Modern Buddy

I have sadly seen on here that scooters are often stolen. How do you secure your scooter? Looking to find a way to lock my baby up tight. I do keep him in the garage at home. Just out and about how to keep my little honey safe...

I generally only lock the column and pray it doesn't get jacked. If my wife and I are riding together, I lock the scooters together with a cable. They are both parked in the garage at home. I am thinking about getting a disk lock or grip lock, but haven't yet since most of them cost more than my $50 deductible on my insurance.

"Out and about" is generally a pretty safe time for a scooter. They're too big and heavy to make good "impulse" thefts (like a bicycle), and with a precaution or two you can add a little more theft-discouragement, which is usually enough.

First, park it in a visible location, where someone who is tampering with it will be noticed. This discourages camera-shy thieves. Second, engage the steering-wheel lock; with the steering raked to the left, the only way to push it is in circles.

The scooter could still be picked up and loaded into a vehicle, but this takes a couple people, and assumes that they have a vehicle handy. That's unlikely with someone who just happens upon it in a parking lot or parked by a curb somewhere. That scenario is what happens most often with scooters parked (insecurely) at home every night, or perhaps if there's some place you park the scooter regularly, such as at work or at school, because this gives thieves a chance to plan a theft.

I have only owned my scooter for a week and I am extremely paranoid about it now. I am torn between parking out in the street where it could get hit by an idiot driver or someone trying to park, or parking in the lighted alley on the side where it's out of the way and less visible, but would be easier to steal unnoticed.

Anyone in Chicago have any experience?

Many swear by GPS tracking.I'll let someone else comment on this since I don't personally have it.Just a thought.

Tim

Big thick chain, and deadbolt Kryptonite style lock. And chain it to something that can't be moved.

Sure, they can still take it. But they are going to need power tools, and time, and they are going to make a lot of noise trying. Most thieves don't want that sort of involvement.

I have a Louisville Slugger that would LOVE to meet the next scumbag who tries to swipe my ride.

I used to use a big u-lock through my back tire, chained to a post, before I read somewhere how people can unlock those suckers by screwing around with a Bic pen cap... so now I just use a disc lock on my front brake, as well as engaging the steering lock. I'm also considering getting one of those INSANELY huge and heavy Prima chains - my buddy/roommate thegodlikehobo has one and it's nuts.

I will say, I've seen so many students on the college campus where I work just run a cheap cable lock through the front fork of their scooter... if someone's desperate enough to steal a scooter, it'd be no sweat for them to pop the front wheel off, slip the lock off, then put the wheel back on and run...