Ground anchor problems? (tarmac/concrete)

[tildarama1]

Hi,

Apologies if this is not the correct board for this topic. I'm pretty paranoid about bike theft and have bought a Xena disc lock, Massive ass oxford chain and a ground anchor. I wish I could have my PCX in the house then i'd sleep well!

The problem is:

Just got my Oxford Anchor Force ground anchor, but the instructions say CONCRETE. My driveway is tarmac but I didn't know of the 'concrete' requirement before purchase. I assume that it will not hold in tarmac as it is pretty 'crumbly'.

What would everyone recommend? I'm thinking cut out some tarmac and fill the hole with concrete then fit the anchor?

THANK YOU

[gn2]

I'm pretty paranoid about bike theft

Best thing to do: sell the ground anchor on eBay, forget all the security gubbins and get good insurance.

[tildarama1]

Thanks gn2.

I'm pretty paranoid about bike theft

Best thing to do: sell the ground anchor on eBay, forget all the security gubbins and get good insurance.

I have third party fire and theft insurance which was expensive enough! I'm just trying to be as secure as possible but I know that nothing is theft proof.

I would really like to fit the ground anchor though as an added deterrent (otherwise I will return it to amazon).

[gn2]

You would need to cut a hole in the tarmac, dig down nice and deep and fill with concrete.
Then the tea leaves will just cut through your chain with bolt cutters in less than half a jiffy leaving you with a nice ground anchor to secure your next scooter to.

[tildarama1]

You would need to cut a hole in the tarmac, dig down nice and deep and fill with concrete.
Then the tea leaves will just cut through your chain with bolt cutters in less than half a jiffy leaving you with a nice ground anchor to secure your next scooter to.

Thanks, I guess that's what I will have to do then. I'm just trying to be as secure as possible but I know that if someone wants it enough they will take it.

[redhandmoto]

We use a length of steel pipe buried in 20 pounds of concrete. Each end has a threaded and welded-on tee fitting. One end is barely exposed above ground level, allowing us to thread through a hardened security chain to tie the bike down. The chain cannot be parted except by power equipment.

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[tildarama1]

We use a length of steel pipe buried in 20 pounds of concrete. Each end has a threaded and welded-on tee fitting. One end is barely exposed above ground level, allowing us to thread through a hardened security chain to tie the bike down. The chain cannot be parted except by power equipment.

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That sounds great!

I'm wondering about the possibility of creating a concrete boulder/bucket, at least if someone wanted to steal the bike they would have to carry that as well.

[redhandmoto]

Inexpensive also. But the chain was pricey...Vespa-branded thing...still...

[tildarama1]

Now wondering if chaining the bike to my gatepost would be a better option. Ground anchor looks too hard to fit withuot some serious man-power/tools.

Then the tea leaves will just cut through your chain with bolt cutters in less than half a jiffy leaving you with a nice ground anchor to secure your next scooter to.

gn2 was right, if they are going to steal it they will cut the chain! but at least the gatepost connected to the house in the corner would make it hard to maneuver

[khaosaming]

Sadly there's nothing to deter a determined professional thief. If it makes you sleep better at night, you'd better install something 'concrete' to fix it to. With an approved lock, there's a chance you can get a discount on your insurance policy. Better still, move to a neigbourhood where statistics show crime rate is the lowest.

Or, do this:
http://themotoblog.files.wordpress.com/ ... 54rert.jpg

[tildarama1]

Sadly there's nothing to deter a determined professional thief. If it makes you sleep better at night, you'd better install something 'concrete' to fix it to. With an approved lock, there's a chance you can get a discount on your insurance policy. Better still, move to a neigbourhood where statistics show crime rate is the lowest.

Thanks! I think I will install the anchor it may just take a while to get it done so I can use my big ass oxford chain for now (and Xena alarm). Or as you suggest I will just sleep on my bike

Crime is pretty low here, and unfortunately there was little-to-no insurance discount, as i'm 23, riding on a provisional with a CBT.

[EmilyJEG]

My insurance was horrendous. £650 with £600 excess! I have a big chain but I've only used it once - I usually just use a disc lock and cover the whole thing. Fortunately it's in a secure car park so it's unlikely to get stolen, but I do worry about it sometimes!

[tildarama1]

Yeah, INSURANCE!

Luckily got excess protection but still quite pricey.

Just want to be as difficult as possible for a would be PCX thief!

[brains_t]

Hi

Is the base of your house walls concrete, mine is and that's where I secured my anchor. Handy as it is off the ground making it harder to abuse

[siplumb]

Blimey, £650?! I thought mine was high at £360. I also use a ground anchor in the drive (concrete) with a hefty chain. We're getting the drive done soon and was thinking about what to do for the bike, ie getting something sunk into it while it's being worked on, but take your point about the determined thieves just cutting through it. I have to chain it up everywhere to be covered under the current insurance, but live in a low crime area, now wondering whether its worth getting a different insurance. Not many people bother to chain up their scooters at my work as the security is pretty good but surely any protection against opportunistic thieves is better than none? Hopefully they see the chain and try something else?

[gn2]

My PCX lives outside completely unsecured, no locks, anchors, alarms, chains, datatag nothing at all.
Fully Comp £80

[Mel46]

I have a friend who worries about his BMW bike constantly, so he dug a hole about 2 feet deep and a foot or so wide, poured a bag of Quik-Crete in, wet it, shoved a long eye bolt into it and let it dry for a few days before looping a big chain through it and attaching 3 large locks to it. He said that if they were that determined to get it, they could have it!

[EmilyJEG]

I've only got my CBT and haven't been insured before - and I can't drive a car. When they checked it all out on the phone, he said the insurance would be exactly the same even if I had an alarm of some sort. I think it's completely over the top - especially since the excess is almost the same again. I could understand maybe £400, but not that amount!

I had a look at quotes for this year, although you can only look 30 days in advance so I'm a month too early to find out for sure, but it seems to have increased (by a couple of hundred)! I'm hoping when I speak to them directly they'll give me a slightly better offer. It's not even like I can argue that I've had better quotes - the next 'cheapest' is about £1,000! That's considerably more than a month's wages

[gn2]

Always check out the comparison sites.
Never ever renew without knowing how much you can get the same cover for elsewhere.
New business is pretty much always cheaper than a renewal, many companies actually charge a fee to renew as well as increasing the cost of the cover.
Also seems obvious, but don't be paying for pillion cover, make sure you de-select it when comparing on-line.

[edscoot]

Re chains.

Take a look at this and weep:

You could buy one of their Almax chains and a recommended lock but I don't know how much more secure your scoot will be. If you only want to secure it at home then use several chains (16mm and above) and an alarmed disc lock. Hopefully your scoot will look like too much trouble to nick for your average thief. You get some peace of mind but a whole lot more hassle and all this costs money.