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I’ve never had any of my bikes or gear stolen before but know people who have and it does suck. My cousins actually had their gear stolen from their front lawn and in this post, I’ll share some theft prevention tips.
Making sure your dirt bike is stored in a safe place really isn’t that hard. As long as you don’t leave your bike and gear laying around the yard and you don’t have your garage door open for the world to see, you should probably be okay.
I’ve heard stories about guys getting their bike stolen right out of their truck. I don’t know the exact situation or how long the bike was left unattended but it really can happen that quick. If the bike is in your truck don’t let it sit there for long! It’s just going to tempt someone to come and take it for a ride.
Most dirt bikes don’t require keys and are easy things to take to ride or to sell to someone else. That’s why I always lock my bike up. It doesn’t matter if it’s in my truck, garage, or shed, I’m making that thing as hard as possible to take.
Even if you do have your bike inside the garage or house, you should probably do a few additional things to be 100% positive nobody is going to take the thing away from you. Let’s jump into them:
How Do You Prevent Dirt Bike Theft?
Here are some of the ways you can make sure your dirt bike doesn’t get stolen. You don’t have to do all of them (I don’t myself) but the more you can do the better you’ll be:
Keep your bike in your house away from windows. This is the first and easiest thing you should do. Don’t leave your bike out in the shed because that’s probably pretty easy to break into. Put it in the garage and keep it away from any windows. You never know who’s looking through your garage window at night looking for something good. If they can see the bike from the window that’ll increase the chance of it being stolen.
Get an alarm for your garage. The next thing you should do is put an alarm system or camera in your garage. People probably aren’t expecting an alarm to go off when they’re breaking into a garage so there’s a good chance they’ll be scared off. If they do happen to stick around and you have a camera, there’s a decent chance you’ll be able to see what they look like.
Chain or lock your bike. When your bike is sitting in your garage you might as well lock it up or chain it to something. The best thing to do would be to get a ground anchor and chain it to that but anything is better than nothing. It doesn’t matter where I am because I always have my bike locked up. If it’s in my garage it’s locked to something heavy and it’s also locked to the truck with a bike lock when I’m traveling somewhere.
Don’t clean/ride your bike in the front yard. This one is kind of obvious but I see people doing it all the time. What do you think will happen if you’re out showing the world your brand new dirt bike. Riding it up and down the street and washing it on the front lawn. Guess what, you’ve just shown the world what’s sitting inside your garage or shed. You really don’t know who’s around you at any given time so be smart and wash the bike in the back.
Don’t let someone ride it without collateral. If you’re thinking about selling your bike make sure you get collateral when someone is testing it out. Make sure they leave their car keys and drivers license to make sure they don’t run off with it. Remember, most dirt bikes don’t need keys so they can be used by anyone. Hell, even if your buddy takes it for a spin, get that collateral!
Write down the bike numbers. It’s always smart to write down or keep your receipt papers to be able to prove it’s your bike if it gets stolen. If you don’t know your numbers it’ll be really tough to be able to prove someone has your dirt bike. If you can show the cops the engine or chassis number and you have a receipt for the purchase it’ll be tough arguing against you.
Get insurance for your bike. This is kind of the last resort option if you want to be as safe as possible. If you’re going to be spending thousands of dollars on a new toy it’s probably a good idea to get insurance on it. It won’t stop someone from stealing your bike but it will give you peace of mind.
How To Lock Your Dirt Bike In A Truck?
This is something I always do when I’m traveling with my bike. This way I don’t have to keep an eye on it 24/7 and have the peace of mind that she’ll be okay. If you just use straps to secure your bike in the truck, it literally can take 30 seconds for someone to jump in, undo the straps, unload the bike, and be on their way.
All I do is use a chain and lock or bike lock to attach to the truck. I’ll loop the chain through the rim and lock it onto the loop on the side of the truck bed. It’s not 100% secure but it’ll give the burglar something to think about. It’s really simple and those locks are cheap so there’s really no reason to not do it.
How To Keep Your Dirt Bike Helmet From Getting Stolen?
Your dirt bike helmet is a lot more likely to get stolen than your bike. It’s just so much easier to take and it can be sold for some decent cash. If it’s sitting in the back of your truck you’re just asking for someone to come take it.
My cousins actually had 2 sets of bike gear stolen from their front lawn. Helmet, boots, pants, and gloves. They were wet and were left out in the sun to dry. They went into the house for an hour or so and came back to find their stuff gone. Worse yet, they lived in a cul de sac so don’t think it can’t happen to you.
Keep the helmet away from any windows if you’re storing it in your garage. Put your helmet in the cab of your vehicle when you’re not using it instead of out in the open. If you’re parked somewhere lock your helmet to your bike with the same bike lock you used to lock the bike to your truck. Do those things and you’ll most likely never have a problem.
Let me know your thoughts and any questions you have. Like this article? Feel free to give it a share!
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