Finally the stars are all in alignment and insurance prices have come to a figure that I can afford and justify.
It looks like it’s finally going to happen. I should be getting an Nmax very soon. Yes I know thats a SCOOTER but as a tool to get me on 2 wheels and build up some NCB i’ll live with it for a year or 2, plus the ABS will come in handy for all those sudden UBER/Prius u-turns
Just need some dealers to re-open after the xmas break so i can try them for size. Any recommended yamaha dealers for servicing? Infinity (Clapham) and Woodford Motorcycles are on my short list.
p.s Does anyone here know if an almax/pragmasis 16mm chain will fit through the rear wheel? From the pictures it looks pretty tight.
Consider getting the Almax Immobilizer Series IV, as it is 19mm thick, therefore too thick for most bolt croppers. I’d also suggest buying from Almax ( http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/ ) not the copy-cat company.
For my two penneth and if you’re going to be carrying it around with you a 2M length of 14mm chain (note bolt cropper jaws only expand to 12.5mm) and a decent padlock is the way to go. For additional security more locks is better than a bigger lock and you may want to consider a disc lock for the front wheel too. I fail to see why you’d want to go any bigger than a 16mm chain since the padlock remains as the weakest link.
My padlock and chain of choice would be a Squire Ex-Caliber security chain and a Squire SS50CS or SS65CS padlock, all are Sold Secure Gold and Thatcham rated for what thats worth.
I’d carry an abus alarm disc lock and abus granite 16mm u lock around with me. Was considering the pragmasis 13mm with noose end but as they cut though it in no time, didn’t see the point.
Before you get excited about chains and how good they are No chain can withstand the most favourite tool to be found on a scrote, "an angle grinder" A chain over 14mm link size generally can’t be bolt cropped but scrotes don’t carry large bolt croppers around with them Almax chains are regarded as the best but can be defeated by an angle grinder
a chain is a deterrent You should always concider a second or third form of security to keep hold of your pride and joy
Wise words, more locks beats bigger chains all day long.
For home use only go for a 16mm chain, its the biggest link size to fit the shackle of an unmodified Squire SS65CS padlock. If your fitting it through the rear wheel and a well positioned ground anchor you may be able to get that done with a 1.2M length of chain. However, to future proof your security a 1.5M length may prove to be the better option. Top tip is to measure twice and buy once remembering the chain will have a little more girth than a tape measure!
A chain ,a decent disc lock and the cheapest of all a cover
Should be a good starting point
A tracker won’t stop the scrotes from nicking your stead but some will give you a warning that it is being nicked and it’s location
Scrotes will dump a stead out of sight and go back to it a few days later to see if they had a tracker fitted
The ready availability of small battery grinders does seem to have changed the game somewhat.
Unless the chain is thick/hard enough to wear out the disc or run down the battery then it’s probably not going to make a huge difference if it’s 12mm or 14mm and as mentioned above, more locks is probably better than thicker.
Ironically, the clever case hardening that decent chain manufacturers used to brag about making their chains cropper resistant probably makes them weaker against grinders than bog standard quench hardening.
Wise words, more locks beats bigger chains all day long. For home use only go for a 16mm chain, its the biggest link size to fit the shackle of an unmodified Squire SS65CS padlock. If your fitting it through the rear wheel and a well positioned ground anchor you may be able to get that done with a 1.2M length of chain. However, to future proof your security a 1.5M length may prove to be the better option. Top tip is to measure twice and buy once remembering the chain will have a little more girth than a tape measure!
National Treasure
The Squire SS65CS padlock works fine on my Almax Immobilizer Series IV chain, that's the one with 19mm thick links.
According to the Almax website (http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/ ) Irwin bolt croppers can open enough to get a 16mm thick chain link into them. So if you get a chain that’s bigger than 16mm, those bolt croppers won’t work. Remember that the Almax Series III Immobizer chain, which is 16mm thick, cannot be bolt cropped anyway.
According to the Almax website (http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/ ) Irwin bolt croppers can open enough to get a 16mm thick chain link into them. So if you get a chain that's bigger than 16mm, those bolt croppers won't work. Aceman
In real life?
Do you have a direct link to this claim?
The manufacturers of the Irwin 42" bolt croppers state a maximum jaw opening of 12.5 mm (an old school 1/2"). At a pinch you can fit them over a 13mm chain link but this is at the sacrifice of some purchase. All this is seen in the Almax video which depicts an obese guardsmen with a museum curators licence cropping his way through a variety of chains none of which exceed a 13mm link diameter. Therefore, on this evidence offered by the Simpsons themselves, 14mm appears to be the limit at which the Irwin 42" bolt croppers meet their match!
Not that any of this is of any real consequence given the methods employed by motorcycle thieves.
The Almax video shows a set of bolt croppers as tall as the chap using them. Hardly the portable tool of choice for the scrote about town whereas an angle grinder is about the size of an 80’s mobile phone.
If you are paranoid maybe 8 alarmed Xenas, 6 on the front and 2 on the back would be a solution. Grinding through all of those would take a while.
According to the Almax website (http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/ ) Irwin bolt croppers can open enough to get a 16mm thick chain link into them. So if you get a chain that's bigger than 16mm, those bolt croppers won't work.
Aceman
In real life? Do you have a direct link to this claim? The manufacturers of the Irwin 42" bolt croppers state a maximum jaw opening of 12.5 mm (an old school 1/2"). At a pinch you can fit them over a 13mm chain link but this is at the sacrifice of some purchase. All this is seen in the Almax video which depicts an obese guardsmen with a museum curators licence cropping his way through a variety of chains none of which exceed a 13mm link diameter. Therefore, on this evidence offered by the Simpsons themselves, 14mm appears to be the limit at which the Irwin 42" bolt croppers meet their match! Not that any of this is of any real consequence given the methods employed by motorcycle thieves.
National Treasure
In response to your "Do you have a direct link to this claim?" I refer you to the Almax webpage http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/t-wallofshame.aspx . This is indicative of the croppers opening to 16mm, even if not stated. But I could be wrong.
I use the Series IV chain at home, usually with one or two of the Series III chains too. Whilst riding abroad, I take the Series II chains.
Steelfixers at work use Bolt croppers for cutting rear and there’s no way you’d crop 16mm bar.
12mm bar has them open pretty much all the way and to be honest, I struggle to crop even 12mm (although I’m a slightly lardy engineer so don’t have the lever advantage of an obese guardsman)
