You wake up one morning, lazily get off your bed and after your everyday morning rituals, you go to your garage only to find that the space your precious motorcycle used to occupy is empty. Definitely not the beginning of a very good morning, is it? No matter how expensive or cheap, new or old your motorcycle is, it is one of your most prized possessions. For the utmost motorcycle security, you have to assume that there are plenty of thieves out there who are after your bike – because this assumption is the only way that you will be careful.

19 Expert Tips for Riders

Listed below are some of the things you can do to protect your motorcycle from being stolen. Of course, one of these methods might not be enough to make a thief completely hopeless; more than one, or in fact a number of them might help.

1. Keep your bike in a locked garage. Those, for whom it might not be possible, keep it away from the streets and try to cover it with unattractive clothing or something that does not bear any logos or brand names. This may help the thief to overlook a very expensive motorcycle  you never know!

2. NEVER forget to lock the ignition key and take the key along with you. Even if you leave your bike for five minutes, do it. It doesn’t take long for an expert thief to steal your bike.

3. Lock the steering (the fork lock) of your bike.

4. Make it tricky for the thief to start your bike. You may pull a fuse, shut off the gas, loosen a spark plug cap or install a hidden kill switch. A kill switch is a switch that you have to press when you start the bike. A thief may get tired of trying to start your bike, or may even think that your bike is out of order!

5. Use disk brake locks. These are fastened to the disk brake rotor to stop the wheel from rotating.

6. Use wheel locks on your wheels. They function in the same way as the disk locks—they are just larger in size.

7. Lock your bike to a stationary object that is difficult to destroy, like a cement steel eye to the floor. You can do this using metal rope locks or chain link locks. Do not forget to make loops.

8. Use more than one lock.

9. Don’t try to save money by buying cheap locks. Remember, safety comes with a little compromise.

10. Locks fastened to your bike should not in any way touch the ground – it becomes easier for the thief to stamp on it or crush it using any tools. Also, do not keep many destructive tools in the place where you keep your bike. The thief should not have access to anything that makes the robbery easier.

11. Try not to park your bike next to or between big trucks or any other sort of vehicle or object that may help thieves cover their act of stealing. Try to park directly in the vision area of security cameras if possible, and also at a spot that you can frequently look at to check

Also Read: TLabs Anti Theft System (ATS) Motorcycle Security Device

12. Sometimes modifying your bike may help. This makes it unique and easy to find if lost. Also, take photos with your bike. This helps the police.

13. Alarms are a brilliant option. There are various types available in the market. Some disk locks and wheel locks, as well as motorcycle covers come with alarms! A wailing alarm is even better. But even if you do not have an alarm, you can attach stickers that warn that there is an alarm installed. But this may not help if the thief is illiterate (which is not very surprising in Bangladesh).

14. Install a GPS tracking system. As a result, even if your bike does get stolen, you may recover it fast and undamaged.

15. Install closed-circuit video monitors where you keep your bike. You can also use Wi-Fi cameras, which allow you to monitor your assets even when you are away from home and in a Wi-Fi zone.

16. If possible, get a dog. After all, a dog IS a man’s best friend!

17. Some thieves may follow you to your house before they make the move. Keep your eyes open. If you ever feel that you are being followed, then pull over. Wait till they have walked past you. Then drive through a different road to reach your destination.

18. Try not to give photos of your motorcycle with the surroundings of your home in any website. Also avoid giving your address on any website.
19. It is better to have your bike insured for. In case your bike does get stolen and you are unable to recover it, you may at least get back your investment.

The above are just a few methods of ensure your motorcycle security. Of course, you may have other options too. But always remember, it is always best to not use one, but a combination of different motorcycle security precautions. Hope you don’t have to spend sleepless nights from now on worrying about your bike in the dark!