Guide to parking bikes

Jimmy Bottlehead

This feels like an awful stupid question, but I can't seem to find the answers elsewhere.

Can anyone give me a rundown of the do's and don't of where to park a bike? Like, whether to chain to a lamppost, outside shops, etc.

Wonda-Boy

And this is gonna sound like a very blunt answer but never park a bike anyway you dont have to, unless you really have no choice....it will be gone in minutes if the wrong crowd see it.

If you absolutely must then get an ALMAX chain and always through the back wheel to a un-movable object.

And never in an underground car park the absolute worst place to park a bike TBH.

Country is in an epidemic of bike robberies.

punisher5112

As much if possible lock to a pole.

Very easy for 2 guys to pick up throw in back of van.

Don't use parking spaces on road as bikes don't need to and I think the ones that do are a bit thick.

nc19

Best way to lock it is as follows;

Lock it to the U bend of your jacks, lock the jacks door, turn on your house alarm and sit at the top of your stairs with a rifle......

Nowhere is safe..

BKtje

You guys really make me happy to be living where i do. Almost no bikes go missing. People don't even chain them to anything!

There are so many bikers as well!

Wonda-Boy

Gonna head over there so with a ski mask and bolt cutters & make a fortune, cheers for the heads up!

JacquesSon

If someone wants your bike bad enough they can get it. They just need undisturbed time. Eliminate that through obstacles of locks and visibility then they'll go for an easier target.

Blondie919

punisher5112 wrote: »

Don't use parking spaces on road as bikes don't need to and I think the ones that do are a bit thick.

Huh? If I'm in a hurry and looking for a parking space, I'll gladly take an empty space. It's a parking space for any type of vehicle. Doesn't make me a bit thick.

punisher5112

Blondie919 wrote: »

Huh? If I'm in a hurry and looking for a parking space, I'll gladly take an empty space. It's a parking space for any type of vehicle. Doesn't make me a bit thick.

Why take a car space if not needed.

Have some friends that have done this to then come back and find bike on grown as car next to them obviously didn't see the bike.

BKtje

Don't even need the bolt cutters. Chains are pretty much non existant! Think everyone goes after the Porsches, Ferraris , Mazzeratis etc

AgileMyth

BKtje wrote: »

You guys really make me happy to be living where i do. Almost no bikes go missing. People don't even chain them to anything!

There are so many bikers as well!

Yeah, the best solution! Move somewhere with low crime rates. Park wherever you like!

rat_race

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

This feels like an awful stupid question, but I can't seem to find the answers elsewhere.

Can anyone give me a rundown of the do's and don't of where to park a bike? Like, whether to chain to a lamppost, outside shops, etc.

All of the above. U-locks are better than most chains around the same price. Lock to a pole or fixed object when you can, as others have said.

Use your steering lock and point you bike in such a way that the bike can't be rolled off easily. Park it somewhere tight where it'd be hard to get at, or cut chains, etc. If you use chains, do them in such a way that there's no slack and that nothing can be placed on the ground (as it'd be easier to cut/break).

Put a cover on when possible.

Get a disc lock with a built in alarm -- they're very good.

However, my opinion is a bit different to some of the above. I park my bikes in underground car parks, city centre, etc., etc., from time to time. I'd say, use your judgement for each scenario. How attractive is your bike, how much is it worth, how upset would you be if it was stolen, etc...

You can't carry around an Almax, or big chains, etc...it just isn't practical.

We're going to die one day and so are our bikes...I take some risks knowing my bikes might be robbed, but I also want to make sure to use my bikes as the tool they are, as much as I can. I wouldn't park my bike in the middle of an unknown estate. I would park my bike somewhere I felt there's only a small chance of it being robbed/damaged. If/when it happens, I think I'd be okay with it.

I take risks feeling the gains are worth it!

arybvtcw0eolkf

BKtje wrote: »

You guys really make me happy to be living where i do. Almost no bikes go missing. People don't even chain them to anything!

There are so many bikers as well!

I'd a friend ride over from Basel and I had to almost beg him to buy a lock for his trip.. When he did you'd have laughed at the chain a Swiss dealer sold him (obviously no experience of Irish bike ownership!).

So I gave him one of mine, and at night we parked the bike in the pub!.

He had never heard of a bike theft in Basel (CH).

Here's a little clip of us.. Marco, Motorradbruder Longriders ~ Basel, Switzerland

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLvdQt3lUCY

OP like Wonda and the lads have said, unless you can help it don't park it anywhere out of sight.. If you have chain it to something, through the rear wheel and always with the chain & lock OFF the ground.

Underground car parks should be treated like a war zone and avoided at all costs.

Get yourself a good ground anchor point too.

Mmmmmm, and avoid Finglas :pac:

Del2005

BKtje wrote: »

You guys really make me happy to be living where i do. Almost no bikes go missing. People don't even chain them to anything!

There are so many bikers as well!

We got strange looks in the Alps as we where locking our bikes together overnight in a hotel, came back the next morning and of the 20ish bikes parked up only the 2 Irish bikes had locks.

Blondie919 wrote: »

Huh? If I'm in a hurry and looking for a parking space, I'll gladly take an empty space. It's a parking space for any type of vehicle. Doesn't make me a bit thick.

It's illegal to use a bay and display bay on bike in Dublin, check you're local council could have similar rules.


Can't believe no ones mentioned to always park with the front wheel facing into the kerb if only using a disc lock, therefore you can't drive off with it still attached

Skill Magill

If you're using a chain, its ok to chain it to another bikes chain

Blondie919

Del2005 wrote: »

It's illegal to use a bay and display bay on bike in Dublin, check you're local council could have similar rules.

Can't believe no ones mentioned to always park with the front wheel facing into the kerb if only using a disc lock, therefore you can't drive off with it still attached

Thanks for that, as I never knew this was the case.
But it's really only spaces that don't have pay & display that I'd park. And it's only if I'll be gone a few minutes.

Good idea about the kerb.

Also OP, always park your bike in gear so that it won't roll if it is hit by anything. I got this great tip on this forum a while back and it's something I always do now.

GrumpyMe

Park facing uphill!

Jimmy Bottlehead

Cheers for all the tips guys. I'll be keeping her somewhere more secure within the next few days once I've something sorted.

What I was also asking in the opening post was, can you park a bike on any footpath or outside shops, etc? I'm used to having to look for car parking spaces, so knowing where I can park a motorbike is still a mystery

Del2005

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Cheers for all the tips guys. I'll be keeping her somewhere more secure within the next few days once I've something sorted.

What I was also asking in the opening post was, can you park a bike on any footpath or outside shops, etc? I'm used to having to look for car parking spaces, so knowing where I can park a motorbike is still a mystery

It's illegal to park on a footpath so you can get a ticket, but most of the people who issue tickets don't ticket bikes once they aren't causing an obstruction. If you leave enough space for a couple of buggies to fit past you should be OK, but there's always a jobsworth who will ticket you. Definitely don't park in a pay and display bay in Dublin city as you will get done even with a ticket.

GrumpyMe

Use common sense - if it is a narrow footpath try not to park...
Think about and cater for other footpath users the blind/sight impaired, pushchair, wheelchairs etc...

Jimmy Bottlehead

Del2005 wrote: »

Definitely don't park in a pay and display bay in Dublin city as you will get done even with a ticket.

If I can't use pay and display, where should I park? Or rather, where am I meant to park?

GBX

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

If I can't use pay and display, where should I park? Or rather, where am I meant to park?

Thats the thing, Its such a grey area with bikes.
I have emailed both PJ Hegarty's and Dublin City Council asking when Hegarty's are going to move their works stuff from the motorcycle bike parking on Princes Street. Still waiting on a reply.
There is that one and another at Ormonde Quay bike specific parking area's for motorbikes. Im not aware of any others?

Del2005

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

If I can't use pay and display, where should I park? Or rather, where am I meant to park?

Legally motorbikes have to use the multi storey car parks in Dublin, since it's illegal to park anywhere else in Dublin. In real life don't cause an obstruction when locking it, to something solid if possible, on the footpath.

antiskeptic

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

This feels like an awful stupid question, but I can't seem to find the answers elsewhere.

Can anyone give me a rundown of the do's and don't of where to park a bike? Like, whether to chain to a lamppost, outside shops, etc.

Having had a multitude of bikes stolen over the years, my own view of parking up.

- it takes seconds with a consaw/battery angle grinder/postable oxy/acetylene pack to cut through a lock or chain. It makes no difference (unless you think a few seconds more constitutes a difference) whether the chain is good quality or not.

- I once had to pick up a customers broken down bike from the median along O'Connell St. We pulled up in a battered, unmarked Transit and lifted the locked bike (a small two stroke) up and put in the van parked nearby, unchalllenged.

- given the above: distance is your friend. I'd roll/drive my bike down a pedestrianed st. a good ways. Which makes angle grinder work and pushing the bike to a waiting van a good deal more risky. The thieves will go for easier pickings.

- or park at a cop station. Or right in front of a manned kiosk at an underground car park. In the main, I'd have fixed points to park at in town which I'd consider safer, somewhat inconvenient but necessary

- I has a small trick of placing a 6mm torx headed bolt through a hole in my brake disc + nyloc nut. Bike rolls a foot then stops. Robbers come armed with what they expect to meet, not for what they don't. You can also insert a small spacer suitable for the purpose between the rear brake pedal and it's stop. Again, the robber under some stress is more likely to leave a bike he can't roll than figure out what's stopping it rolling.

- a hidden ignition cut out is essential too. It takes seconds to pull the barrel from your ignition and drive away.

- at home I'd a home made anchor made from 1/2" plate with a hidden lock and a 1.5" bar through the wheel. It would take a lot of time to cut through.

Cienciano

antiskeptic wrote: »

Having had a multitude of bikes stolen over the years, my own view of parking up.

- it takes seconds with a consaw/battery angle grinder/postable oxy/acetylene pack to cut through a lock or chain. It makes no difference (unless you think a few seconds more constitutes a difference) whether the chain is good quality or not.

I have to disagree with that one. I use an almax chain, yes it can be cut. Yes, a disk lock can be broken. But most bike thieves don't have the tools to cut it. It's much better to have a chain that you need an acetylene torch to get through than a €20 bolt cutters that you can hide in your jacket.
I'd go with what rat_race said. Personally I'd rather an underground car park to on street. More people will see your bike on street, that means more thieves will. Doesn't matter if the area is busy, all scumbags do is wear a high vis jacket and they can do what they like in broad daylight.


Other than security and just practicality, always park facing up a hill or the bike can roll off the stand. Even if it's a very gentle hill. IF you're parking along a road with a camber, reverse in. Can be a bastard to pull out if there's a kerb.

Del2005

Good to see that at least one council in Ireland has decided that bikes aren't bad. Getting dedicated bike parking in Waterford, hopefully it'll be done properly with something to secure the bike to unlike the 2 we had in Dublin

antiskeptic

Cienciano wrote: »

I have to disagree with that one. I use an almax chain, yes it can be cut. Yes, a disk lock can be broken. But most bike thieves don't have the tools to cut it. It's much better to have a chain that you need an acetylene torch to get through than a €20 bolt cutters that you can hide in your jacket.

I'd certainly agree that good chain is preferable to cheap. My aim however was to operate at the highest possible level at all times - taking action that would deter the more professional type on the assumption that such types would be nosing around.

You would be amazed at the speed (and relative quiet in the open air) of a 1mm cutting disc / 4" battery operated angle grinder combination. Steel hardness becomes a moot benefit in the face of carbides.

-

I recall walking along the keys one evening and noticing some lads loading a Yamaha XJ650 into a van. It was outside and just down from a diner with a string of bikes parked outside. It was only the sound of the rear light being smashed against the inside of the van which alerted me to the possibility that this wasn't the owner. The van drove off and I dipped into the diner to ask "anyone own an XJ 650 here?"

The sight of a gang of bikes tearing off after the van - which was only a couple of hundred yards up the road at this point... oo'er.

antiskeptic

I recall getting a phone call from Finglas Garda station (where else) telling me that they'd recovered "a mechanically propelled vehikil registered in your name". It had gone missing the week before and I'd given it up for lost. Delight..

"What condition is it in?" I asked.

"Not too bad, except the handlebars are gone off it" he replied

Then the penny dropped. I'd a bike with clip ons set so low and so tight I was always getting comments from youngsters "where's your handlebars mister?"

The cops had recovered a bike that had been stolen 8 months previous to the one stolen a week before!

Cienciano

There's a good thread on reddit from a ex professional bike thief in america.
http://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/comments/t5shp/ex_thief_chopshop_operator_ama/

Some quotes:

basically you want it to appear to take a long time to steal. $100 disc
lock on rear wheel, $150 chain/lock combo through hard parts not chain and not
wheels, if it has to be a wheel put it through the rear one, lockable bike
cover, and keep your steering locked
Again, if you park outside of an apartment and your bike gets stolen, rent a ****ing garage or self-storage unit near by to use as a garage. The thief is just going to wait a couple weeks for insurance to replace your bike and come back to check. If someone tries and fails to get your bike the same thing applies. Move it, they WILL be back.
The majority of thieves aren't that smart and half of those are on drugs, please don't be dumber than they are

Here's the disc lock he uses:
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/38299/i/xena-xx-10-disc-lock-with-alarm?WT.ac=SLIsearch

rat_race

My Ninja 250 was vandalised/dropped/kicked on Friday night. Cracked right fairing and broken indicator. Had it parked across from the Luas stop at Stephen's green until about 4am.

I'd say it was dropped, some clowns probably thought it would be cool to sit on it.

Funnily enough, I accidentally left my gloves on the dash, and they weren't stolen. Also, someone had the courtesy to put a bit of the the broken indicator on the dash too. How nice.

However, I asked for this and expected it at some point...

Wonda-Boy

rat_race wrote: »

My Ninja 250 was vandalised/dropped/kicked on Friday night. Cracked right fairing and broken indicator. Had it parked across from the Luas stop at Stephen's green until about 4am.

I'd say it was dropped, some clowns probably thought it would be cool to sit on it.

Funnily enough, I accidentally left my gloves on the dash, and they weren't stolen. Also, someone had the courtesy to put a bit of the the broken indicator on the dash too. How nice.

However, I asked for this and expected it at some point...

**** rotten luck mate, but I bet there are a rake of CCTV cameras around if you wanna look into it.