Locked down | MCN's top tips and tricks for keeping your motorcycle safe in the city

Keeping your motorcycle safe and secure in urban areas can be a major source of anxiety for motorcyclists. For good reason too, bike theft has become increasingly prevalent. This means it’s more important than ever to exercise a vigilant and proactive approach to keeping light-fingered thieves away from your pride and joy.

Having ridden a motorcycle to many corners of the globe, it’s safe to say that I’ve had plenty of experience when it comes to on-street parking, whether that’s in London or Lagos. With that, I’ve established a few important steps that you can follow too.

Cover up to keep your bike out of sight

Prevention is said to be better than cure, and in terms of stopping theft, the same applies. The best way to ensure your bike stays where you left it is to keep it out of sight and away from prying eyes.

Motorcycle covers come in all kinds of sizes to suit a range of bikes, from small scooters to adventure behemoths. Not only will this item help keep your bike safe, but it will also keep your bike dry if you opt for one of the many waterproof options out there.

It’s best to keep it simple when it comes to covers, avoid flashy logos or anything too premium-looking. A £1000 commuter hack looks the same as a £25,000 superbike if there’s a basic black cover concealing it. Unshaped offerings that drape over your motorcycle, such as Favoto Motorbike Cover are great for this, and at a glance, you’d have a hard time working out what’s underneath them.

Portable lock options for convenient security

As the saying goes, ‘locks only keep honest people out’. This is certainly true when it comes to motorcycle security and ultimately, no matter how much Thatcham approved goodness you bestow your machine with, an angle grinder-wielding thief will always win given enough time.

Time is the key word here. Your bike’s standard steering lock will hold up for all of about 20 seconds against someone armed with nothing more than a poor approach to social responsibility.

A sturdy disc lock, such as Oxford’s Alpha XA14 Alarmed Disc Lock offers a convenient means of slowing thieves down, whilst also drawing attention to their activities.

Many options, including the above-mentioned Oxford are alarmed too, meaning that not only will an angle grinder be needed to liberate you of your pride and joy, but those attempting to do so will have to put up with a crowd-alerting alarm screeching at them.

In terms of providing maximum convenience, a disc lock is hard to beat, and most will even fit into your jacket pocket.

Heavy duty locks offer more serious protection

If possible, it’s best to carry a chain lock and use it to secure your machine to an immoveable object such as a lamp post or railing (when permitted to do so).

Sporting a lock through either wheel, a motorcycle cannot be easily wheeled away, but there’s nothing stopping criminals from simply lifting it into a van and speeding away.

If your bike will be parked predominantly in one spot in the city, e.g at work or home, then it may be worth leaving a heavy-duty chain (or two) in place.

Full-size locks, e.g. those that allow you to fix your machine to something come in a range of price points, security levels and weights.

If you’re on the move constantly, a lightweight option, such as the Litelock Gold Moto (available for £139.99) are convenient and unintrusive.

Oxford’s HD Chain Lock (£38.90) weighs in at just 4.7kg too, and the padlock can be used as a standalone disc lock – which is pretty neat.

Mix it up

No one option mentioned here offers absolute security, and your best bet is to employ multiple lines of defence. A cover keeps eyes off and should always be used when possible, especially overnight. If I could only employ one security device, the humble cover wins my vote.

Pair this with a disc lock and you’ve now got a bike that is not only hard to spot, but impossible to simply wheel away too. Now, if you add a sturdy chain into the mix, preferably securing your ride to a fixed point, then you have a real challenge for any light-fingered scum in the area, and all but the most determined will likely look elsewhere.

Whatever security devices you go for, just remember that it’s all ultimately a means of deterrent and time-buying. If your bike is suitably protected, using some of the products mentioned above, it will hopefully be less attractive to pinch than a lesser protected machine, and sometimes, that’s the best you can hope for.

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