you AAA

carbonrrpilot

My philly proof RR, nothing is unstealable but this sure eliminates alotta sweat'n! haha

Bad-mofo

Holy sh_t! I got into some argument in this thread.

As far as the alarm (I have one too), it won't do sh_t if it's not heard by the right people. And by "right people" I mean:
a) fellow bikers with weapons, or martial art skills, or just outnumbering the hijackers
or b) people whose job is to protect someone's property: cops or security guards

Average bystanders would simply stare and freeze: typical reaction of sissy SoCal population to any crisis situation. Not to generalize by race or age, but average "fellow riders": kids who park their brand new sportbikes next to yours at the movie theater or grocery store parking lot are just as sissy as the rest of the leisurely SoCal population. So don't count on them.

carbonrrpilot

This has been outside my house here in Philly for 2 years now, its a two way paging alarm so the right people do hear it... me. You can feel the air-horns on the ground, so when this alarm goes off, everyone is look'n and Philly people arent gonna watch someone carrying away a bike with screaming air-horns and just stand there! By then I'm probly shoot'n at 'em anyway! haha.

SPEKTRE

LOLZ!!!!

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