Security Recommendation for 2015 PCX?

[Valiant]

The security:
2x Protector 13mm - 8.2' (2.5m) Boron Steel Noose chain = 2 x $267
3x Squire SS50CS Stronghold High Security padlock = 3 x $98
Dowco Guardian Weatherall Plus Large Cover = $79
Dowco Alarm Unit for Weatherall Plus covers = $18
ABUS 83WP/63 Weatherproof House-Key padlock(to lock cover) = $40

Scorpio Ride Core System = $219
Scorpio Secure Kit = $159
Data Plan(1 yr) = $132

Rough Total = $1,475

The location is Honolulu, Hawaii USA. The spot is a parking lot in an apartment complex on the ground floor, open lot with only some shrubbery surrounding it. The HOA President of the Board informs me that the only thing I can lock it to that won't attract negative attention from the board is a shrub/small tree instead of the full sized tree about 15' away. The catch is that it has to be parked in my assigned stall, and the best place for that is in front of the car.

One branch is about 2 inches thick, I'd estimate the base of the trunk to be about 6 inches thick. It's not ideal, but there's no way to reach the base from the other side of that wall(about a 2-foot high wall). The surrounding foliage would likely mean you can't cut the base without hacking down everything around as well(mostly small brushes). I plan to wrap the chain tightly around the base(using one padlock to keep it tight). The location is just outside of the city(about a mile from either Downtown or Waikiki). The foliage obstructs a direct view, and it's hard to see it from the side when a car is parked in front of it. Even someone walking into the lot probably won't see it unless the cars are moved out of the way(typically only during the day). It's a relatively high traffic vein with lots of car and foot traffic, plus there's a large 24/7 grocery store just across the intersection. There's a lanai area just over the spot(and in fact, I can see directly down on it), so if the alarm goes off, it'll probably wake up(and piss off) the 2nd floor people(2 units directly adjacent to it).

College campus parking will at best have a bike rack that allows 2-wheelers to lock to it, and there's campus security roaming the lots(almost exclusively patrolling the lots). Home parking may improve as the president of the board tells me there might be an opportunity to have a designated spot for 2-wheelers when they repave the concrete in about a year, and I floated the idea of placing raised concrete blocks about 6" x 6" in order to attach ground anchors to the spot.


I wanted to get an opinion of whether this setup would be good enough for say, a $10,000 motorcycle. Because, fixed object aside, I figure it's more than good enough for a scooter(at nearly 50% the cost of the scooter, that's a damn yessir).

But I'm wondering if:
A) I can add more security layers that don't duplicate or interfere with each other.
B) I can take out some stuff and opt for cheaper, but no less effective alternatives.

For example, GPS is good(plus I like the fact that I can use it with my iPhone), but requires a data plan(not a particularly expensive plan, given my $60/mo internet bill). There's also the opinion(from a former motorcycle thief) that an owner wouldn't want their bike back after a thief is done with it(typically taken apart for the parts, or crashed because the police had to ram the bike in order to stop it). So I was considering using a two-way FM system like the Scorpio SR-i900, which offers an audible alarm and a paging system that would wake me up if someone was messing with my scoot so I can get his attention with my green laser(and let his imagination do the work). I also figure I could throw away 50 bucks for Alphadot marking so there's at least one less thieving scum in my neighborhood(though I'm not sure the local HPD knows what it is or how to use and look for it).

I plan to get comprehensive coverage, but that's a last resort typically because they'll jack up your premiums or flat out refuse to insure you(from what I'm told by the board president who also owns a motorcycle on the lot).

I'm trying to stay away from being "nutty". As I said, my first choice was that 16mm chain. But I believe both the chains and the padlocks have to be the right size in order to make sure I can squeeze that padlock in to properly tighten the chain and keep the chain around the frame off the ground. On the other hand, locking your ride to an immovable object is the basics of the basics as far as security measures are concerned. Plus I feel my setup is decent(all UK made) and offers maximum security without cramping too much on weight and space(actually thinking about a slightly shorter chain for mobile locking, as I would prefer to fit it inside the 25L underseat storage).

I'll admit to being a little too carried away, as most scooters/bikes I've seen typically have maybe a nice Abus Granit or Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit Chain locked around their ride...but they only lock the wheel itself /facepalm. The mass majority of the others have the thickest chain from Home Depot, but those are buttery soft and are still thinner than my 13mm chain. I just figure the fact that my immovable object is a shrub/small tree might make my scoot just a bit more appealing to prospective thieves, thus why I want a little more of an edge(or more hoops to jump over). But on campus or if dedicated parking spots are made available at home, the trick isn't to make it impossible to steal, it just needs to be more secure than the ones next to it. Sorry to the neighbors, but that's just how it is.


I'm a little tempted to buy a Honda 2014 Forza instead(heavier at 422 lbs), but I figure that would be a piss poor idea as a first scooter, and it's been a little while since I last drove anything.

Thoughts? Add on? Take off? Good enough?

I figure the only further security I could add is to chain a large dog to it, but I figure the cleaning lady doing the gardening might not appreciate that.

[Valiant]

One limiting factor is that I'm not sure how desirable the market is for PCX parts. There's a good 10 sellers on the local craigslist for used PCX scooters, but I'm not sure if that's even remotely comparable to starter bikes like the Honda Rebel or Yamaha V-Star 250(both notably listed on the top 5 bikes least likely to be stolen).

As well, I'm purchasing these with the idea that in the future, I could reuse this exact same setup(including GPS, which I'd have removed) on an upgraded ride(perhaps a 2020 Forza?).

[gn2]

Forget security, locks and suchlike are just a nuisance to put on and off.
Just get good insurance.

[Valiant]

Forget security, locks and suchlike are just a nuisance to put on and off.
Just get good insurance.

Isn't that just a time factor? I figure the chain(maybe locking 2 padlocks) would take about as much time as putting on my Abus Citychain 1010 and Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit U-Bar lock around my Cannondale. Extra time would come from the locking cover, and perhaps the additional PoS cover on top of it(no lock). Wouldn't it be a bigger nuisance and waste of time to come back to an empty spot where your scooter used to be?

I also figure insurance was supposed to be a safety net. The more you actually use it, the higher the rates go. I'll already have higher rates for not having owned insurance for a while and not having driven on the road either.

And again, doesn't change the fact that you don't have a ride until your insurance pays you off, then you need to go through the process of buying and registering another vehicle, and have another topcase installed. Buy another full face helmet, and have another set of custom made kevlar protective gloves ordered(6 weeks lead time), both of which was locked in your underseat storage because I don't want to carry them both around to class. Plus everything except the topcase generally isn't covered under accessories coverage.


No sir, keeping the scoot from being stolen to begin with is far less of a nuisance.

[gn2]

I suppose it depends on what crime is like locally.
I had thought Hawaii to be some sort of utopian paradise.
Guess Hollywood tells lies after all.

[Valiant]

It kind of is. Violent crimes are pretty much nonexistent. Gangs? Local ethnic minority punks is about as worse as it gets.

Here's the thing though:
I've seen bicycle parts still locked to a bike frame, minus whatever parts weren't locked down tight. Funny thing? The parts still locked to the frame were held on with flimsy cable locks.

But on the other hand, the 10mm thick cable was cut on my Schwinn mountain bike, and I never saw the thing again. And my brother had his tires stolen from his Subaru Impreza from parking it on the street for just one night. Then he had thieves meticulously check each car on the street for alarms by kicking them(police found dents on his and neighboring cars), they then smashed his window on his Scion xB and proceeded to steal everything except items of actual value(deed and registration, money, the stereo).

Thieves are strange here, and I suspect most of them are on drugs. They'll leave the scooters where the only thing locked is the wheel itself, and with nothing to anchor to. Then you'll spot a scooter tire still locked onto a bike frame with a cable lock.

I can't say if anyone ever had their chains cut through, as HPD won't give me that information. Neither do I know if people tend to toss scooters/mopeds/motorcycles into their van and tear ass out of there.


Violent crimes are lower here, but nonviolent crimes tend to have free reign. I suspect the issue is that the justice system here doesn't care much of theft if nobody got hurt or killed in the process. Police more or less are on first-name basis with shoplifters at this point.

As well, isn't no security just an open invitation for opportunistic theft, however low it is? If every other ride is better secured and are typically Chinese PoS 50cc mopeds, wouldn't they go after mine first? If the theft rate is anywhere above 0%, I would think mine would be part of the 0.000000000000001% statistic.

As I said, the trick for that is to be better secured than the bikes next to yours.

[dasshreddar]

Seriously you should move out of the city/find a safer apartment complex. Rent a room/house and park your PCX next to your bed.

[Valiant]

Seriously you should move out of the city/find a safer apartment complex. Rent a room/house and park your PCX next to your bed.

Given that I already signed the mortgage... well, you can figure out the rest.

Again, it's not an ideal situation, but I figure from a logical perspective, the cover itself must be removed at some point, either for the thief to see what he's stealing or to see whether there are any other locks on that would prevent rolling it away. Plus it's hard to lift the thing into a van if you don't know how heavy it is(found out either by lifting it or visually identifying the bike). The thief also doesn't know whether there's tracking, or whether or not I marked the parts for identification.

If I were to wake up to the alarm and find a cut cover and the thief gets away, I could then use the faraway self-storage as a backup, stick it there for a month, wait for the thief to move on to greener pastures, then bring it back afterwards.

[wei2go]

Wow, and here I thought crime in South Africa was bad....

I have an alarm disc lock which I never use and a 3mm thick bicycle cable lock which I have used twice in the last 2month.

I park in a locked garage, which is behind security gates in my apartment complex. I leave my keys on the bike when it is in it's garage. When I'm at work, my bike is parked in the buildings underground parking. I take my keys with me when it is parked at work.

For me, it is mainly about convenience and touch wood, nothing has happened yet.

[Valiant]

Wow, and here I thought crime in South Africa was bad....

I have an alarm disc lock which I never use and a 3mm thick bicycle cable lock which I have used twice in the last 2month.

I park in a locked garage, which is behind security gates in my apartment complex. I leave my keys on the bike when it is in it's garage. When I'm at work, my bike is parked in the buildings underground parking. I take my keys with me when it is parked at work.

For me, it is mainly about convenience and touch wood, nothing has happened yet.

Oh crime isn't bad here, mostly petty stuff(again, "non-violent"). But my theory is, a crime rate of 0.0000001% doesn't matter much if you're part of that statistic.

Again, not trying to make it impossible to steal. I just figure two basic principles is to make it less visually appealing than other bikes, and to make it more of a hassle to steal than other bikes.

[wei2go]

I get it. My thinking is that if it takes me an extra minute to get on my bike. Over time, That will be a hell of a lot of wasted minutes. With a low probability rate, id risk it. You sound like you have all the basis covered, except for your own opportunity cost. How precious is your own time? If you start finding it a schlep to unlock your bike, how likely will you go for that joyride?

Even if it is inconvenient when everything gets stolen, your added time could add up even more costly.

Its a fine balancing act....

[gn2]

D-I-Y semi portable ground anchor... fill a large bucket or drum with concrete and set an anchor into it.
Chain up to your rear wheel, sorted

[Valiant]

D-I-Y semi portable ground anchor... fill a large bucket or drum with concrete and set an anchor into it.
Chain up to your rear wheel, sorted

Yes, which has to be checked with the board at the next board meeting, in September. Did I mention what a pain the HOA is?

[Valiant]

I get it. My thinking is that if it takes me an extra minute to get on my bike. Over time, That will be a hell of a lot of wasted minutes. With a low probability rate, id risk it. You sound like you have all the basis covered, except for your own opportunity cost. How precious is your own time? If you start finding it a schlep to unlock your bike, how likely will you go for that joyride?

Even if it is inconvenient when everything gets stolen, your added time could add up even more costly.

Its a fine balancing act....

It's for commuting, and not so much joyriding. I'd adjust based on time away(just installed alarm and chain for quick shopping trips or less than 30 minutes, and full lockup for more than an hour). Again, I typically do a generous lockup of my $1,000 Cannondale(front and rear wheel, both locked to the frame and bike rack), haven't found it to be a pain yet. My attitude might change as it gets older and builds up more cosmetic damage, but that would likely take about 4 years of depreciated value before I get that lax. I'd also expect locking and unlocking to go by quicker as I get used to the motions. I sincerely doubt it would take more than 5 minutes to start with, and probably drop down to under 3 when I get better at it.

[Bash On!]

Concur with dasshreddar; before I'd spend that much on chains and whatnot, I'd look for a nicer place to live, or reduce the comprehensive deductible on my insurance. If somebody REALLY wants the scooter that badly, they'll know how to defeat all that stuff on your list, anyway.

[Valiant]

Concur with dasshreddar; before I'd spend that much on chains and whatnot, I'd look for a nicer place to live, or reduce the comprehensive deductible on my insurance. If somebody REALLY wants the scooter that badly, they'll know how to defeat all that stuff on your list, anyway.

Erm, nice places to live generally cost a lot more in Hawaii . That's assuming I can just immediately sell the place I just signed a mortgage to, just moved in two days ago, and somehow find another place in the same price range.

I also haven't purchased the PCX itself yet(waiting for the 2015 model, said to be released in July), nor any insurance.

I'm also less concerned with people defeating the locks as opposed to simply ignoring them and tossing the entire thing into a van. Thus why I'm looking into security with more of a psychological deterrent(locking cover, making the cover look old and faded, alphadot/UV marking the parts).

[kramnala58]

Someone once told me that locks are only a deterrent for honest people because crooks are going to get past the locks if they really want it. I seems like you are quite concerned about the potential of theft even though, according you, the crime rate is quite low. Just a question, but are you robbing yourself of some of the joy of riding by being overly concerned about your bike being stolen? You have only lived there for 2 days. What are you seeing about the neighborhood now that you didn't see when you made the offer to purchase the place?

[Valiant]

Someone once told me that locks are only a deterrent for honest people because crooks are going to get past the locks if they really want it. I seems like you are quite concerned about the potential of theft even though, according you, the crime rate is quite low. Just a question, but are you robbing yourself of some of the joy of riding by being overly concerned about your bike being stolen? You have only lived there for 2 days. What are you seeing about the neighborhood now that you didn't see when you made the offer to purchase the place?

To be honest with you, I'm 26 and single. My mother pushed me to purchase the place(go ahead and get it out of your system ), rushed through the process quite a bit, and I signed the mortgage with her. But out of all the places we looked at that isn't 10 miles away, only this place had the best appeal as far as relative cost, location, repair, and space. Actually, open lot aside, this place is more or less perfect.

Again, it's Hawaii. Single homes would be $500k+ easy. It's slim pickings here, and moving to the mainland just seems like a general downgrade as far as criminal activity and natural disasters(wasn't there a lot of twisters recently?).

I'm not about to stay awake at night obsessing over security for a scooter I don't have yet, and the parking issue may yet improve. It's also hard to say whether the spot itself is bad or not. I don't have a solid fixed object to secure it to, but the spots near the stone columns can't be seen by the occupants(units start from the 2nd floor up). My spot has 3 units per floor with a clear view over it(including mine) through the balconies, with 7 floors of occupied units, there are 21 total units that can directly see and hear if my 130 dB alarm goes off, so plenty of potential witnesses, and sound tends to carry easily.

Just that the fact that it's locked to a shrub might give opportunists the idea to even try, so I just wanted to wrap as much physical obstructions as possible that would either cause the thief to look over it(ratty cover) or make it extremely inconvenient to physically steal(locking cover with alarm, installed alarm system, chains and padlocks).

Again, most theft is opportunistic, and I don't want to hand them the opportunity. It's a bit different than wanting to chain a gorilla to your ride with a shotgun .

[Mel46]

I had a friend who had that kind of problem and this is what he did: he bought a dog tiedown post that screws into the ground. The post has a body that looks like an auger, mesning that you screw it into the ground. He dug a hole, got some quick drying concrete, placed the post in the hole and filled the hole with quick drying concrete. He did that close to a bush, so it was hidden when he finished. He padlocked a chain to it, and attached the other end to his bike. When he was out riding the chain was hidden under the bush. Then he put a motion sensor on the bike. I don't know if this is overkill, but he had an expensive bike, so it was fine for him. Just a thought.

[Valiant]

I had a friend who had that kind of problem and this is what he did: he bought a dog tiedown post that screws into the ground. The post has a body that looks like an auger, mesning that you screw it into the ground. He dug a hole, got some quick drying concrete, placed the post in the hole and filled the hole with quick drying concrete. He did that close to a bush, so it was hidden when he finished. He padlocked a chain to it, and attached the other end to his bike. When he was out riding the chain was hidden under the bush. Then he put a motion sensor on the bike. I don't know if this is overkill, but he had an expensive bike, so it was fine for him. Just a thought.

Really trying not to risk a fine by doing that without HOA approval, as some other guy tried something similar in which he wrapped a cheap chain from Home Depot around a stone column, so it looked like he was doing what the other guy did. But upon closer inspection, it actually turns out that he also drilled into the stone column and put a wall anchor in there and locked his scooter with an Abus Granit U-Bar. That guy is now facing a fine(don't know how much, but I suspect a thousand minimum).