Thefts Booming! Lock 'em up!

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 4:40 am

Two news reports highlighting recent scooter thefts in Philadelphia.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?secti ... id=8274781

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/penns ... 34158.html

"In the last two weeks, five scooters have been stolen in South Philadelphia."

For some good tips and thoughts on theft, check out this thread:
viewtopic.php?t=12044

Raiderfn31 · Post by **Raiderfn31** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 2:19 pm

I was looking through Craigslist at scooters and its obvious which ones are stolen. Where are cops when you need them???????

Keys · Post by **Keys** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 2:24 pm

Be careful, Polianarchy...it's impossible for me to visualize you without a scooter...

--Keys

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 11:29 pm

And now a report about a rash of thefts in Atlanta:
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/scooter ... 55292.html

And an MB report on a theft thwarted in Santa Monica:
topic19406.html

jijifer · Post by **jijifer** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 11:34 pm

it seems a lot could be solved if all states made you register scooters regardless of size. Isn't that the Arlington Issue? It's an Atlanta issue. Is it the Philly issue? Well philly reads like someone realized they live in an area where scooter owners think locking the steering column makes it Ft. Knox. Every single one was unlocked out infront of a house! Scooter no-no 101!

Why steal a bicycle when you can steal something untraceable but requires no pedaling and can get you to and fro faster?!

This things just need 2 dudes to lift them in the truck and POOF! gone! Get an alarm, set it EVERY time you're in a place you commonly go. it's your best shot at keeping your scooter.

killbilly · Post by **killbilly** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 12:17 am

jijifer wrote:
This things just need 2 dudes to lift them in the truck and POOF! gone! Get an alarm, set it EVERY time you're in a place you commonly go. it's your best shot at keeping your scooter.

Considering the multitude of ways that alarms can be defeated, I'd say even that limits your ability to keep your bike. Personally, I'd like to hire a squad of ninjas to watch my bike constantly, but that's obviously impractical.

Thieves will steal. If they want it bad enough, they'll get it.

The only "safe" recourse we have as owners is theft coverage in the event of loss.

Post by **ericalm** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 12:34 am

There is no 100% foolproof guaranteed anti-teft device. Best we can do is to make it as difficult as possible. Visual deterrents, alarms, big-ass chains all help.

Mulliganal · Post by **Mulliganal** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 1:26 am

ericalm wrote:And now a report about a rash of thefts in Atlanta:
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/scooter ... 55292.html

Bummer, big bummer, but there are so many around that I'd guess they'd be a target of ATL lowlifes. Most of the Buddy scooters I see have no lock or chain on them. I'm going to secure my Stella with a Sig 228.

1drunkparrot · Post by **1drunkparrot** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 1:31 am

Sadly, the best thing one can do is make some other scoot look easier to rip off.

Stormswift · Post by **Stormswift** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 1:40 am

If all scooters across the board required license and registration regardless of engine displacement I think the number of thefts would go down dramatically. If all scooters had to have license plates no one would be want to pass stolen 125 or 150 for a 50 cc if 50 cc also needed plates and insurance

viney266 · Post by **viney266** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 2:23 am

Raiderfn31 wrote:I was looking through Craigslist at scooters and its obvious which ones are stolen. Where are cops when you need them???????

^^^ They are busy writing tickets to generate revenue....ohh, Geez, did I say that out loud?

^^^ I agree 100% I saw a good deal on craigslist and called....OBVIOUSLY stolen. Called the local PD, and NOTHING, sorry to busy, out of our jurisdiction etc etc etc blah blah blah...SAD but normal around here.

Lock "em up guys and Gals keep "em safe. Thieves go for the easy pickings!

gunsntexas · Post by **gunsntexas** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:06 am

I wonder if a scooter falls under Texas' castle laws....

killbilly · Post by **killbilly** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:50 am

gunsntexas wrote:I wonder if a scooter falls under Texas' castle laws....

If it is on your land/property, you are authorized to use deadly force to defend life or property. At night.

During the day, I believe you are only authorized for deadly force to defend life. It was an odd quirk, and perhaps my memory is wrong, but it sticks out that way to me.

Post by **ericalm** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 4:07 am

killbilly wrote:
gunsntexas wrote:I wonder if a scooter falls under Texas' castle laws....
If it is on your land/property, you are authorized to use deadly force to defend life or property. At night.

During the day, I believe you are only authorized for deadly force to defend life. It was an odd quirk, and perhaps my memory is wrong, but it sticks out that way to me.

Not sure if you're right or wrong, but a scooter forum probably isn't the best place to get advice on whether it's okay to shoot someone.

whelmsworth · Post by **whelmsworth** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 5:28 am

1drunkparrot wrote:Sadly, the best thing one can do is make some other scoot look easier to rip off.

This is true!

The problem with our tiny two wheeled steeds is the weight, or lack there of. 2 nominally sized dudes can tossify your little buddy in the back of a 1984 beat down Ford Ranger in two shakes of a lambs tail.

A kill switch wired in line with the with starter switch (put it under the seat) works but it makes for a lengthy get away if you've just robbed a bank.

I do worry that one day I'll walk out into the parking lot and see,,,,,,,,nothing!

Ring ring ring....Honey, she got stolen. What a horrible feeling..

Syd · Post by **Syd** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 5:58 am

ericalm wrote:
killbilly wrote:
gunsntexas wrote:I wonder if a scooter falls under Texas' castle laws....
If it is on your land/property, you are authorized to use deadly force to defend life or property. At night.

During the day, I believe you are only authorized for deadly force to defend life. It was an odd quirk, and perhaps my memory is wrong, but it sticks out that way to me.
Not sure if you're right or wrong, but a scooter forum probably isn't the best place to get advice on whether it's okay to shoot someone.

If you learn nothing else in life this should be it:

a scooter forum probably isn't the best place to get advice on whether it's okay to shoot someone.

killbilly · Post by **killbilly** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 12:49 pm

Jeez, do I have to preface posts with "I am not your lawyer?" (IANYL)

He asked about the castle laws in Texas and I was telling him what I recalled.

He can always use that newfangled Google thing to find out....

LivinThaDream · Post by **LivinThaDream** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 12:58 pm

These reports kinda make me paranoid. Does anyone else wonder if they're just giving more criminals the idea? I see them and I think "shut up already." lol... plus all my friends forward them to me like it's a totally new concept.

I want a tazer alarm. I'd love to see some hoodlum flopping on the ground next to my scoot. Can someone make that happen?

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 1:45 pm

Yeah, it's possible, but there was a recent civil suit that torqued me off. Seems a businessman has been burglarized a couple times by creeps coming in through his skylight. The owner rigged some electric cattle fencing around the interior of the skylight. Sure enough, a perp broke in, zapped himself, and fell to the floor. Sued the businessman and won big.

What a country.

Mulliganal · Post by **Mulliganal** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 2:34 pm

I wish Xena would hurry up and make a lock that will fit the Stalla 4T disk.

jijifer · Post by **jijifer** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 4:02 pm

yeah, the only attempted theft of my scooter than I'm aware of was thwarted by 2 things:

my xena alarm
a motion activated house light.

at 2am one night, I dream I hear my xena only to groggily wake to really hearing my xena. keep in mind they go off for like 10 or 15 secs, reset and go off again until you deactivate (I think - maybe it'd stop if the movement of the bike stops) so I wasn't totally awake.

I peak through my curtains to see 2 surfer dudes running from my scooter and jumping into a waiting pickup truck and speeding off.

At the time I parked my scooter along the front of my car so it wasn't visible from the alley my driveway faces. But as that great article from Richmond scoots points out - if you park it the same place every day - thieves know where to find it. So my rouse was moot.

My car was parked just out of range for the motion activate house light so it make for a nice dark place for my scoot to sit.

I don't advertise I have a disc lock with that funky neon cord. It's gonna scream LONG before I forget it's there. So it totally surprised these yahoos. They jumped back and LIGHT! So then being dummies, they probably thought that meant someone in the house was coming out.

Boy did my heart race seeing this. Sure enough they picked up the back end and started to move it when Xena screamed.

Now, I use the cable provided by xena and lock it to my stairs, to approach the light would come on. To cut the cable would set off Xena and now it's SO close to my house, I won't dream it's going off. It will wake me or my neighbor from dead sleep.

So no, it's not fail proof but it's a pretty good shot. that xena is so sensitive to the slightest movement it. I've had one go off for and hour as i tried to dismantle. No thief is going to do that fast. 120decibels will be screaming in his/her face and hopefully, HOPEFULLY someone will notice. Ideally, since, as owners, we're the only ones with stakes, WE can hear it. BUT yeah, scoots are pretty portable. If someone wants it bad enough, it's gone.

Nobady was shot, either.

Post by **ericalm** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 6:38 pm

I do use the funky neon cable for my Xena, but I don't have their cable for t the lock. Also, since I don't use it all the time, I don't want to forget it's there, as many have done. (Not good for the scooter or rider!)

I always thought of it as an added visual deterrent, but that may be the wrong approach.

BootScootin'FireFighter · Fri Jul 29, 2011 6:50 pm

one of the only times my lady forgot to use her Xena, that's when hers got boosted. Mine was still there, behind the empty chain. Maybe their van was already full and hers was better looking.

jijifer · Post by **jijifer** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 6:57 pm

ericalm wrote:I do use the funky neon cable for my Xena, but I don't have their cable for t the lock. Also, since I don't use it all the time, I don't want to forget it's there, as many have done. (Not good for the scooter or rider!)

I always thought of it as an added visual deterrent, but that may be the wrong approach.

I figure if they don't know it's there they haven't planned on disarming it

Once, after parking my scooter for weeks in March/April. First day back on it, I was at target. I have my helmet on, earphones in, warming the scoot back up and getting situated. i'm getting all sorts of looks from target shoppers but it's a little blue scoot, it gets looks.

I sit on it and push it forward to get it off the center stand. then try to back it up. STOP. Forward - good, back up stop.

I figure it's because i get it sit too long without riding, it was finally broken

And as I sat there ready to cry, the song in earphones ended and I could hear the alarm going off. OOOPS

that's the ONE and only time I accidentally left it on in 2 years.

No harm, but for sure a foul.

foxerboy · Post by **foxerboy** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 7:05 pm

I've been relying on a U-lock through the front wheel, or U-lock through the frame by the center stand and a cable lock to something immobile. No problems yet, but I don't think Pittsburgh is exactly a hot spot for scooter theft at this point.

Gotta get a Xena though!

Stormswift · Post by **Stormswift** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 11:34 pm

whelmsworth wrote:
1drunkparrot wrote:Sadly, the best thing one can do is make some other scoot look easier to rip off.
This is true!

The problem with our tiny two wheeled steeds is the weight, or lack there of. 2 nominally sized dudes can tossify your little buddy in the back of a 1984 beat down Ford Ranger in two shakes of a lambs tail.

A kill switch wired in line with the with starter switch (put it under the seat) works but it makes for a lengthy get away if you've just robbed a bank.

I do worry that one day I'll walk out into the parking lot and see,,,,,,,,nothing!

Ring ring ring....Honey, she got stolen. What a horrible feeling..

Sounds like you saw the sob's that were trying to steal my scooter

The ford Ranger was the truck I saw.
That is why my scooter is parked on MY personally owned front lawn chained and anchored to my front step. Trespassing is not what they would want to add to the theft charge when caught by an irate owner (moi)

Keys · Post by **Keys** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 11:48 pm

LivinThaDream wrote: I want a tazer alarm. I'd love to see some hoodlum flopping on the ground next to my scoot. Can someone make that happen?

...except. Tasers don't make you flop. They make you lock up like a big ol' log and fall over like a dried out tree.

I know. I got to take the ride in the academy. Still be fun to watch though...hook it up to the seat and watch 'em fry their...

--Keys

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Aug 04, 2011 4:06 am

Posted by ScootPhilly on Facebook: "Multiple reports today of a van picking up scooters that are not locked to something. Similar story from 3 different people."

Yeah. So. Lock 'em!

Mulliganal · Post by **Mulliganal** » Thu Aug 04, 2011 2:31 pm

Unfortunately for us Stella folks none of the Xena disk locks will fit, this is per the Xena rep.

Now I'm going to look at a U lock by Xena that also have an alarm. I guess I'll get one of these with a 10mm chain which will weigh around 15lbs.

Does anyone here use anything larger than a 10mm chain to lock up their scooter?

Post by **polianarchy** » Thu Aug 04, 2011 3:56 pm

Keys wrote:Be careful, Polianarchy...it's impossible for me to visualize you without a scooter...

--Keys

Thanks, Keys! I've been terribly on-edge about these thefts IN MY VERY OWN NEIGHBORHOOD, UGHHH

...and yes, I'm still looking to relocate. Libraries of the South, Southwest, and West, please hire me.