Preventing your battery from being stolen?

Discussion of the Genuine Buddy, Hooligan, Black Jack and other topics, both scooter related and not

Moderator: Modern Buddy Staff

Post Reply
rikomatic
Member
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:13 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA

Preventing your battery from being stolen?

Post by rikomatic »

I've had a couple of friends who have had their scooters' batteries stolen while parked in San Francisco and Oakland. It seems pretty easy to open up the cover and grab a battery with just a screwdriver.

Any suggestions for making it a bit harder on the crooks?
luckyscroller788
Member
Posts: 187
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2014 2:09 am
Location: Southeast WI

Post by luckyscroller788 »

try attaching a few double edge razor blades in around the battery in the compartment. It may not stop the thief, but it may make him easier to track down.
Yalzin
Member
Posts: 240
Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2014 11:56 pm
Location: Oakland, CA

Post by Yalzin »

Get a Stella. Keep 'em guessing where the battery is ;)
User avatar
k1dude
Member
Posts: 2394
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 3:11 am
Location: Northern California

Post by k1dude »

I can't believe they're going through the work to steal a $15 battery.

What's next? The $6 spark plug?
User avatar
Dooglas
Moderator
Posts: 4368
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2007 2:17 am
Location: Oregon City, OR

Post by Dooglas »

k1dude wrote:I can't believe they're going through the work to steal a $15 battery.
Me neither. Why not steal a few of the body panels? They are worth more.
Yalzin
Member
Posts: 240
Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2014 11:56 pm
Location: Oakland, CA

Post by Yalzin »

Because they can be taken to a recycling center for a few bucks? Don't have to bother finding a buyer then ;)
sc00ter
Member
Posts: 1140
Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2008 9:17 pm
Location: Norfolk VA

Post by sc00ter »

No, they steal the battery because $35 or so is a bunch of money to them. Guess where the most batteries seem to get stolen? The Union Mission/homeless shelters. If a scooter was you only means of transportation and you needed a $35ish dollar battery you do what needs to be done. I DO NOT endorse battery theft but know how hard it is to make ends meet sometimes. I replaced my standard phillips head screws with anti-tamper screws AND I put a home made metal strap over the top of the battery that anchors/bolts down to the bottom. If they go thru that much trouble to steal my battery than I guess it was well earned.
GregsBuddy
Member
Posts: 509
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2015 9:36 pm
Location: North SF Bay

Post by GregsBuddy »

Try bolts with screw heads that are not so common. Maybe the thieves only have a few tools...
Rotten scoundrels indeed.
'09 Yamaha TMAX Large sport scoot.
User avatar
Dooglas
Moderator
Posts: 4368
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2007 2:17 am
Location: Oregon City, OR

Post by Dooglas »

GregsBuddy wrote:Try bolts with screw heads that are not so common. Maybe the thieves only have a few tools...
Good idea. Torx head or Robertson (square) head. Virtually nobody carries around Torx or Robertson bits in their pocket.
Bill-Lowney
Member
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Dec 09, 2017 1:50 am
Location: San Francisco

Post by Bill-Lowney »

Same problem! I'm in SF (SOMA/inner mission). Had the battery stolen three times this year (would be more but I started taking the battery out every night). This last time it was stolen during the day. Got it on security cam. Couple of white guys on bicycles came up and had in about 2 minutes (not sure what took so long, I get my battery out quicker than that lol).

One time I had taken the battery out and put it in the storage area and it was stolen out of there too!

Curious what area your friends had their battery stolen in SF?
luckyscroller788
Member
Posts: 187
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2014 2:09 am
Location: Southeast WI

Post by luckyscroller788 »

Why would so many batteries get stolen? Why would someone go through all the hassle to steal the battery on a machine they could cut a lock off of and run off with the whole machine quicker? Are the batterys stolen and cashed in somewhere for a few cents, or what are they doing with them? I guess I just don't get it.
User avatar
JettaKnight
Member
Posts: 671
Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2007 2:19 am
Location: Fort Wayne

Post by JettaKnight »

luckyscroller788 wrote:Why would so many batteries get stolen? Why would someone go through all the hassle to steal the battery on a machine they could cut a lock off of and run off with the whole machine quicker? Are the batterys stolen and cashed in somewhere for a few cents, or what are they doing with them? I guess I just don't get it.
Cops come after you if you steal a scooter. You can't hide a scooter theft. You can sell a stolen battery quickly to make a couple of bucks. A screw driver is easy to carry, a bolt cutter is not something you want to get caught in possession of if you're the sketchy type.
User avatar
k1dude
Member
Posts: 2394
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 3:11 am
Location: Northern California

Post by k1dude »

JettaKnight wrote:
luckyscroller788 wrote:Why would so many batteries get stolen? Why would someone go through all the hassle to steal the battery on a machine they could cut a lock off of and run off with the whole machine quicker? Are the batterys stolen and cashed in somewhere for a few cents, or what are they doing with them? I guess I just don't get it.
Cops come after you if you steal a scooter. You can't hide a scooter theft. You can sell a stolen battery quickly to make a couple of bucks. A screw driver is easy to carry, a bolt cutter is not something you want to get caught in possession of if you're the sketchy type.
Not in California. California voters voted to allow no real penalty for stealing less than $950. If you get caught stealing an item with a value of less than $950, you only get a summons to appear before a court. The vast majority of thieves ignore the summons because there's no real consequences.

Since it's become a complete waste of time for police to try preventing theft since there's no real consequences, they won't even waste their time writing the summons. Property crime has exploded as a result.
User avatar
MikeR
Member
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Nov 26, 2017 12:58 am
Location: SE USA

Here's your solution

Post by MikeR »

luckyscroller788 wrote:try attaching a few double edge razor blades in around the battery in the compartment. It may not stop the thief, but it may make him easier to track down.
Replace the battery lid hold-down Philips screws with "one-way" screws, and the thieves won't be able to get to your battery without the special screwdriver for one-way screws.

Use them for your license plate also.
"Outside of a book, a dog is man's best friend.
Inside a dog, it's too dark to read".

Groucho Marx

"All music is folk music. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song".

Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong
User avatar
Syd
Member
Posts: 4686
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2007 6:41 am
Location: Tempe

Re: Here's your solution

Post by Syd »

MikeR wrote:
luckyscroller788 wrote:try attaching a few double edge razor blades in around the battery in the compartment. It may not stop the thief, but it may make him easier to track down.
Replace the battery lid hold-down Philips screws with "one-way" screws, and the thieves won't be able to get to your battery without the special screwdriver for one-way screws.

Use them for your license plate also.
What if your battery goes bad? I like the idea of a nonstandard screw head, but torx or square is better, I think.
The majority is always sane - Nessus
User avatar
Syd
Member
Posts: 4686
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2007 6:41 am
Location: Tempe

Post by Syd »

Or the not-quite-round heads the admin at work once used. :D
The majority is always sane - Nessus
User avatar
ScooterDave
Most Likely to Spontaneously Combust
Posts: 867
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2006 6:43 am
Location: 127.0.0.1
Contact:

Post by ScooterDave »

Who buys used motorcycle batteries? Lately there has been a rash of people stealing wiper blades off cars here. I don't see how there is a market or buyer of used wiper blades. The same with motorcycle batteries.

I don't see a motorcycle shop buying used batteries off the street. Nobody in their right mind would buy a used battery for their motorcycle.

I don't see it being an issue or a real concern.

Dave
User avatar
Point37
Member
Posts: 402
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 4:34 pm
Location: Southcoast, MA

Post by Point37 »

Yalzin wrote:Because they can be taken to a recycling center for a few bucks? Don't have to bother finding a buyer then ;)
^^^this...i once saw a couple drug addicts smashing up a computer to grab a few parts to bring to the scrap yard for a few bucks to put towards their next high
Post Reply