Parking headache - theft problem

Can anyone help? I live in Hackney, east London. I'm having terrible
trouble with bike theft. Up to now I've parked my bikes on the road
outside my flat - I don't have any off street parking.

Over the last year I've had a Vespa ET4 stolen three times (recovered
every time). Also a Honda CG125 stolen & never seen again.

Now...these bikes weren't worth much so although this is really
annoying, in financial terms it's not the end of the world. However,
I've passed my test now and I'm about to get my hands on a CBR600F,
worth a lot more, and I REALLY don't want the local scrotes to get
their hands on it.

The bike comes with a Thatcham 1 alarm/immobiliser and Smartwater
(tagging) - so hopefully rather harder to steal than my other bikes.
It will also be secured with a heavy chain and possibly a disc lock as
well. However I'm still nervous.

What else can I do to reduce the chance of having it stolen?

I'd like to secure it to one of those ground anchors. I could - at a
push - set the anchor in the concrete at the top of the steps down to
my basement flat. However, this would mean parking the bike on the
pavement. Now this shouldn't really upset anyone - the pavement is
quite wide and it wouldn't be in anybody's way. However I know this is
still illegal and would have me risking parking tickets.

Is the rumour true that if I cover up the bike's number plates when
parked, traffic wardens can't issue a parking ticket (because they
can't interfere with the bike and hence can't find out the reg number)?
Will they just call the Police in to do their dirty work? And if so,
do I risk a much bigger penalty?

I could call my local council & ask for their advice, but would I risk
opening pandora's box by drawing attention to myself?

Also there's an empty shop 100yds down the road with quite a lot of
space in front of it which I suspect isn't quite classed as being on
the pavement. Might I be able to leave the bike there? (and hope that
the owners of the building don't complain).

Police Crime Prevention Officer?

Any other suggestions?

Grateful for any advice. I'm pulling my hair out - getting beyond a
joke. If I need to bend the rules a bit in order to secure the bike,
so be it!

Thanks.
KF.

 

apart from the alarm noise, it's no harder to steal at all.
Couple of blokes and a transit van/trailer.

Well chaining it to something would be a help - lampost for example.

Failing that - how about the lounge?


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Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique,
typed

Move.

HTH.

--
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and Ducati Race Engineer.

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Move

 

Gorilla, doberman, paint it pink, set up a ramp through your front window,
sit an inflatable biker on it, move, council garages, find some kind soul
with a garage who'll rent you some space, etc

HTH

 

Have you made enquiries to see if it's insurable on the road?

However, alarms and immobilisers are an added deterrent to the casual
rideaway thief but won't put off the Blue Transit MC.

Having kept a number of bikes on the road I'd suggest: huge lock round a
lampost or other bit of sturdy street furniture (remembering to keep the
padlock off the ground) and a cover. I believe datatag has benefits in
deterring those who steal for parts.

Has anyone tried asking a Council to set a ground anchor in a kerb or
gutter?

In summary: very, very big lock.

 

Thanks for the info. Yes, it's insurable. The insurers must be mad,
but that's their problem! Fully comp about £700 per year with a £300
xs.

Think I'll look for a lamppost or something similar. I'm also going to
have a chat with the parking department of the local council to see
what they advise (although based on my previous dealings with the local
council, I'm not expecting much joy!).

A lot of people have suggested chaining it to another bike - I can do
this because I have an old Suzuki which is almost worth holding onto
for this reason alone! But why does chaining it to another bike make
such a difference?

Regards,
KF.

 

Can I park my ER-5 outside your flat for a few days?

 

In

AOL.

 

Thieves with bad taste. Headlines at 10.

Move.

 

wrote in @o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com:

Even the Blue Transit mob have problems lifting 2 bikes at once.
The chain needs to go round both frames in such a way as to make it too
tricky to just cut out a section though.

 

scribbled:

What Sweller meant is some insurance policies do not cover your bike if
it is parked outside your house on the road overnight, it must be kept
in a garage or similar. Apologies if you got this but do ask the
insurers.

If the locks a very good one its extremely difficult to cut through,
(you can even get bolt cropper resistant locks and chains) and moving
two bikes chained together is almost impossible.

 

IME only if you've specified you have a garage. If you don't have a garage
they can't reasonably expect you to find one at night.
This is why the policy would cost more... but yes, good to confirm they know
there is no garage.

 

I live in the East End and have had 2 bikes stolen in the last 3 years from
my house (neither of them mine).

First thing to rememebr is that the scrotes who nick most of the bikes in
the east end only want to mess about on them for a few hours or weeks before
doing something really intelligent like set them on fire.

Second thing to remember is to buy the best chains you can afford - My Fazer
is belled up with a Thatcham class 1 alarm, rear wheel chianed to anchor
point set in concrete using Oxford Monster chain and shackle (Thatcham Class
1) and the front wheel is secured by a disc lock made by a well known German
company (again Thatcham class 1). Chaining the rear wheel to the ancor
point is better than the front wheel as it makes it more difficult for the
scrotes.

Both the bikes stolen were my stepdaughters who had Piaggio NRG's. The
first time the scrote stole the keys and the second time (new bike) they
brought along a spare wheel. Dropped the wheel secured by the anchor point
and put their own one on and took it away. That is why it is important to
have both wheels secured.

You MUST find something to secure it to otherwise it WILL be nicked. If not
an anchor point then a big metal fence. My mate down the road had had a few
bikes nicked too - fact of life round here. You may get some parking
tickets from time to time - argue with the council but you will probably
have to pay them anyway - get a resident's parking permit too.

At the end of the day whatever you do is only a deterrent - if they want the
bike they will have it - simple as that. And a CBR is something they may
want - certainly more than my Fazer or my mates SV or the bloke down the
road who has a CB500. You need to think about that too - Do you want this
bike THAT much - can you use the performance? I wouldn't have a CBR (mainly
because I have long legs!!) but whether I am on a CBR or a Fazer I wouldn't
be any quicker.

At the end of the day, whether I had a garage or not would not make the
difference, what would affect my decision to have a bike in the East End is
if there came a time when I could not lock it up to something solid. Tha
makes a real difference - the alarm is good for the immobiliser when I jump
into the shop for a paper.

Barry

 

wrote

You can do very little to reduce the chances of your bike getting
stolen, that is simply a fact you will have to live with. However you
and your neighbours can do much to ensure that the thieving scrotes get
brought to justice and when they heal will not be nicking bikes down
your street again.

Draw attention. Stand up and make yourself known. Challenge the scrotes
to bring it on. Invite the Beeb to watch. The scrotes, for all their
bravado cannot really afford to make themselves public, your game, your
rules and you will win.

 

... we post at the bottom here.

Cheers

 

Heck!... I knew that.......and forgot!!

 

We also snip sigs ;-)

 

On 14 Jun 2005 15:13:36 -0700, wrote:

|>Can anyone help? I live in Hackney, east London. I'm having terrible
|>trouble with bike theft. Up to now I've parked my bikes on the road
|>outside my flat - I don't have any off street parking.
|>
Street parking is safer under a bright light...

|>Over the last year I've had a Vespa ET4 stolen three times (recovered
|>every time). Also a Honda CG125 stolen & never seen again.
|>
|>Now...these bikes weren't worth much so although this is really
|>annoying, in financial terms it's not the end of the world. However,
|>I've passed my test now and I'm about to get my hands on a CBR600F,
|>worth a lot more, and I REALLY don't want the local scrotes to get
|>their hands on it.

I know the pain....
|>
|>The bike comes with a Thatcham 1 alarm/immobiliser and Smartwater
|>(tagging) - so hopefully rather harder to steal than my other bikes.
|>It will also be secured with a heavy chain and possibly a disc lock as
|>well. However I'm still nervous.
|>

I use a Gorilla-Alarm, a doubled heavy chain, but Kryptonite disk locks
can be opened with a Bic pen cap....

|>What else can I do to reduce the chance of having it stolen?
|>
|>I'd like to secure it to one of those ground anchors. I could - at a
|>push - set the anchor in the concrete at the top of the steps down to
|>my basement flat. However, this would mean parking the bike on the
|>pavement. Now this shouldn't really upset anyone - the pavement is
|>quite wide and it wouldn't be in anybody's way. However I know this is
|>still illegal and would have me risking parking tickets.
|>

Sounds Good....

|>Is the rumour true that if I cover up the bike's number plates when
|>parked, traffic wardens can't issue a parking ticket (because they
|>can't interfere with the bike and hence can't find out the reg number)?
|> Will they just call the Police in to do their dirty work? And if so,
|>do I risk a much bigger penalty?

Yes they might confiscate your ride, like they are so accustomed to...

|>
|>I could call my local council & ask for their advice, but would I risk
|>opening pandora's box by drawing attention to myself?

I don't see why not, or are they into grabbing bikes too?

|>
|>Also there's an empty shop 100yds down the road with quite a lot of
|>space in front of it which I suspect isn't quite classed as being on
|>the pavement. Might I be able to leave the bike there? (and hope that
|>the owners of the building don't complain).

Flip owner a few bucks and bring your protection system there, if the
Thatcham 1 alarm/immobiliser has a paging remote, it would help...After over 100
counts of scooter vandalism on my bike, I had to park it in a garage.....

|>
|>Police Crime Prevention Officer?

They suck...
|>
|>Any other suggestions?
|>
|>Grateful for any advice. I'm pulling my hair out - getting beyond a
|>joke. If I need to bend the rules a bit in order to secure the bike,
|>so be it!

You seem to have covered all aspects of protection, so there is little
you can do but buy a gun and burn the "Scrotes" so they don't come back....ever,
but that would leave the "Legal" system without an income and you would have to
compensate for that by spending years of Court legal fees and fines..

|>
|>Thanks.
|>KF.



Your Honor,...... I always wondered,...... at what time in the morning do you have to get up to get up to get that drunk..............
(French/Yankee Jim, hung by the neck for 45 minutes for borrowing a $0.25 canoe.)
WWWeb>> http://boblacasse.topcities.com

 

|>Doesnotcompute wrote:
|>
|>> Well chaining it to something would be a help - lampost for example.
|>
|>Do *not* chain it to something solid like a skip, for example. A
|>colleague of mine did this and his bike went got well and truly mangled
|>when the skip lorry came to collect.


I had a heavily chained and alarmed bike chained to a Huge Lamppost, so
instead of stealing it, they just vandalized it 3 times a month for 5 years.

Cost me big time as $300 from me and $300 from the insurance = $600 a
month, from 1993 up to 1998......

They were all done by the same bastard as well, but you need an action
video before the poLice even consider the case...

Bob

Your Honor,...... I always wondered,...... at what time in the morning do you have to get up to get up to get that drunk..............
(French/Yankee Jim, hung by the neck for 45 minutes for borrowing a $0.25 canoe.)
WWWeb>> http://boblacasse.topcities.com