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7 Motorcycle Theft Prevention Tips

by | Mar 19, 2019 | Tips & Advice

The people who love motorcycles tend to fall into two categories: riders like yourself and thieves who would love to make a profit on your bike or its parts. Compounding the matter is the fact that motorcycles can be relatively easy to steal if they are not secured in certain ways.

Fortunately, you can learn to protect your bike with our motorcycle theft prevention tips.

1. Make Sure The Ignition Is Locked

Turning off your ignition is not enough. An unlocked ignition makes a bike easy prey to thieves. In fact, the majority of motorcycle thefts take place when the ignition is off but unlocked. Locking it takes just a little bit of time and the security doing so provides is well worth the small investment of time.

2. Garage Your Ride

There is no sense in tempting crooks by parking your pricey new motorcycle in the driveway for the world to see. If you have a garage, make room in it for your prized possession. A bike under lock and key is much more difficult to steal. If you do not have a garage, cover your motorcycle with a tarp or a cover for a less expensive model. Do not make the mistake of using the cover for your model, as this will advertise the jackpot it is meant to conceal.

3. Park Your Motorcycle With Others

The saying “there is safety in numbers” certainly applies here. When your bike is part of a group versus solo, it deters thieves for a couple of reasons.

First, your motorcycle is not the only option for crooks. They may find one they feel would fetch a better price or yield more expensive parts. Secondly, statistically speaking, the more bikes there are around, the lower the chances are that yours will be chosen. And finally, more motorcycles parked in one area means more people coming and going – a scenario that is not very appealing to thieves and a perfect way to ensure motorcycle theft prevention.

4. Install An Alarm

Using an alarm on your bike serves two purposes. In general, crooks fear getting caught. The instant they hear the wail of the alarm, they are most likely going to abandon their mission and leave your motorcycle in one piece. An alarm also alerts you that a theft attempt is taking place, allowing you to race to the scene and stop it. If your bike did not come with an OEM alarm system, you can order one on eBay or Amazon. Just make sure you read the reviews and choose a powerful alarm that can be heard from a significant distance.

5. Secure Your Motorcycle To An Immovable Object

Whether you are running errands or visiting a friend, you should lock your bike to a stationary object that cannot be moved if you are parking it for an extended period of time. You will need a strong gauged chain and a sturdy padlock that can stand up to a bolt cutter. Securing and then freeing your motorcycle may take a few extra minutes, but the alternative is possibly losing it altogether. This is one motorcycle theft prevention tip you do not want to ignore.

6. Use More Than One Lock Method

The majority of crooks are NOT up to the challenges of figuring out a series of locks. They want their job to be easy and they want to be on their way quickly to avoid getting caught. The more security protocols you can use, the better.

For example, you could use a bike lock cable, the handlebar lock and lock the ignition. You would make your motorcycle three times less likely to be stolen.

A wheel lock prevents a crook from just pushing your motorcycle down the street after defeating your steering lock, or from pushing your motorcycle up a ramp and into the back of a truck. At that point, your baby is gone and most likely never coming back 🙁

7. Hide Your Motorcycle

You may think there is no way to keep your bike out of sight in a parking lot or public parking garage, but there is one trick you can use. Park it behind a large vehicle such as an SUV or van. A thief cannot steal what they cannot find. Also, this makes it more difficult for them to get into the right position or the right angle they need to remove parts or wheels.

Get Back On The Road Quickly

Motor vehicle accessories are often targeted by thieves, with wheels an especially popular item to steal. There were 366,048 cases of motor vehicle accessory theft in 2016, equaling an average financial loss of $541 per incident, according to statistics released by the FBI.

While theft and the damage caused during a theft cannot always be prevented, there is fortunately an affordable way to quickly replace stolen or damaged motorcycle parts and wheels.

You can do this through SNAP FINANCE, which is a better way to pay than traditional financing, credit cards and layaway.  Get all of your motorcycle parts and wheels BEFORE you pay in full with our Interest-FREE Program. We work with the top manufacturers in the business including American Suspension, Fat Katz, SMT Wheels and Bad Dad. Might as well turn a bad situation into a good one!

SMT Wheels designs and manufactures custom motorcycle wheels milled from American-manufactured, aircraft-grade, 6061-T6 billet aluminum and available in polished, triple chrome plated or double-cut gloss black.

And if you need other parts such as bagger legs, rear shock absorbers, fenders, rake kits and triple tree kits, we have got you covered on those, too.

There are no credit checks and as long as you are earning an income, you will likely get approved. Start the EZ 1-2-3 process by filling out the convenient, secure 5-minute online application. We will let you know in 24-48 hours that you have been approved.

With your bike’s new customization and our anti-theft tips above, you will be ready to get back on the road worry-free.

SNAP Financing