| On the whole, motorcycle owners put more love and | | | | and receive notification of threats. Unfortunately, |
| care into their machinesthan do owners of cars or | | | | battery life for many ofthese two-way pagers is |
| trucks. That "love and care" directly translates | | | | limited to about 1 month, and the pagersthemselves |
| intohundreds of dollars spent on customizations and | | | | can be easily broken by a simple fall from your pants |
| maintenance. Sadly, between | | | | pocket. Two-waysystems also may drain a bike's |
| 30,000 to 50,000 bikes are stolen each year in the | | | | battery quickly unless you ride it daily. Even so, |
| United States alone (based ontheft rates from 2000 | | | | forsome people the convenience aspect may |
| through 2005). And to think, many of these thefts | | | | outweigh the negatives for some bikeowners. |
| could havebeen prevented with a little common | | | | Tracking Systems As of 2005, some companies have |
| sense and security. | | | | come out with GPStracking systems for bikes that |
| Common Sense This should go without saying, but | | | | allow a stolen bike to be traced. While |
| don't leave the keys inthe ignition or the motor | | | | trackingsystems do have merits over other types of |
| running when you're not on the bike! Never leave | | | | security, there are three importantdownsides that |
| yourbike in a dimly lit, hard to see location. Put the | | | | must be considered: (1) battery drain on the bike, (2) |
| bike in your locked garage when youare at home. | | | | service area |
| Locks and Chains One item every bike owner should | | | | (tracking) coverage, and (3) monthly cost. |
| purchase is a thick | | | | Most tracking systems require you to pay not only |
| U-lock or chain that can be easily spotted by anyone, | | | | for the product itself but alsoeach and every month |
| day or night. This is a must-have, unless its so big | | | | to keep the "service contract" alive. The long term |
| that it's impossible to tote around with you. Simply | | | | cost oftracking systems may leave a bad taste in |
| wrappingyour chain through a wheel and your bike | | | | the mouth of the average bike owner. |
| frame is not enough -- you have tomount the bike to | | | | Think about how much you already pay per month |
| a sturdy pole or clamp mounted in concrete. If the | | | | (phone bill, mobile phone,internet, etc.) and you can |
| bike isn'tmounted to a stationary object, a thief could | | | | see why tacking on another subscription is |
| just pack up your bike in a truck anddrive away. | | | | costprohibitive. |
| Electronic Alarms Most modern bikes (larger than a | | | | LoJack is one tracking system manufacturer who |
| scooter) have someform of factory immobilization | | | | does not charge any monthly fees,but their least |
| that prevents casual theft, but such immobilizersalone | | | | expensive bike system runs $595 and traceability is |
| won't stop a determined thief. It's therefore best to | | | | limited to thecoverage area of wireless towers |
| consider an electronicsecurity system, often called an | | | | installed by LoJack and some police stations. |
| "alarm." A good alarm system does more than | | | | Onceyour LoJack "protected" vehicle exits the |
| justmake noise, it has circuitry that prevents false | | | | coverage area, its off the map and nottraceable. Of |
| triggers, adds secondary points ofimmobilization, and | | | | course, LoJack will refund the price of the product, |
| sounds a loud siren only when a threat against your | | | | but that refunddoesn't replace your bike. Nor does |
| bike is real. | | | | that refund cover any special installation feesyou |
| Some have digital tilt sensors, shock sensors and | | | | might have paid or any insurance deductible you |
| other sensors that trip the systeminto action. One | | | | might have. |
| excellent electronic alarm from Japan is the CYCLONE | | | | Conclusion Use a layered approach to security. |
| 866F: The Japanese manufacturer of Cyclone also | | | | Common sense dictatesthat you put your bike in a |
| offers a 1-waypaging system that instantly alerts you | | | | location that is not an obvious target for thieves. |
| when a threat occurs. The system is alsoclaimed to | | | | You'llthen need a chain or U-lock to prevent casual |
| be very low-power, eliminating worry of your battery | | | | theft. And lastly, even if your bikehas a factory |
| being drained. | | | | immobilizer, the addition of an electronic alarm or |
| Two-way Paging Alarms Over the last 3 years, some | | | | tracking system willact as a significant deterrent to |
| electronic alarmshave begun to include 2-way pagers. | | | | theft. |
| These systems allow you to both control thealarm | | | | |