How do you secure your bike at home if you can't do it inside...

[FUSE]

Hey guys. I did a search and came up with nothing.

I live in a Townhouse, no garage. I have two dirtbikes that I would really like to keep. How do you suggest securing them? I was thinking of digging a hole in the ground, fill it with cement with some kind of anchor in it. Then buy the best chain lock from my local motorcycle shop and secure them to the cement block in the ground.

Are there any other easier ways to do this? How do you folks that don't have a garage secure your bikes?

 

[jefpel_1213]

Get a shed and put it in your yard. put the two bikes in and tie them together with heavy duty chain and a heavy duty lock. Finnally secure them to the ground and put a lock on the outside of the shed

 

[kdx200chick]

you could rent a small unit. It would be a great place to store tools as well.

 

[FruDaddy]

I used to keep them in the kitchen.

 

[ls1cameric]

I used to keep them in the kitchen.

+1 I've known people to park a bike in the living room or dining room. I guess as long as you dont live in an apt and have to haul them upstairs it will suffice.

The concrete block in the ground is the first thing i thought of before I opened the post though. Thats will work good. :cool:

 

[DYsLeXiC2]

I Built a shed, but before I put the walls up I pile drove a 6 foot steel bar (1 inch thick) into the ground and welded a big fat hook on it....does your Townhouse have a yard?

 

[FUSE]

I Built a shed, but before I put the walls up I pile drove a 6 foot steel bar (1 inch thick) into the ground and welded a big fat hook on it....does your Townhouse have a yard?

No not really, and because of the Home Owners Association I can't build a shed or anything like that. I think a large concrete block buried in the ground a foot or two with an anchor in it will work. Thanks everybody.

 

[Green Horn]

I wouldn't worry about a would be thief trying to pull a concrete block out of the ground, but I WOULD worry about them cutting a chain or cable lock. Sorry but IMO it's just waiting to happen. Not to mention dangling a dirtbike from a chain is kinda like dangling a worm from a hook; know what I mean? ;) I think the only two really good ideas posted were to keep 'em inside your townhome or pony up for a storage unit. This may sound callous of me, but I'm not gonna feel real sorry for you when you post in a few months that your motorcycles were stolen.

 

[wirefryer#85]

Fuse,

While a storage unit would be excellent for security and weather proof along with it, if that can't be an option and you must go with the concrete-in-the-ground set up, at least look at the Harley D side of the riding world and see what they have to offer as far as retention systems. They have raised the bar quite high to keep the bike right where they left it.

There are several companies that sell cable lock set-ups that claim to be everything short of cutting torch proof and even offer alarms and whatnot.

Still, like Greehorn said, worms on a hook! If they want it bad enough, they'll damn sure get it! At least most storage joints are insured and have cameras and ugly dogs to keep things from running off, plus you would have a place to do maintenance and even fire them up, I would imagine that is against the Homeowners ASSociation (don't get me started :bang: ) rules.

#85

 

[FUSE]

Ya know, I do have a storage unit place less than 2 miles from my house, I'm gonna check with them tomorrow to see how much. That might be my best bet, plus my wife and neighbors would probably like for me to clean up under my deck...

 

[ellandoh]

this deck is it off the ground far enough to put bikes under it?? if so build some walls around it, maybe add a door ;)

 

[trevor9a]

There are actually storage units out there that let you work on your bike? I would think they would discourage that. Also, if you get one make sure you have some kind of insurance. Storage units are well known for smash and grabs. Thieves will break into a complex at night and clean out as many units as they can. Load up a truck and be gone.

 

[trakkerman]

Chain 'em to a pit bull in the backyard.

 

[FUSE]

Stopped by the local storage place today. OMG!!! $220 a month. Sorry but I'll spend 500 bucks to redo underneath my deck encorperating something to secure the bikes. I fence maybe around my property with an electric fence for a bull sounds like it might work... I'll figure something out. Man $220 a month, that's a lot. Ahh, the joys of living next to the Nations Capitol...

 

[KaTooMer]

There are actually storage units out there that let you work on your bike?

I'm storing my bikes in one now (Public Storage), and they don't seem to care. I string an extension cord across the driveway for electricity, use halogen lights and even a kerosene heater in the winter. Only problem I ever had was when the snowplow came through while I was working in there.

Have been washing the bikes there too...not sure how long that's going to last when they figure out who's been leaving a big pile of mud right next to the entrance gate. :think:

 

[2stroke]

I had to chime in on this one! I have been in that same situation in the past.

One thing is to use a variety of devices. If you are limited to securing them outside....
The thing is anything can be defeated. I used (seriously) about 7 different cables/utility locks/chains etc....all at once.
Remember PeeWees big adventure? thats about it.

Ive got these big utility locks, meant for locking up ladders at construction sites and such....they form a box so to speak, and I ran them thru the frames so that I locked the bikes together.....some shrouded locks thru the sprokets against the chains so they dont roll. A BIG chain and lock and some cable types as well.

I had even rigged the tarp that covered them with a mercury switch and a Radio Shack alarm, but that proved troublesome.

Again, nothing is tamper proof but Im confident my setup would have frustrated the average jerk with a pair of bolt cutters. Or at least slowed them down enough....who knows.

 

[Rhein]

I would do a ground anchor and chain lock from here: http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/index.php

 

[kmccune]

Chain them to the deck, it sounds like they fit under it. Do you have insurance? If they cut your house apart to get the bikes, my $.02 says they are covered.

 

[JWW]

When I was in your situation I locked my bike to the deck post with a Kryptonite cable and a heavy loack and chain. I also covered them with a sheet and rolled the bbq in front of it.

One bit of advice on storage units. Make sure you get the insurance and keep it current. I moved out of state for my job and put a ton of stuff in storage for one year. I signed a contract for one year that included insurance. Exactly one year and two weeks later the storage unit was broken into and I lost alot of stuff. Because I failed to renew my contract I lost the insurance.

 

[mdkuder]

I have an 1/2" eyebolt threaded into an anchor in the garage floor and cables running through the frames of my bikes. What else is in the garage but a cutting torch, die grinder, hack saw, etc........ Also your insurance probably doesn't cover your off road bikes, at least mine doesn't unless it's disassembled, so you have to buy separate insurance for each of them.