Originally Posted by
jape
An alarm system and locks is something I have thought of (I use cable locks already) and it all helps, but of course one always forgets or can't be bothered one day for just a few minutes at the shops ... it is enough trouble undoing helmet/jacket/gloves and gear just to pick up the bread and paper. These security tools and an immobiliser would all help against casual thieves as you have shown but serious thieves would go around with bolt cutters and/or a van to lift bikes into, or at least, I would! My household Insurance doesn't cover my bike and the motor vehicle Insurers want nearly as much yearly for the bike alone as it cost me (despite I live in a 'safer' area in the bush)! The household Insurance is progressively cheaper depending on the security devices I have fitted and the same should apply to 'bike Insurance I would assume.
The great thing about these GPS trackers if they do as suggested is that you could recover the bike or even put the cops onto the thieves' hideout/chop-shop. Probably just some wankers' back shed in most cases.
It would be great if some 'bike accessories dealer would put together a security package with simple instructions so we can do it ourself. i.e immobiliser, alarm, locks and GPS tracker for a couple of hundred bucks. It would be worth that to protect your investment even on an old banger. I am currently following some on Ebay that seem to end up around $100. We shall see.