Locks
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 4,998
Likes: 655
From: bklyn,ny
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 1,486
Likes: 619
From: North Dakota & Minnesota
My solution is just park next to a much nicer bike. When I'm staying in a hotel my 96' Road King sits next to my buddy's 22 Road Glide Limited and my other buddy's 2019 Ultra Limited. Nobody has touched my bike yet. 
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 348
Likes: 701
From: OC
Last edited by BC1000; Apr 6, 2022 at 11:55 PM.
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 1,347
Likes: 2,061
From: Phoenix
For over 20 years my wife and I have used disc locks. We've stayed in hotels in some dicey neighborhoods and our bikes have always been there the next morning.
Has the lock deterred anybody? Who knows, but I'll keep using them.
Has the lock deterred anybody? Who knows, but I'll keep using them.
Road Master
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 826
Likes: 712
From: N/E Indiana
I saw a Video of 2 guys snatching an Ultra. They rolled up in a Truck with an enclosed trailer that had some Landscape company logo. Threw down the Trailer Ramp door and grabbed Go Jacks. Picked up the Bike with them and rolled it right in the trailer. One stayed with the Bike the other closed the door and drove off. Less than 30 Seconds.I learned a Long Time Ago, "All Locks do is keep Honest people Honest"
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 17,149
Likes: 6,174
From: SE Michigan
Why, because you really want your stolen, abused, chopshopped bike back?
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 9,332
Likes: 3,874
From: Upstate New York
I use a disc lock and an unmarked bike rain cover when I'm traveling overnight. The lock will slow a thief down and the cover hides the bike from prying eyes that might look for an easier, shinier target.
Tourer
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 300
Likes: 112
From: Iowa
As others have said, if the bad guys want your bike they are going to get it. The only thing you can do is to make them decide they would rather have another bike.
- A cover is a good first line of defense simply because thieves have to commit to some amount of time to even decide if yours is a bike they want. Go unbranded so you aren't advertising it as a Harley. Try to look for one that you can lock in place with whatever other lock you decide upon.
- If you use a disc lock use the bright orange reminder cord that hooks on the handlebars. That cuts down on the really short trips and it advertises to thieves that you are making some effort to make your bike a pain in the neck to steal.
- If the bike is frequently at the same parking spots assess whether you can just leave the lock and chain, locked to something when you leave. One of the guys in my office building leaves his bicycle lock on the bike rack every night so that it's there when he arrives in the morning. It saves him from lugging all that weight around. That might allow you to use a longer, heavier chain than you otherwise might.
- If you are travelling with others consider chaining the bikes together to make carry off theft more difficult.
- Consider intertwining the chains used to secure two motorcycles rather than directly chaining them together. That way either bike can unlock its own chain to leave.