No one likes talking about the serious stuff. We know it, you know it. But that might be a problem for you when your bike mysteriously gets stolen by some toe rag with a white van and a grinder. If you’re spending 10-15k on a bike, it should be a no brainer that you’re going to want to protect it. Think of your security as an investment. Especially if you want to sell and buy more bikes in the future.
Your motorbike security should ideally last you a very long time, making it a worthwhile purchase. (And it is recommended by insurers that you should be spending at least 10% of the value of your bike/s on securing it).
It’s important to note that security is not going to protect you from every single thief. There is no way you can 100% protect your bike from theft, if a thief wants it badly enough, they are going to do their best to get it. The idea of motorbike security is to make it harder for them to get it, or at least slow them down enough to potentially stop them completing the job.
You might be thinking the chance of a theft is really small and therefore, there’s no reason to invest silly amounts of money in preventing the unlikely. You might also be thinking your garage is safe enough on its own, so this doesn’t apply to you. Wrong. Motorbike theft can happen to anyone, and it should be treated more seriously to avoid the worst.
- Nearly 40,000 motorcycles are stolen each year in the UK
- 80% of bikes are stolen from the owner’s home
- It can take only 20 seconds to steal an unsecure bike
- There’s a 3.3% chance your bike will be stolen in any given year
Whether we like it or not, our prized positions are valuable, and thieves know that too. You can be targeted on the go, at home by a professional thief, or just an opportunist who happened to see your bike without a motorbike lock. The point is the more security the better. If you’re just leaving your bike outside your home for everyone to see, you’re not doing yourself any favours.
This blog was designed to show you just how much you could be spending in the long run, if you don’t choose to invest in some security in the short term.
We’ve done some digging on various insurance sites, comparing insurance quotes and we really want to stress how important motorbike security is for the short and long term. Below is a table highlighting the different ages of people and how their insurance can be affected by a motorbike theft for both their bike insurance as well as their car insurance.
| 25yrs | 30yrs | 40yrs | 50yrs | Average Cost | |
| Bike insurance cost without claiming a bike theft: | £170.25 | £108.05 | £100.08 | £93.84 | £118.25 |
| Bike insurance cost with claiming a bike theft: | £458.95 | £347.44 | £211.05 | £165.05 | £295.74 |
| Car insurance without a bike theft: | £509.04 | £325.76 | £446.78 | £385.56 | £416.79 |
| Car insurance cost with claiming a bike theft: | £582.87 | £389.53 | £537.61 | £482.28 | £498.07 |
- After a bike theft, we saw that on average our bike insurance went up by a whopping 150% from £118.25 to £295.74.
- Shockingly we also saw that our car insurance also increased by a staggering 20% from £416.79 to £498.07 for having a bike stolen.
- While a car theft only saw an increase of 5% on our insurance.
- No matter your age, your insurance would be going up for having your bike stolen on both your bike insurance and your car insurance.
- Any named driver policies would also experience an increase on their insurance.
- If you own a bike and a car, your car AND bike insurance both go up.
Shockingly, if your bike was to be stolen, you will also see an increase on your car insurance premium by 20%. Any named drivers on your car insurance will also see some increase on their insurance from the theft of YOUR bike. As you can see, a stolen motorbike can have huge impacts on your insurance, as well as anyone you live with.
With figures like this, it is surprising to know that anyone would rather risk it than investing in a bit of additional security.
Bike Insurance Quotes (30 Years Old) – No Theft:
Bike Insurance Details (30 Years Old) – Theft 1 Year ago:
Theft Claim 1 year ago – 01.01.2019:
Claim amount £15,000:
Bike Insurance Quotes:
Real life case:
A chap posted in ‘The UK Motorcycle Theft Protest’ Facebook group, explaining how before his bike was stolen, he had gotten his car insurance down to a reasonable £550 a year. After his bike was stolen, however, his car insurance rocketed up to a staggering £4,572!
I’d like to stress that it was this chap’s bike that was stolen, but his car insurance was still massively increased. So, if you’re still not too bothered about the loss of your bike, you should also be considering your insurance increase on your car, and the named drivers on your policy.
Not to mention the heartache of losing your bike, the hassle of chasing up the insurance companies and trying to get your bike back. The loss of a bike can be financially, mentally and emotionally draining, and as such should be avoided at all costs.
Layering motorbike security:
Again, there’s no way to avoid a theft, and the best method of defence is a lot of it. Ideally, we’d all have secure motorbike storage such as a hefty garage with a Guardsman garage security barrier across the opening. But that just isn’t feasible for everyone, so other products are recommended to create further security.
At Image4 Security we recommend ‘layering’ your security products to maximise your bike’s safety. This means having it all and flaunting it all: Alarmed disc and grip lock, Guardsman security barrier, Diamond rated Ground Anchor and industrial high security chains. Layering all your security products gives you that extra peace of mind, as well as multiple forms of defence in the case of an attack.
We have a fantastic range of products designed by bikers, for bikers. We produce everything in house and have outperformed all tests thrown at us. Our range of motorbike security includes:
- Garage security bar, the Guardsman
- Shed security bar, the Guardsman
- Guardsman alarm system
- Guardsman anchor point and chain
As well as an innovative range of ZOVII smart products:
- Alarmed grip lock
- Alarmed disc lock
- Cable reminder
- Alarmed chain and lock
- Alarmed shackle lock
- Smart padlock/ smart alarmed D-lock
Additional tips:
If you’re still on the fence about the difference some additional security can make, we’ve got some additional tips below to try to beat the thieves.
- Don’t leave your bike out for everyone to see. If it must be kept out, cover it with a thick black motorbike cover to deter interest.
- Secure your bike to something solid and heavy when out and about.
- Always secure your bike whether you’re on the go or just at home.
- Keep your bike visible by you and/or your neighbours if it cannot be locked out of sight. In the event of a theft, you hopefully will have more witnesses.
- If you’re out, park in secure, well-lit areas.
- Disable your bike. It may not stop it being stolen, but it will make it harder.
- Mark parts of your bike with your VIN, vehicle reg and postcode. Stolen bikes rarely make it home because they can’t trace their origin. This can also make the parts of your bike harder to sell if it has been stolen for parts.
- Buy smart or alarmed products that can be connected to your phone and alert you if there is an attack.
- Consider security as an investment. If you’re buying a 15k bike, protect it!
LOCK. SECURE. IMAGE4.
Read our previous blog on ‘Motorbike Security Made Simple’
