Using a lock

[harmony101017]

Do you use a lock when you park your scooter?

I live in a safe small town that isn't totally immune to the occasional theft. The dealer where I bought my buddy mentioned a lock and I thought that sounds smart, so without questioning further I bought it. I've never seen a lock like this. It is soooo heavy. The buddy manual says the seat compartment has a max capacity of 11lbs. and this lock is double or triple that. The site says I can just use the U lock without the chain so that's an option.

Curious what others do. This is the lock: http://www.onguardlock.com/store/mastiff-8019l

[babblefish]

That's certainly a big lock and chain. A bit overkill, IMO. I guess you could wrap it around your front rack and lock it to the rack when you're riding around. When I do use a lock, I use one of those that clamps onto the front disk brake. But, no lock that I've ever seen (including the Kryptonite) could survive a cordless cutoff saw, regardless if the steel is hardened or not. Someone I know locked his bike with a Kryptonite and lost the key. He cut off the lock in a very short amount of time with said cordless cutoff saw. This type of saw can go through a cable even faster. So basically, if someone really wanted your ride, there's not much you can do to stop him.

[BMW_Art]

Yep, a lock is only a detternt. My lock is my insurance company. I still lock the steering and mud put an alarm on it that I have hanging around, but I just pay a small fee to cover theft. Check your insurance company and see what they offer.

[cummingsjc]

If you are concerned about theft around your town, buy a lock that makes noise when the bike is moved and use it on the front brake rotor. This will discourage the casual thief or other jersey from messing with your scooter plus they are relatively easy to put on and take off when out doing errands or going to work. While at work, see if there are heavy or fixed object, like fence posts, signs, etc, to which you can secure your bike with a heavy chain that you leave at work (perhaps leaving the chain with heavy duty lock secured to fence, sign, etc just waiting for you each day). This keeps your bike more secure when you are away from it for hours at a time. When at home, put it in a garage or backyard and use a heavier chain.

None of this will stop a determined thief but the trick is to make it look hard enough/time involvement that someone will go after an easier target.

If you do use a rotor lock, make sure you have a reminder in place every time to remove it before attempting to ride the scooter. It would probably do some good damage to your front wheel assembly if you throttle up and the lock is still in place.

[wheelbender6]

The main thing is to lock your scoot to something immovable, like a bike rack or chain link fence. Two adults can pick up your scoot and place in a truck bed for an easy getaway.