Modern Buddy

Third time this year!

I live in a bit of a rough area of San Francisco (SOMA). I had been taking my battery with me every night after locking it up, but most recently it was stolen during the day! (11:45 am according to the security camera).

I'm wondering if anyone else has had this problem and/or has a solution. I'm thinking about figuring out how to make a cable lock around the battery and box? Any ideas? Maybe I'll just buy a quick disconnect so I can take the battery with me? Is there is a smaller battery can replace it with so its a bit easier to carry around? When I park it by my apartment its the only time I have any issue with it.

I used to take the battery out at night and lock it in the seat compartment but then that was broken into and the battery was stolen out of that as well!
(also, anyone have ideas why they want the battery? Aside from use in another scooter I can't think of any reason)

Its a real bummer as I don't use the scooter as much do to the extra hassle of pulling the battery in and out all the time.

Thanks for reading my question filled rant/post!

This reply isn't what you are going to want to hear. You want to learn of a device that will protect your battery/scooter. But the root problem is morality and low consciousness. Why live with people who steal, routinely? Where it is commonplace, accepted, and tolerated by a legal/political system which probably does nothing at all to the thieves. I'm guessing that is the setting you are in and there is probably very little you can do to change it.

Wow. What can you get for a stolen battery? How about something like a wheel lock that will make a lot of noise if the scoot is disturbed?

On the grand scale of things, the battery isn't worth much except to two parties:

- The owner who has to replace it.

- The junkie who needs another 5 bucks for their next merry-go-round ride.

Unfortunately, your scoot has become a convenient ATM for low-lives and there's not much you can do about it if moving isn't an option. Try as you may to secure it, the thieves will either destroy the scoot in the attempt, or go for something else like the under-seat storage.

Sucks, but the law will neither do what needs to be done nor allow you to do it either.

Bill-Lowney wrote:I'm wondering if anyone else has had this problem and/or has a solution. I'm thinking about figuring out how to make a cable lock around the battery and box? Any ideas? Maybe I'll just buy a quick disconnect so I can take the battery with me? Is there is a smaller battery can replace it with so its a bit easier to carry around? When I park it by my apartment its the only time I have any issue with it.

I actually do have an idea. Get a "battery eliminator," which is really nothing but a big capacitor, and mount that inside the scooter out of sight. Leave the battery wiring, connectors and all intact in the battery area and put the cover back on without screws and drop the floormat back down on top of it. Maybe use a piece of duct tape to make a little hinge for the battery cover so you can flip it open and closed easily. Next get one of those portable jump chargers that have a LiON battery in them so they are pretty light. Carry that instead of your heavy lead-acid battery. This is where it gets good. When you come out to your scooter, hook the portable jump starter to your scoot with the alligator clamps, use the electric start like always, unhook the jump starter, flip the battery compartment lid closed, and ride off. This is a bother, but it's less of a bother than carrying off your battery because then you have to pull the battery when you get to your destination. With the eliminator, you don't have to do anything at your destination. Just ride up, park, and walk away. Then you only have to fool with it when you go to leave.

P.S. You don't need to bother with the jump start battery if you are willing to kick-start your scooter, but the kick-start mechanism is not very robust and will wear out pretty quickly if you use it regularly.