Protecting Your Investment

[zchiefn31]

Hopefully we never fall prey to those who wish to steal our bikes. What anti-theft devices are available for the Victory's?

[GatorJoe]

Just bought the Digital Guard Dawg Keyless Ignition System for my XC, no more worries about Hot Wiring it which is pretty easy to do on a Victory ..

[BBob]

There is an optional fork lock for the X bikes or you can use a disk lock.

[TNXR]

I don't worry about it, that is why I have insurance. Even if someone don't steal it they can seriously mess up the bike or steal parts off of it if they want to. Have you seen how much the plastic side covers cost for the X bikes? Over $300 a piece and someone can have both pulled out in 5 seconds and be gone!

[zchiefn31]

Thanks guys for your replies. I'll decide what besides insurance will give me additional piece of mind.

[ftwflh]

At home a good dog that barks and a loaded fire arm and the will to use it do good.

[Pop]

It's almost entirely a piece of mind issue. If they want it, and they have wanted two of mine so far, they are going to get it.
Insurance is the only tool available to sleep at night safe in the knowledge that you will ride again. What you can do is figure out what, if any, anti theft products will lower your premium.
I have a floor plate I fashioned out of SS plate and set in concrete with SS one way hardware. I use an Abus Granit disc lock with alloy chain through the floor plate. The garage is alarmed and double bolt locked. I figure that it would take a couple of pros about five minutes to have the bike in the truck. They could care less about my dog or my guns if I'm not home and if they decide that my bike is going to be their bike then they will know when I am not at home.
If you want to feel better about it, Vics are not high on a pro's shopping list. They are not cheap however and opportunity is crack to a petty thief. Lock your bike in public with a very visible lock. It doesn't have to be worth a damn, just yellow or some hi viz color. That will keep the half drunk pinheads from just jumping aboard at a swap meet but nothing can be done to stop the guys who are tooled up and hellbent.

[mtsiview]

I bought and installed a Scorpio alarm, which has ignition (or fuel pump) shut off, perimeter sensor, tilt, shock, and ignition (for hot wire or if you leave the key in) and proximity remote. It took some shoehorning to get it in with all the ABS stuff in the way, but well worth the effort. The perimeter sensor is what turns them away...I love it. The remote signals you of any alarm within a reasonable distance (a couple hundred feet) but the siren and flashing lights will scare away all but the most determined.

[ALStensby]

I have the Digital Guard Dog on mine as well and it always stay in my garage when I'm not out riding. If I'm going somewhere over night, I have a fork lock I'll bring with if I'm not sure of the area I'm staying. Other than that, it's all on insurance since if they want it bad enough, they'll get it.

[J_Undisputed]

I have the scorpio i900 on my old bike. It worked well with the Rfid. Till i lost the key fob on a spirited ride. $100 for a replacement. I'll let the next owner replace it.

On the Vic, I got one of those super thick and heavy kryptonite chains , shackle and a Xena Disc Lock with the built in alarm. The alarm is a little sensitive, but plenty loud. The chain weighs a ton. Without storage or a back pad/sissy bar to loop it over it will weigh on your shoulder during long rides.

To anyone interested, Tips from a former Bike thief said:
- Disc Locks are more effective being placed on the rear rotor. (More time consuming to remove the wheel)
-Tie it down, to prevent lifting into a van. Try to run any chains through the frame. (cutting the frame to get the chain off is unlikely) Keep any chains taught enough that its elevated and hangs high. (For many thieves with clippers that lack the muscle to clip the krypto chains, will try to place one of the handles against the ground and use both hands & body weight as leverage on the other handle).
-Fork locks can be rather easy to pop manually (Sport bikes).
-Most thieves prefer to ride the bike away. Clean up and conceal your wiring. (preferred method before was for the thief to bring their own ignition module with matching key for a popular models, pull the wires (color coded) on the bike's ignition. Wire the the new one and turn the key and ride away.)

The longer it takes, the more likely the thieves will look for an easier target. As Pop said we're already low on the desired list. High powered sports and HD's are at the top, then come customs and the rest.