Those are some good ideas. It wouldn’t be too difficult for manufacturers to fit bikes with trackers, disc locks, immobilisers that stop bikes from being pushed along, etc. However the people that make the regulations are lobbied by large companies (e.g. insurers and motorcycle manufacturers). Consumer groups lobby them, but they don’t have the same level of resources. They are only taken notice of when public opinion is so great that it might affect someone’s election chances. Better motorcycle security is not really in the interest of the manufacturers. It adds to the cost of the bike and the more bikes that are stolen increases the sales of new bikes and the more bikes that are damaged and recovered increases the sales of spare parts which all helps to keep the manufacturers dealerships in business. For the insurers fewer thefts would reduce premiums and therefore reduce profit. They like the public perception of crime to be greater than the true level of crime, something which modern news media is very good at reinforcing, because that helps them to sell their products.
So four days since starting this thread and no one is actually able state whether the Mutlistrada's steering lock is actually any better or worse than your average bike with a conventional steering lock operated by the ignition barrel? When you study the Multistrada's mechanism it does seem, on the face of it, that it's actually a better system as it is a component designed to do a single task, unlike conventional steering locks. The steel pin is not unsubstantial being a solid 10mm (approx.) steel bar, and this interfaces with the top yoke where it's entire shape doesn't offer a weak point. I'm sure that an attack with a disc cutter would defeat the pin, or just weaken it enough to be bent out of the way, but not without causing substantial collateral damage, due to it's location (as someone has alluded to previously). It does seem that it would be more resistant to the fairly common 'brute force' attack where force is exerted through the handle bars acting as a lever - it's specifically this type of attack that I'm interested to understand more about. So no one is aware of a Multistrada that has been stolen after a brute force attack through the bars?
I wouldn't rely on one. They are designed to stop a wheel away theft. Anyway with a bit of nous could defeat one.
About 3 or 4 years ago there was a Multi - Twin Spark I think - in the dealers that had been stolen and recovered as it had a tracker on it. The steering lock was on and the toerags had levered the pin up so it rested on the yoke part, it would have made steering difficult but not impossible. The pin unit was damaged and the security bolts that hold the unit to the frame were bent as well, plus quite a lot of cosmetic damage to bodywork where they levered up the pin. The unit design may well have changed now but that is the only one I have seen.
Yes, I think it was yourself that had mentioned this before - so to date it's the only occasion that I've heard of where a Multi has had the steering lock defeated by brute force. I already own and use said items.
Until recently I would have agreed with you. I was having a chat with a friend of mine that owns a Yamaha dealership and was talking about getting a tracker fitted. I glibly said to him "All these bike thefts must be good for business." and he said, "Well you'd think so but no, not generally. We've had a few customers that have had more than one bike stolen that have just decided that bike ownership was becoming a liability and didn't replace their last bike." In the case of motorcycle thefts I actually believe that the media is not adequately reporting the scale of the issue and it's not getting sufficient coverage and the appropriate government bodies don't appear to be tackling it. On that basis I'd say that the public perception isn't based on media reporting and the fear is completely justified based on direct experience themselves or someone they know - not just reading whats reported in the media. I also know that underwriters really don't like underwriting a business based on a rapidly escalating set of losses which are out of control, so I'm not convinced that the high number of claims ultimately results in high profits either. I honestly believe that motorcycle dealers and insurers would rather have a more steady and predictable churn of customers over the longer period, than a short term spike that might present a short-term gain in bike sales but then rapidly offset by large claim costs and people leaving motorcycling completely.
If you only have one disc lock i recommend fitting it through the sprocket and chain. Because some theiving scrotes have 2 blokes just lift the front wheel by the bars and wheel it into a van. Much harder to lift the back and then need another scrote to steer it! Also always park with the disc lock out & visible. So they see it is locked before they stop. If you are lucky they may move on. Never relied on just a steering lock + never had a bike knicked - but then i left London in 1976
