Gut feelings of robbery

Any chain link under 18mm can be cut with a bolt cutter in under 5 seconds. Chains are useless. A ground anchor is as useful as the chain looped through it.

Surveillance doesn't help. Often low light, often grainy, often only captures a generic male or a stolen plate.

Alarms are good for street parking if you are within range, otherwise not. Trip your own alarm next time and then fiddle with your ignition cylinder for 5 mins while the alarm is going off in public to see how effective it is.

Think "out of site, out of mind" as your first line of defence.
 
My bike was stolen just over a week ago... Bought a video surveillance system a few days ago to install and I'm gonna put an alarm on the next bike I get.

Get a security chain (NOT a regular run of the mill chain) and a ground anchor. The alarm is completely useless by itself. The chain will at least buy you some time to go get your shotgun and firing a warning at them, etc.

i'll send you a FB message.

But as Cha0s says, you gotta try to keep the bike out of site. Even then however, there are no guarantees :(
 
Get an alarm with GPS tracker then if it gets stolen you can go steal it back :)
Every thief has a GPS blocker in their vehicle, blocks all GPS, GSM, CDMA signals for a 300ft radius. Once the bike is in their van they remove the main battery and once back in their shop, remove all the bodywork looking for GPS tracking devices (the whole while in the radius of a GPS blocker).

I saw those monster almax chains get sliced through easily with one of those battery operated hydraulic cutters. Super quiet, super quick.

-Jamie M.
 
Stop creeping people out. Noone is gonna steal a 1989 bike even if you pay for the job =)

Motorcycle parked in an underground condo lot = free motorcycle. People have had every type of bike stolen here.

You live in a condo and don't pay the 5 bucks for theft...

This.
 
Every thief has a GPS blocker in their vehicle, blocks all GPS, GSM, CDMA signals for a 300ft radius. Once the bike is in their van they remove the main battery and once back in their shop, remove all the bodywork looking for GPS tracking devices (the whole while in the radius of a GPS blocker).

I saw those monster almax chains get sliced through easily with one of those battery operated hydraulic cutters. Super quiet, super quick.

-Jamie M.

This I don't believe, not in the city core. To block all signals in a 300ft radius you'd be driving around in some kind of military ECM vehicle. And while I do believe that there are thieves that use & are aware of this stuff, not every thief is a criminal mastermind. I'd say a tracking device still has a reasonable chance of working for a short while.
 
Every thief has a GPS blocker in their vehicle, blocks all GPS, GSM, CDMA signals for a 300ft radius. Once the bike is in their van they remove the main battery and once back in their shop, remove all the bodywork looking for GPS tracking devices (the whole while in the radius of a GPS blocker).

I saw those monster almax chains get sliced through easily with one of those battery operated hydraulic cutters. Super quiet, super quick.

-Jamie M.


Seeing as you have a history of being factually challenged at the best of times, you'll understand if I ask you to support this with a video, etc.

Having said that, if it was so easy to do, there'd be numerous accounts of it all over the web, given the popularity of Almax chains. A cursory google search turned up nothing.

Moreover, I highly doubt that your typical street level crook is going to be walking around with a power tool like that. How much does one cost?

But let's be clear here: a chain, even one like an Almax is ultimately only a DETERRENT, nothing more. It is not fail safe. But if one's layers of deterrents are enough to make it a big enough pain in the *** to try and bypass them, hopefully, a thief will not bother.
 
Get 2 small leather bracelets and pound thin rusty nails through them. Clip them onto your handlebars. Throw a durable cover over your bike and lock it. Put a prox sensor alarm on your bike. If the bike tries to fiddle with the cover to see your bike or get it off the alarm is going the whole time. If he tries to just grab he bike and drag it into a van well he's going to have some bloody hands...
 
Get 2 small leather bracelets and pound thin rusty nails through them. Clip them onto your handlebars. Throw a durable cover over your bike and lock it. Put a prox sensor alarm on your bike. If the bike tries to fiddle with the cover to see your bike or get it off the alarm is going the whole time. If he tries to just grab he bike and drag it into a van well he's going to have some bloody hands...

And then that thief will sue you for personal injury etc. You know, Canadian laws...
 
And then that thief will sue you for personal injury etc. You know, Canadian laws...

Yeah, you could even end up criminally responsible once it's all said and done. Unless you live out in the country, where SS&S is a legit option, you aren't allowed to do anything to the bad guy, no matter how much he harms you. Well, the law might allow you to defend yourself and your property, but you'll still get charged to a tune of tens of thousands of bucks in legal fees after the cops are done with serving and "protecting" you. Think Ian Thomson.

Bottom line: If you're a law-abiding citizen, you gotta consider whether you'd prefer to be raped in your house or in prison.
 
GPS tracking is useless . . . these are easy to get. Best thing is to chain and cover your bike and get something like an i900 so you get a page the sec someone gets around your bike. Prevent it from getting taken in the first place is your only options.
Car-Anti-Tracker-GPS-Jammer-Isolator.jpg
 
GPS tracking is useless . . . these are easy to get. Best thing is to chain and cover your bike and get something like an i900 so you get a page the sec someone gets around your bike. Prevent it from getting taken in the first place is your only options.
Car-Anti-Tracker-GPS-Jammer-Isolator.jpg

Do they have something similar for cellphones? :p


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I guess you've never seen Almax chains, which already were mentioned in this thread: http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/ofcmje75/All-Products/c-1-73/

Grinder....30 seconds. A serious thief will have one in the van.

I had two chains once, one 16mm and one 18mm, a disc lock, a cover, steering lock, immobilizer, alarm. Parked 1 block from my window!

2pm, broad day light....grinder marks on the lamp pole I was locked to. No witnesses, no one in the area heard anything when I canvassed the nearby houses.



A chain over 18mm is extremely difficult to cut with bolt cutters, even those 1m long ones because the pincers have difficulty opening that much and getting a good grip. Grinder takes care of that easily.

PS, if the chain gives them any trouble there is a trick they use....come by the day before, pull pack the sheath, grind the links most of the way but not completely, and pull the sheath back down. Then they go away. They come back the next day, and if you didn't notice the chain has been compromised, well then a quick snip snip with the small bolt cutters to finish off the precut links and away they go.

Oh, and a chain that big, is also THAT HEAVY, meaning you will be leaving it at the condo / anchor, meaning they can even come around during the day when you're gone and grind the chain links when the bike isn't even there. Those chains are way too heavy to ride around with slung around your chest to use every time you park. An 18mm chain, over 1m is in the order of 20+lbs!!!

What do you think the fine is for grinding a chain in a parking garage is, when the bike isn't even there? What do you think they will say when someone questions them? "The management has asked us to remove this chain because it is against condo rules", "Oh ok sir, carry on", "no problem concerned citizen".

The pre-cut chain is one of the best tricks they use....minimal risk, a chance to survey the scene without fully committing and to test the level of alertness of others at the site.
 
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Grinder....30 seconds. A serious thief will have one in the van.

I had two chains once, one 16mm and one 18mm, a disc lock, a cover, steering lock, immobilizer, alarm. Parked 1 block from my window!

2pm, broad day light....grinder marks on the lamp pole I was locked to. No witnesses, no one in the area heard anything when I canvassed the nearby houses.

.

Was't that in the UK? Anyway, probably same thing here too. People often "Dont see or hear anything"
 
like I already said: it (the chain) is an added layer of deterrence, not a fail safe.

If you personally don't think it warrants the cost, that's your choice. It's my belief that the extra steps a thief will have to go through to defeat the chain will deter the thief.

As for the angle grinder: Trust me, it takes more than 30 seconds to cut through it, a lot more. My friends and I tried it.

As for compromising the chain on separate occasions, it would be a person's own responsibility to make sure that whatever security measure(s) they're using is/are actually functioning properly or free from damage. A car alarm is useless if you don't turn it on. Locks are useless if they aren't, well, locked. As well, one would think that attempting to cut a security chain even on separate occassions, would be properly regarded as attempted robbery, since motive plays a factor in such a scenario. eg. if you break into a bank safe, you're not innocent just because the safe is empty. And handing a paper note to a bank teller demanding money is still considered armed robbery.

As for bystander apathy, that's were it pays to maintain good relations with your neighbors and people you pay to provide you a modicum of security. If someone's trying to cut my bike chain, security will check it out, as will people in my condo walking by. They know it's my bike, how important it is to me, and that's it's supposed to be locked there.
 
Not to sidetrack this riveting discussion...but..I don't think you're getting a bike into a Honda Pilot very easily.. :-)
 
Was't that in the UK? Anyway, probably same thing here too. People often "Dont see or hear anything"

Yeah it was in the UK. The theives are a bit more brazen there. They typically steal your bike when you get a new one from the insurance pay out also. Once they mark an easy location / sucker, they know he is good for 3 bikes over the next year, until insurance refuses to pay out.

Cops do squat except file a report for insurance purposes.

Theft here is markedly less sophisticated and brazen, EXCEPT with regard to condos! It seems condo theft is on par with the level I experienced in the UK.

Just to let ya know...prior to the theft of my bike 2 chavs one night attempted to bolt cut my 16mm chain. They were seen and chased off by my neighbour before they got through any link. The next day I got an infrared video monitor, and an 18mm chain.

I knew they were after my bike. They knew I knew. I parked the bike in front of the cam for a while. Every night I reviewed the footage (motion triggered). It took about an hour every night. I would then have to delete it (cause the HD could only store so much data), and set it back up.

I also found an alternate spot to park it in view of my bedroom window, just to change it up. To be honest the video wouldn't be of any use, just some obscured still of some generic male, but it gave me some peace of mind.

In the end, they stole it from the spot within view of my bedroom window, in the middle of the day, when I actually happened to be home!!! Even I didn't hear the grinder or my alarm!!!

After that I took different measures to protect the new bike (after being out of pocket 1500!!!!...500 deductable, 500 depreciation, 500 for lost locks, alarm, security accessories).

I had a neighbour 4 houses down who was a undertaker....he let me park with his hearse for 25/mo. Then I got me a foldable ramp and parked the bike in my foyer / entry corridor until I moved a couple months later.

I'm tellin ya....out of site! Even if you know they know.....it's still game over! They CAN'T be allowed to know in the first place!
 
like I already said: it (the chain) is an added layer of deterrence, not a fail safe.

If you personally don't think it warrants the cost, that's your choice. It's my belief that the extra steps a thief will have to go through to defeat the chain will deter the thief.

As for the angle grinder: Trust me, it takes more than 30 seconds to cut through it, a lot more. My friends and I tried it.

As for compromising the chain on separate occasions, it would be a person's own responsibility to make sure that whatever security measure(s) they're using is/are actually functioning properly or free from damage. A car alarm is useless if you don't turn it on. Locks are useless if they aren't, well, locked. As well, one would think that attempting to cut a security chain even on separate occassions, would be properly regarded as attempted robbery, since motive plays a factor in such a scenario. eg. if you break into a bank safe, you're not innocent just because the safe is empty. And handing a paper note to a bank teller demanding money is still considered armed robbery.

As for bystander apathy, that's were it pays to maintain good relations with your neighbors and people you pay to provide you a modicum of security. If someone's trying to cut my bike chain, security will check it out, as will people in my condo walking by. They know it's my bike, how important it is to me, and that's it's supposed to be locked there.

I went around looking for the best possible padlock after I had my bike stolen. I came across a shop dedicated to just locks. There was a 300 (pound) / $600 padlock there, a 5 lever mortice style lock. The store owner pulled me aside and asked why I was willing to purchase such a lock. After explaining to him my theft problem he told me that that lock was the industry best, yes, but that my system was ultimately as strong as the "weakest link" and even that lock could be picked in under 5 mins by a good thief. The difference between an average lock and the top of the line lock was about 3 to 4 minutes. I told him that was fine, as the alarm would allow me to get there in that time frame. That's when he pulled me aside and said, "I really shouldn't tell you this, but, even I have an alarm dissabler. What happens is, they sit in their van and scan all frequencies, each time shutting off the alarm. It takes 2 minutes and will shut off the alarm of every frequency it goes through. That's what gives them the even 5 minutes they need to cut or pick your lock".


Have a word with a locksmith and see how effective locks really are! Research "bump key" if you really want to crap your pants! The stuff I found out trying to thwart thieves was mind blowing.
 
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