7 ways to protect your bike from being stolen

1. The more the merrier
Would-be thieves are scumbags and look for the path of least resistance. If you whack a disc lock on your front wheel each time you leave your bike, then you’re only putting one deterrent in the pathway of thieves. But if you use an alarmed disc lock, on the side of the wheel closest to the wall you’ve parked next to (and even cover your bike so the scumbags don’t know what it is to know they want it), then you haven’t done a great deal more than the single-disc-lock guy has, but you’ve done a far better job in deterring the thieves.

2. Anchor it
You can go to more lengths at home in your own shed than you can on any given inner-city street. Good thing, too, because you’re often taking the same route home, you’d be surprised just how many people – good and bad – know where your bike lives. A ground anchor, or something equally solid, is a good idea even if your bike lives behind a locked shed door. And make sure the bike is secured to it through its frame and not through the wheel which can be easily removed.

3. Secure your shed, too
This comes back to the first point of layering deterrents to make getting to your bike harder and less desirable. Install an extra lock on your shed door, depending on what type of door your shed has, this might mean a padlock through the roller and the track it rolls on so it can’t be lifted even if the main lock is compromised. A movement sensor is cheap and easy to install and can give you peace of mind if your shed is located far enough away that you can’t hear what’s going on inside it.
And don’t leave your bolt cutters, grinder or wrecking bar sitting around in full view, or you may as well not bother wasting money on locks.

4. Design matters
Not all locks are created equal and there are plenty of innovative concepts designed to deter even the bolt cutter-wielding thief from getting to your bike. A lock whose bolt is concealed is going to be harder to get a pair of bolt cutters onto than a traditionally styled lock whose hardened steel bolt is in plain view.

5. GPS trackers
GPS trackers might seem like the perfect hi-tech solution to protecting yourself from never seeing your motorcycle again, and that may be true, but having to use it means your bike’s already been nicked. For this reason, it can be a good idea to bolster your protection with a GPS tracker, but don’t spend all your dough on one and find yourself with nothing left for more immediate and effective ways to stop your bike being stolen in the first place.

6. Don’t be habitual
It’s hard not to be habitual on your commute home, but it doesn’t hurt to switch up your route occasionally to prevent you from becoming a target. The same thing goes when you’re parking at work, change where and how you park so you don’t become a target that would-be scumbags can plan around. And you can never be too careful, if you think you’re being followed home (people do this to find out where rare or expensive motorcycles live), go somewhere else or use it as a beaut excuse to nick off for a quick blat to one of your favourite haunts.

7. Dodgy buyers
Reports of thieves acting as potential buyers and not returning from a test ride are on the rise and something we all need to be aware of. Why would a thief go to the hassle of breaking in and cutting through locks if the owner will willingly hand him the key? If you’re selling your bike, be sure to get as many details about the person (and preferably something important to them to ensure they’ll return for it) before throwing them the key to your bike. It’s also a good idea to make the meeting point somewhere other than your home to avoid scumbags returning later on and stealing it anyway.