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Motorbike Security Recommendations

With around 40,000 motorcycle thefts each year throughout England and Wales motorbike owners need to understand that there’s around a 3.3% chance your bike will be stolen some time over the next 12 months. And if you live in London or another metropolitan area then the risk of becoming a victim of motorcycle theft is much higher. It has been estimated, based on recent crime figures, that the odds of having your motorcycle stolen in London are as high as 12%.

In August, the Office for National Statistics reported that overall crime figures showed a reduction of around 35% during the COVID-19 lockdown. The Police National Computer (PNC) figures specifically for stolen motorcycles indicate a reduction of as much as 45% year-on-year. However, the national vehicle crime working group, which monitors crime related to all vehicles, reports no apparent reduction in overall vehicle theft. Also, businesses that monitor and recover bikes fitted with trackers are reporting increases in thefts.

But the latest PNC data confirms that London is the hotspot for bike theft with the Metropolitan Police Force reporting 66% of all stolen motorcycles and 49% of all stolen scooters recorded on the Police National Computer. The message from the Motorcycle Crime Reduction Group to all motorbike and scooter owners is to take great care and always ensure your bike or scooter is as secure as it can be. This simple message applies to everybody – especially those who live or travel in London.

Motorbike Security Recommendations

We’ve previously provided some sensible precautions that all motorbike and scooter owners should be following to keep their vehicles safe. This blog post provides a motorcycle security update with some exciting product recommendations that will help keep your motorbikes and scooters safe and secure.

Alarms, Bike Covers and Concealment

A Thatcham approved alarm is highly recommended as these will detect tampering and raise an audible alarm. And high quality motorbike covers are not only good for weather-proofing, they also provide valuable concealment, hiding the make, model and value of your motorbike.

Concealment is a valuable security precaution that should be used wherever possible. Locking your motorbike or scooter in a garage, shed or storage facility, where it should also be securely fastened to an immovable anchor point, is highly effective. But don’t overlook the need to attach your bike to an immovable anchor using a high-quality security chain and lock, even though it’s hidden away inside a garage or shed.

High Quality Motorcycle Disc Locks

There are a variety of motorcycle security locking systems available today including chain locks, handlebar locks (sometimes called throttle locks) and disc locks. Disc locks use a motorcycles brake discs to lock the vehicle in place. Generally, these locks use the holes in the brake discs to attach the lock making it impossible to roll or ride the vehicle away. It should be noted that brake discs on scooters are not always compatible with disc locks so please check before buying.

Squire Attila Disc Lock

The new Squire Attila disc lock is the world’s first Sold Secure diamond rated disc lock. It’s available in 3 formats for use with single brake disc motorcycles, dual brake discs or with both pin types, enabling the lock to be used with either.

The lock is compact, easy to carry and highly resistant to weather and corrosion. It’s also super-easy to use. Simply pass the hardened steel pin through the brake disc(s) and lock in place with the Attila padlock. The long pin version enables the use of a high security chain (up to 13mm) to attach the motorbike to an immovable anchor, providing a further layer of security.  

Importantly, this exceptional disc lock has a Squire security rating of 10 and has been independently accredited to the stringent Sold Secure Diamond standard for motorcycles.

Squire Eiger Mini Disc Lock

Another excellent motorcycle disc lock is the Squire Eiger Mini. The compact size of this lock means it will conveniently fit under most motorcycle seats and at 668g it’s light enough to carry around.

The Eiger Mini features a 13mm diameter hardened steel shackle and has achieved the Sold Secure Gold standard. Also available in yellow and green, blue is the most popular colour. The Eiger mini has a silicone sleeve covering the shackle and a plastic encased body to protect your paintwork.

RL21 Roundlock

The high security RL21 Roundlock is another excellent choice for motorbike security having achieved the stringent Sold Secure Motorcycle Gold rating. The 21mm lock pin diameter makes this versatile padlock a very compact and convenient motorcycle disc lock and since it weighs in at just 530g it’s light enough to be carried around.

This top quality lock is designed to be used with Protector security chains up to 19mm link diameter. The standard lock will accept chains up to 16mm but for 19mm an additional RL21A socket is required.

High Security Chain Locks

Motorcycle disc locks are highly effective but it’s generally recommended that, for the highest level of security, multiple locking systems should be used. The Squire Attila, when used with a long pin, fully supports both disc locking and chain-locking the motorbike to an immovable anchor. It’s important to remember that although most disc locks prevent a motorbike from being rolled or ridden away, they don’t prevent bikes from being stolen by lifting them onto a flatbed truck or into a van.

To prevent this from happening it’s essential that motorbikes and scooters are firmly attached to immovable anchor points and the most secure way to do this is by using a top rated 19mm Protector security chain along with an equally tough high security padlock.

Protector High Security Chain

High grade steel along with specialist heat treatment ensures that the Protector 19mm security chain is guaranteed to be impossible to bolt crop by hand.

This capability has enabled these incredible high security chains to achieve Sold Secure Gold rating for motorcycles, plant, caravans and other vehicles.

It’s worth noting that this is a heavy, bulky high security chain weighing in at 6.3kg per metre.

Squire SS80CS CEN6 Rated Padlock

In order to achieve the required high level of security Protector chains must be used with equally tough padlocks. The Squire SS80CS closed shackle padlock is exactly what’s needed.

 This CEN6 rated padlock features a 16mm hardened boron steel alloy shackle which can’t be cropped, even when attacked using enormous 42 inch handheld bolt croppers. The shackle is shrouded by the raised shoulders of the steel padlock body, providing maximum protection against bolt-cropper attack.

Immovable Anchor Point

As noted - to prevent thieves from carrying valuable motorbikes and scooters away it’s vitally important to securely attach them to immovable anchor points. When out and about these might be railings, lamp posts or special locking posts provided for motorcyclists in some vehicle parking facilities.

In this video you can see how the 19mm Protector chain, which comes with a protective sleeve to prevent chipping and scratching, along with the Squire SS80CS padlock are used to secure this valuable motorbike by locking it to an immovable railing. The owner simply leaves the chain and padlock in place, ready for when he needs to secure his valuable motorbike while he goes about his business.

High Security Padlock and Chain Sets

To help our customers find the best motorcycle security solution we`ve compiled our collection of the very best padlock chain sets currently available. These have all achieved a minimum of Sold Secure Gold accreditation with some products achieving the highest Sold Secure Diamond standard.

If you need help with your motorcycle or scooter security please give us a call on 01273 475500. We are always happy to help.

This message was added on Wednesday 16th December 2020