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I prefer to park it out front under the hotel canopy. The hotels have cameras but to be honest I'd rather be asleep and not be worrying about it outside my room. Lock the ignition and forks, take everything out of the saddlebags. Spend a little more and stay in a hotel chain rather than an out of the way motel in a seedy area.
Yep thats basically what I do. I prefer the chains (most often Marriott) and never pick one out of the way, at the end of the street etc... Also most every time I park under the canopy at the front entrance after asking the hotel clerk, I have never been told no.
Originally Posted by rocket23
Todays gun laws suck...any scum bag sees an out of state plate ,they already know the tourists are easy pickings, and unarmed. And if god forbid, a decent citizen decides too defend his property and yes, even his life...they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent. I wouldn't know what to do, but more towards the op's point, lean to in the woods, shoot a bear if need be....pay a fine and move on. I wonder how bad it is in Canada? joking of course , puerto rico is warmer....
It would be foolish for the scum bag to assume that an out of state tag means the person is unarmed. With my permit there are almost 40 other states that I am legal to conceal carry in. In addition there are about 7 states including mine that have constitutional carry and require not permit for anyone to carry
Last edited by ChickinOnaChain; Sep 22, 2016 at 11:42 AM.
When I'm on the road, I prefer to stay in locally owned motels in small towns. I like the old, roadside dive places. Places like the Modern Motel (gotta love that optimistic name) in Vinton, Iowa, where I spent a couple of nights earlier this month:
Earlier this year we spent a couple of nights in Crofton, Nebraska at the Argo hotel. Supposed to be "haunted" (what a load of crap). They don't actually have a parking lot, so you just park in the street. Place is built solid as a rock. Overnight, a big thunderstorm blew through town and we never heard it. Knocked over a tree across the street into a house. If the wind had come from the other direction, our bike would have been stuffed. Chit happens.
I'm not going to spend any energy worrying about my bike. Sure, I'd hate to see anything happen to it, but realistically, on any given night, what are the odds of that? One chance in 1,000? One chance in 100,000? Who knows? Whatever it is, it's slim.
My one concession to security is that I do lock the forks and the ignition switch, throw the shutoff switch to "off", and turn off the petcock. I figure that's enough to keep any casual, joyriding nutballs at bay. Or not.
If I wake up in the morning and my bike is gone or if a tree has fallen on it, I'm going to call my insurance guy, buy a bus ticket home, and start shopping for a new bike. When you consider all the possible bad things that could happen to you in your life, that's not even in the top 100.
Just like at home...neck lock and a disk brake lock on the REAR wheel. The front is too easy to pick up, so I put mine on the rear...if they want it, they'll have to work for it.
Use good hotels.
Steering locked.
Ignition locked.
A lock on the rotor (rotor lock).
Depending on area then i may carry a cable lock and pass it through wheel and engine guard just to slow them down an extra 5 seconds.
Bike has a starter kill...does nothing for a lift and go.
Park in the center of a space so folks do not hit bike with their car doors.
The basic bike cover you do not want to carry is probably the best safety feature for me.
A simple thin cheap bike cover stores into its own zipper pouch about the size of a coffee can.
They are sometimes found for $20-$25 (cycle gear,ebay etc)and many times come with a strap or can easily be strapped to bike when not in use.
The cover hides the bike from view and keeps others from sitting on it and tipping it over (drunk people returning to hotel).
Random people coming home from bars or unloading in a parking lot do not get attracted to bike.
It generally captures less attention.
No real reason to hang around a bike that is covered.
Nothing to really attract them to a covered bike.
Takes a little more effort to attack your bags or any bolt-on item because they have to untie or cut the cover, lift it and then address the item they want.
Again, it makes them take an extra 5 seconds.
The cover also helps to keep the bike and seat dry regardless of were you park it.
The cover also provides an additional thing that must be removed to then attack your other security items.
Paying someone to look feels good but means little...they can shrug their shoulders and say i did not see anything...they have a job, they work for the hotel and have other responsibilities.
And God rest the soul of Larry Weaver. A tragedy that no one should have to experience.
Learn from his mistakes. It's all about the choices you make before parking the bike. Don't stop in dicey neighborhoods. Stay in a nice hotel - not a cheap motel. Park under the canopy out front - most places we stay at have let us. Lock the steering and bags.
Most importantly - park your bike, walk away and get a good night's rest. The overwhelming odds are that it will be right where you left it.
Last edited by nevada72; Sep 22, 2016 at 09:49 AM.
Use good hotels.
Steering locked.
Ignition locked.
A lock on the rotor (rotor lock).
Depending on area then i may carry a cable lock and pass it through wheel and engine guard just to slow them down an extra 5 seconds.
Bike has a starter kill...does nothing for a lift and go.
Park in the center of a space so folks do not hit bike with their car doors.
The basic bike cover you do not want to carry is probably the best safety feature for me.
A simple thin cheap bike cover stores into its own zipper pouch about the size of a coffee can.
They are sometimes found for $20-$25 (cycle gear,ebay etc)and many times come with a strap or can easily be strapped to bike when not in use.
The cover hides the bike from view and keeps others from sitting on it and tipping it over (drunk people returning to hotel).
Random people coming home from bars or unloading in a parking lot do not get attracted to bike.
It generally captures less attention.
No real reason to hang around a bike that is covered.
Nothing to really attract them to a covered bike.
Takes a little more effort to attack your bags or any bolt-on item because they have to untie or cut the cover, lift it and then address the item they want.
Again, it makes them take an extra 5 seconds.
The cover also helps to keep the bike and seat dry regardless of were you park it.
The cover also provides an additional thing that must be removed to then attack your other security items.
Paying someone to look feels good but means little...they can shrug their shoulders and say i did not see anything...they have a job, they work for the hotel and have other responsibilities.
All of the above for me, too. It's worked for 35 years.
Last edited by Uncle G.; Sep 22, 2016 at 09:49 AM.
If ya don't have a Prospect, wheel it into the room, ... other wise lock and leave it by the main entrance under the Fully Insured New Upgrade/Exchange Program
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