I suspect insurance companies are finding that they are still having to pay out for theft because of this. So offering a discount for having them fitted is not in their benefit. They need to stay competitive so rather than raising premiums, they level the playing field & basically say to us (consumers) you sort it out. Fit what you think is best & if you get it nicked, suffer the consequences.
That’s just my own thoughts though 
Even after two thefts, I managed to insure a bike and a scooter with no security devices declared ( I of course have heavy security but did not want to list the devices and then get stuffed by the insurance co if they get stolen and I could not prove that the devices were on/engaged) the difference in premium was less than £20 (or about 7%)…
Alarms are utterly pointless.
Looking up bikes in London, well unless it to some sort of anchor then utterly pointless.
Why, two men and a van. Lift bike, and throw in the back. Does it matter that that it has an Almax, no because they can remove it at their leisure elsewhere.
Survey, utterly pointless, yes it’s datataged, does a professional thief care probably not, broken down for parts and sold on Gumtree, eBay, or any other of dozen places, or simply put into a container and shipped overseas.
Solution to the thefts in London
All bike bays to have ground anchors or chain rails
Active and proactive policing
severe sentencing for repeat offenders.
Declaring the security to insurance company and then not using it can and does result in the insurance rejecting claims because you failed to use said security.
And finally Almax will not stop your bike getting nicked, there have been several members over the years who have had their bike and their almax chain stolen.
Kev, don’t think the survey is pointless, and the bikes they looked at weren’t data tagged. I love the fact that most people don’t bother, means that if time is short then they will take their bikes not mine.
take a walk and have a look at how many bikes have no physical security on them, except a pointless steering lock.
there are pro thieves who will lift a bike, and there are opportunist scrotes touring the city on peds and push bikes who take bikes with no security, so at least your Almax and disc lock will have saved your bike from them, no?
I do agree with your points re solution though, Camden are at least installing ground anchors which makes a pleasant change.
I know, crazy isn’t it! I totally agree…
It’s like when we hear about a bike being nicked by these ‘bloody scroats’ which everyone knows about, then finding out it didn’t even have so much as a disk lock on it…
It’s like the bike bay I regularly use in soho - I regularly see a lovely KTM dirt bike, a favourite amongst thieves, just say there with no security at all.
Whilst I agree it’s bonkers, I also think it’s bonkers carrying a huge chain around with you all the time in the hope you will find your spot to park where you can chain it up to something… if you can’t chain it to something then a disc lock will pretty much do the same job. Neither will stop the van scrotes but both will stop very opportunist thieves…
I never declare any chains on lock on my insurance, ok I don’t live in London but I’m within the M25 so probably the same thing with folks living on London suburbs… The main reason I do it is because I don’t want them to have any ground if my bike gets nicked when I pop into a shop, stop for 10mins to go into work quickly or sth like that. I still carry a disclock with me at all times and use it for stops when necessary. I also NEVER bring the KTM into London if I have to park it on the street
I’m lucky I now have underground, very very secure parking at work but for about a year I was parking on the street… I started off doing it all, cover chain, disc lock and then slowly slowly I got more fed up with biking as it was more of a hassle than it was worth. Every time having to carry that wet chain in my bag, trying to find ways to fit all my gear in as well, trying to carry my laptop without getting that wet then trying to carry my training kit… If I hadn’t budged on security, I would have stopped biking or bought something with mahoosive panniers…
Just a small point - if it’s mayfair and they’re not locking it up probably because they have the money to buy a new one and afford the hike in insurance afterwards. Some people can p*ss money up the wall! Also no doubt there is some substantial security in the area - private security patrols, CCTV etc.
I agree that extra security devices are a necessity but bothers me that some people on here have the attitude that if your bike gets stolen and it did not have two almax chains attached to two ground anchors, a tracker, a disc lock and a cover then you deserve to have it stolen.
If someone’s car or van got nicked you wouldn’t say that they deserved it because they did not have it in a garage with clamp on it…or if someone broke into your house by breaking a window you wouldn’t say that they deserved it because they did not have metal bars on all the windows…if someone gets mugged, you wouldn’t say that they deserved it because they dared to own a smartphone and were not wearing a stab-proof west and a tazer
The point is, you buy a bike with your hard (or in some people’s case not so hard) earned cash and most come with an ignition lock, steering lock and an immobiliser - if it gets stolen, it is not your fault, it is the fault of the scum that stole it and the lawmakers and enforcers for allowing the climate, in which it’s OK to steal someone’s property because nothing will really happen to you if you get caught, to exist
+1 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
R
B0llocks
sorry, but its all relative. If burglary was as rife and easy as bike theft, then lots of people would have metal bars on their windows. lets face it, lots do. and be honest, you do at least have locks on your doors right? double glazing? bolts on the front and back doors? all that stuff that has been pretty standard for decades?
people nick bikes, A LOT, sad fact of life, but a fact none the less. as a result, if you want to keep your stuff, you need to take measures to prevent it’s theft.
not suggesting you deserve it, at all. if you left the key in it you might be asking for it a bit.
Just saying that it is naïve to think that you can leave your stuff in the street without precautions and expect it to be there when you get back.
I was going to say the same but didnt want to get into an argument.
You wouldnt leave a pile of cash laying around, cos that’s pretty much what you’re doing.
In some parts of the country you can still leave your bike outside, no locks. People still greet you in the street & say hello. Parents install in their children to have respect for the elderly & other people’s property…
The more I spend time away from London, the more I realise what a cesspit it’s become.
Not to add fuel to the fire but…
I often have a look at the ‘Stolen Bikes’ section to see if I can help in anyway (and also to be nosey to be honest)
I always sympathise with someone losing their bike…it’s the shittiest feeling to come back to an empty space where your pride and joy used to be and imagine some piss-smelling scrote riding around on it.
But…
If I read that the bike had been left for 8 hours in a bike bay in somewhere like Greenwich (which seems to be bile scrote central at the moment) , uncovered and with only a disc lock on I can’t help but think " I feel sorry for you matey but you were a little bit foolish there"
Now form the perspective of the person having it stolen you can get the " Why should I have to super secure my bike? Its the scrotes fault - In a decent society I shouldn’t HAVE to go to those lengths" Which is true but gets us all nowhere since we DONT live in a decent society where people leave each others possessions alone. Leave your wallet or phone on a table while you go for a slash in a pub and it will disappear. It’s a fact of life.
One of the worst cases of victim angst was last year when a guy lost his brand new D675R … he had parked it in central London in a small yard behind his offices that was monitored by CCTV…so far so good.
But his bike had no disc lock, no chain and was bolted to nothing. Finally the CCTV was unmonitored by security AND the general public could walk straight into the yard from the pavement where you could see the bike as yous passed.
The guy was beside himself - he made videos - built a website about it - posted on every bike forum he could find
His basic line was…
“We shouldn’t have to worry about security. It’s the criminals of this country that need to worry about breaking the law in a manner that affects the working, every day man. We’ve got it all wrong. I should be able to ride up to my house, leave my bike on my drive and just walk in. But I can’t. I have to engage in 10 minute process that has me sweating before I’m in the office.”
Sorry mate - we shouldn’t have to you’re right But bike theft is a fact - not something you can ignore because it doesn’t fit your ideals of a proper society.
You knew the CCTV was not monitored - you knew people could just wander in and the yard was not secure - you knew that it was visable from the street - yet you chose to leave it (even for 10 minutes0 without ANY locks on it.
I sympathise with your loss but still feel you …how can I say…made it as easy as possible to steal apart from leaving it in the road - keys in. I don’t want to say “you were partly to blame” because that REALLY gets victims upset - and I can see why. Getting kicked by having your bike nicked is bad enough but being told it’s partly your fault is the tin hat.
No you were foolish, you didn’t take due care and you were negligent in not locking it properly…sorry matey but it’s true.
Heres the website http://www.motorbikethieves.com/theft/triumph-daytona-675r/
i’ve said it many times…
This is London, things go missing… you CANNOT leave a a nice desirable bike in public with next to no security and expect it to be there when you come back…its naive i think.
that said, sometimes it doesn’t matter what security you have, they will get it… the only thing that seems to get them back is a tracker, and its a story a keep hearing more and more, and often the bike is recovered untouched.
i know one fella, he had an S1000RR, TWICE it went missing from 2 different locations, and twice he got it back( trackered), now he cant afford to insure it- minimum quote 4k!!) so hes gone and bought a K7 bandit 1200.
its ****… but thats london!
Hi
Interesting views, I live in London and it is not a cesspit albeit not as desirable as most locations but my work is here. Most, and I mean most, Londoners would not nick your bike even if you parked it with the key in the ignition however due to the vast amount of bodies here the scrotes that will can easily blend in.
I disc lock and chain my bike even though it has an alarm because I do not want the hassle of insurance claims and higher premiums for five years. I see insurance as a driving/riding requirement and the theft bit as a bolt on (e.g. why doesn’t my house contents insurance cover bike theft?). If I had a VERY WELL paid job I would buy the best bike I could and not care if it got nicked, I would just buy another one and pay higher premiums and enjoy riding and like someone said earlier would you want your stolen bike back.
No one except you and those close to you will care for your loss, the Police have bigger fish to fry, insurance is a lucrative business (probably restructured by the Ferengi types) and communities have dumbed down looking out for one another - not helped by current day politicial correctness, so until bikers legally occupy the seats in Parliment there will be little change. If you look at some of the other crusades like Fathers for Justice you may believe that unless someone can make a mint from your cause it is lost.
I brought my bike to enjoy riding and hope to do so for a long time even if my freedom has to be compromised
Good points brains.
Motorcycle theft is so low on police ( and governments ) agenda I don’t think they even notice it.
I’ve written before about reading that a guy had two classic bikes stolen from his garage and the police couldn’t be less interested.
A neighbour (who was a jeweler I think ) had £10k (ie less value than the bikes) of jewelry stolen in a burglary and the police were all over him - Regional Crime Squad the lot.
It has a lot to do with police targets (set by government of course) but also the Daily Mail factor…Burglary shocks middle England wheras bike theft ‘only happens to those greasy biker tpes who are probally semi-criminal anyway’ :crazy:
“Interesting views, I live in London and it is not a cesspit albeit not as desirable as most locations but my work is here. Most, and I mean most, Londoners would not nick your bike even if you parked it with the key in the ignition however due to the vast amount of bodies here the scrotes that will can easily blend in.”
I used to think like this. Ive lived in London ALL my 45 years but feel it has become gradually worse over time.You dont notice it as its a slow deterioration. You just assume that it how it is & putting up with the cr@p is the price you have to pay if you want a well paid job.
You say you wouldnt care if you could afford an expensive bike & it got nicked…but that simply adds to the crime statistics, which increases everyones premiums. After all, thats how insurance is suppose to work. Everyone pays to cover those unfortunate to make a claim. Introduces more opportunistic criminal types as they see it as easy pickings. It all has a knock on effect. This is exactly the sort of attitude im referring to. As long as I’m alright! People always point the finger at the police or Govt but how about the way WE think and act? How often do you hear about bikes being loaded into vans in plain sight of dozens of people. Or other altercations where people just walk on by, too scared to say anything.
Sorry to have a pop at you brains but I just feel its a lack of consideration for anyone else, that makes London what it is today. People make communities not politicians.
Yeah it does amaze me. I had a bike stolen 6 years ago and it was a royal pain in the arse, I almost lost my job over it as I lived in Northampton at the time where public transport was virtually non-existent. The whole thing cost me £550 as I had £500 excess on the bike.
The mechanic explained to me how easy it was to steal a bike, he explained even new bikes can take less than a minute to steal. I couldn’t believe it really, it’s pretty much as safe leaving a pushbike unchained outside a shop.
Although people may say it doesn’t make a difference, don’t confuse your luck with realism. My bike was stolen in 5 days of purchase on the streets, since getting a almax chain I’ve not had it stolen, I’ve had two attempts on it though, so I guess my measures have worked effectively.
I’d love to leave my bike unchained everywhere and never care about a single lock, but experience has shown me that it’s just not worth the risk.
