do you guard against "carry away" theft on a light bike?

so, this weekend, I bought a new 2008 Yamaha XT250

it seems to be a great bike, although I don't have any experience to compare it to something else, I've put about 67,000 miles on my GS and I wanted something at the other end of the spectrum; I've owned a number of bikes, but never a 250

the thing is definately a hoot compared to the 600+ pound 1150GS

anyway, back to my question... one of the reasons I bought the XT250 is to get to the train station once in a while as an alternative to commuting into the city on the GS

what's your opinion? do you think a disk lock is adequate on a bike this weight?, or should I believe all the Kryptonite ads and get a hardened chain wrapped around something embedded in concrete???

ps I'm not going to carry comprehensive on the bike; liability only...

I would definitely go with the chain and tie it to something fixed in the ground. There have been too many bikes carried away despite the disc lock. It only takes 2 people and a van to carry it away. My rule is:
If you leave it out of site, lock it to the ground.

Just my 2cts.

Cheers, Robert

Why in the world wouldn't you add comp coverage. In NC, cost of comp per year for a $5,000 bike is $78.00. IMOP that's too cheap to pass up. Yes, I am an Insurance Agent.... No, I'm not trying to sell you coverage. Just sayin.

i use a chain and lock at school, and for quick stops i just put a padlock in one of the holes in the rotor, saves having to carry chain&lock +disklock

Comp in my part of town adds $140 per MONTH to a bike, so I'm picking up what the OP is puttin' down.

As for locking it down: sometimes yes, sometimes no...

one of the factors I look for is opportunity. Am I here for the first and only time? If so, the risk of a planned or unplanned theft with 2 thievin' bastards and a van is slim. But if I routinely park somewhere, the risk of a planned theft is higher.

So in your case, if I could find a good place to lock it to everyday, I would. CHEAP cheap insurance in that case.

My .02.

VI

A large caliber rifle works too!


cheers

That's not the case in SoCal... I don't have comp on my small DS's... padlock and a cable...

One thing I did quite a few years ago on my GS was to install a flashing LED on the dash that is activated when the key is turned off. It seems to keep people away.

I don't think a disk lock is very effective on any bike, just too easy to scoot it into a van, even a GS would be easy enough to move with a couple of guys.

I keep my DR locked up with a heavy kyrptonite cable, it could be defeated, but hopefully is more trouble than the bike is worth and would gather attention.

good luck

Holy Cripes man! My 2006 KLX250S with full coverage is only $100 for the YEAR! And its my first bike, had my M certification less than a year and I'm 24, you are getting dragged over the coals on that one. My policy is through Progressive if that makes a difference.


Back on topic. I have one of the long Kryptonite braided cables that I use when trailering and when I had it stored outside but I live in a relatively low theft area in the middle of nowhere.

Depends where I park it, normally if I'm on the bike, I'm not far away, but if I can, I'll chain it up.

Please chain your bike up with a good lock. If you don't you'll loose it for sure, it may take awhile but someone will help themselves to your bike.

A s*** bird a** hat Mother F***** in my GF's, now wife, old apartment complex stole my bike early in the AM when it was pooring down rain. He picked the Kryptonite tubular locks and rolled it away, steel cable with kryptonite pad lock and krptonite disc lock.

Moral of story. Don't use tubular locks. Kryptonite sucks d*** and that rat bastard is lucky that I feel that completing medical school without a hiatus to Cummins is the right choice to make.

With no comp I would chain that bad boy down to something, they boost big ass Harleys around here with the van/manpower gig.

WOW, those insurance rates are nuts, my yearly full coverage on a new KTM 450 EXC is $145.

My comp is cheap for my DR650, but I still use a Zena alarm disk lock when I am going to leave the bike at a trailhead and there is nothing to put a cable lock to.

Lock it to somthing solid but insure it because if someone gets it in their head that they want it theres not really much you can do short of keeping it locked inside a garage 24/7, and sometimes that dosent even help. Lojack costs around $500 and it really does work to get you vehicle/equiptment back after the fact and many times catch the thevies, but it still amazes me the things tweeker thieves will do and the chances they will take to steal somthing of value in order to get their next fix, dont underestimate what they will do to steal your bike if they decide they want it.

good idea. where did you buy it?

My favorite method is to park next to a Harley. The theives are in it for the money. They'll defeat locks and alarms to steal the Harley.
I'm with those above who say if you park it somewhere insecure on a consistent basis, you need to somehow immobilize it. The once-in-a-while stuff is not the problem. The planned heist is.....

We all know how indestructable these dual sports really are, So why don't you just leave a packpack full of C-4 Plastic explosive on the bike and wire it to an alarm and that will take care of theives. Also you will be able to just drive away from the mess on your D/S

Until they follow the blood and meat drippings to find you and lock you away for 1st degree murder...

Chain that sucker up!