Posts Tagged ‘bike security’

Top Tory has bike stolen again!

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

David Cameron leader of the Opposition has lost his bike to thieves, again! For the second time, the leader of the Conservative Party has fallen foul to opportunist bicycle criminals according to the article “Protect your pushbike as Cameron falls victim to bike theft…again!”

If it can happen to him, it can happen to anyone as more and more people are waking up to the fact that they just can’t leave their bicycles propped up against a shop’s exterior wall.

If you don’t yet have insurance cover for your bike, get it added to your home contents insurance. One big step for bike security is only a phone call away.

This is a warning that arrives ready for those ‘now is the time to dig the bike out from the shed’ efforts – a time when we are all thinking about swapping the four wheels for two!

Time to stop handing the bike thieves our wheels on a plate! Here’s how to go about it. While ensuring our bikes are adequately covered on the home contents policy, we need to begin to think about serious lock devices. Stop leaving those bikes propped up against the walls…it’s too easy!!

Use bike parking racks in the town and city centres and make sure you lock you bike too. When putting your bike away at night, make sure you lock them in a secure outbuilding or in the house.

In the event that your bike is stolen, by marking your vehicle with an ultra violet marker pen you will stand a better chance of having your bike returned to you. Better still take some photos of your bike for identification purposes.

Last but not least, make sure your insurance is everything it should be. Some home contents insurance cover provide cycle protection only as an add-on (so don’t assume it is already taken care off!)

Motorcycle thieves watch out!

Saturday, November 29th, 2008

According to the article “How to prevent thieves catching a ride on your motorcycle” a greater extent of motorcycle thefts occur in towns and cities. Thefts that occur while the motorcyclist is at home dominate at eighty per cent. How can we prevent this?

When a motorbike is stolen, it takes less time than if a thief was to steal a car. What with the theft of a motorbike only taking as little as twenty seconds, we need to address our security issues (or lack of them!)

The article recommends the purchasing of a good lock such as a tough motorcycle chain and U-lock. This is very much an essential item for your bike security. As the wheel can be removed, it is unwise to put a chain round it, instead thread the chain around the frame of the bike and attach it to a large preferably, immovable, solid item. The longer it takes for a thief to achieve access to the machine, the least likely he is to succeed! Next, get an alarm for the motorbike. There are a variety of alarms on the market including ones that automatically page you in the event that you bike is being tampered with. When parking in a prominent and busy area, the noise from an alarm will panic the burglar who wants attention like a dose of prison time!

When you park, choose wisely. Make sure your vehicle is within prominent view and not hidden from sight behind a lorry or in a dark corner. Next ensure you disable your motorcycle before leaving it behind (popular ways to do this include the use of a hidden switch which cuts out and taking the mains fuse with you).

Last but not least, ensure you are insured. With motorcycle insurance policies ranging from third party to fully comprehensive, should the worst happen, although its not the same as getting your bike back, you will at least have some financial protection. Don’t let those thieves get the better of you!