Disk lock on front or rear wheel
 

So, having read a long article by an ex motorcycle thief where he advices to put the disk lock on the rear wheel as thieves might bring a spare wheel for the front and swap it before wheeling the bike off.

Reason being that a front wheel on a generic bike with chain etc is more difficult to swap.

However, on a BMW the rear wheel is as easy, if not easier, as the front to swap, so what is really the best way of locking up your bike?

Cheers V

I feel if someone is going to go through the trouble to swap a wheel in order to steal your bike it won't matter which end the lock is on.

I would also say the front of an R11S would be harder to swap and the bike would be much harder to drag.

Read about a bloke who had the disc lock on the front wheel and forgot to remove it before taking off - completely mangled the CF front guard which he had to replace...

Been there, done that! Replaced the fender, but not before I bought a "REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT" lanyard for the lock and my key ring. No problems since then...lol.

To the OP, I'd put some money on HD's being targets of many thefts. Perhaps removing front wheels on those bikes is easier and "substitute" wheels with correct axle size are more available. ;)

Removing the front wheel on a twin disc front isn't exactly a two minute task. When traveling I've always asked for permission to park near the covered motel entry, one manager actually gave me permission to put my bike in the lobby (I declined...lol).

Question makes me wonder if there are any statistics about which motorcycle brands are the most stolen? I wouldn't know since I don't steal anything! LOL

Cheers!

My R1100S was recovered yesterday after 2 months "on the road" [emoji33]


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Very common! My bike has a scar like that from the previous owner.

Good news! Have they said what condition it's in?

Already recovered, a bit rusty and dirty but only the ignition lock barrel damaged. Can lock the handlebars as well as turn on ignition using a spoon :D

I recently helped my neighbor fit one of these to his bike. (He's "all thumbs" :rolleyes:)

Very particle and if you forget to remove it, it wont wreck your caliper.

RoadLok Motorcycle Security System. Brought you by Kenma Australia, Performance Motorcycle Accessories.

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I put a kryptonite loop on the front disc. If someone defeats that they were going to take it, no matter what, anyway.

Sorry to hear, Victor.

General question for all - Do any of the R1100Ss have ignition keys with chips? I thought BMW started using them in 2004.

no chips on the 1100s thank god
just on r1200xx 2005 and later
they are a total pain.

Never forget to take it off. If you wreck the front fender, and choose to put another OEM on, the fender runs $729.61

although most bike thefts are a short lived joy ride, the real pros that take motorcycles don't really care much about the locks. they're going to hoist the bike into a truck/van and deal with those issues later.
i once did an article with a "former" bike thief.
we locked the bike with a cable through the frame and around a steel pole, added a motion detecting alarm, a disc lock and locked the forks.
it only took him 17 seconds from the time he rolled up to the bike to the time it was inside his van with the doors closed.
if they want it, they'll take it.
fortunately most bmw's aren't high on the thief shopping list.

Io read a long article by a former bike thief and his point of view was that vans were very uncommon, mainly because the bike itself is a better get away vehicle that can out manoeuvre any police car. The last thing a professional bike thief wants is getting caught hence they avoid the slowest vehicle around, the van. They do a lot of research and preparation before stealing a bike and almost always have a buyer standing by. Unless it's a joyride...


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my guy said the opposite: get it and quickly get it out sight so you can fuss with it later.
it's not like they're in a pursuit or shoot-out.
get the bike in the van and take your time getting back to the shop.
his point was that you can't outrun a police radio, regardless of how fast the bike is.

he did mention that he also had a "shopping list" from customers on bike and color. colleges were a good source, as were manufacturing plants.
this was quite a few years ago that we did this piece, but i did recently see the inside of a guy's van at the grocery store (back door open) and you clearly see the electric winch and the ceiling beam it rode on.
i would image they have a good story as to why that's in there if they're stopped (without a bike in there).

chalk it up to different thieves, different methods.
it's not like they go to school to learn.

Have a read here, very interesting and informative: https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/comments/t5shp/ex_thief_chopshop_operator_ama

https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/comments/t5shp/ex_thief_chopshop_operator_ama


EDIT: haha... beat me to it!!

Front wheel is harder to remove than rear wheel on a R1100s. That being said if somebody really wants the bike, they just use a couple of 2x4's and lift the whole bike up and take it away.

Locks work OK for the folks that just want to mess around with the bike, but if somebody is hell bent on stealing the bike, there is always a way.

Is that really true???

It's about making it as difficult as possible for a potential thief hoping he goes on to the next bike which is less securely locked up :)


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I use this disc lock from Hornig: https://www.motorcycleparts-hornig.com/BMW-R-1200-S-and-HP2-Sport/Accessories-Paint-protection/Disc-Lock-RK8.html