Beat the Thief
Beat the Thief
YOU'LL FIND IT hard to beat the professional thief, but you can stop the amateur dead in his tracks. Luckily, most heists are pulled off by joy-riders, or someone who wants a new set of tires. Here's how you can beat them.
If you stop and think about the act of stealing, you quickly realize that there are three circumstances a thief tries to avoid. First, he doesn't want to be seen making the hit. Second, he hasn't got time to fiddle. Finally, he doesn’t want to attract attention. Let's take a look at each of these cases, and see what can be done to beat the thief.
“See him, slow him up, embarass him.’
SEE THE THIEF
Whenever possible, park in a well lit area. Better still, park where you, or someone who knows you, can keep an eye on your motorcycle. When you leave the bike in a public lot, ask the attendant if you can leave your helmet or toolkit with him. He may refuse, but in any case he should remember you.
SLOW THE THIEF
Locking up is the first line of defense. If you have a steering lock, use it. If not, get a steel cable or chain, and a good padlock, and secure frame members—not wheels—to a solid object. If you can't chain up to a fixture, chain the wheel securely to the frame; or put the center stand down and lead the chain through it and around the front wheel. Pull it real tight before lock ing.
There are all kinds of gimmicks you can use. If you own a Twin or a multi, you can swap plug leads. For a Single, remove the wire from an old HT lead by cutting the insulation with a thin blade. Fit this each time you park, and carry the real HT lead in your pocket. A piece of paper between the points slows clandestine starting, but make sure it doesn't fall out when the bike is moved. Fit a phoney spark plug. Just break off the side electrode on an old plug, and fit this in place of the real thing when you leave the bike.
EMBARRASS THE THIEF
Connect a brake light switch to the horn, after positioning it so it is operated by the side or center stand. Put a toggle switch in the circuit, so that any attempt to move the stand triggers your horn.
There are a number of excellent burglar alarms on the market. Security Products Division of Mount Laurel, N.J., makes two of them. Their Cyclegard Models I and II are neatly concealed in rear license plate fittings. The units are automatically actuated by anyone moving the bike, and emit a high-pitched pulse alarm. Cyclegard II is their top model, and features a "Mission Impossible" miniature transmitter. If anyone moves your bike, this device sends a high frequency radio signal to a receiver in your shirt pocket. "Good morning, Mr. Phelps, someone is frigging around with your motorcycle."
The Dunleer Corporation's Theftalarm is a similar device. Key operated, it is powered by five A-cell batteries. If the motorcycle is disturbed, an alarm emits a 98 decibel beep at 2500 cycles per second. And it goes on . . . and on . . . and on . . . and on . . . for four mind-bending hours.
The initial outlay of $25 and up might seem to be a lot of money. But one joy .ride can cost more than that, and often means a lot more. There might be an additional bonus, if your insurance company gives you a discount for having euch a device fitted. The intelligent companies are glad to do this.
