Moped Security

One thing thats important to owning a moped is security, whether its at home or parking in a city, one should always consider their mopeds security. The best security is always security thats always mindful of its own weakness and compensating accordingly.

In Michigan we have moped/scooter registration which should help with the recovery if it gets stolen but I wouldn't count on it. Hence why locking up your bike is a good idea, there are several ways to lock up the bike, tires locked to the frame, anchoring the frame to a object, or a combination. The most common ways mopeds are stolen are by, grabbing the moped and riding/walking off with it, this includes braking cables or locks, or by grabbing a un-anchored moped and throwing it in a truck. Sometimes they'll just haul it away and hide it until they can grab it later.

The best way to avoid people from taking you moped or scooter is first anchoring it to something unmovable. To do so there are several ways to lock your moped up. You can use chains, cables, or U-locks. I'm sure there are several more out there but those three are the most common. From what I've heard, cables are somewhat easier then chains or U-locks to snip apart with bolt cutters, so the best choices are U-locks and chain. Then again if thats all one can afford I'd suggest maybe something thicker or have multiple cables, the more, the harder it'll be.

As for locks, Brinks makes a awesome lock, its a disk shape one that costs about $12 and is highly recommended. Reason being is that the lock isn't like a traditional one with a popup rung that usually can be smashed with a hammer. Other locks have a different kind of key which is harder to pick, those are usually found on Kryptonite locks and are probably the best rated locks on the market for moped security. A added bonus is that Kryptonite carries a theft warranty, if their device gets defeated by a would-be thief, they'll give you money for your moped or scooter, so I guess I'd keep a receipt of whatever you put into it.

Since I don't have $100 to spend on a top of the line lock, I decided for the multi lock approach using two different kinds of locks. My first purchase was from Walmart, it was a Kryptonite U409 U-lock and I also bought a Bunker Hill Security chain from Harbor Freight. Now you might wonder why two types? Well if they can get one open can they get the other open? My guess is no. Especially since both keyed locks are about the same in type, they don't use regular keys and the tumblers are different then normal run of the mill locks. All bought they came to a total of around $35, which isn't bad but some people say you should at least spend $100, which isn't bad advice either. I guess it boils down to how much your willing to spend and possibly how much you moped and/or scooter is worth to you. I only spent about $375 total on my moped, so maybe it should be around 10% of how much your moped/scooter is worth. Except if you have a Puch Magnum, for the love of beer lock that puppy up so that even the jaws of life would have a hard time.

Again remember that any lock can be neutralized but since mopeds are often stolen due to opportunity, so keep your head about yourself. Your best bet is to keep it out of sight and yet in a safe place, if its out in public it'll get more attention and will have a higher chance. Just don't lock it where a thief couldn't be seen if they were working on stealing it. Its just common sense, use your head, out smart a criminals because not everyone is a good person.

Remember, when having fun, stay safe...