Low Life Thieves

[a454elk]

I'm flaming this because it seems to be on a roll again. I'm sick of the little low life POS thieves that can't work an honest living BUYING what they want. The have to resort to taking someone else hard earned bikes. It's creeping up again since riding season is on the horizon, for the most part. We all are out there, in our garages, doors open, working on our pride and joys while the low lifes cruise by in their POS cars, window shopping.

As much as we'd like to do this, don't let the world see what you have! We are a proud group but pride only gets our stuff taken. Keep it to yourselves and watch out for your neighbors. No one else will do it for us, so we have to do it. Question everyone that doesn't belong in your neighborhood. Grab plates of cars just driving by if they have to go out of their way to get to your street. When you're at the track, watch your fellow rider's stuff when he's moto'ing.

When a kid's bike and gear get ripped off, it tears me up because that could be me or MY kid's stuff. Here's the cold hard truth, PEOPLE DON'T CARE HOW HARD YOU WORKED FOR YOUR STUFF, THEY'LL TAKE IT AS QUICK AS THEY CAN!

Make sure your garages are secure at night, if it takes running a chain through your bikes, do it, it'll make more noise. Put an alram on your garage door and side access door. Double bolt the side door if possible and keep your hedges BELOW your windows to your garage if you have any. If it's a tilt out door, put your car against it at night. If it's a roll up, push the lock through at night to secure it. And during the day, keep your door closed. If you buy new gear and such, cut up all the boxes and take them away from your house to throw them away. Same thing applies after Christmas.

DAMNIT!

 

[Rooster]

I don't have to worry too much at home with a sherrif next door and the dog that guards my houe during the day. But I still lock everything up real good when I am out and about. Elk, what do you think about the Krypton 6' cable locks? I have one I use to "hobble" the bike, making it a real PITA for even two guys to wrestle around. I also put a lock on each disc and cable lock it when I have to leave the bike sitting in the truck or on the trailer. Insurance is mandatory too.

Thieves are the bottom of the barrel, lower than a snakes belly in a tire rut bastages. I agree, people work hard and save long to get these toys and the gear associated with them, only to have some loser sob come along and snatch it away from them. It's a tragic thing we have to go to these lengths to protect that which is ours. :|

 

[a454elk]

Roost, any lock is better than no lock. Insurance, YES, it's been posted before and I've got mine, $70 a year for theft coverage.

 

[Rooster]

It's kinda funny, when you see my bike on the trailer there are locks dangling off of everything! I do that with the hopes that a would be thief will see it, throw the bolt cutters back in his truck and say "forget it, I aint got time to cut all that!" :p :)

 

[TwinSpar]

I run a chain through the frame and the aluminum stand. It makes one hell of a racket putting it on and taking it off. I also lock it down with Kryptonite U-Locks and cables. I also have an outdoor dog that is vocal when it comes to things snooping around the house.

 

[MoO_coW]

We use the best method, making our house look like more work to break into than what they would get out of it :moon:

 

[bsmith]

I need to start locking things up, just last night the 520 spent the night outside, next to the quadraped, and close to the cars with the keys in them with the windows cracked :scream:
I even got ripped off last spring :think: I guess I should learn :ugg:
But my friends YZ 400 spent the night locked up with my dogs :think:

{note to self} who needs to drive around and window shop, with post like that they just need to know who I really am :scream:

 

[RM_guy]

Good info Elk. I have an alarm system and the security company stickers and signs around the house. We had a lot of late night drive bys and hang up phone calls several years ago and once I got the security system installed they stopped. Crooks want an easy place to break into. They're not the brightest group of folks and they'd rather steal stuff that's left out and unlocked.

Another trick for your roll up garage door is to take a 2x4 or 4x4 and wedge it between the top of the door and the ceiling. Locks can be picked but there’s no way to open the door with the wood blocking it shut.

 

[IrishEKU]

Elkie had another good point in mind with the bushes. I had a Loss Prevention class last semester and there are alot of mean an scratchy bushes that are pretty hardy and can live in various climates. It was expounded that the more difficult it is to get to your windows, the less likley a theif will try. Another thing you can do is get some mirrored/regular tint for your garage windows, it explains its self.

 

[zio]

Originally posted by MoO_coW
We use the best method, making our house look like more work to break into than what they would get out of it :moon:

Hey MoO,

So that's your washing machine on the front "lawn"? I use the term lawn loosely, as yours looks more like the high desert, but I see there is a hose & sprinkler that've been there since before I moved in next door, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. ;)

 

[Tod]

Another trick for your roll up garage door

we stick a lock through the door track, close to a roller to slow 'em down

 

[moose377]

i have never had this problem before i guess it is because i live in the sticks where the closest neighbor is about 2 miles away. but i still keep my shop locked up but i keep my keys in my truck and have never had anything stolen out here

 

[ochster]

Good post Elk! I carry disposable camera's in the rig's, and have one handy at home. I take snap shots of every interesting person and rig, that strolls down my street. I don't bother to have them developed, but if a need ever arised, you would have them. I believe the fact that the "opportunist" are aware someone is taking thier picture, is in itself a deterent.

 

[Farmer John]

Originally posted by zio
I moved in next door,

.....so that's what you call it when your van breaks down on the way to the river & you can't afford to repair it. "Moving in". Never thought of it that way before. :thumb:

 

[dirty~d~]

Just slightly off topic... I hear ya Elk. I just spent all day Monday repairing and cleaning up the damage some punk did to my truck because he/she decided that they just HAD to help themselves to my stuff.

$220 - new passenger door window (don't get me started my insurance company)
$400+ - replace cds
$200 - replace BROKEN cd player (cause they couldn't get it out of the dash)
Lost wages for the day (maybe)

Gotta love people with sticky finger syndrom. I'd like to volunteer to help them fix that problem with my dad's 45. :debil: Come here dude, it won't hurt too much. Just hold out your left hand and look away... this could get messy. :flame:

 

[Howser03]

I hate how in these days anything we come up with that will hurt the person that's gonna steal out stuff gets us in deep ****. Lets say we had a dog that attacked and bit the guy up real bad, we will get sued and probably lose. I heard a story a couple years ago about a guy that kept getting his stereo stolen, so he put razor blades on the back of it. The thief low-life ends up cutting up his hands and winning a lawsuit. I wish it can go back to the days where we can actually defend ourselves without having to factor in losing our entire life's savings :|

 

[Tod]

....with my dad's 45.

Hey kiddo, a young lady like yourself should have one of your own :thumb:

 

[jmics19067]

good post!!!! besides the fact of keeping your good fortune as concealed as possible also keep your security procedure a secret.

The old saying is that "a lock only keeps the honest thieves out". A profesional thief can get thru most common security measures if he know they are there. Small simple things that either surprise or provide an unexpected delay to the thief can greatly augment your security measures.

 

[bigred455]

My shed was broken into 2 weeks ago,riding mower and weed wacker were still there.I was washing my bike the night before,Little did they know I keep my bike in the garage.The cop told me it was someone I know,Cant be I told him, everyone knows I keep it in my garage.The feeling is not good having your bike almost ripped off,I kept listening for the garage door to open.I went to home depot and had them cut me a 10 FT LENGTH chain their thickest.I lock it up to a steel girder in the basement,sure it can be cut with bolt cutters ,but my bedroom is above the garage as soon as they start to move that chain i can hear it.I have had a bike every year for 16 yrs,this is the first time any scum bag tried to take it.Just because you do not live in the project's does mean you are safe. HOW ******* DARE THEM. :| :|

 

[70 marlin]

What's up ELK? something come up missing? I live next to a major highway. when I built there I ask the weighmaster how many people travel the highway? he said something like 3.5 million vechicle pass buy in a year jezz. what went through my head to put my house there? must of been why I got the land so cheap. back to the thread. this is the way I live & deal with it. no windows on pole barn, no outside lighting left on all night, lock every thing that can be, question everybody the stops long enough for me to talk to them " on my little road service dr. not high way" never leave valued items where it can be seen, had privaticy burm & hedges installed and most of all insure insure insure every thing! :uh: oww ya I frogot I have a big black mean german shepard that paces back and forth in front of my door that's not on a line :thumb:

 

[dirty~d~]

Originally posted by Tod


Hey kiddo, a young lady like yourself should have one of your own :thumb:

It's on my wish-list for Christmas. ;) :thumb:

 

[Camstyn]

I got attack dogs.. With bees in their mouths, so when they bark they shoot bees at you!

I don't even like unloading or loading my bike on the front yard, on the driveway.. Too many drive bys, looky-loos. Whenever it's outside (washing it) I do it around back, out of sight from the road. Only good friends that I can trust get to come inside the garage, anyone else and I can't help but be suspicious that they may be casing the joint.

 

[DANIEL JOSEPH]

I got one freind that runs a motion detector light inside his garage. If anything moves inside it lights up with double flood lights.

On another note just found out yesterday some helped themselves to about $5000 of charges on my charge card this past weekend. Crooks are everywhere not just in your garage.

 

[jmics19067]

Big red,

dont think you are safe becasue of the chain. Unfortunately I had the misfortune of having 2 bikes stolen from me. The first one was an old beater I had chained up outside my apartment. Kinda new that that was going to happen but.... The second bike really hurt not even a year old wr 400 in a locked garage with 1/2 chain and a BIG lock. Whoever took that one knew my old system pretty well since they came with enough stuff to break into the garage and snap the lock< must have been some pretty big bolt cutters> Everthing was fine when my wife went to bed around 2 am and when I woke up at 730 having my coffee outside I found a rude discovery.
Was a bad scene wife almost packed up the family and left me since I freaked her out so much by living in the garage with a loaded shotgun for a week afterwards. I was so freakin angry I was scaring her bad.

Little bit of free theft deterrent advice, when you service the bike after you ride leave the seat and tank off the bike when it is locked up and put away. Not much of a hassle to put the bike together before you ride but helps make it more of a nuisance for a thief. 1 big chain and lock only needsa bigger pair of bolt cutters but a lot of littlle pad locks and more lengths of chain take more time for the thief. Anything that involves taking time helps, I like the idea of parking the car right in front of the garage door. Even if you have a roll up door if you park the car close enough it helps block the hole up nicely, and place your garbage cans<preferably loud metal ones> in the way also.

 

[RM_guy]

Originally posted by DANIEL JOSEPH
...On another note just found out yesterday some helped themselves to about $5000 of charges on my charge card this past weekend...

Oh yeah Dan, thank you for the new bike :aj:


I had a friend that left her credit card at the check out counter at a local mall. The cashier took it and ran up $3500 worth of charges with in 1 hour right in the same mall. Not only was the theft of the card on video but all of the purchases were on video at the other stores.