Locking up a scooter/cycle

[Evan]

I am wondering what might be the best way to lock up a scooter/cycle that is being parked on the carrier on my Durango. These days the most common way to steal such items is to use a battery powered portable grinder which will get through just about anything. There are some ways to prevent it somewhat such as hardened chain inside a bicycle rubber tube which is filled with tar along with the chain but you still need to somehow make it very difficult to get to whatever it is shackled with/to such as a padlock that is hidden under a plate or channel that prevents reaching it easily with a grinder. Anybody have a better idea? I want it to be reasonably easy and fast to get at so I'm not spending my life just parking the scooter on the carrier and getting it off again.

This is the carrier set up:



With parking ramp:



And how it will sort of look with a scooter parked on the carrier, more or less. There will be strapping to hold it in place or perhaps a couple of metal tubes fastened to the plates at each end of the shaft that plugs in to the hitch mount and fastened to the scooter near the top somewhere. I want it all quick and easy to do. I will be using the scooter to run around the middle of downtown Victoria with the Durango parked a few klics away to avoid paying 200 bucks a month for vehicle parking. The cost of parking for a year nearly pays for the scooter. I will only really need the Durango when I want to do some real distance driving. Victoria is a pretty compact town. Scooters and bikes are very popular there.

[Lew Hartswick]

Seems to me it's no use mking it any harder than just taking the whole thing from the receiver hitch .
...lew...

[GKman]

Just because we can build machinery to solve problems doesn't mean there needs to machinery built to solve every problem. Have a little faith in the honesty of your neighbors and let your insurance company pick up the slack.

[6270 Productions]

This isn't exactly like leaving your front door open so they won't break your window to get inside, but the truth of the matter is - if they want it, they will get it.

Just make it difficult to do. They will go somewhere else, because they are lazy.

Of course, they might break your window or scratch your paint on the way - because they are "upset" with your theft prevention efforts.

[ikdor]

You could run an electric wire through a wheel which will sound a siren for 30 seconds when interrupted. They can cut it, but it certainly won't be stealthy.
I would probably use a coax cable with BNC connector. You can then run this through a wheel and connect it to a shorted female BNC plug on your carrier. You could improve bypassing resistance by going to twinax, but it's a bit overkill.

[wierdscience]

I just use a simple,easy padlock and chain,might spring for the boron carbide stuff,but the lock would only be for show.I would set it up so the lock is clearly visible,but use a simple dog leash clasp tucked away out of sight so it's easy to get on and off and not have to fiddle with a padlock or combination lock.

What I would do is install a GPS tracker and an add on antenna for when it does get stolen.

http://pegtech.com/products/microtrac

I know of one person who had his boat stolen with a similar setup installed.He called the police,told them his boat had been stolen and then told them where it was at.The cops jumped right on it and broke up a major theft ring.

[tlfamm]

Regardless of how you secure it, keeping it covered will reduce the visual theft-appeal.

[boslab]

Saddle it with a plate through between the seat and steering column, front sheilding, then down to the support track, lock the thing together with a grinder resistant lock like a van door idea, padlocks are generally useless, a grinder and slitting disk will take out any one of them, I had a Chubb battleship lock on my garage, it was cut in two, I tried the same on the remains and to be honest it cut as easily as mild steel.
Just an idea
Mark

[J Tiers]

You absolutely cannot prevent it being cut. And hardened steel cuts the best. Any sort of cable can be cut with side cutters, I've done it when my padlock turned but did not release the loop.

So, make it be a pain in the butt.

A cable is cut in seconds with a grinder, don't bother. Instead, a strap of steel takes much longer to cut. Mild steel may be the best, as it may not cut as cleanly. A thick strap of nice gummy aluminum might be good too. A steel strap with something around it like aluminum or lead that might "poison" or "load up" the grinder disk so it doesn't cut well would be even nicer.

You still have to lock it, but if the lock is placed in a "box" of the same steel, so it is easy enough to work with fingers, but hard to reach with a grinder, then you force the perp to first cut the box to access the lock, and only then the lock itself.

If you make it a pain to do, most will not bother, they will go elsewhere and find something easier. Thieves are generally all about something for nothing. Make it look like a job and they are outta there.

[Royldean]

What I would do is install a GPS tracker and an add on antenna for when it does get stolen.

http://pegtech.com/products/microtrac

This idea sounded interesting, so I checked it out. No cost info whatsover, and the available markets (where the system is being used) all seem to be half-way around the world....

[Ironwoodsmith]

Is Victoria that bad when it comes to bike theft? We are just across from you on San Juan Island.

[koda2]

1.Don't leave it loaded overnight. Take it in.
2. Cover it so thieves can't case the theft prevention devices. It will protect the bike during travel too.
3. Use two locks one fairly hidden. It may thwart an attempt when it becomes more difficult with the second lock.
4. Install a motion sensor alarm on the Durango and set it last. Attempts at removing the cover will light up the vehicle.
5. They even make alarms with motion sensors for bikes. A friend had one on his big road bike and you couldn't even touch it.
6. Talk with your insurance agent about the coverage and how the socoter is protected.

[Willy]

Some good ideas so far, I like the GPS tracker, the alarms, and the idea of keeping the prize somewhat hidden in order to lessen the temptation. Most thieves are lazy so anything done to increase their workload will usually result in them choosing another easier target.
Parking in secure locations like in front of an open business with lots of windows will help cut down on the risk quite a bit.

In the end though if they really want it they'll just take the Durango.

On a bit of a lighter note I ran into this little segment a few weeks ago on what to do when you have had your bike stolen one too many times.

https://www.youtube.com/tv#/watch?v=ZYlBT1d_GWo&resume

[kendall]

As Koda mentioned, placing a cover over it will reduce the chances that the thieves will think about it. If they can't see what tools they need to steal it by simply walking by, they'll be less likely to try.

Otherwise, build a suitable lock that attaches to hitch at the rear, extends over floor and locks between the scooter and the hatch.

[Evan]

Some good ideas, thanks. I don't know what the theft rate is in Victoria these days. I haven't lived there since the 1970's. I don't know if I will even bother getting theft insurance, that can be very expensive with the way it works here. It would have to be covered under the vehicle insurance I think and we have a government monopoly insurance company that is well known for ripping us off to the max. That is something I will check into because the government insurance is only for the liability insurance, the rest is competitive independent suppliers. The scooter I will be getting isn't legally a road vehicle. It is considered to be an electric bicycle with no registration so it doesn't fall into the vehicle insurance category. It will be considered as just private property but since it isn't inside the vehicle I'm not sure how that will be covered by insurance.

I will be covering it of course, at least if it is going to be left where I can't see it or overnight. It will only be parked on the Durango when I travel some distance. I have already asked the people that manage the loft apartment I hope to get and I can bring it inside there. They even have a freight elevator that will take it easily to whatever floor I am on and being electric there is no gas or leaking oil to worry about. They also have basement storage so it won't be left outside overnight very often.

As for the "The'll just take the Durango" it will be protected with a battery switch. That I already have and it switches off the battery completely. I might still have a broken window and broken ignition but it won't be going anywhere. But I usually use a steering wheel lock and that seems to work very well. I had a Ford Ranger since new in 1988 that I finally sold last year and that was a commonly stolen vehicle around here in Williams Lake. This town has the highest small town theft rate in Canada but as has been said, thieves are lazy. My Ranger was never touched unlike one of my company vehicles. I have lived here for 40 years and never had a vehicle stolen, just broken into once. The Ranger also has a fuel pump switch hidden under the dash but it never got tested.

One thing to take into account is that the electric scooter is too heavy to carry and the bicycle pedals are primarily for show because the legal status says it must have pedals. They are mainly useless for really pedalling it any distance so if the scooter won't run it isn't likely to go far without some real help.