Installed my "RoadLok" today...

[ROADKILL]

Inquiring minds want to know.  What does the roadloc actually do ?  Locks the front wheel from turning ?  Our bikes come with a steering lock... so is the roadloc just another measure of security?  Or am I missing something here ?

Nothing is going to deter a thief from stealing a motorcycle, the steering lock is a joke (it can be snapped off in less than a second) the Roadlok will work if there's only one bad guy...two or more the bike is gone. I know a guy that had his bike stolen - he even helped the guy load in on the trailer - he used a fake cashiers check to buy the bike.

[RoadStarRaider]

[dukedomain]

Inquiring minds want to know.  What does the roadloc actually do ?  Locks the front wheel from turning ?  Our bikes come with a steering lock... so is the roadloc just another measure of security?  Or am I missing something here ?

Nothing is going to deter a thief from stealing a motorcycle, the steering lock is a joke (it can be snapped off in less than a second) the Roadlok will work if there's only one bad guy...two or more the bike is gone. I know a guy that had his bike stolen - he even helped the guy load in on the trailer - he used a fake cashiers check to buy the bike.

That's where my intrigue turns to disinterest, if they want your bike they'll take it if it's bolted to the asphalt.

[Kit Sullivan]

  That is all true: if a thief really wants your bike and there is opportunity, they will get it regardless of any anti-theft device you might have installed.
   This is really a deterrant...hopefully it mskes the bike unnattractive and the would-be thief moves on to an easier target.

  It reminds me of "The Club", those steering wheel bar locks. I once heard that a skilled car thief says "Shit! The Club! This is going to take me an extra 3 seconds!".

  The only place I ever leave my bike outside unnattended is where other bikes gather: biker bars, bike rallies...things like that. Athief would go unnoticed in plain sight messing with a bike at a place like that.
  I figure the steering lock and the RoadLok together just might make it too troublesome, and they would move to easier prey.

[CHROMINATOR]

You got it Kit, I got the RoadLok as a deterrent, not as a fool proof means in keeping my bike.  If a thief wants it he is going to get it.  I don't want him to take anyone's bike but if he must my train of thought is take the other guys bike, not mine... 

[Fiddles]

  if it is not easy to get hopefully the thief moves on to the next bike

[RaidWA]

In my opinion, what it really comes down to is everyone's individual storage/parking arrangement. One has to think like a thief with whatever motorcycle security measure they put in place. In the case of Roadlok for example, I spent some time thinking about how someone would steal my bike with it installed. I came up with a few options:

- He would disconnect the RL from the caliper by undoing the two bolts that hold it in place. Then raising the front wheel with a small jack under the front of the frame, he would rotate the wheel until the RL locking pin is easy to access before working to cut it off and free the RL. RL says on their web site that they had to pass some stringent European regulations regarding the strength of the pin, in order to be allowed to sell there, so I expect the pin to be extremely strong and require power tools to cut it off.

- In the above scenario, after freeing RL from the caliper, instead of cutting the pin, a quicker method would be to remove the front wheel, then remove the locked rotor, re-install the wheel, put a clamp on the brake line for the missing rotor, tie the caliper to the fork, re-install the wheel and leave.

- If he has scouted the bike well, he could simply bring a complete Raider wheel himself, swap it in, and leave in less than 10 minutes.

- He could lift the Raider into a van, but even 4 guys won't be enough for the job; they would each have to lift over 180lbs high enough off the ground to get the bike into the van. Please read the Reddit thread from a motorcycle thief I recently linked in the general sub-forum. Contrary to popular belief, most bikes are ridden away.


In my specific case, none of the above 4 are likely. I live in a practically zero-crime neighborhood and my home has an attached garage where the Raider is parked. I ride the bike only on weekends and even then, my only stop is for gas on the way home; the bike is never unattended. The only time it's ever unattended is during the occasional trip to the office (I work from home) which too is in a safe office park with a busy open-air parking lot, or to lunch with a friend. Both those scenarios happen about 10 times a year with the Raider. So the RL is the perfect solution for me because the above 4 ways of theft are tough to pull off in my case. A thief will probably just move on.

If I ever do travel long distance on the Raider with overnight stops (hasn't happened in 4+ years but who knows), I will get 2 Kryptonite chains and run one between the rear wheel and the frame, and the other between the frame and a solid object like a pole, along with using the RL.

If the bike is still stolen, I will sing a jingle and summon my State Farm agent.

[RaidWA]

I should add that Roadlok is really something to see and hold in your hand. The thing is SOLID; a beautiful lesson in industrial design and machining, in my opinion. I didn't know what to expect when I bought it, but I was very impressed when it arrived (that seems to be a common theme). It is VERY well engineered with tight tolerances all around.

[Kit Sullivan]

  Unless the bike is lifted and carried away, to be worked on later...what are the chances anyone could remove and reinstall another wheel without drawing attention to themselves?
  No one ever said the RoadLok couldn't be defeated...just that it is a strong deterrent.

[RaidWA]

That's my point as well. In my case, this is very unlikely but in a detached home garage or the shared garage of an apartment high rise (where most bike thefts take place), it can happen at 3AM when no one is likely to be around. So everyone must decide what security measures work for their bike. Roadlok is the perfect choice for me.

[SCL#484]

I am waiting for mine. I should have it by Jan27th.