motorbike thefts

[sillywoman]

Two from Trossachs rd within a week of each other. MO the same & very, very slick. Both bikes taken from very small front gardens (can only just fit bike in) inches away from the front room windows in the middle of the night. One garden very well shielded the bike is extremely hard to see from the road so clearly thieves knew the bike was there and were well planned. Nothing heard or seen by houses occupants both sets of whom sleep directly above where the bikes are with open windows.

Bikes were biggish one a BMW 650 I think (Mr SW's bike - I can't recall exact model without paperwork) so that's what they seem to be after.

If you have a motorbike please be extra theft concious at the moment and do all you can to lock your bike safely. Clearly having it steering locked, off road in your front garden, behind a wall with a hedge & with a small gate as the only entrance just isn't enough. :(

[Wombat]

Sorry that this has happened. Got to be honest though - not chaining to something immovable was poor form. We all get the insurance rises as a result of these thefts. You could make it a little harder for them. Ground anchor. You're (he's) lucky enough to have a place to park off-road so ground anchor is the answer. And a big chain of course.

[sillywoman]

Got big chain wombat, our bike was chained up to house wall. Chain just cut through.

Sorry our bike being stolen will affect your insurance premium though :-S.

Poor form indeed.

[PeckhamRose]

Very very sad news. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

Please consider going along to your next Police Ward Panel (the next one for Peckham Rye Ward is at 7pm on Thursday 19th May at the Rye Hill Tenants and Residents Hall on the other side of the park from East Dulwich). You can discover which area / ward you fall into by looking on the met police website.

If enough victims of bike theft turn up, then they can demand the police prioritise this. And they will.

Southwark Council garages have shot up by 50% - this won't help the crime stats!

[Dee Woffaz]

Just a thought. I have read with interest about motorbikes & scooters being stolen, being a biker myself a subject close to my heart. I was walking home from WD station on Thursday evening and noticed sitting in the traffic a white flat bed type truck with 3 scooters and a motorbike sitting on the back. I instantly thought of the posts and that of bycicles being stolen also. The truck was very clean however the VRN (number plate) was obscured by dirt & totally unreadable. This may well be a case of bikes & scooters being repaired or transported but there was no sign writing on the truck...

[sillywoman]

Hmm Thanks for noticing Dee. They'd have to be cocky to be transporting them so openly in the daytime. But they do seem to be fairly cocky - and with good reason. We are a bit despairing about this situation to tell the truth. We've had 5 motorbikes go over the last 10 years. All bar this one were on the road (though locked and chained) and all are taken in a similar way. Clearly a gang is at work and seems to be targeting our area/road. We really thought by making a space to have this one off road, next to and chained with a big chain to the house we would be safe. But it appears not.

Mr S needs to replace his bike because it's how he gets to work and back, but what on earth can we do to keep any new bike safe? We just don't have access to a garage or secure facility - so are we doomed to just hand over our motorbikes to these thieves every 6-12 months? What on earth else can we do to deter them? Any suggestions (sensible) appreciated.

[themaninblack]

An Almax Series IV chain could be the answer-

http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/

Toughest chain you can buy. Coupled with a decent ground anchor and a Squire SS65CS padlock, you should be able to sleep soundly.

Watch the videos on the site, they are quite amazing!

[ayresc]

Almax is the chain, nothing else will do.

expensive but cheaper than your excess.

[Wombat]

Sadly, another solution is have a less nickable bike. If you're chaining it to something and they're still taking it then make it less desirable. New BMW, new KTM, anything race-rep - they're all very desirable. Anything new to be fair.

[Whoosh]

Was reading through this post and was going to mention Almax too, but looks like 2 people have got there first. It's no consolation to the OP of course, but sadly many bikers rely on the claims of the cheapo makes like Oxford that you can get in the high street. Great deterrent against opportunist kids but no use against serious thieves with a bolt-cutter. Almax is, quite possibly, the only way to go.

Sadly, my Almax currently has around 5 deepish hacksaw grooves in it to attest to the plentiful thieves in the area, but none that have come close to actually getting through, luckily.

[ayresc]

apparently these are legal and will scare the crap out opf anyone, just remember to disarm when you take your cover off!

http://www.solwayfeeders.com/products/alarm-mine-p1636-c452.html

[sillywoman]

Thanks those of you who recommended the Almax, we'll definitely get one - might consider the alarm mine too ayresc.

Wombat- our bike was a 12 year old BMW - not new & definitely not 'race-rep'. A workhorse. As the same fate befell our 24 year old, very battered suzuki trials bike 3 years ago, & our 15 year old Suzuki some months before that, all seemingly taken the same way - though those two were on the road with one chained to a lamp post - the latest was off road & chained to the house, I'm not sure how useful your advice to 'make it less desirable' is? Thanks anyway.

[PeckhamRose]

I was unable to stay and say hello to everyone last night but were you one of those who turned up to the Police Ward Panel to discuss all these thefts?

[Willard]

I had my scooter stolen last year. Obviously different league to the pros who have stolen yours. Mine was a 10 year old 50cc, hardly worth stealing in the first place, however I know how sh*t the inconvenience is of not having one for a month or 2.

Were the bikes alarmed? I've bought a disc lock with a motion detector, I know bigger bikes have them installed too. Surely the most brazen of thieves couldn't put a bike in a van if it's alarm was going off? Makes you want to wire your chain up to the mains....

[sillywoman]

They weren't Willard, but we are now.

PR - I couldn't make the PWP last night (Mr S works a lot of evenings so we have childcare issues with evening events). I have written to the police though - no response as yet.

[Wombat]

sillywoman Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> Wombat- our bike was a 12 year old BMW - not new &

> definitely not 'race-rep'. A workhorse. As the

> same fate befell our 24 year old, very battered

> suzuki trials bike 3 years ago, & our 15 year old

> Suzuki some months before that, all seemingly

> taken the same way - though those two were on the

> road with one chained to a lamp post - the latest

> was off road & chained to the house, I'm not sure

> how useful your advice to 'make it less desirable'

> is? Thanks anyway.

Fair enough. You'd definitely think they'd appear in the 'less desirable' category to thieves - amazing what they'll steal now. Can't imagine it would be kids - wrong sort for them - but can't see that the resale value would be enough for the pros to bother. Very odd. And very unlucky. Sorry that it's happened (a number of times) to you.

With regard to the noise of an alarm - they're ok if you hear them and can run out in time, but it won't stop anybody just lifting it into a van as it wails away. I can attest to that one from personal experience. And most people, sadly, don't bother doing anything if they see it. I'd summarise alarms as better than nothing and at least they bring your insurance premium down a bit.

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

The little runts had a go at mine last night. Scooter with cover and lock on it parked on front drive and surrounded by bins and flower pots. They cut the cover off and then lifted the bike to the street. They smashed the top box off and then spent a while on the lock but to no avail. Nice neighbour and milkman knocked at 6am to mention my bike was parked 50 yards down the road on the pavement. Thanks again to both . No damage to bike apart from topbox . Was a kryptonite lock that worked well , just a shame I do not have the room for ground anchor. Will look into Almax locks as well. Keep em peeled they are out and about again.

[PeckhamRose]

So sorry to hear this but yes all of the above. Also worth investing in a webcam device, and a movement sensitive light?

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

We have movement lights at the front and they were still working but did not put them off.

going to get new lock and also one of these

http://www.kabrus.co.uk/

will hopefully deter the youth

[Salsaboy]

I think that movement sensitve lights only help the little gits to see what they are doing.

[Dee Woffaz]

Hi,

having had my R1, 1000cc yamaha stolen out of my locked garage in the summer i got Salsaboy to fit me a ground anchor in my garage, my new bike is well and truely locked down. I did however buy quite cheaply off ebay a padlock that once tampered with makes a noise that would frighten the pants off the vicars wife! i have attached this to the bike cover so if it is moved it will go off. When i take my bike out i use it as a disk lock.

Hope this helps, if they really want it they will have it but lets make it more difficult for the scumbags that do this.

[sillywoman]

They just cut through our movement sensitive light. B***ers