Complete guide to motorcycle safety to avoid theft

Among the many advantages that a motorbike or scooter can give to our life, there is also a weak point that is impossible to avoid: these are vehicles that are easy to steal because they are light, easy to move and two people are enough to make a motorbike disappear unattended in a few minutes.

It is the intrinsic nature of this type of vehicle and to avoid having our beloved two-wheeler stolen from under our eyes it is important to know and apply some precautions to increase safety and make us sleep soundly.

First of all, it is important to face reality: there is no anti-theft system capable of protecting our motorbike 100%. If a thief has the opportunity to tinker with the vehicle for an indefinite time, in a context in which he can act undisturbed and making all the noise in the world, he will certainly find a way to take it away.

In Italy, 26,707 vehicles are stolen per year, including motorbikes and scooters (ministerial data referring to 2021), with the latter predominating in the ranking of the most stolen two-wheelers. We have published statistics, data and rankings in this regard in our article "3 motorcycle thefts every hour! Which models are most stolen ".

For this reason we have written this short but complete guide that teaches you to apply simple but important rules to keep thieves away from your motorbike or to make them stop the desire to steal it if they manage to get their hands on it, whether you are a private individual or of professionals who manage fleets of scooters for delivery or couriers .

At the end of the article you will also find 5 tips to bring the safety of your vehicle to the maximum level.

WHAT CAN I DO TO NOT HAVE MY MOTORCYCLE STOLEN?

First of all, it is important to identify the context. If - as we have said - the thief has the possibility of having easy access to the vehicle without being seen and without worrying about the noise, nothing will stop him from trying to steal your vehicle. Therefore we act smart with the three basic safety principles:

1. Store the motorcycle in a private space such as a garage or courtyard
2. If you don't have an enclosed space, park where it is easily controllable
3. Make life difficult for any thief by using effective security systems

Point number 1 is easy and immediate: if the thief does not have direct access to the motorbike and cannot reach it from the street because it is behind a gate or in a private context, it is much more difficult for him to steal it. Difficult, but not impossible.

There are organized criminals who follow the movements of the owners of the vehicle and have no qualms about entering your house or the condominium courtyard when they know that you are not there and can act undisturbed. These are very rare cases, but they also happen nowadays and it is often in those situations that they manage to work undisturbed.

If point number 2 reflects your situation, it is useful to keep the motorbike within sight, from the window of your apartment for example, or in a crowded place controlled by public security systems. The steering lock is a must and perhaps keeping it between other scooters or between two cars will make it less visible to those thieves who patrol the neighborhoods with vans ready to pick up "easy prey".

Point number 3 is the most important concept that you should never forget: "if I can't prevent thieves from touching my motorcycle, I can at least make their life as difficult as possible".

There is no other way than to use good security systems that can waste a lot of time and force him to make a lot of noise to disarm them. We will list them later.

IN THE MIND OF THE ENEMY: HOW DOES A MOTORCYCLE THIEF ACT?

We not only need to know the accessories and methods that make our motorbike safer, but it is also important to understand how thieves act and how thefts occur in order to maximize the efficiency of security systems in the various contexts in which we find ourselves.

First of all, let's make the necessary distinctions between city thieves and "province" thieves. In an urban context, your motorbike or scooter will be in greater danger: gangs of thieves act much more in cities (mainly in the 5 main Italian municipalities) because they are simply the most crowded with scooters and two-wheeled vehicles.

An easy comparison is that of the fisherman: he always goes to the fishiest seas both for the quantity and variety of fish which can guarantee him a good profit with less effort.

Organized gangs that go around in small groups (2 or 3 people) in vans are very widespread in the city. Their intent is to collect as many scooters and motorbikes as possible and they generally aim for easy prey, i.e. those that are easy to load because they lack safety systems and are easily accessible from the road.

Their target market is mainly that of used spare parts, so they often target scooters of little value and not exactly in perfect condition.

There are also other types of thieves who target valuable vehicles (BMW GS, Ducatis and other large-displacement motorcycles) for the illegal resale of vehicles abroad. These act in a more targeted manner, because they follow the owners and try to better structure "the heist", but basically they also act in groups and with vans to quickly collect the unfortunate vehicle.

Outside the city, in the province and countryside, the same rules as above apply but in this case you must pay attention especially to those who act as thieves of apartments and villas.

These "professionals" find a way to sneak into homes (mainly those with gardens) or condominium garages after a careful study of the chosen prey which can last even days.

Here home alarms and cameras are of great help, but first and foremost there is always the principle of "wasting as much time as possible" as far as the motorbike is concerned.

WHAT SECURITY SYSTEMS EXIST?

• CHAIN ​​OR D-LOCK : this is the classic lock to hook onto the wheels and to secure the motorbike to an external element such as a pole, a railing or a special metal eyelet. The D-Lock is the D-shaped version, less mobile but equally secure. The more you spend, the more security increases.

• STEERING LOCK : the classic standard system on almost all motorcycles on the market. It locks the handlebars to the left in a way that makes it much more difficult to move, but is also easily neutralized with a well-aimed kick. It is always better to activate it and use it in combination with other mechanical systems.

• DISC LOCK : with this accessory inserted the wheel is not free to turn and is much more difficult to move. It can be neutralized by unscrewing the Allen screws that keep the disc anchored to the rim, although it takes a little time. Since the system is compact and light, security is not at its best, but it is a good deterrent combined with other solutions.

• BRAKE LOCK : fits on the accelerator grip and blocks its rotation while keeping the front brake engaged which - consequently - immobilizes the front wheel. The system is small and not very robust, easy to eliminate, but it is still a valid "plus" to use in combination.

• EASYBLOCK : like a disc lock it prevents the rotation of the (rear) wheel, but in this case it is a system that acts with a steel pin that blocks the crown (in motorbike versions) or the rim (in scooter versions). Unlike the others, it is installed on the swingarm or crankcase, so it becomes part of the vehicle and is safer and more convenient to use.

• SOUND ANTI-THEFT ALARM : it is a classic that has always been used for cars and homes. A sensor perceives sudden movements on the vehicle and sets off an acoustic signal via siren which stops the thief from intervening. It can be deactivated by disconnecting the battery or cutting the signal cables but it remains a good solution for alerting those nearby of the attempted theft.

• SATELLITE OR GPS ANTI-THEFT ALARM : it is a passive system, which therefore aims to find the vehicle after the theft by communicating the position of the vehicle to the owner via satellite connection. In many cases it is associated with a telephone report via message or call.

It is clear that the more systems you use together, the more the safety of the vehicle increases, but since it is impossible and impractical to adopt them all together, it is recommended to have at least a couple that you can choose based on your needs and the context in which you keep your two-wheeler .

5 TIPS TO NOT HAVE YOUR MOTORCYCLE STOLEN

A series of practical tips that could be very useful for you:

Use safety systems even if you keep the motorbike in the garage

As we wrote in this article, no one is truly safe and thieves are making things up every day.

Even if you store the motorbike in a locked garage away from prying eyes, an EasyBlock or a chain (or both) are always an extra security that will make you sleep soundly.

Use mechanical anti-theft devices

If you leave your motorbike outside, be smart. If one mechanical anti-theft device among those listed wastes the thief's time, two will make him waste double the time and a lot of motivation, three even more!

So if you are willing to sacrifice a little time to install two or more systems every time you use the motorcycle, you will have an extra guarantee against theft.

Anchoring a motorcycle with the chain to a post or railing

Making life difficult for a thief also requires ingenuity: anchoring a motorbike with the chain to a pole or a railing is ideal, but it is even better if you keep this chain away from the ground and in a place that is difficult to reach with a tool like a hose or large shears, for example very close to a wall.

Even with the Easy Block it is good to park with the wheel almost attached to a building or a large obstacle, the thief must not act comfortably and must make as much effort as possible to unhinge your anti-theft device.

Park your motorbike in crowded places with security cameras

Sometimes it is worth parking the motorbike in a crowded place constantly monitored by cameras such as squares or near clubs, rather than having the motorbike under your eye all the time.

All it takes is half an hour of distraction and your vehicle can disappear, while in a place where people create a constant flow or there are cameras pointing at the road, it's easy for a thief to never even get close.

She studies!

Online you can always find useful information on the latest technologies and theft methods that thieves use and evolve over time. Keep yourself informed about the events in your city and your neighborhood, it will help you increase the safety of your vehicle when necessary.

By doing so you will be able to avoid particular places or times where it is easier to encounter bad experiences. The safest motorcyclist is also proactive and never underestimates the abilities of those who steal other people's motorbikes and scooters for a living!