• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

what lock should I get?

Brake rotor/disc locks nice, but thieves can still manage to drag the bike away into a waiting truck/van.

Heavy chain/cable locks are better especially when looped thru a gas/water pipe/post, as this stops carry away theft but with enough alone time thieves can bust the chain.

LoJack good.

Last resort is full comprehensive insurance coverage with a low deductible.

[youtube]D96QM-lzLM8[/youtube]
 
I'm pretty opinionated on locks because I carry one and use it every time I park. I wouldn't bother with the Xena alarmed models -- they're annoying and the plastic alarm module within the steel body is cheap and will break if you actually use it a lot.

I stay away from Kryptonite because their keys go to shit and stop working (happened to both my roommate and me).

You didn't say what your budget was. A chain offers the most security because you can use it to keep the wheel from turning (go through the wheel and the frame or braced swingarm), and lock it to a stationary object if you're parked next to one (never happens unless you're talking about a special place you have reserved at home or at work). Keep it up high so a thief can't rest it in the jaws of his bolt cutters on the ground and use all his weight to break it.

But unless you have luggage, carrying a chain everywhere you ride isn't practical. I recommend a disc lock because it's the easiest to carry and quickest to deploy. Use it every time you park. Seriously, hardly anyone else does this. A thief will pick their bike over yours.

That site you linked doesn't carry Abus. That's what I'm currently using and it hasn't let me down. If you're interested...

But if you want to stick with that site, I'd get one of the Xena non-alarmed models, like this one.

Hope that helps.

P.S. Don't let the "they'll-just-carry-it-off" argument deter you from using your steering lock and a disc lock. Pick-ups are the exception. Most bikes are ridden (sometimes rolled) away.
 
Last edited:
quicksparks said:
I'm pretty opinionated on locks because I carry one and use it every time I park. I wouldn't bother with the Xena alarmed models -- they're annoying and the plastic alarm module within the steel body is cheap and will break if you actually use it a lot.
Click to expand...

I use the Xena alarm lock. I have never experienced a failure, I've been using it on a non daily basis for over a year, so maybe with more usage it deteriorates faster. And there are always lemons out there in the world of consumer electronics.

I think the alarm in general is an excellent idea, you basically can't touch or move the alarm body itself, or move the bike much, without emitting an extremely loud noise. As we all know, a determined thief will eventually succeed against any countermeasure given enough time, so an alarm which reduces the time they have before somebody comes looking should be effective.

It can be annoying to get the lock off before the alarm starts to sound, for some reason the key is not reversible so you can set it off while dicking around with it. Also, the lock is extremely bulky, you do not want to put it in a pocket, so you still need to either carry a bag or maybe it can fit under your seat. Still smaller than a big chain/cable lock.

I consider these tradeoffs worthwhile. I will come back here if my Xena fails, but until then I'll stick with it.
 
+1 to quicksparks Abus recommendation. Love my Abus lock and the keys never go bad like they did on my previous Kryptonite lock. Have not used Xena alarm locks yet, but I know lots of people that use them and love them.
 
xena alarm and I love it

although the alarm part is disabled currently because it kept going off due to moisture, but only I know that :shhh
 
get one that will last more than one minute against a large pair of bolt cutters. 99% of them out there fail this test.
 
Gorrila alarm and 2 disc locks:twofinger

My alarm is loud,you just bump into the bike i hear it going off..

After some scum bag tried to rip my seat off one night i got the alarm.

To many homeless and druggies in the sunset..they just run back into gg park after stealing your shit..cop told me that
 
Krypto New York Legend, secured to another object, 15mm links really do make a difference.

10-12 mm can be defeated with 4 foot bolt cutters quickly
 
I've owned an alarmed Xena lock for years now (used daily) and it has worked flawlessly.

I recently read a very enlightening "Ask Me Anything" on Reddit with a motorcycle thief. Learned A LOT :nerd. ...anyway, one of the things I learned was that it was MUCH better to put your disc lock through the rear rotor, not the front. Unfortunately, my old trusty Xena lock wouldn't work with my rear rotor so I bought another one with a smaller pin that would.

Lock your steering
Lock your rear rotor
EVERY TIME
...and have theft coverage.

If I didn't have a garage, I would chain it to something every night.... but i find that chains are too impractical to carry around everywhere.
 
I like the NY Noose with the small u-lock for the rotors.

What it does is gives me flexibility.

I am unlikely to chain my bike to a pole when I am running into the store for a soda. But I want to make sure I make the effort to at least lock the front wheel.

Anytime I am away from my bike for longer than 15 minutes, I use the noose.
 
Best to have good insurance and not be too attached to your bike...All the locks and chains aren't going to stop a determine thief. That said, when parking on the street I do use a disk lock, just to make things a bit more difficult for a would be thief.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top