Annapolis: Watch your scoots!

The Baltimore Sun reported today on a rash of scooter thefts in the area. According to the story, the bikes in question don't need to be registered, which leads me to believe that most of the scooters are 50cc. Even if you don't pay a lot for your scooter, you can still do several things to deter theft:

• Use a disc brake lock, especially one with an alarm (Cost: $20-100)
• Use a substantial cable lock to anchor your bike to a permanent structure (Cost: $15-80)
• Use a bike cover- thieves poking around draw unwanted attention (Cost: $20-70)

More expensive ways to deter theft:

• Employ the Lo-Jack System
• Re-wire your kill switch to a hidden place which will make it hard for thieves to ride away
• Use an enclosure such as a shed or a RideInn
  

In order to keep your scooter safe, you need to stay vigilant and a step ahead of the bad-guys.

Scooter Thefts!

It was bound to happen, with scooters being in high demand and easy to pilfer, it's no wonder that they are getting stolen.
According to this news report from the News-Leader in Springfield, MO 20 scooters have been stolen in the lat 2 months! I would guess that several of them were not securely locked, but even with a chain it is possible. And if people have modern, plastic scooters and use those plastic body parts for securing the bike, it's not to hard to break it and go.

In Scoot!#31 from Spring '05 we ran an article on ways to properly lock your bike. This situation makes me thing that we need to run another article on it.

I say use a big lock, or two; make it hard to roll such as by locking the wheel or disc brake. In especially dodgy places, I have locked my helmet to by front wheel and removed my spark plug. Easier on a vintage bike. On newer bikes, an alarm isn't that hard to install.

Anyone out there had their scooter stolen recently? What were the circumstances?